IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH LATHES FOR THE USE OF WATCHMAKERS, JEWELLERS AND OTHERS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark of the firm of A. M and
W. Clark of 53 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the
Institute of Patent Agents for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN OR
CONNECTED WITH LATHES FOR THE USE OF WATCHMAKERS, JEWELLERS AND
OTHERS communicated to him from abroad by Herman Milton Potter of
Williamsport in the County of Lycoming and State of Pennsylvania, United
States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th June 1883.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A M and W Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents
"IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH LATHES FOR THE USE OF WATCHMAKERS,
JEWELLERS AND OTHERS." [Communicated to him from abroad by Herman Milton
Potter of Williamsport in the County of Lycoming and State of Pennsylvania,
United States of America]
This Invention consists in lathe attachments for supporting, steadying and
marking various small articles of steel, brass, iron or other material, and for
securing the accurate turning or drilling of the same in any lathe to which the
attachment may be applied. The attachment which is more particularly designed
for watchmakers or jewellers use, combines in one device what may be termed an
adjustable dead centro and an adjustable countersunk centre, the uses of which are
dependent upon the description of work under operation. These centres comprise
slides or their equivalents, which as well as the attachment as a whole are
adjustable to the work or article under operation to support and allow the free
rotation of the article without binding,
Among some of the uses to which the attachment may be applied by watch-
makers, are centre drilling, pivot turning, staff turning, pinion turning, the truing
of pinions and staffs, also as a gauge for cutting small articles into accurate lengths.
The body of the lathe attachment has a centre hole or eye and adjustable slides

page_text: arranged radially in the body around said eye, so that the ends of the slides will
support the work to be operated on and passing through the eye, without binding.
Ordinarily three slides arranged at equal distances apart will suffice, but four or
any greater number, may be used, if desired. These slides constitute work
supporters and need not necessarily be constructed in the form of slides, so long
as they operate to centre and support the work under operation. It will be
convenient however here to refer to such devices as slides. Said slides are
operated in and out simultaneously as follows :–
=
The inner ends of the slides moving in the radial grooves, are each provided
with a V shaped point having a flattened end, the V shaped points of the slides
flattened at their ends, supporting the article to be turned, without binding. The
body of the lathe attachment has inserted within its face an eccentric slide
adjusting device which consists of a concentric ring baving an attached lever or
handle and a series of eccentric slots within which fit studs on the back of the
radial slides said slides being arranged in front of the device. The eccentric slots
have branches at their outer ends opening outwards through the device to form
outlets for the studs on the back of the slides when withdrawing or removing said
slides from the body of the attachment. According as the lever or handle of said
adjusting device is moved to the right or left will the several slides be simul-
taneously and quickly set in or out relatively to the centre hole or eye to adjust
them to the work to bo steadied and guided by the attachment, and after the
necessary adjustment has been made the device is secured in position by a locking
nut on the back of the body arranged to fit a pin on the device passing through
a slot in the body. The body is secured to the back end of a bottom support or
sliding block by clamping nuts on the back of the body and arranged to fit screw
pins projecting from the rear end of the block and passing through slots in the
body. This connection of the body with the block provides for an exact adjust-
ment of the body up or down or about the pins. Such connection too provides
for reversing the body which is countersunk at its oye on its back, to adapt it to
plain or countersunk work according as its face or back is foremost. The bottom
support or block has bevelled sides and is arranged to fit or slide within a lathe
block that fits and is capable of adjustment along the lathe-bed and is secured in
position thereon by a thumb screw, nut and bolt. An adjusting screw having a
plain collared bearing within the lathe block and fitting a screw thread in the
sliding block provides for the gradual adjustment of the attachment or its body in
line with the spindle or work.
One form of tool rest is secured to the body by a thumb screw arranged to pass
through an oblong slot and to enter a screw hole therein and is set in or out from
the body by means of set screws. This tool rest which is applicable to special
kinds of work that the other rests are not adapted to, is formed with a hollow on
its face to allow of certain kinds of work passing between it and the body of the
attachment.
Another form of adjustable tool rest may be employed on the side of the body
on which the centre hole is countersunk and this tool rests consists of a plate
provided with a slot, for attachment at one of two poles in the body and adjust-
ment of the rest, and a tapering projection at one of its corners constructed to
enter within the countersunk surface of the eye and to conform thereto.
For countersunk work slides may be used having their end turned up or out
the one end being made bovelling in every direction and being applicable to
single countersunk work, while the opposite end is of uniform thickness, with its
sides bevelling so as to terminate in a flat or blunt extremity to adapt it to
different or double countersunk work. These slides are adjusted in the same
manner as those first described

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th December 1883.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and W. Clark of 53 Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH LATHES FOR THE USE OF WATCHMAKERS,
JEWELLERS AND OTHERS' A communication to me from abroad by Herman Milton
Potter, of Williamsport in the County of Lycoming and State of Pennsylvania,
United States of America.
"
This invention consists in a novel lathe attachment for supporting, steadying
and working various small articles of steel, brass, iron or other material, and for
securing the accurate turning or drilling of the same in any lathe to which the
attachment may be applied. Said attachment which is more particularly designed
for watchmakers or jewellers use, combines in the one device what may be termed an
adjustable dead centre and an adjustable countersunk centre the uses of which, as
hereinafter described, are dependent upon the description of work under operation.
These centres comprise slides, or their equivalents, which as well as the attachments
as a whole, are adjustable to the work or article under operation to support and
allow the free operation of the article without binding.
Among some of the uses to which the attachment may be applied by watch-
makers, are centre drilling, pivot turning, staff turning, pinion turning, the truing
of pinions and staffs, also as a guage for cutting small articles into accurate
lengths.
The Invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all
the figures.
Figures 1 and 2 are front and back or opposite face views, upon an enlarged
scale, of the attachment ready for support on and connection at its base with a
lathe bed, showing also certain details connected with it. Figure 3 is a top view
of the same, and Figure 4 a mainly central vertical section thereof, transversely to
the face of the attachment. Figures 5 and 6 aro face and edge views of a tool-rest
used on the attachment, and Figure 7 face and edge views of different constructions
of adjustable work centreing and supporting slides.
D' represents the body of the lathe attachment having a centre hole or eye e
and adjustable slides f" arranged radially in the body around said eye so that the
inner ends of the slides will support the work to be operated on and which passes
through the eye without binding. Ordinarily three slides, arranged at equal
distances apart will suffice, but four or more if desired may be used. These slides
constitute work supporters and need not necessarily be constructed in the form of
slides so long as they operate to centre and support the work under operation. It
will be convenient here however to refer to such devices as slides. Said slides are
operated in and out simultaneously as follows:
The inner ends of the slides f which move in radial grooves aro cach provided
with a V shaped point, the end of which may or may not be flattened, the several
points collectively serving to support, without binding, the article to be turned.
The body D' has inserted within its face an eccentric slide adjusting device I,
which consists of a concentric ring having an attached levor or handle band a
series of eccentric slots c¹ within which studs d' on the back of the radial slides f"
fit, said slides being arranged in front of the device I. The eccentric slots c' have
branches c² at their outer ends opening outward through the ring or device I to form
outlets for the studs d' on the back of the slides f³ when withdrawing or removing

page_text: said slides from the body D¹ of the attachment. Accordingly as the lever or
handle 6 of said adjusting device I is moved to the right or left will the several
slides f³ be simultaneously and quickly set in or out relatively to the centre hole
or eye e to adjust them to the work to be steadied and guided by the attachment
and after the necessary adjustment has been made, the device I if secured in
position by a locking nut e¹ on the back of the body D'arranged to fit a pin on the
device I passing through a slot f³ in the body D¹. An adjustable stop b¹ secured
by a nut, and a pin arranged to pass through the slot f³ may be applied to the
attachment for limiting the closing action of the device I on the slides and a scale
may be provided if desired, for determining the proper position of such stop to suit
different sizes of work.
The body D¹ is secured to the back end of a bottom support or sliding block E
by clamping nuts on the back of the body and arranged to fit screw pins 11
projecting from the rear end of the block E and passing through the slots i¹ in
the body. This connection of the body with the block provides for an exact
adjustment of the body up or down or about the pins . Such connection too,
provides for reversing the body D¹ which is countersunk at its eye e on its back,
to adapt it to plain or countersunk work accordingly as its face or back is
foremost. The support or block E' is in sliding dovetail fit or connection as
shown at b², b³ with a lathe block F' that fits and is capable of adjustment along
the lathe-bed and is secured in position thereon by suitably turning through a
handle 6ª on an eccentrically constructed locking shaft b* arranged to pass through
a loosely fitting clamping block 6 within the block F' said block 65 having a bead
below for grip or hold on the lathe bed.
G is an adjusting screw having a plain collared bearing within the block E
and fitting a screw thread in the lathe block F to provide for the gradual
adjustment of the attachment or its body in line with the spindle or work.
The tool rest H³ shown in Figures 1 and 4 is secured to the body D¹ by a
thumb screw o' arranged to pass through an oblong slot and to enter one of a
pair of screw holes h¹ according to which side of the body D¹ is foremost. It may
be set in or out from the body D¹ by means of set screws. Said tool rest which is
applicable to special kinds of work that the other rests are not adapted to, is
formed with a hollow u' on its face to allow of certain kinds of work passing
between it and the body D¹ of the attachment.
'
Instead of the adjustable tool-rest H2 an adjustable tool rest H' as shown in
Figures 5 and 6 may be employed on the side of the body D¹, on which the centre
hole e is countersunk. This tool rest H¹ consists of a plate provided with a slot
for the attachment at one of the holes h¹ and adjustment of the rest, and a
tapering projection 6º at one of the corners constructed to enter within the
countersunk surface of the eye portion e and to conform thereto.
For countersunk work reversible slides f³ or ƒ (Figure 7) may be used or
substituted for the slides fa in the grooves in the body D₁ and be similarly
adjustable by the same means. These slides f, f° are turned up or out at their
ends, which may either be made beveling in every direction as shown for the
slide foto adapt them to single countersunk work or said ends may be of uniform
thickness with the sides, bevelling so as to terminate in flat or blunt extremities,
as shown for the slide f to adapt the same for different or double countersunk
work. Besides these, there may be employed numerous other differently con-
structed work centreing and supporting slides, according to the changing character
or shape of the work, certain of which marked ƒ ƒ ƒ" and ƒ" are also shown in
Figure 7. Each of these slides has a projection d' to engage with the eccentric
slots c in the adjusting device I.
Other details of this lathe-attachment may be variously modified, both as
regards shape and otherwise, or other details may be added without changing the
principle or character of the invention.
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing

page_text: the same I declare that what I claim as the invention to be protected by the
hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is:
1st A work supporting and steadying attachment for lathes constructed to
operate, substantially as herein described.
2nd The combination of an attached tool-rest with a stationary lathe attachment
body D¹ having a centro holo or eye and slidos or other work supporters adjustable
in or out relatively to said eye at distances apart around the eye, essentially as
described.
3rd The combination with the latho-attachment body D' provided with radial
grooves and a central hole or eye e of each or any of the slides ƒ ƒ ƒɩ ƒ ƒª ƒª
and 10, substantially as described and for the purposes herein set forth.
4th The adjustable and reversible slides ƒ ƒ having their onds bent or turned
outward and either bevelling on their several sides or edges, or bevelling only on
their opposite edges and of uniform thickness essentially as and for the purposes
herein set forth.
5th The adjustable slotted tool rest H' provided with the lateral projection 6¹
substantially as described and for the purpose set forth.
6th The combination with the body D¹ of the stationary lathe attachment, said
body having a countersunk or flaring centreing eye of the adjustable slotted tool-
rest H provided with a lateral projection constructed to enter within and
conform to the countersunk walls of said oye, essentially as specified.
7th The combination of an attached tool rest with a stationary lathe attachment
body D' having a central hole or eye, adjustable slides arranged radially around
said eye and provided with studs d and the adjusting ring or device I provided
with eccentric slots c¹ opening through the ring I to form outlets for the studs
when withdrawing said slides from the body substantially as described.
8th The combination of the longitudinally adjusting screw G¹ with the lathe
block F', the sliding block E' and the body D¹ of the attachment provided with
adjustable centreing slides or work supporters substantially as specified.
9th The combination of the body D₁ of the attachment having slots i¹, i¹ the
sliding block or bottom support E¹ and the clamping nuts, and screw bolts or pins
k, l, essentially as and for the purposes herein set forth.
10th The eccentrically constructed locking shaft b and the clamping block b³ in
combination with the lathe block F', the sliding block E', the longitudinally
adjusting screw G' and the body D' of the attachment having adjustable slidos or
work supporters, substantially as described.
In witness whereof I the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal this nineteenth day of December A.D. 1883.
A
TADT