IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHI- NERY FOR CUTTING FILES
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Davis, of Leeds, in the County of
York, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHI-
NERY FOR CUTTING FILES."
Sealed the 10th May 1858, and dated the 11th November 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Davis at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 11th November 1852.
I, WILLIAM DAVIS, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING FILES" to be as
follows:-
In the machinery hitherto employed for cutting files, the cutting
instruments are made to strike the face of the blank, and thereby
cut the teeth thereon as the blank is passed through the machine.
A complicated arrangement of mechanism is required to impart the
requisite motions to the cutters and blank at the same time, and as
caly one side of the file can be thereby cut at the same time, a con-
siderable loss of time takes place. In order to prevent this, it has
been proposed to employ a pair of cutters, one acting on one side

page_text: of the blank, and the other cutter on the other side; the cutters are
made to strike simultaneously, so that the one cutter acts as a bed or
rest to sustain the blank against the blow of the other cutter.
This arrangement is, however, open to grave objections, and the
work produced thereby is far from perfect. In the improved me-
chanism for which I desire a Patent the cutters are stationary, and do
not impart any blow to the blank; by this means the complicated
machinery hitherto necessary to actuate the cutters is dispensed with,
and it is only necessary to set them at the proper angle to form the
teeth of the file, and to arrange and construct their bearings in such a
manner as to allow a little play, so that the blank may pass between
the cutting edges.
Instead of striking the blank a smart blow with the cutters, the
blank has a slight vibratory or reciprocating motion communicated to
it, as well as an onward or progressive motion. By this means the
blank is driven forcibly against the cutting edges, and the teeth thereby
formed on both its faces simultaneously.
The progressive onward motion of the blank is effected by a screw;
and the short backward motion, to bring the faces of the blank against
the cutters, is produced by a crank or excentric, which acts on the
carriage whereon the blank is fixed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Davis, in the Great Seal Patent Office,
on the 11th May 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
WILLIAM DAVIS, of Leeds, in the County of York, Machinist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of November, in the
year of our Lord Oue thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself. Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Davis, Her special licence

page_text: that I, the said William Davis, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Davis, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR CUTTING FILES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William Davis, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed,
and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Davis, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say):
In the machinery hitherto employed for cutting files, the cutting
instruments are usually made to strike the face of the blank, and
thereby cut the teeth of the file thereon as the blank is passed through
the machine. A complicated arrangement of mechanism is required
to impart the requisite motions to the cutters and blank; and as only
one side of the file can be thereby cut at the same time, a considerable
expenditure of time takes place in the operation of cutting and
changing the blank, which must, of course, be passed twice through
the machine before it can be completed. In order to obviate these
objections, it has been proposed to employ a pair of cutters, one acting
on one side of the blank, and the other cutter on the other side; the
cutters are made to strike simultaneously, so that the one cutter acts
as a bed or rest to sustain the blank against the blow or pressure of
the other cutter. This arrangement is, however, open to grave objec-

page_text: tions, and the work produced thereby is far from perfect. In the
improved mechanism for which I have obtained Letters Patent, as
aforesaid, the cutters are made stationary, and do not impart any blow
to the blank; by this means the complicated machinery hitherto
necessary to actuate the cutters is dispensed with, as it is only neces
sary to set them at the proper angle to form the teeth of the filc,
and to arrange and construct their bearings in such a manner as to
allow a little play, so that the blank may pass between the cutting
elges. Instead of striking the blank a smart blow with the cutters,
as has hitherto been the case, the blank has a slight vibratory or
reciprocating motion communicated to it, as well as an onward or
progressive motion. By this means the blank is driven forcibly against
the cutting edges, and the teeth are thereby formed on both its faces
simultaneously. The progressive onward motion of the blank is
effected by a screw; and the short backward motion, to bring the faces
of the blank against the cutters, is produced by a crank or excentric,
which acts on the carriage whereon the blank is fixed.
In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1, is a front view, and Fig. 2, is a
vertical section of the machine complete. a, is the standard, to which
an upper frame 6, is bolted. These frames carry two distinct slides c,
and d; the slide d, being mounted upon the slide c, and gradually
moved therein by the screw e, as the cutting operation proceeds. The
screw e, is also mounted in the slido c; a cross section in the line
xx (Fig. 1,) of the slide c; and screw e, is shewn detached
at Fig. 3. The tail end of the blank g, to be cut is placed in a
ball f, that works in a socket of the slide d, and bears against a
screw h, of the slide frame c, that keeps the blank at its proper inclina-
tion. The holders i, that carry the cutters j, are moveable, and turn
on pins that work in bearings screwed to the frame b. The construction
of these holders i, is clearly shewn in the drawings, and therefore needs
no more detailed description. k, is an oscillating lever, carried by the
frame b; this lever is shewn detached at Fig. 4, and is furnished with
two fingers 1, and m, that are caused by a weak spring a, to embrace
the file blank immediately below the cutters, in order to support and

page_text: keep them up to their work, and make them bite and dig into the
blank as the frame c, is moved upward by the can s. A balance
weight o, is hung on the outer end of the lever k, for the purpose of
balancing the weight of the cutters, which at all times rest upon and
are supported by the fingers 1, and m. When it is required to produce
a file, the blank of which is taper, as shewn at Fig, 2, a strip of
metal p, corresponding to the taper, is placed on that side which rests
against the screw h, so that as the taper blank descends it will, by
means of the strip p, be always kept at the same inclination; and as
the cutters act horizontally, the cuts on the sides of the blank will form
an obtuse angle with the line of its descent. The ball f, or file holder
(as it is technically called), has its surface graduated, and a hole is made
in the frame at q, through which these graduations may be seen and
read when desired, as will be necessary when producing round or
circular work. When triangular or half flat files are to be cut, only
one cutter is used, and a sustainer or bed of metal is applied on the
opposite side, and rests against the side of the slide c.
The driving
shaft 2, is mounted in bearings in the frame b, b, and is furnished at
one end with a fly wheel and driving pulley. There is also a crank
or cam s, and worm t, mounted upon it; this worm t, gears into a
wheel u, on the shaft v, which, by means of a wheel w, taking into the
wheela, gives motion to the screw e, of the frame c, and causes the
sliding frame d, and file blank, gradually to descend as the cutting
operation proceeds. Before commencing the operation of cutting, it
is necessary to adjust the position of the frame d, and set it to the pro-
per height; this is effected by turning the screw e, whereby the sliding
frame d, may be raised or lowered as required. It should be under-
stood that the lower end of the shaft v, turns in an excentric bush y,
mounted in a bracket extending from the frame a; and when it is
required to adjust the position of the sliding frame d, the wheels w,
and x, must previously be thrown out of gear; this is done by turning
the bush y; and this operation has the effect of drawing back the
wheel w, thus leaving the wheel x, and screw e, free to turn independent
of the other moving parts.

page_text: The operation of this machine is as follows:-On rotatory motion
being communicated to the shaft v, the cam s, will raise the frame c,
and d, with the blank g; and the lever k, being mounted on the frame b,
will also rise. The fingers m, and 1, carry upwards the edges of the
cutters i, i, and by thus forcing them back, cause them to dig into
the blank as it is forced up by the vibratory or reciprocating motion of
the frame c. By the surface of the blank being thus forced against the
cutters, the teeth of the file are cut therein, and by a series of such
operations a perfect file will be produced. On the cam a, continuing to
rotate, the frame c, will be drawn back by the spring, ready to make
a fresh stroke upwards. During this time the blank is caused to descend
a short distance by the agency of the worm t, the wheels x, w, and
shaft v, and screw e, so as bring a fresh part of the blank surface for
the cutters to act upon. The gauge or fineness of the file to be pro-
duced is regulated by the change wheels and the adjustable screw 1,
which regulates the amount of motion of the slide c, and consequently
the depth of cut. The distance of one cut from the other on the faces
of the blank is regulated by changing the wheels w, and x, for others
of the desired proportion.
Having now described my improvements, and the best means with
which I am at present acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I
would observe, in conclusion, that I do not mean or intend to confine
myself rigidly to the precise arrangement or construction of parts herein
shewn and described, as they may perhaps be varied without departing
from the nature and object of my Invention; but that which I consider
to be new, and therefore wish to claim as the Invention secured to me
by Letters Patent as aforesaid, is cutting files by forcing the blank up
against a cutting tool or tools instead of causing the tool to strike the
blank, as heretofore.
Second, I claim the arrangement of mechanism, or any mere modifi-
cation thereof, whereby files may be cut on both sides simultaneously.
Third, I claim the arrangement, above shewn and described, for
adjusting and regulating the fineness and depth of the cut, and also
the employment of a cup and ball joint as the holder of the blank,

page_text: and the adaptation thereto of a graduated part which may serve as an
index for circular work.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Davis, have hereunto
hand and seal, this Ninth day of May, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-three.
set my
WILLIAM DAVIS. (L.S.)
Witness, SAM DAVIS, of Leeds.