AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR FORMING THE INTERNAL SCREW THREADS OF GAS FITTINGS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London,
for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR FORMING THE INTERNAL
SCREW THREADS OF GAS FITTINGS."-A communication from abroad by
John Lang Pope, of Oleveland, Ohio, United States of America,
Mechanical Engineer.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 26th August 1873.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR FORMING THE
INTERNAL SCREW THREADS OF GAS FITTINGS," a communication, to be as
follows:-
The purpose of this Invention is to facilitate the work of tapping or
forming the internal screw threads of gas fittings and to perform such

page_text: work with a uniformity of size so that any number of fittings can be
readily coupled to each other.
The said machine has a circular frame mounted on legs. In the upper
outer edge is cut a rabbet, in which is fitted a rotating carriage, the face
of which is provided with cogs or leaves, whereby it is made to revolve
by means of the mitre wheel actuated by a belt and pulley.
To the periphery of the said carriage and perpendicular to the plane
thereof is secured a stay, in which are arranged the taps. Two of these
taps are horizontal and the other occupies a vertical position, that is to
say, it is at a right angle to the horizontal taps. Each of the said taps 1
is fitted in a mandrel or spindle driven by a mitre pinion secured to the
mandrel by means of a groove and feather, so that the said mandrel can
work backward and forward on the pinion and at the same time be
rotated therewith for operating the taps.
In the outer end of each mandrel is fitted a feed screw. The said 1
screws are fixed in the studs by a nut and screw head so that they
cannot turn, hence the mandrels run upon the screws. The latter work
in nuts screwed to the ends of the mandrels.
The mitre pinions are actuated by a wheel which is rotated by a pinion
meshing in a toothed segment projecting from the side of the frame of 2
the machine, and which I call the induction segment. On the upper
side of this frame is secured another toothed segment which I call the
eduction segment, the teeth or leaves thereof being on its under side.
The device for holding the couplings or other gas fittings while being
tapped is a clamp consisting of a pair of jaws. One jaw is rigid, but 2
adjustable for the purpose of adapting it to different sized fittings, whereas
the other jaw is moveable toward or away from the rigid jaw. This jaw
is made in two sections secured to each other by screws. By this means
the said jaw can be adjusted in its relation to the taps for the accommo-
dation of different sized fittings. This movable jaw is held in the proper 3
relation to the rigid jaw by guide rods, on which it is made to slide by
an arm to which it is attached by a yoke. The said arm projects from
one end of a shaft on whose opposite end is a short arm from which
projects a pin into a slot in the end of a slide. From the lower end of
the slide extends a stem, around which is coiled a spring. AT piece or 3

page_text: coupling or other gas fitting requiring to be tapped is secured in the
clamp with the stem or middle part upward. The position of the
coupling when thus held in the clamp will be such as to bring the stem
thereof in direct line with the vertical tap and the arms or branches of
the cross piece in direct line with the two horizontal taps. The said taps
are fed or forced into the coupling or fitting by the screws, and at the
same time they are revolved by the wheel and pinions, the said wheel
being rotated by the pinion geared with tho induction segment.
By the time the carriage has revolved the distance of the segment
the taps have been worked into the fitting to the depth required to form
the thread therein; a reverse movement to withdraw the taps from the
fitting is obtained by the eduction segment. The T piece or other fitting
is now discharged from the clamp by a pin or finger, which is actuated
by a cam attached to the side of the frame.
I prefer to provide each machine with seven sets of three taps, but a
greater or less number may be employed, as the size of the machine may
require, and each set may consist of more or less than three taps,
according to the form or character of the fittings to be tapped by the
machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 24th February 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of ler reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during

page_text: 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
"AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR FORMING THE INTERNAL SCREW THREADS of Gas
FITTINGS," a communication to me from abroad by John Lang Pope, of
Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer, upon
the conditions (amongst others) that I, the said William Robert Lake,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and scals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner 1
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, tho said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same 1
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing, forming a part of this Specification:-
The purpose of this Invention is to facilitate the work of tapping or
forming the internal screw threads of gas fittings, and to perform such 2

page_text: has a vertical position, that is to say, it is at a right angle to the
taps H, J, as shown in Figure 2. Each of the said taps is fitted in a
mandril or spindlo K, driven by a mitre pinion L, secured to the mandril
by means of a groove and feather, so that the said mandril can work
backward and forward in the pinion, and at the same time be rotated
therewith for operating the taps.
In the outer end of each mandril is fitted a feed screw M; the said screws
are fitted in the studs N by nuts O and screw heads, so that they cannot
turn; hence the mandrils run upon the screws. The latter work in nuts
P, screwed to the ends of the mandrils, as shewn.
The pinions L are actuated by a wheel Q, which is rotated by a
pinion R meshing in the toothed segment S, projecting from the side of
the aforesaid frame A. On the upper side of the frame A is a toothed
segment T, the teeth or leaves thereof being on its under sido, as shown
in Figures 2 and 3.
The device for holding the couplings or other gas fittings while being
tapped is a clamp or pair of jaws A'. The said jaws consist of two
sections a, b, most clearly shewn in the detached view Figure 5, drawn
to an enlarged scale. The jaw b is rigid but adjustable for the purpose
of adapting it to different sized fittings, whereas the jaw a is moveable
toward or away from the rigid jaw. The jaw b is made in two sections,
as shown in Figure 7, the two sections being secured to each other by
screws. By this means the said jaw can be adjusted in its relation to
the taps for the accommodation of different sized fittings. The jaw a is
held in the proper relation to the jaw b by the guide rods c, Figures 1
and 4, on which it is made to slide, as above specified, by an arm d, to
which it is attached by a yoke e. The said arm projects from one end
of a shaft f, Figure 6, having its bearings in the stay B'. On the
opposite end of the aforesaid shaft is a short arm g, from which projects
a pin h into a slot i, made in the end of a slide j fitted in the sleeve c', a
corresponding slot being made in the side of the sleeve for the admission
of the pin to the slide. From the lower end of the slide extends a stem,
around which is coiled a spring m, the purpose of which will presently be
shown.
Atting Sa illustration
minne
1

page_text: coupling when thus held in the clamp will be such as to bring the stom
thereof in direct line with the vertical tap I, and the arms or branches of
the T in direct line with the two horizontal taps H, J. In this relative
position of the taps to the coupling or fitting the said taps are fed or
forced into the fitting by the screws M, and at the same time the taps
are revolved by the wheel and pinion Q, L, said wheel being rotated by
the pinion R geared with the induction segment S. The engagement of
this pinion with the said segment is effected by the revolution of the
carriage C by means of the pinion E engaging the circle of cogs D.
By the time the carriage has revolved the distance of the segment S
the taps have been worked into the fitting to the depth required to form
the thread therein. A reverse movement to withdraw the taps from thic
fitting is obtained by the eduction segment T, under which the pinion R
is carried by the continued rotary movement of the carriage, thereby
reversing the motion of the taps.
By the time the pinion has travelled the length of the segment T the
taps have been withdrawn from the fitting, which is now discharged
from the clamp by the pin or finger n, Figures 4 and 5, being caught by
and running along the inside of the cam D', Figures 1 and 3, attached to
the side of the frame A, at about the instant that the taps or the
pinion R operating the taps leaves the segment T. The effect of the cam
ont he pin or finger n is to draw inwardly the aforesaid slide j, as indi-
cated by the dotted lines Figure 4. This inward movement of the slide
pushes back the arm 9 in consequence of its pin and slotted connection
therewith, as above described.
During the time the arm g is being actuated by the cam slide, and its
connection by the slot and pin, the arm & moves outward, thereby forcing
back the movable jaw a from the fixed jaw b, between which jaws the gas
fitting was clamped. This opening of the jaw allows the said gas fitting
to drop out, and it is immediately replaced by another during the time
that the taps are passing from the eduction segment T to the induction
segment S. By the time the pinion R reaches the segment S the pin or
finger n slips from its engagement with the cam. The spring m reverses
the movement of the arms d, g, thereby drawing back the jaw a towards
the fixed jaw, and clamping the fitting between them for being tapped
in the manner above set forth.

page_text: Seventh. The stationary feed screw M in combination with the jam
nut O, spindle K, and nut P; as and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four
Witness,
JAS. EDWARDS,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
W. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.).