IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS, TO BE USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TUBES
Year: 1871

page_text: ·LETTERS PATENT to John Norman, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS, TO BE USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TUBES."
Sealed the 16th May 1871, and dated the 11th January 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Norman at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th January 1871.
I, JOHN NORMAN, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TUBES," to be
as follows, that is to say :-
This; Invention has for its object the removal in a superior and
economical manner of the fins formed in the process of manufacturing
tubes, and which have hitherto had to be removed, and that imperfectly,
by chipping and filing.
A difficulty has hitherto been experienced in arranging apparatus for
the purpose referred to. on account of the want of truth and regularity

page_text: in the tube at the stage of its manufacture when it is necessary to remove
the fins in order that the tube may be properly submitted to the
finishing rolls, but in carrying out the present Invention the cutting
tool whilst actuated by power is arranged so as to accomodate itself to
all inequalities.
The improved apparatus comprises a series of standards with adjustable
brackets made with angular seats to receive the tube and for fixing the
tube to by straps. A bench or beam is fixed along the tops of the
standards and is formed with V guides to receive a slide, which is made
to travel from end to end by means of a chain passing round pulleys at
the ends and driven by suitable gearing or in any other convenient way.
The slide is fitted with a transverse horizontal rocking spindle having a
pin fixed at right angles at its front end, and on this pin the tool holder
is mounted, this tool holder being a bar capable of turning on the pin
and having two sockets formed in it near each end. One socket is for
a cutter, and the other to receive a handle, by means of which an
attendant guides and keeps the cutter at its work, whilst the end of the
bar is fitted to bear on the surface of the tube behind the cutter, and so
regulate the position of the cutter according to the even or uneven surface.
One end of the bar with its cutter is pressed down when the slide travels
in one direction, and the other when the motion of the slide is reversed.
With the arrangement described the cutter whilst being drawn forcibly
along by the slide can be moved either sideways or vertically to ac-
comodate irregularities, and it will be obvious that any connection
equivalent to a universal joint between the slide and the tool holder will
answer the same purpose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,.
filed by the said John Norman in the Great Seal Patent Office on.
the 8th July 1871.
TO. ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN ;
NORMAN, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineer,
send greeting.
·
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-

page_text: fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Norman, Her special licence that I,
the said John Norman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said John Norman, 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 APPARATUS TO BE USED
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF TUBES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said John Norman, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment in writing under my; or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the 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 John Norman, 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 in writing, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say :-
My said Invention has for its object the removal in a superior and
economical manner of the fins formed in the process of manufacturing
tubes, and which have hitherto had to be removed, and that imperfectly,
by chipping and filing.
A difficulty has hitherto been experienced in arranging apparatus for
the purpose, referred to on account of the want of truth and regularity
in the tube at the stage of its manufacture when it is necessary to remove
the fins in order that the tube may be properly submitted to the finishing
rolls, but in carrying out my present Invention the cutting tool whilst
actuated by power and acting like a common metal planing. cutter is
arranged so as to accommodate itself to all inequalities that occur in
practice.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, I hereunto append a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings, to be herein-after referred to and representing my
improved tube planing apparatus.

page_text: Figure 1 is a front elevation, and Figure 2 is an end elevation,
whilst Figures 3 and 4 are transverse vertical sections as at A--A,
and B-B, in Figure 1.
The apparatus comprises a series of standards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, which are
faced and slotted, and have adjustable brackets 6 bolted to them, the
brackets having angular seats 7 fixed on them to receive the tube 8.
The end seats 71 are formed with ends across the angular hollow to
bear on the ends of the tube 8, so as to hold and steady it, and in order
that the tube may be gripped or held in this way, one end seat 7' is
movable longitudinally whilst the other is fixed. The movable end
seat 71 and the open seat 7 next to it are fixed on a plate 9 bolted to
the end bracket 6', and sliding on the top of the next bracket 6, and
the end bracket 6¹ is fixed on a slide 10, which is movable by means
of a screw 11 along horizontal guides in a plate 12 fixed between
two 1, 2, of the standards. When a tube has been laid in the
seats 7 the end one 7' is screwed up against the end of it by means
of the screw 11. A bench or beam 13 is fixed along the tops of the
standards and is formed with V guides to receive a slide 14 which is
made to travel from end to end by means of a chain 15 passing round
pulleys 16, 17, carried on brackets 18 at the ends. One 16 of the
pulleys is fast on a shaft 19 which has also fast on it a spur wheel 20,
driven by a pinion 21 on a first motion shaft 22, having on it fast and
loose pulleys 23, for two driving belts, an open and a crossed one. The
belts are shifted by forks on a bar 24, actuated by a lever 25, on a
vertical spindle 26, fitted with a hand lever 27, and connected by levers
and a rod or link indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1 to a similar
spindle and hand lever 28 at the other end of the machine so that the
workman can start, stop, or reverse the motion when at either end. The
slide 14 is fitted with a transverse horizontal rocking spindle 30, having
a pin 31 fixed at right angles at its front end, and on this pin the tool
holder 32 is mounted. Two slightly different modifications of the tool
holder are shown, one in Figure 5 and the other in Figures 1 and 4.
As shown in Figure 5 the tool holder is a bar 32 capable of turning on
the pin 31, and having a socket formed in it at each end for a cutter 33,
whilst a projection is formed at or near each end to receive a handle 34,
by means of which the workman guides and keeps the cutter at its work
whilst the end of the bar 32 is fitted to bear on the surface of the tube 8,
behind the cutter, and so regulate the position of the cutter according

page_text: to the even or uneven surface. One end of the bar 32 (Figure 5) with
its cutter is pressed down when the slide 14 travels in one direction and
the other when the motion of the slide is reversed.
In the modification shown in Figures 1 and 4 the tool holder bar 32
is fitted for only one cutter 33, and is simply turned over on the pin 31,
when the motion of the slide 14 is reversed. Also instead of itself
bearing on the tube 8, it is formed with a socket to receive a forked
piece 35, to bear on the tube and as this piece is fixed by a screw it can
be easily adjusted. With the arrangements described, the cutter 33,"
whilst being drawn forcibly along by the slide 14 can be moved either
sideways or vertically to accommodate irregularities, and it will be obvious
that any connection equivalent to a universal joint between the slide 14,
and the tool holder will answer the same purpose.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I have to state that I do not
restrict myself to the precise details herein described or delineated, but
that what I believe to be novel and original, and claim as the
Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent is,
1. The arranging or combining together of the parts of tube planing.
apparatus substantially in the manner herein-before described.
2. The connecting of a cutter by parts equivalent' to a universal
joint to a rectilineally moving slide, as and for the purposes herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Norman, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.