Improvements in and relating to Machines for Making Horse- shoe and other Nails.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Machines for Making Horse-
shoe and other Nails.
We, GEORGE JOSEPH CAPEWELL, of 903, Asylum Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut,
United States of America, Engineer, and OWEN JONES, of 68, Great Russell Street,
in the County of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to that class of machines for making horse-shoe and other
nails in which the nails are formed from a continuous strip or length of nail-rod
which is fed into the machine and subjected to various operations so that the nails
may be discharged from the machine in a more or less finished condition.
The main object of our said invention is to provide a machine of this kind or
class which is constructed in such a manner that a greater number of nails can be
produced thereby in a given time than is practicable with machines of the same
class as heretofore constructed.
The said machines have hitherto been constructed in such a manner that a
piece of suitable length to form a nail-blank is first cut from the nail-rod and is
then drawn and compressed by means of roller-dies so as to shape it as required.
Now according to our present invention we so construct the said machines that
the continuous nail-rod will be first drawn and compressed so as to lengthen the
same and form it into a series of nail-blanks, and the nail-blanks will then be cut
or severed successively from the lengthened nail-rod. For this purpose we 80
arrange the several pairs of roller-dies relatively to each other that the nail-rod will
be squeezed or compressed successively thereby alternately on different sides, and
the said dies will operate efficiently notwithstanding any increase in the length of
the nail-rod between each pair of dies and the next succeeding pair. And we
provide suitable means whereby, as each nail-blank of the series thus formed passes
out from between the last pair of dies, it will be severed from the lengthened nail-
rod, and can be finished by suitable heading, bevelling and trimming or pointing
devices in the same or another machine.
In order to further increase the number of nails that can be produced by the
machine in a given time, we find it advantageous to construct the machine with
more than one set of the heading, bevelling and trimming or pointing devices, and
to combine with the same, suitable means whereby the nail-blanks will be fed
alternately to the said sets of heading; bevelling and trimming or pointing devices.
For example we employ chutes or guide-channels arranged beneath the device for
severing the blanks from the nail-rod, which chutes or guide-channels are arranged
to be oscillated about a pivot, or are formed partly in a reciprocating slide, or are

page_text: provided with a suitable oscillating switch, or are otherwise conveniently con-
structed or arranged for the purpose.
Our said invention also comprises other improvements hereinafter set forth.
In carrying our said invention into practice, we find it advantageous to construct
the machine with pairs of roll-shafts which are arranged on opposite sides of the
driving-shaft parallel with each other and with the axis of the said shaft, and are
suitably geared with the said shaft.
The roll-shafts in each pair are provided with co-operating dies inserted in the
peripheries thereof for drawing and compressing and shaping the nail-rod, which
is fed through between them. The said dies are arranged in peripheral sockets
in the roll-shafts, suitable channels being formed in the said shafts between the
die-sockets to enable the nail-rod to move freely between the said shafts when the
dies are not in operation to compress the rod. Any suitable number of pairs of
the said dies may be employed.
The nail-rod is fed from a reel and passes first through a controller, the function
of which is hereinafter explained, and then between the first pair of roller-dies,
whereby the nail-rod is drawn and compressed in part and an initial step taken in
the shaping of the nail-blanks. On passing upward from the said pair of dies,
the nail-rod is arched over and passed downward through another controller, and
then enters between the roller-dies of the next pair, the rod, in extending between
these two pairs of dies, being turned or twisted through an angle of ninety degrees;
therefore, if the nail-rod, which is oblong in cross section, is squeezed edge-wise
between the dies of the first pair, the said rod will change its position so that it
will be compressed flat-wise between the dies of the next succeeding pair. The
said nail-rod, after its passage through the second pair of dies, arches across and
comes up through the next controller and pair of dies, changing its position ninety
degrees as before; the said rod then passes likewise through each succeeding pair
of dies and then downward through a cutting or severing device, which severs the
blanks thus formed, successively from the lengthened nail-rod.
As soon as a nail-blank has been cut from the nail-rod, it drops into one or
other of two chutes or channels and is guided to one or other of the sets of heading,
bevelling and trimming or pointing devices hereinafter mentioned. These devices
may form parts of separate machines if desired, but for convenience in construction
and operation they are all combined in the one machine and driven from a single
main shaft.
This shaft is driven from the aforesaid driving shaft through suitable gearing,
and bears a cam whereby reciprocating motion is imparted to an
arm which
straddles the said shaft and is provided with studs having anti-friction-rollers that
bear against the said cam. The outer end of the said arm is coupled to the stem of
a rocking T-shaped lever. The outer ends of the cross-arm of this lever are con-
nected by universal joints to toggle-joints for operating the heading-die-slides.
The rocking of the said lever about its pivot operates the said heading-die-slides
alternately, for the purpose of tightly closing the holding dies hereinafter
mentioned, during the heading operation.
This
For holding the blanks during the heading, bevelling and pointing thereof, we
provide two sets of mechanism, each of which is constructed as follows, viz.:-A
vertical shaft is supported on a massive step-bearing and is adapted to be inter-
mittently rotated through suitable gearing such as is hereinafter mentioned.
shaft supports an anvil-disc having a carrier-plate formed on or secured to it.
Peripheral die-sockets are formed at regular intervals in the said carrier-plate,
and sectional dies are arranged in such sockets, the outer section of each die being
capable of a sliding motion in its socket so as to open and close the dies to deliver
a nail from the grasp thereof, or to bind a blank firmly while the head is being
formed, or loosely while a point is being shaped on the blank.
The intermittent rotary movement of the said shaft is preferably imparted by
means of a ratchet and pawl, a ratchet-wheel being secured to the said shaft, and
a pawl borne on a slide to which reciprocating motion is imparted by an eccentric

page_text: on the main shaft connected by a rod to the said pawl-slide. A suitable spring
pawl secured to the frame and engaging in the ratchet-wheel, prevents the return
movement of the shaft while the feed-pawl is being disengaged and moved back
to engage with another tooth for the next forward feeding motion of the shaft.
Other suitable devices for producing an intermittent rotary movement of the shaft
may obviously be employed in place of the ratchet and pawl.
Bevelling and trimming or pointing devices are located at suitable intervals on
the base of the machine adjacent to the edge of the said carrier-plate and in the
plane of the said anvil-disc. These devices consist of die-slides operated through
a system of toggle-joints and links, the die-slides in each instance having their
faces properly formed for the work to be done by each. The bevelling die-slides
and the trimming or pointing die-slides are operated through rods connected with
a rocking frame, which is mounted in suitable bearings and is driven by an
eccentric on the main shaft.
Were the nail-rod simply allowed to be drawn through between the roll-shafts
by the action of the dies, it would be difficult to gauge the length of the nail-
blank and provide each time the require length for the head-section and the
shank or blade. It is the function of the aforesaid controller to assist in gauging
the length of each blank at its initial step. The said controller comprises a
sliding carriage, a spring clamp and a retracting spring. The said carriage can
be moved toward and away from the opening between the roller-dies in line with
the nail-rod as it passes through between the working faces of the dies. The said
clamp serves to hold the said rod with a yielding grasp sufficient to enable the
carriage in its return movement to draw the nail-rod back, but not sufficient to
prevent the said rod from being drawn through the clamp, after the carriage has
been moved forward to the end of its stroke by the force exerted by the roller-dies
in shaping the blank. A buffer for the carriage is provided in the controller,
preferably consisting of a strip or block of elastic material, such as leather, on the
end of an abutment, which may, if desired, be made adjustable by means of a
feed-screw.
There is a controller of this kind appurtenant to each pair of roller-dies, those
operating in conjunction with the second and following pairs being provided with
an inelastic stop intead of with an elastic buffer as in the controller appurtenant
to the first pair of roller-dies.
As
When the leading end of the nail-rod is passed between the dies, their operation
compresses the rod and forms two series of recesses in opposite edges of the rod;
these terminate with shoulders which form the limits of that part of the rod left
for the head-portion while the narrower portion forms the shank of the nail.
soon as the said recesses are formed, the recoil of the spring of the controller
draws the rod back a distance sufficient to locate the shoulder in the path of move-
ment of the leading edge of the dies, which strike the shoulder simultaneously on
opposite sides and draw and feed the rod forward again against the grasp of the
clamp; this backward pull or drag upon the rod ensures a second rolling of each
blank from the second one on the rod throughout the rest of the series, the shoulder
in connection with the leading edge of the die forming a gauge which accurately
determines the length of the shank and also the length of the succeeding head-
section of the nail-blank. By adjusting the aforesaid abutment, the recoil-move-
ment of the carriage and, consequently, the proper position of the shoulder to be
encountered by the leading edge of the die, can be correctly gauged.
By means of the roller-dies as above mentioned, the nail-rod is formed into a
continuous length of blanks each complete as to a head-section and a shank-section,
the latter being shaped by drawing and compression to the desired size, taper and
length; but such blanks are not cut from the rod for the purpose of being further
shaped or finished, until after their passage between the last pair of roller-
dies.
The cutting device comprises a fixed blade or cutter and a movable blade or cutter
which is operated by tappets on the main shaft acting upon a pivoted spring lever.

page_text: To provide for the discharge of the nail-blanks alternately to the carrier-plates,
the guide-channels are connected to an oscillating or sliding support to which
movement is imparted by a cam on the main shaft, so that a nail-blank will drop
first through one channel and then through the other channel, falling alternately
into the different carrier-plates, preferably by the action of gravity, and being
delivered point first into the grasp of one or other of the sectional dies.
For the first operation to which a nail-blank is subjected while held in the
carrier-plate, it is located, during one of the dwells in the rotary movement of the
shaft, between the sections of the die into which it fell from the guide-channel,
and in line with one operative part of the heading-die-slide. This slide, in its
forward movement, closes the die-sections firmly together and holds the nail-blank
while the hammer descends and shapes the head. The heading-die-slide may,
if desired, be arranged to operate two sets of holding dies in order to enable one set
of dies to partly shape or form the head, while, in the next position and at the next
pause in the intermittent rotary movement of the carrier-plate, the same nail-head
will be held in position to be further shaped to final form.
The nail-blank, after having the head formed as above stated, is moved succes-
sively into positions to be subjected to the operations of the bevelling die, and
the trimmer-dies.
After the completion of the heading, bevelling and pointing operations, the nail
is discharged from the carrier-plate. A preferred form of device for accomplishing
this result, includes a cam-groove formed in a block secured to the frame of the
machine, and on a curve struck from a centre eccentric to that about which the
carrier-plate turns. The said cam-groove is so placed as to lie in the direct path
of rotary movement of a pin projecting from the upper surface of the outer section
of the holding die, and is so curved outward as to draw the said outer section away
from the inner section to open the die. A suitable ejector then strikes the nail and
discharges it from the carrier-plate. The said cam-groove from that point onward
curves in toward the axis of the carrier-plate, and by its operation closes the outer
die-section against the inner, but not so closely as to prevent a nail-blank from
dropping into place between the die-sections as soon as the die is located in proper
position to receive the nail-blank from the guide-channel at the next pause in the
rotary movement of the carrier-plate.
A form of ejector for forcing the nails out of the dies consists of arms secured to
removable parts of the machine and projecting obliquely across the circular path
of movement of the lower end of a nail held between the dies. If the nail should
adhere to the inner or stationary die, then in the rotation of the carrier-plate the
nail will come in contact with one of the arms or ejectors which will force it out
of the die. If a nail should, adhere to the outer or movable section of the die, as
this die is moved outward, the point of the nail will pass beyond the end of the
said ejector and come in contact with the other ejector and be thereby forced from
the die.
The dies are backed against an abutment formed by the anvil-disc, the thrust of
the several slides against the die-section being in a plane across the axis of the
shaft, which is made of sufficient strength to resist the strain and to enable the
several heading, bevelling and pointing operations to be performed either simulta-
neously by the several dies and on separate blanks, or in quick succession without
any undue strain being thrown upon the shaft.

page_text: Improvements in and relating to Machines for Making Horse-
shoe and other Nails.
We, GEORGE JOSEPH CAPEWELL, of 903 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut,
United States of America, Engineer, and OWEN JONES, of 68, Great Russell Street,
in the County of London, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Our invention relates to that class of machines for making horse-shoe and other
nails in which the nails are produced from a continuous strip or length of rod or
wire fed into the machine and subjected to various operations, the blanks being
first shaped by rolling the said rod or wire between suitable dies in such a manner
as to leave them connected together, and the said rod or wire being conducted from
one pair of roller-dies to another pair and being arched or curved in passing from
one pair of dies to another.
The main object of our said invention is to provide a machine of this kind or
class which is constructed in such a manner that a greater number of nails can be
produced thereby in a given time than is practicable with machines of the same
class as heretofore constructed.
An important feature of our said invention is the construction of the machine
with several sets of the said roller-dies mounted upon parallel pairs of roll-shafts
which are so arranged that the material or wire to be worked will be subjected to
the action of dies on one of the said pairs of roll-shafts and on the other alternately,
that is to say, the rod or wire, after having been once acted upon by one set of
roll-shafts, will return thereto for further action. And we provide suitable means
whereby, as each nail-blank of the series thus formed. passes out from between the
last pair of dies, it will be severed from the lengthened nail-rod, and can be
finished by suitable heading, bevelling, and trimming or pointing devices in the
same or another machine.
In order to further increase the number of nails that can be produced by the
machine in a given time, we find it advantageous to construct the machine with
more than one set of the heading, bevelling and trimming or pointing devices, and
to combine with the said sets of such devices, suitable means whereby the nail-
blanks severed from the rod or wire will be fed alternately thereto. For example
we employ chutes or guide-channels arranged beneath the device for severing the
blanks from the nail-rod, which chutes or guide-channels are arranged to be oscil-
lated about a pivot, or are formed partly in a reciprocating slide, or are provided
with a suitable oscillating switch, or are otherwise conveniently constructed or
arranged for the purpose.
Another important feature of our improved machine is the employment, in com-
bination with the roller-dies, of a controller provided with a clamp for holding the
material to be worked, in such a manner as to permit movement thereof through
the said controller by the action of the dies, and with a spring for retracting the
said material a predetermined distance after being first operated upon by the said
dies. By these means, when a nail-blank has been partly formed by the.com-
mencing sections of one pair of dies, the material will be drawn back far enough
to allow the finishing sections of the next succeeding pair of dies in the same set
to act upon the said blank and further shape the same."
Our said invention also comprises other improvements hereinafter set forth.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of our improved machine, the roller-
dies being removed.

page_text: Figure 2 is an end elevation of the said machine, the cutting or severing device
and the chutes. or guide-channels being removed.
Figure 3 is a plan or top view, the roller-dies being removed.
Figure 4 is a vertical transverse section on the line a, a, Figure 1, looking
towards the left.
Figure 5 is a plan, drawn to an enlarged scale, showing a detail of construction.
Figure 6 is a vertical longitudinal section showing the heading devices and other
parts.
Figure 7 is a plan, drawn to an enlarged scale, showing details of construction.
Figure 8, is a plan, also drawn to an enlarged scale, showing the means for hold-
ing the blanks while they are being headed, bevelled and pointed.
Figure 9 is a similar view, the anvil-disc hereinafter described being removed.
Figure 10 is a vertical central section on the line a¹, a¹, Figure 8.
Figure 11 is an underside view of the cam for opening and closing the holding
dies.
Figure 12 is a sectional end elevation, drawn to a somewhat larger scale than
Figures 1, 2 and 3, showing the cutting or severing device and the chutes or
guide-channels.
Figure 13 is a view, drawn to a still further enlarged scale, showing a portion
of the nail-rod or wire after it has been partly shaped to form a series of nail-
blanks.
Figure 14 is a similar view showing the blanks in an advanced stage of
manufacture.
Figure 15 is a view showing a blank severed from the nail-rod and ready to be
headed, bevelled and pointed.
Figure 16 is a side elevation, drawn to an enlarged scale, showing a controller
hereinafter described.
Figure 17 is a section on the line 22, ², Figure 16, showing the controller in front
elevation.
Figure 18 is a vertical central section of the said controller.
Figure 19 is a side elevation, and
Figure 20 a front elevation showing another form or modification of the
controller.
Figure 21 is a detail view showing the manner in which the nail-rod or wire is
arched over and twisted between successive pairs of roller-dies.
Figure 22 is a plan showing a part of the mechanism located beneath the carrier-
plate, and the ejectors for forcing the nail out of the sectional holding-dies, the
line of separation between the dies, and the dies themselves, being indicated by
dotted lines.
Figure 23 is a section through the holding dies, showing a nail being forced
from the inner or stationary die.
Figure 24 is a similar view illustrating the ejector forcing,a nail from the outer
or movable die.
Figures 25, 26 and 27 are similar views to Figure 17, illustrating successive
positions of the dies and of the controller shown in Figures 19 and 20.
In the form of our invention illustrated in the drawings, the machine comprises
an assemblage of different sets of mechanism and means for operating the moving
parts thereof, which are preferred as affording the most desirable arrangement and
one which permits ready access to all the moving parts.
A is a base or bed-plate on which are secured or formed standards a, a¹, a³, a³, a
and a forming with the said bed-plate the frame of the machine. A driving-
shaft B is supported in bearings on the standards a, a¹, a³, and a driving-pulley C
is loosely mounted on the said shaft, a clutch d serving for connecting the said
pulley to the shaft when motion is to be imparted to the latter.
On the main shaft B is fixed a pinion b, Figures 3 and 4, geared with toothed
wheels D, D' fixed on roll-shafts e, f which are arranged on, opposite sides of the
driving-shaft B, parallel with each other and with the axis of the said shaft.

page_text: The roll-shafts e, f are mounted in suitable journal-boxes or adjustable bearings
in the frame of the machine. Alongside of the said roll-shafts are arranged
similar roll-shafts e¹, f¹ respectively, forming pairs. The roll-shafts in each pair
are provided with co-operating dies inserted in the peripheries thereof for drawing,
compressing and shaping the nail-rod or wire H, which is fed through between
them. The construction of these dies is hereinafter described. Their shape will
be varied according to the kind of nails to be produced. The roll-shafts e¹, fl
are driven through the medium of pinions e³, f³ thereon geared with pinions e², f
on the roll-shafts e, f respectively.
The said dies are arranged in peripheral sockets (Figures 16, 17, 25, 26 and
27) in the aforesaid roll-shafts, suitable channels es being formed in the said shafts
between the die-sockets e to permit the nail-rod to move freely between the said
shafts when the dies are not in operation to compress the said rod. In the
machine shown, six pairs of the said roller-dies are employed, which are situated
respectively at g, g¹, g³, g³, g' and, Figures 1 and 3, but are not shown in these
figures. Any other suitable number of pairs of the said dies may, however, be
employed.
The nail-rod H is fed from a reel j, Figure 1, and passes first through a con-
troller I, the function of which is hereinafter explained, and then between the
roller-dies at g, whereby the nail-rod is drawn and compressed or swaged in part
and an initial step taken in the shaping of the nail-blanks. On passing upward
from the pair of dies at g, the nail-rod is arched over and passed downward through
another controller I, as shown in Figure 21, and then enters between the roller-
dies at 9, the rod, in extending between these two pairs of dies, being turned or
twisted through an angle of ninety degrees; therefore, if the nail-rod, which is
oblong in cross section, is squeezed edge-wise between the dies of the first pair, the
said rod will change its position so that it will be compressed flatwise between
the dies of the next succeeding pair. The said nail-rod, after its passage through
the dies at g, arches across and comes up through the next controller I and
between the pair of dies at g², changing its position ninety degrees as before; the
said rod then passes likewise through each succeeding pair of dies g³, g³, g¹ and g³,
and then downward through a cutting or severing device K, Figure 12, which
severs the blanks thus formed, successively from the lengthened nail-rod.
As soon as a nail-blank has been cut from the nail-rod, it drops into one or
other of the chutes or channelsk, and is guided to one or other of the sets of
heading, bevelling and trimming or pointing devices hereinafter described. These
devices may form parts of separate machines if desired, but for convenience in
construction and operation they are all combined in the one machine and driven
from a single main shaft L.
In the machine illustrated, there are two sets of devices for heading, bevelling
and pointing the nails, and a description of one set will apply to both.
The cam-shaft L is driven from the shaft B through a cog-wheel geared with
the cog-wheels D, D as shown in Figures 1 and 4, or through other suitable gear-
ing. The shaft L bears a cam m whereby reciprocating motion is imparted to an
arm m² which, straddles the said shaft L and is provided with studs m³ having anti-
friction rollers that bear against the said cam. The outer end of the arm m² is
coupled to the stem m³ of a rocking T-shaped lever M, which is pivoted to a
standard m fixed to the bed of the machine. The outer ends of the cross-arm of
this lever M are connected by universal joints, each consisting of members N, N1
and a link n or n¹ (Figures 4 and 5), to toggle-joints 0, 0¹ respectively, the lower
end of each link or being connected to the toggle-arms by a pivot n² or n³ and
a pivot 02 at right angles thereto. One member of each of these toggles is anchored to
the bed A, the other member thereof being coupled to the corresponding heading-
die slide F. The rocking of the lever M about its pivot operates the said heading-
die slides alternately, for the purpose of tightly closing the holding dies hereinafter
described, during the heading operation.

page_text: For holding the blanks during the heading, bevelling and pointing thereof,
we provide two sets of mechanism each of which is constructed as follows, viz. :-
A vertical shaft S is supported on a massive step-bearing 2, and is adapted to be
intermittently rotated through suitable gearing hereinafter described. This
shaft S supports an anvil-disc 3 having a carrier-plate s' formed on or secured to
it. Peripheral die-sockets s are formed at regular intervals in the carrier-plate s¹
and sectional dies t, are arranged in such sockets, the outer section of each die
being capable of a sliding motion in its socket so as to open and close the dies to.
deliver a nail from the grasp thereof, or to bind a blank firmly while the head is
being formed, or loosely while a point is being shaped on the blank.
The intermittent rotary movement of the shaft S is preferably imparted by
means of a ratchet and pawl, a ratchet-wheels, Figures 1, 6 and 7, being secured
to the said shaft and a pawl $5 borne on the slide so, to which reciprocating motion
is imparted by an eccentric s7 (Figure 1) on the shaft L connected by the rod s³
to the pawl-slide 6. A suitable spring pawl s secured to the frame and engaging
in the ratchet-wheel, prevents the return movement of the shaft while the feed-
pawl is being disengaged and moved back to engage with another tooth for the
next forward feeding motion of the shaft. Other suitable devices for producing
an intermittent rotary movement of the shaft may obviously be employed in
place of the ratchet and pawl.
Bevelling and trimming or pointing devices are located at suitable intervals on
the base of the machine adjacent to the edge of the carrier-plate s¹ and in the plane
of the anvil-disc 3. These devices consist of die-slides operated through a system
of toggle-joints and links constructed in a manner similar to that above described
with reference to the heading-die slides, the die-slides in each instance having their
faces properly formed for the work to be done by each. u, u are the bevelling
die-slides which are operated through rods U connected with a rocking frame W,
which is mounted in bearings W₁ and is driven by an eccentric on the shaft L, to
which it is connected by a rod w. v, v are the trimming or pointing die-slides which
are operated by rods V also connected with the said rocking frame W. These
devices are of well-known construction and therefore do not need to be more fully
described.
Were the nail-rod simply allowed to be drawn through between the roll-shafts
by the action of the dies, it would be difficult to gauge the length of the nail-blank
and provide each time the requisite length for the head-section h¹ and shank or
blade h². It is the function of the controller. I to assist in gauging the length of
each blank at its initial step. The controller 1, Figures 16, 17, 18, 25, 26 and 27,
includes a base-piece i secured by bolts 2 to the frame of the machine, a sliding
carriage i, a spring clamp and a retracting spring 3. The carriage ¹ can be
moved toward and away from the opening between the roller-dies in line with the
nail-rod H as it passes through between the working faces of the dies. The clamp 22
serves to hold the said rod with a yielding grasp sufficient to enable the carriage i¹
in its return movement to draw the nail-rod back, but not sufficient to prevent the
said rod from being drawn through the clamp (after the carriage has been moved
forward to the end of its stroke) by the force exerted by the roller-dies in shaping
the blank. A stop or buffer is provided for the carriage i¹, preferably consisting
of a strip or block of elastic material, such as leather, on the end of an abutment 2³,
Figures 16 and 17. The abutment 25 may, if desired, be made adjustable by means
of a feed-screw 27.
There is a controller I appurtenant to each pair of roller-dies, those operating in
conjunction with the second and following pairs being provided with an inelastic
stop instead of with an elastic buffer as in the controller appurtenant to the first
pair of roller-dies.
The roller-dies are each of sufficient length along the face, to accommodate two
nail-blanks and are each divided by, a groove es, Figure 17, into two portions,
viz.A leading portion e' which acts as a "finishing" die, and a trailing portion es

page_text: which acts as a knockdown" or commencing die. As shown in Figure 17, there
are three of these finishing dies and three of the commencing dies in each set in
the periphery of the corresponding roll-shaft.
As the wire or material to be worked first enters the machine, it is caught by
one pair of the finishing dies e² and carried point foremost between the roll-shafts,
the contiguous commencing dies. e catching the next succeeding portion of the
material to be worked and continuing its movement. When the leading end of
the nail-rod is passed between the said dies, their operation compresses the rod and
forms two sets of recesses 1 and 2, Figure 13 in opposite edges of the rod, these:
terminate with shoulders h³ which form the limits of that part of the rod left for
the head-portion h¹, while the narrower portion h³ forms the shank of the nail.
As soon as the recesses 1 and 2 are formed and the commencing dies es release their⠀
hold, the recoil of the spring 3 of the controller draws the rod back a distance
sufficient to locate the shoulder h³ in the path of movement of the leading edge of
the succeeding pair of finishing dies e, which strike the shoulder simultaneously
on opposite sides and draw and feed the rod forward again against the grasp of
the clamp; this backward movement of the rod by the controller ensures a second
rolling of each blank from the second one on the rod throughout the rest of the
series, that is to say, a first rolling by means of the commencing dies ea and a
second rolling by the succeeding pair of finishing dies e7, the shoulder in connection
with the leading edge of the die forming a gauge which accurately determines the
length of the shank h³ and also the length of the succeeding head-section of the
nail-blank. By adjusting the abutment 3, the recoil-movement of the carriage ¹,
and, consequently, the proper position of the shoulder to be encountered by the
leading edge of the die, can be correctly gauged.
That portion of the wire or material first acted upon is, as will be understood
from the foregoing description, only rolled once, that is, between finishing dies e7,
and such portion being useless is cut off and thrown away.
In the first operation by the dies at 9, the stop that limits the backward move-
ment of the controller I determines the point (the shoulder h³ underneath or behind
the head) at which the finishing die will catch the material or wire. That portion
of the material or wire grasped by the controller at this time is perfectly smooth.
In succeeding operations, as at gl, g³, the jaws 28 and 2, Figure 20, which are
fixed on the frame of the controller have no movement in the direction of travel
of the material or wire.
23
The operation of the controller I may be more fully described with reference to
Figures 25, 26 and 27, assuming that the cycle of operations has commenced at
the stage shown in Figure 25, a controller such as is shown in Figures 19 and 20
being employed, and that a nail 10 has been finally rolled by the finishing dies e7,
the controller clamp having previously been raised to its uppermost position by
the action of finishing dies e on the nail 10. The further rotation of the dies in the
directions of the arrows in Figure 25, causes a fresh nail 20 to be rolled by
the commencing dies e and the wire H to be pulled through the clamp (and the
jaws 8, 9) by the said commencing dies. This action continues until the dies
reach the position shown in Figure 26, at which point the wire H has been drawn
through the clamp 3 for a distance equal to the length of one nail and the nail 20
roughed-out by the dies es. When the wire H is released by these dies, the
clamp and its slide are drawn down by the spring into the position shown in
Figure 27, so as to come to rest against the stop 4, the jaw or pawl 29 engaging
beneath the shoulder h³ on the wire H and preventing excess motion of the said
wire in a downward direction. On the further rotation of the dies, the leading
edges of the finishing dies e² engage beneath the shoulders h³ formed by the head of
the finished nail 10, and finish the nail 20, at the same time bringing the clamp
and dies into a similar position to that shown in Figure 25, the nail 10, however,
being replaced by the nail 20, and the nail 20 by a fresh nail 30, after which the
above described operations are repeated. In this manner for each 120 degrees of
rotation of the roll-shafts the wire H is raised through a distance corresponding

page_text: to the length of two nails by the dies, and is drawn back through a distance equal
to the length of one nail, thus enabling each nail to be rolled twice as above
described. The position of the stops for each of the controllers is preferably
determined by experiment for the particular size and quality of wire to be used.
By means of the roller-dies the nail-rod H is formed as above described, into a
continuous length of blanks (as shown in Figure 13) each complete as to a head-
section and a shank-section, the latter being shaped by drawing and compression
to the desired size, taper and length; but such blanks are not cut from the rod
for the purpose of being further shaped or finished until after their passage
between the last pair of roller-dies.
The separation of the nail-blanks from the material or wire is accomplished by
means of a fixed cutter K operating in conjunction with a movable cutter K³.
When the material is fed forward from the last pair of roller-dies, it is pressed
against suitable bevelled surfaces provided near the edges of the cutters K and K³,
by which means the said cutters are forced apart and the material takes up its
position between them. A spring lever K³ actuated by tappets K', K2 on the
shaft L communicates motion through a link K to the swinging lever, K7 pivoted
at K³. This lever K', bearing at one end upon the back of the movable cutter K5,
forces it towards the fixed cutter K and thus severs the nail-blank from the
material or wire.
To provide for the discharge of the nail-blanks alternately to the carrier-plates s¹,
the guide-channels k, k¹ are fixed upon an oscillating plate or support 2 pivoted
at 5. A link pivotally connected to the plate is provided with a roller k
resting upon the shaft L and has two arms depending one on either side of
the shaft L, in the path of the cam. By these means, when a nail-blank has
been severed from the material and passed down one of the guide-channels the
cam strikes one of the arm and causes the other guide-channel to register
with the outlet from the cutters, so that the nail-blanks will drop alternately
through the said guide-channels and fall alternately into the different carrier-
plates, preferably by the action of gravity, and will be delivered point first into
the grasp of one or other of the sectional dies t, t'.
For the first operation to which a nail-blank is subjected while held in the
carrier plate s¹, it is located, during one of the dwells in the rotary movement
of the shaft S, between the sections of the die into which it fell from the guide-
channel, and in line with one operative part of the heading-die slide F. This
slide in its forward movement closes the die-sections firmly together and holds
the nail-blank while the hammer Z.descends and shapes the head. The heading-
die slide F is arranged to operate two sets of holding dies in the machine illustrated,
in order to enable one set of dies to partly shape or form the head, while, in the
next position and at the next pause in the intermittent rotary move-
ment of the carrier-plate, the same nail-head will be held below the
hammer in position to be further shaped to final form. It is not essential that
the heading dies should be arranged so as to enable the head to be subjected to
two operations, but it is a matter of convenience to enable the machine as a whole
to be adapted to various kinds of work and to the making of nails with heads of 4
varying shapes if desired.
At a
The nail-blank, after having the head formed as above stated, is moved into
position to be subjected to the operation of the bevelling die, the slide u being
forced forward by a system of toggle-joints in a well-known manner.
succeeding pause in the rotary movement of the carrier-plate s¹, the point of the
nail is formed by the shearing operation of the trimmer-dies, the trimmer-slide
being also operated by a system of toggle-joints.
After the completion of the heading, bevelling and pointing operations, the nail
is discharged from the carrier-plate. A preferred form of device for accomplish-
ing this result, includes a cam-groove Y₁ which is formed in a block Y secured
to the frame of the machine, and on a curve struck from a centre eccentric to
that about which the carrier-plate turns. The said cam-groove is so placed as

page_text: A
to lie in the direct path of rotary movement of a pin 2 projecting from the upper
surface of the outer section of the holding die, and is so curved outward as to
draw the said outer section away from the inner section to open the die.
suitable ejector then strikes the nail and discharges it from the carrier-plate.
The said cam-groove from that point onward curves in toward the axis of the
carrier-plate, and by its operation closes the outer die-section against the inner,
but not so, closely as to prevent a nail-blank from dropping into place between
the die-sections as soon as the die is located in proper position to receive the nail-
blank from the guide-channel at the next pause in the rotary movement of the
carrier-plate.
Two forms of ejector for forcing the nails out of the dies are shown in Figures 22,
23 and 24. In Figure 22 the mechanism located beneath the sectional dies is
shown, but a description of the same is not deemed necessary herein as it forms
no part of the invention with the exception of affording support for the ejectors Q
and R. These ejectors consist of arms secured to removable parts of the machine,
these arms projecting obliquely across the circular path of movement of the
lower end of a nail held between the dies. If the nail should adhere to the inner
or stationary die t, then in the rotation of the carrier-plate s¹, the nail will come
in contact with the ejector Q which will force it out of the die. If a nail should
adhere to the outer or movable section t¹ of the die, as this die is moved outward,
the point of the nail will pass beyond the end of the ejector Q and come in contact
with the ejector R and be thereby forced from the die.
The dies t are backed against an abutment formed by the anvil disc, the thrust
of the several slides against the die-section being in a plane across the axis of
the shaft, which is made of sufficient strength to resist the strain and to enable
the several heading, bevelling and pointing operations to be performed either
simultaneously by the several dies and on separate blanks, or in quick succession
without any undue strain being thrown upon the shaft.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
-
First. A machine for making horse-shoe and other nails, in which two or
more pairs of roll-shafts are arranged parallel with each other and are each
provided with two or more pairs of roller-dies, the dies on the said pairs of shafts
being adapted to operate alternately upon the nail-rod or wire to draw and com-
press the same, and to act upon different sides thereof alternately, for the purposes
above specified.
Second. A machine for making horse-shoe and other nails, wherein the rod
or wire is fed alternately up through or between dies on one pair of roll-shafts
and down through or between dies on another pair of roll-shafts parallel to the
first pair thereof, and is curved or arched and turned or twisted through an angle
of ninety degrees on its way from one pair of dies to the next succeeding pair
so that the said dies will act upon different sides of the said rod or wire alternately,
substantially as herein before described.
Third. A nail-making machine of the kind or class herein before referred to,
provided with sets of roller-dies on parallel pairs of roll-shafts, wherein
suitable provision is made for ensuring the rolling of each blank twice between
each set of dies on each pair of the said roll-shafts."
Fourth. The combination, in a machine for making horse-shoe and other nails,
of pairs of roll-shafts on which are mounted roller-dies each having a finishing
section in advance of a commencing section, and a controller provided with a
clamp for holding the material to be worked in such a manner as to permit
movement thereof through the said controller by the action of the dies, and with
means for retracting the said material a predetermined distance after having
been operated upon by the said dies, substantially as, and for the purposes, above
specified.

page_text: Fifth. A machine for making horse-shoe and other nails, wherein each blank
is rolled first between commencing sections of one set of roller-dies and then
through finishing sections of the same set of roller-dies, the rod or wire, after the
said commencing sections have acted upon the said blank, being drawn backward
through a distance sufficient to permit the said finishing sections to engage with
the said blank, substantially as herein before described and for the purposes
specified.
Sixth. The combination, with a pair of roller-dies and means for severing
from the nail-rod or wire the blanks formed by the said dies, of separate sets of
finishing mechanism and means for delivering the said blanks alternately to
the said sets of finishing mechanism, for the purposes above specified.
Seventh. The combination of a vertical shaft and means for intermittently
rotating the same, a carrier-plate mounted thereon and provided with sectional
dies, and heading, bevelling and trimming or pointing devices situated at intervals
around the said carrier-plate, substantially as, and for the purposes, above specified.
Eighth. The combination, with pairs of roller-dies adapted to operate succes-
sively upon the nail-rod, of a cutting or severing device, separate sets of heading,
bevelling and pointing devices, and means for delivering the severed nail-blanks
alternately to the said sets of heading, bevelling and pointing devices, substantially
as herein before described.
Ninth. The combination, with the intermittently-rotating carrier-plate, of
the device for opening the dies therein, substantially as described.
Tenth. The combination, with the intermittently-rotating carrier-plate, of a
nail-ejector constructed and arranged substantially as described.
Eleventh. The improved nail-making machine constructed substantially as
described with reference to the accompanying drawings and operating as, and for
purposes, above specified.
the
בד
1
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 and 12, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.