IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION.OF MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF WOOD SCREWS AND SCREW NAILS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Oldham Bennett, of Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION.OF
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF WOOD SCREWS AND
SCREW NAILS."
Sealed the 18th October 1878, and dated the 12th August 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Oldham Bennett at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th August 1878.
THOMAS OLDHAM BENNETT, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANU-
FACTURE OF WOOD SCREWS AND SCREW NAILS."
A-
My improvements relate to the shaving and nicking and the pointing and worming
of screw blanks, the mechanism of which is combined in one frame, and the action
throughout is automatic.
The first part of my Invention consists in the combination of two jaw spindles
(one of which operates the shaving and nicking of the blank, the other the pointing
and worming), hereafter named as the "shaving spindle" and worming spindle;"
these spindles are capable of revolving on their own axis, and their axes are parallel
to each other.
Another part of my Invention relates to improvements in the fingers of blank
carriers, whereby I make both fingers adjustable by a set screw so as to be easily
adjusted centrally with the spindles, and each finger being fixed to the carrier head
with only one pin, and held in its proper position by springs; they are allowed to
move outward at right angles to the axis of the blank, that is, in case the carrier
fingers have just deposited a blank in the spindle, and the spindle jaws having
closed on the blank, but so that the blank does not run axially within the spindle ;
the fingers are not strained by the blank describing a larger circle whilst rotating
in the spindle, but are allowed by the springs to give way, and after being freed
from the blank immediately return to their former position.

page_text: I am aware that somewhat similar fingers have been used in connection with
screw machines, one method being to have only one finger movable, the other being
fixed in the head of the carrier.
Another method is to make the fingers of flexible steel, and adjustable by a screw
and nut, but neither of these methods possess the same advantages as the adjustable
fingers herein described. The system of using fingers has heretofore been only
employed to convey blanks from the conductor rails to the spindles of screw
machinery, or to take out a blank finished by a machine, and to deposit it in the
usual manner.
Another part of my Invention relates to a carrier having a set of my improved
fingers, or ordinary fingers, on each end thereof, with an oscillating motion to convey
the carrier fingers. centrally..to receive a partly finished blank form the "shaver
spindle" of my improved machine, and to prevent a partly finished blank which
has been previously. received (from the "shaver spindle") on the other end of the
carrier centrally to the "worming spindle." The carrier has a semi-rotary motion
given to it about an axis common to both fingers, which conveys the blank from
the shaver to the worming spindle, and by this semi-rotary motion it brings the
fingers back (which have just deposited the blank into. the worming spindle)
empty, and ready to receive the blank when partly finished from the shaving
spindle.
The mechanism for giving the oscillating and semi-rotary motion to the carrier is
as follows-To obtain the latter motion of the carrier I place it on a shaft which
works on a carrier frame, the centre of the shaft being the axis common to both
sets of fingers. On this axis is fastened a bevil pinion gearing into another bevil
wheel running loose on the oscillating shaft, on which is fastened a carrier frame,
this latter shaft being at right angles with the semi-rotary shaft.
Attached to the bevil wheel is a ratchet wheel, into which works a pawl pivoted
to a lever on a hollow oscillating shaft. By the movement of this shaft, which is
obtained by a suitable cam, giving motion to a cam lever connected by a suitable
rod to a lever on the other end of the hollow shaft, action is given to the pawl
which at proper time comes in contact with the notches of the ratchet wheel, and
gives the semi-rotary motion to the carrier.
To hold the carrier in its proper position in relation to the spindles after the
semi-revolution has been given to it, I place and fasten on the semi-rotary shaft a
disc plate having two notches on its periphery diametrically opposite to each other,
into one of which a stop enters and holds it in proper position until it is rotated
another half turn. The stop being fixed to a flexible spring is easily forced out of
the notch, and a semi-revolution given to the carrier, upon which the notch on the
opposite side of the disc is brought round to the stop, which enters and holds it in
its proper position until the carrier requires another semi-revolution.
To obtain the oscillating motion of the carrier I fasten the carrier frame (con-
taining the carrier and other adjuncts above described) on an oscillating shaft at
right angles to the semi-rotary shaft, and passing through the hollow which actuates
the semi-revolution of the carrier.
On the shaft previously described (on which the carrier frame is fastened) is a
lever connected to a cam lever by a connecting rod, the said lever being actuated
by a suitable cam to give the oscillating motion required.
The bevil wheel being attached to the ratchet wheel, and loose on its shaft, as
already described, and oscillating with the carrier frame, it is necessary that the
pawl should not be in gear with the ratchet, excepting when it is required, and to
accomplish this I give the pawl with its lever a little longer traverse than that
necessary to rotate the carrier a semi-revolution, and by these means the pawl can
be thrown out of gear by having a projection on it coming in contact with a pro-
jection placed on the frame of the machine, and by extra traverse of the pawl it
falls on to and gears with the ratchet wheel at the proper time..
By the combination of the oscillating and semi-rotary motion of the carrier a
partly finished blank is received from the" shaver spindle," and a partly finished

page_text: blank presented centrally to the "worming spindle." The spindles having their
rear ends runing in the same direction, and one part of the machine operating to
shave and nick the head of the blank, and the other part of the machine cutting
the worm or thread on the blank, it will be perceived by any one connected with
screw machinery that it is necessary to give the blank a half turn after being
received by the carrier fingers from the "shaver spindle," so as to present the
head of the blank to the worming spindle to be held by the jaws and rotated by
that spindle, so as to rotate the shank to be operated upon by the cutter to form tho
thread.
I will now describe the machinery by which the operations of shaving, nicking,
pointing, and worming are performed.
The blank is fed into the "shaver spindle" from the conductor or hopper rails by
a set of carrier fingers in the ordinary way, and grasped by the jaws of the spindle
by a sliding rod actuating the jaws by means of a suitable cam or other equivalent
niechanism. The spindle is rotated by suitable mechanism connected with the
"worming spindle," or separately; the cutter then moves up to turn the head of the
blank, and at about the same time a back rest moves up to steady the blank whilst
under the operation of the cutter. After the blank has been shaved the cutter and
back rest fall back out of the way, and the spindle, with the blank still in its grasp, is
unlocked, and by a suitable arrangement operated by a cam is allowed to fall down-
wards on an arc of a circle until the blank comes to a rest, and is grasped by a
suitable lever and held centrally with the revolving nicking saw, and it remains
there until the nicking saw moves up to it by the motion of its oscillating frame
worked by suitable mechanism, and the saw rotated by suitable gearing. Having
cut the nick in the blank, and the oscillating saw frame and grasping lever having
moved away from the blank, the "shaver spindle" with the nicked blank is then
free to be moved to its former position where the blank was shaved, and this.
being accomplished the shaver, cutter, and back rest again move forward to the
blank to reshave it in order to take off the "burr " left by the nicking saw. The
jaws of the spindle are now released, and the blank pushed forward from the spindle,
and the carrier fingers having noved down centrally with the spindle, grasp the
blank, and convey it away from the spindle by the oscillating motion of the carrier.
The carrier fingers on the other end having previously obtained a blank in a
similar manner move down to the "worming spindle," and the blank is pushed into
the spindle by suitable mechanism (which is also similarly applied to the shaver
spindle).
The jaws of the "worming spindle" are actuated by a suitable cam on the cam
shaft through the lever and clutch box, and close upon the blank, and by the rotary
motion of the spindle (by means of a belt or other equivalent) the blank is caused
to revolve against a cutter fastened in a cutter box, having a longitudinal motion
parallel with the axis of the blank, actuated by suitable mechanism, and thus the
point of the blank is formed preparatory or, if a long blank, partly at the same time
that the "worming cutter" forms the thread.
The block or cutter box carrying the "worming cutter" is attached to a shaft
having a combined motion both longitudinally and also vertical to the axis of the
blank to form the thread.
The longitudinal motion is actuated by a cam on a cam shaft (separate from the
main cam shaft), and being of proper form and revolving at the right speed to give
the pitch and length of the thread required.
The motion vertical to the axis of the blank is to give a certain depth to the
threads, and move on to the point of the blank to give it a gimlet point, and also
allow the cutter to fall back from the blank so as to enable it to take several
traverses across the blank whilst forming the thread. The latter motion is actuated
by a cam on the main cam shaft, and by a cam on another shaft connected with a
lever and slide, on which is a former connected with the cutter block shaft. The
cam shafts are actuated by suitable gearing to render them at the right speed to
operate on the blanks.
1

page_text: In order to operate on different lengths of blanks in the same machine I make
the mechanism movable and adjustable in the front of the spindles in the following
manner-On the turning and nicking side of the machine I carry the shaver,
cutter block, back rest, oscillating saw frame, and rest for the blank whilst being
nicked on a movable slide or saddle resting on the frame of the machine, capable
of being moved longitudinally by a screw to adjust the several parts to operate
on the head of the blank. On the worming and pointing side of the machine I
make the pointing motion, worming cutter, and back rest, each adjustable
longitudinally.
For short blanks it may be necessary to push the blank longitudinally along the
carrier fingers after being received from the" shaver spindle," as the shank of the
blank may not project sufficiently from the carrier spindle. This may be accom-
plished by allowing the carrier fingers whilst performing their semi-revolutions to
butt the blank against a stop fixed above the worming spindle.
In short lengths of blanks the shaving and nicking operations have ample time
to prepare a blank whilst the pointing and worming spindle is completing the blank
already prepared by the shaving and nicking mechanism, but in long blanks the
worming operation is much slower, and the shaving and nicking operations may be
arranged to operate on two or more blanks whilst the worm is operating on one.
The extra blanks shaved and nicked over and above what are required to supply
the wormer can be thrown out of the shaver spindle and caught in a receptacle,
and transferred in the ordinary way to a single worming machine. This would be
accomplished without prejudice to my combined machine, for the arrangement would
be such as to supply its worming spindle at the proper time by the carrier retaining
one of the blanks after being partly finished by the shaver spindle, and transferring
it, as previously described, to the worming spindle.
The ordinary method of finishing screw blanks is to have two distinct and separate
machines, one for shaving and nicking, and the other for pointing and worming the
blank.
The object of my improvements is to finish a screw blank in all its processes in
one machine, thereby saving the extra labour required for two separate machines.
It also gives more time for the shaving and nicking operations, whereby the tools
used for these operations last much longer, and need not be replaced so often, and
it necessarily makes a larger per-centage of good work, and will be freer from
breakages and require less repairs. Another object is that my improved machine
takes up less floor space, requires less power and less labor for the same quantity
of screws manufactured by other machines.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Oldham Bennett in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th
February 1879.
THOMAS OLDHAM BENNETT, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster. " IMPROVE
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE
OF WOOD SCREWS AND SCREW NAILS."
My improvements relate to the shaving, nicking, pointing, and worming of screw
blanks, the operations of which are all of them combined in one frame, and the
action throughout is automatic.
The first part of my Invention consists in the combination of two jaw spindles
(one of which operates the shaving and nicking of the blank, the other the pointing
and worming), hereafter named as the shaving spindle and the worming spindle;
these spindles are capable of revolving on their own axes, and are parallel to each
other.
The ordinary method of finishing screw blanks is to have two distinct and sepa-
rate machines, one for shaving and nicking, and the other for pointing and worming
the blank.
The object of my improvements is to finish a screw blank in all its processes in
one machine, thereby saving the extra labor required for two separate machines.
It also gives more time for the shaving and nicking operations, whereby the tools
used for these operations last much longer and need not be replaced so often, and it
necessarily makes a larger per-centage of good work, and will be freer from breakages
and require less repairs.
Another object is that my improved machine takes up less floor space, requires
less power and less labor for the same quantity of screws manufactured by other
machines.
Another part of my Invention relates to a carrier having a set of my improved
fingers (or ordinary fingers) on each end thereof, with an oscillating motion to
convey the carrier fingers centrally to receive a partially finished blank from the
shaving spindle, and to present a partly finished blank, which has been previously
received (from the shaving spindle) on the other end of the carrier to the worming;
the carrier has a semi-rotary motion given to it about an axis common to both
fingers, which conveys the blank from the shaving to the worming spindle, and by
the semi-rotary motion it brings the fingers (which have just deposited the blank
into the worming spindle) empty and ready to receive the blank when partly finished
from the shaving spindle.
The mechanism for giving the oscillating and semi-rotary motion to the carrier is
as follows:-To obtain the latter motion of the carrier I place it on the shaft which
works the carrier frame, the centre of the shaft being the axis common to both
fingers; on this axis is fastened a bevil wheel pinion gearing into a bevil wheel
running loose on the oscillating shaft, on which is fastened the carrier frame, this
latter shaft being at right angles to the semi-rotary shaft.
Attached to the bevil wheel is a ratchet wheel, into which works a pawl pivoted
to a lever on a hollow oscillating shaft (through this hollow shaft runs the shaft on
which is fastened the carrier frame), and by the movement of this shaft, which is
obtained by a suitable cam giving motion to a cam lever, connected by a suitable
rod to a lever on the other end of the hollow shaft, action is given to the pawl which
at the proper time comes into contact with the notches of the ratchet wheel, and
gives the semi-rotary motion to the carrier.
To hold the carrier in its proper position in relation to the spindles, after the
semi-revolution has been given to it, I place and fasten on the semi-rotary shaft a
disc plate, having two notches on its periphery, diametrically opposite to each other;
into one of which the stop enters and holds it in proper position until it is rotated
another half turn. The stop being fixed to a flexible spring is easily forced out of
the notch and a semi-revolution given to the carrier, upon which the notch on the

page_text: opposite side of the disc is brought round to the stop, which enters and holds it in
its proper position until the carrier requires another semi-revolution.
To obtain the oscillating motion I fasten carrier frame (containing the carrier and
other adjuncts described) on an oscillating shaft at right angles to the semi-rotary
shaft, and passing through the hollow shaft, which actuates the semi-revolution of
the carrier..
On the shaft previously described (on which the carrier frame is fastened), is a
lever connected to a cam lever by a connecting rod, the said lever being actuated by
a suitable cam to give the oscillating motion required.
The bevil wheel being attached to the ratchet wheel and loose on its shaft, as
already described, and oscillating with the carrier frame, it is necessary that the
pawl should not be in gear with the ratchet wheel except when it is required, and
to accomplish this I give the pawl with its lever a little longer traverse than that
necessary to rotate the carrier a semi-revolution, and by these means the pawl can be
thrown out of gear by having a projection on it coming in contact with a projection
placed on the frame of the machine, and by the extra traverse of the pawl it falls
into gear with the ratchet wheel at the proper time.
By the combination of the oscillating and semi-rotary motion of the carrier a
partly finished blank is received by the shaving spindle, and a partly finished blank
presented centrally to the worming spindle.
The spindles having their rear ends running in the same direction, and one part
of the machine operating to shave and nick the head of the blank, and the other
part of the machine cutting the worm or thread on the blank, it will be perceived
by any one conversant with screw machinery that it is necessary to give the blank
a half turn after being received by the carrier fingers from the shaving spindle, so
as to present the head of the blank to the worming spindle, to be held by the jaws
and rotated by that spindle, so as to rotate the blank to be operated upon by the
cutter to form the thread.
Another part of my Invention relates to the fingers of blank carriers, whereby I
make both fingers adjustable by a set screw, so as to be easily adjusted centrally
with the spindles, and each finger being fixed to the carrier head with only one pin,
and held in their proper position by springs, they are allowed to move outwards at
right angles to the axis of the blank; or I can make the figures of flexible steel, so
they would only require to be pivoted by one pin for both fingers, and adjusted as
previously described; that is, in case the carrier fingers have just deposited a blank
in the spindle, and the spindle jaws having closed on the blank, but so that the blank
does not run axially with the spindle, the fingers are not strained by the blank
describing a larger circle whilst rotating, but are allowed by the springs to give
way, and after being freed from the blank, immediately return to their former
position.
I am aware that somewhat similar fingers have been used in connection with
screw machines, one method being to have only one finger moveable, the other being
fixed in the head of the carrier. Another method is to make the fingers of flexible
steel, and adjustable by a screw and nut, but neither of these methods possess the
same advantages as the adjustable fingers herein described.
The system of using fingers has heretofore been only employed to convey blanks
from the conductors rails to the spindles of screw machinery, or to take out a screw
finished by a machine and deposited in the usual manner.
For short blanks the shaving and nicking operations have ample time to prepare
a blank whilst the pointing and worming mechanism is completing the blank
already prepared by the shaving and nicking mechanism; but in long blanks the
worming operation is much slower, and the shaving and nicking operations may
be arranged to operate on two or more blanks whilst the wormer is operating
on one.
The extra blanks shaved and nicked over and above what are required to supply
the wormer can be thrown out of the shaver spindle and caught in a receptacle, and
transferred in the ordinary way to a single worming machine. Thiswould be accom-

page_text: And Figures 9 and 10 showing portion of a double carrier with flexible fingers.
Figure 11, a longitudinal section at C, D, on Figure 4.
I will now describe the mechanism connected with the operation of shaving the
blank.
The blank is conveyed into the shaving spindle A from the hopper rails in the
ordinary manner (not shewn on the Drawings), and held by the gripping jaws d²,
actuated through a cluch rod o', Figures 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8, this rod being operated
by cam y¹ on cam shaft F, through pin R2 on shaft Q¹; on the other end of this
shaft is an arm P¹ which engages with the cluch rod O' at the proper time to
operate the gripping jaws d². When the clutch rod moves rearward the jaws are
allowed to be opened by the springs d³ fastened to gripping jaws, and pressing on
under side of sleeve e³. The spindle A is made to rotate on its axis through
pulley by a belt connecting with pulley W2, fastened to spur wheel m¹, running
loose on its shaft, and driven from worming spindle E by wheel N¹.
The shaving and reshaving of the blank is operated by the shaving cutter held in
tool box G, which rocks in bearings on the fixing I, and is fastened to slide X by
screws, so as to allow of a slight swivelling motion of the tool box G, for more accu-
rate adjustment. The motions necessary for the shaving and reshaving of the
blanks are produced by a cam t' on shaft F, which actuates a lever N fastened to
the end of rod Y. On this rod is a lever i in contact with a projecting arm from
tool box G, by adjusting screw h¹. This screw is for accurately adjusting the cutter
to turn the blank to its required diameter. The lever N is held on to the face of
the cam t by the action of a spiral spring. The blank is rotated by the shaving
spindle, running in bearings in a frame capable of moving downwards in an arc of a
circle whose axis is the centre of the shaft J' on to which the frame B is fastened;
this shaft is placed longitudinally, and has its bearings in the frame of the machine..
To hold the shaving spindle in its position for shaving and reshaving a blank, a
disc L fastened to the shaft J', with a notch on its periphery, into which a stop
lever D2 enters, held by a spiral spring. When the spindle is required to move
downwards, this stop lever Q2 is drawn out by projection E², Figure 3, on cam y',
and about the same time the cam x' operates the level 1, which being connected to
the spindle frame B by a rod f³ allows the shaving spindle to move downwards in
an arc of a circle to carry the blank, which is still held in the gripping jaws d³ to
the nicking saw K, and after having the nick cut in the head of the blank the
cam x brings it back to its former position, where it is held firm by the stop lever D³
entering the notch in disc L¹, and the blank is then reshaved to remove the "burr"
left by the action of the saw.
To steady the blank whilst being shaved and reshaved it is rotated against the

page_text: back rest H, Figures 1, 4, 5, and 11, but prior to the shaver spindle falling down-
wards to the nicking saw K (and when the nicked blank is being taken from the
spindle, and another blank being gripped to go through a similar operation), the
back rest being allowed to fall back out of the way by the action of the sliding
cam g', which receives its motion through a rod a¹ connected to the slide b'. The
sliding cam g' slides longitudinally on shaft J', and the projection on the cam slides
past the projection e² on back rest H, and a spiral spring attached to the back rest
draws it back from the blank.
After the blank has been shaved, nicked, and reshaved, the clutch rod O¹, Figures
4, 5, 7, and 8, moves outwards, and allows the gripping levers d² to open. The
spiral springs g³, Figures 5, 7, and 8, acting through bar h³, on which is rod ³ placed
centrally, push out the blank against the end of the rod c¹, Figures 4 and 5, whence
it is taken up by the carrier fingers, to .be conveyed by them to the worming
spindle.
I will now describe the operation of nicking. The saw K receives its rotary
motion from the shaft D', Figures 2, 3, 4, (which is driven from gear wheels on end
of frame) through spur wheels E', F, which give motion to the shaft G2, on which
is a bevil wheel h², Figure 1, gearing into another bevil wheel p fastened to spur
wheel (whose axis is the axis of the oscillating saw frame M, and which drives
the wheels on the end of saw shaft f. The saw frame M containing saw k has an
oscillating motion on the shaft ³, so as to bring the saw k up to the blank at the
proper time to cut the nick, and also to recede from the blank when the nick is cut.
An adjusting screw g² connects the oscillating saw frame M to a lever y, but is not
fast to it, and to keep the previously mentioned frame against the screw g³ a spiral
spring is attached to the lower end of the frame M, above the axis on which it
works; and on the lever y moving outwards from the saw frame, the action of the
spiral spring keeps the frame against the screw g². The lever y¹ is fastened on the
rocking shaft w, on which is a lever v (also fast to shaft u) connecting with lever w
by rod and spring 12 on rocking shaft j³. On other end of this shaft is a cam
lever operated by cam 12. The lever k² is held to the cam by the action of a
spiral spring. The adjusting screw 92 is to set off the saw to cut the required depth
in the head of the blank. The adjusting screw j' is to adjust the saw transversely
and centrally with the blank head. The spring m² keeps the point of the screw j¹
against slide X.
To hold the blank firm whilst the saw k is operating the shaving spindle moves
downwards as already described with a blank in the grasp of the gripping jaws d²
on the rest J, and is grasped by the lever U₁ through the action of a spring attached
to the lever and cam n². When the blank is nicked the lever U¹ is lifted from the
blank through the action of cam n², and the shaving spindle is free to be returned
to its previous position.
I will now describe the mechanism for pushing in the blank and working the
shaver back rest H. The saw frame M is also operated by a portion of this
mechanism. The cam 12 gives motion to a lever on the end of oscillation shaft,
Figures 1, 2, 4, 5, and 11, on the other end of which is a lever or arm w connected
to the lever v, rod, and spring 1. The lever vis fast on the shaft u. On this
shaft is also fastened a lever y giving motion to the slide b', to which is attached a
rod d passing through the frame of the machine and connected with the sliding
cam g' which gives the required motion for working the back rest H. On the
lever is a swivel p² through which passes an adjusting screw g² connecting with
ย
the same frame as previously described. On the end of the slide b' is a rod c¹ to
push the blank (when delivered by carrier not shewn in the Drawings) into the
shaving spindle to be gripped by the jaws; the rod c¹ also allows the blank to butt
against it when being delivered from the shaver jaws after being shaved and nicked
so that the blank may be received by the carrier fingers.
I will now describe the operation of the oscillating and semi-rotary carrier D,
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. This carrier has a pair of adjustable fingers on each end. The.
fingers a, a, are pivoted to the end of carrier D and have spiral springs q², q²,

page_text: which keep them in position in relation to the other fingers c, c, which are also
pivoted to the head of the carrier D, and have spiral springs 2, 3, to keep them
against the set screws d, d, see Figure 1. The said mentioned set screws d, d,
are to regulate the fingers centrally with the shaving and worming spindles, and
by the action of the above-named springs the fingers are kept in proper position;
but when their functions are required they are enabled to grasp a blank; also,
in case a blank does not run axially in the shaving or worming spindle, the
fingers a, a, c, c, are allowed to follow the motion of the blank, and by the action of
the before-mentioned springs the fingers are brought in their position against the
set screw as soon the blank is relieved from the before-mentioned spindles. Figures
9 and 10 show another method of adjustable fingers 13; m³ are flexible steel fingers
fastened to lever n³ pivoted in head of carrier D, and is set to move on the pin o³.
d is a set screw for adjusting the fingers, and p³ is a spiral spring to keep the
fingers bearing on the end of the set screw.
The mechanism for giving the oscillating and semi-rotary motion is as follows:-
To obtain the latter motion of the carrier D I fasten it on a shaft j, Figure 1, in the
carrier frame C, the centre of the shaft being common to the axis of both fingers.
On shaft j is fastened a bevil pinion f gearing into a bevil wheel g, Figure 4, loose
on the oscillating shaft L. On this shaft L is fastened the carrier frame C. Attached
to the bevil wheel g is a ratchet wheel i into which gears pawl h pivoted to lever V
on the hollow oscillating shaft 8². On the other end of the hollow oscillating
shaft 8 is another lever / connected by rod n to lever t2, Figures 3 and 4, working
on cam, by which the semi-rotary motion is given to the carrier D. To hold the
carrier in relation to the shaving and worming spindles after the semi-revolution
has been given to it, a disc plate b (having notches j³ ³, diametrically opposite to
each other) is fastened on the shaft j, and a spring stop e, Figure 1, enters and holds
it until it is rotated another half turn. The bevil wheel g being attached to the
ratchet wheel i, and loose on the shaft l, as already described, and the oscillating
motion of the carrier frame C, and the bevil wheel g being in gear with the bevil
pinion, also oscillating with the carrier frame C, it is therefore necessary that the
pawl h should not be in gear with the ratchet wheel i until required to give the
carrier D the semi-rotary motion, and to accomplish this the lever V with its pawlh
has a little longer traverse than is necessary to rotate the carrier D a semi-revolution,
and the pawl having on it a projection comes in contact with a portion of the
frame k, Figures 1 and 4, of the machine which lifts the pawl clear of the ratchet
wheel g, and holds it in this position until required to give another semi-revolution.
To give the semi-revolution of the carrier the movement of the lever V allows the
pawl to fall into and gear with the ratchet wheel at the proper time.
I will now describe the oscillating motion of the carrier D. The carrier frame C
(containing the carrier D and the adjuncts described) is fastened on shaft L which
passes through the hollow shaft 82 (being loose therein), and has a bearing on the
frame of the machine. The shaft L has fastened on it a lever or arm m, Figures 3,
4, and 6, connected with a cam lever u² by connecting rod o. This cam lever u³ has
motion given to it by a cam w¹ which produces the oscillating of the carrier D
required; the lever u² is held on the cam by a spiral spring.
I will now describe the motion for operating the back rest U, Figures 1, 2, and 4,
and pushing the blank into the worming spindle E. A cam q¹ gives motion to
lever fastened on a hollow rocking shaft w, on the other end of which is a lever a
working (by means of rod and spring ²) a lever z, which in its turn works a slide a'.
Connected with this slide is a rod e' sliding through the frame of the machine and
fastened to the sliding cam U which gives the necessary movements to the back
rest T. On the end of the slide a' is a rod f' which at the proper time pushes in
the blank brought by the carrier fingers into the worming spindle.
Next in order I will describe the pointing of the blank, Figures 1, 2, and 4. Tool
holder I carries its pointing tool, and is free to slide on bar R, upright shaft W
with levers p¹ and o¹, and oscillating in fixing A, and operated by lever m² through
rod n¹ by cam o².

page_text: When the blank is gripped by the worming jaws b² lever p' pushes tool holder I',
carrying pointing cutter towards the end of the blank, and by its movement
forward carries an arm projecting from it, with adjusting screw G' along the
former q, which has on it a projecting, which give a rocking motion to the tool
holder I, and presses it forward to point the blank. Screw G¹ is for adjusting
pointing tool to the required depth. After the blank is pointed the tool holder I¹
is allowed to fall back from the end of the blank to its foriner position by the action
of a spiral spring.
I will I now describe the mechanism connected with the worming operation, Figures 1,
2, 3, 4, and 6. E is the worming spindle; b², gripping jaws; L³, sleeve containing
wedge a² for closing jaws b²; K₁, pulley; S, tool holder carrying cutter fastened on
bar R, on which is a projecting arm B2, with adjusting screw H₁; back rest T, con-
taining die for steadying blanks; U, sliding cam for operating back rest T; spur
pinion W, gearing in wheel X', on which is fastened pinion Y', gearing in its turn
with wheel Z, and giving motion to shaft D¹, on which is fastened cam C¹, for
giving longitudinal motion to bar R, through slide P, to which is fastened tongue Q
when it is required to discharge the finished screw in the worming spindle and
admit a blank to be operated upon; the tongue is disengaged from the arm a³,
Figure 3, and allows the tool holder to remain stationary. This is effected by the
cam S¹ working cam lever b, which is connected by a rod to lever T' pivoted to
the transverse slide A2. The time for changing the blank in the worming spindle
having arrived, the cam S¹ allows the transverse slide A² to move inwards towards
the machine, and disengages the tongue Q from arm as fastened to bar R; the cam S
also forces the point of the cutter against the blanks to give the requisite depth of
thread. Cam b' acts on pin 68 attached to lever T¹; this motion allows the tool
holder carrying worming tool to fall back from the blank at every pass over of the
cutter, for the blank not being finished at one cut, it is necessary that the cutter
should clear the blank when traversing back to commence another cut across it, and
whilst the cutter is traversing across the blank it is being forced deeper at every
traverse by cam S¹ until it has had the required number of traverses to finish the
screw. At each traverse of the bar R rearwards the set screw u' strikes against the
frame, and when the tongue Q disengages from arm a³ it keeps the bar in right
position to be engaged by the tongue at the required time. Former F¹ is attached
to the end of the slide A2, which acts against the adjusting screw H' passing
through the arm B2, and causes the cutter to move further forward as it approaches
the end of the blank, by which means a gimlet point is given to the screw. The
screw His kept on face of former F' by a spiral spring; this spring also brings
bar R back for each separate traverse.
The gripping of the worming jaws is performed in the following manner :-On
the sliding rod S' is a pin d³, which works in the cam groove 1, which gives a
longitudinal motion to the rod S¹, which works the lever R¹ by means of two
collars e³, e³, fastened on the rod. The lever R¹ is pivoted on the fixing C², and is
attached to the wheel L2 by pins c2, c², in the groove on sleeve, and moves the
sleeve L³, on which is wedge piece a² sliding inside the worming spindle, which on
being drawn away from the gripping jaws 62, the jaws are opened by springs k³, k³,
fastened to them, and pressing on the under side of the sleeve L³, when the sleeve is
moved forward the jaws are closed on the blank.
I will now give a brief description showing how a screw blank is finished in this
machine: The blank is fed into the shaving spindle from the conductor or hopper
rail in the ordinary way (not shown in the Drawing), and grasped by the jaws of
the spindle, which rotates the blank against the shaving tool to turn up the
head.
After the blank has been shaved the shaving spindle falls down in an arc of a
circle, and moves inwards towards the machine carrying the blank still in the
grasp of the jaws. This movement inwards of the shaving spindle causes
the belt which drives it to become slack, and therefore the rotary motion of the
spindle ceases. The spindle having fallen down, as already described, the blank is

page_text: grasped by a lever on to a rest and nicked by the nicking saw. After the latter
operation is performed the shaving spindle is moved upwards by the mechanism
already described, and the belt is tightened and rotates the spindle. The blank is
now re-shaved or the burr taken off which was left by the saw; the carrier fingers
now descend and pass over the blank, which is released from the gripping jaws and
pushed out from the spindle by a spring. By the oscillation motion connected
with the carrier fingers the blank is now taken away from the shaving spindle, and
the shaving spindle is free to operate on another blank in a similar manner. The
carrier fingers on the other end of the oscillating and semi-rotary carrier having
previously obtained a blank in like manner, and the carrier having received a semi-
rotary motion, as previously described, move down to the wormning spindle, when
the blank is pushed into the worming spindle to be operated upon by the mechanism.
The blank is rotated by the gripping jaws of the worming spindle, and operated
upon by a pointing tool to prepare the point; the worming cutter then passes over
the blank a sufficient number of times to cut the thread by the mechanism pre-
viously described, and when the screw is finished the jaws are released and the
blank is let fall into a receptacle below.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention, together with
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical
effect, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention,-
First. The combination of the shaving spindle A with the worming spindle E,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Secondly. The combination of the shaving spindle A and the worming spindle E
with the nicking saw K, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Thirdly. The double carrier D, as herein-before described.
Fourthly. The combination of the double carrier D with the shaving spindle A
and the worming spindle E, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Fifthly. The combination of the double carrier D with the shaving spindle A and
the worming spindle E, and with this nicking saw K, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
Sixthly. The combination of the moveable fingers a, c, with set screw d, springs q²,
72 (see Figure 1), also the combination of the flexible fingers m³, 13, with pivoted
lever n³, spring p³, and set screw d (see Figures 9 and 10), substantially as and for
the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Oldham Bennett, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this
day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine
Witnessed by
JNO. HUGHES,
Clerk to Geo. Davies, C.E.,
Patent Office,
4, St. Ann's Sq.,
Manchester.
THO. O. BENNETT. (L.S.)