IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING HORSE- SHOES
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Bristow Hunt at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 1st
November 1873.—A communication from abroad by Mather E.
'Hawes, of Somerville, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the
United States of America.
I, BRISTOW HUNT, of Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING HORSE-
SHOES," (a communication to mc from abroad by Mather E. Hawes, of
Somerville, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States of
America,) to be as follows:-
The present Invention relates to certain new and useful improvements
in machines for making horsc-shoes, and is especially adapted to forming
continuous flanged or rimmed shoes, although it is applicable to any
desired form of horse-shoes.
:
The principal object of these improvements is to form in an
expeditious, economical, and effective manner, completely finished horse-

page_text: shoes by the operation of a single machine, instead of as ordinarily
forming the shoe by one machine, and then removing it to be punched
for nail holes and finished by a separate operation.
The improvements consist mainly in providing a horse-shoe making
machine with a transverse travelling feeder (supplied with a proper bar
holder), a longitudinal travelling former, oscillating transverse formers,
and a plunger die, each connecting by suitable operating mechanical
devices respectively with a cam attached to and cams formed on a
driving shaft, and all arranged as hereafter more fully described, so that
by the rotation of the said cam driving shaft an automatic intermittent
reciprocating movement is imparted to the said feeder; travelling and
oscillating formers, and plunger die, by which a rolled bar at the proper
time and in a suitable manner is conveyed by the said feeder through a
cut off block to the longitudinal former held, borne down, and cut off by
a bar holder and bar cutter levers formed at the rear ends with rollers
operated by a cam on the rear of said travelling former advanced bent
and flanged between flanged rollers, and carried forward by the longi-
tudinal former, and shaped between the curved ends of the oscillating
formers, and grooved and punched with nail holes beneath the plunger
die, which on the return movement is raised to release the shoe which in
its finished shape is carried back by the longitudinal former knocked off
by a stem or other suitable knock off device on the bar holder lever, and
dropped through an aperture formed in the frame of the longitudinal
former, which at the termination of its. return movement, or at the
dropping of the finished shoe, is at once advanced to repeat the operation
for the formation of a new shoe.
These improvements also consist in the construction and arrangement
of several separate portions of the machine, and in the construction,
arrangement, and combination of several portions of the machine with
their operating mechanical devices, as hereafter described.
The bed or platform of the improved machine supports the open ends
of a table formed with a central longitudinal slot, having ways on each
side or otherwise arranged to support and allow the forward and back
travel of a longitudinal travelling plate, extending across which, and
attached on either side to the table, is a cross bar or plate supporting the
bottom of the forward end of a curved frame or standard, which curves

page_text: from the bottom of its front to the top of its rear end or is otherwise
shaped, and is properly formed on its sides with waves to receive an axle
on which turn horizontal levers or beams arranged parallel with each
other on the sides of the curved standard, which on its rear or vertical
end is curved in or otherwise shaped, and formed with projecting
annular sockets or bearings, which receive and allow the up and down
play of a vertical plunger piston, formed on the bottom to receive the
upper or socket portion of a plunger, and having between the annular
bearings a transverse axle or pivots which receive the rear ends of the
horizontal levers or beams whose other ends are pivotted to a vertical
lever arm whose bottom is bifurcated, and forms a toggle joint with two
parallel lever arms which turn at the bottom on an axle or pivots in the
platform, which is slotted or otherwise arranged to allow the bottom
play of the parallel arms.
Pivotted to the axle of the vertical lever arm, between its bifurcated
ends, is the forward and curved end of a horizontal longitudinal lever
arm bifurcated at the other end to support a pivot, and receive the top
or upper vertical portion of a curved oscillating off-set bar or arm which
is provided with an inward lateral projecting stem, having a roller which
engages with a central groove or cam formed around a driving shaft
extending longitudinally just above the platform, and turning in suitable
boxes on the bottom or cross bar of the open ends of the table.
The driving shaft is toward its rear end for about two-thirds of its
length of greater diameter than its forward portion, and has two other
cams or grooves formed in the thicker circumference on either side of
the central cam or groove, one of which placed near the rear end of the
driving shaft is formed by a groove which extends around about one
quarter of the shafts circumference, parallel with the ends of the shaft,
and then inclines about three-eighths of the distance each way toward the
outer end of the shaft. The central cam or groove extends around the
shaft parallel for about three quarters of its circumference, and then
inclines one eighth of the distance each way toward the forward end of
the shaft.
The other cam or groove is placed near the forward end of the thicker
portion of the driving shaft, and extends in a parallel groove around it
for about one half of its circumference, then inclines towards the
forward end of the shaft about one-eighth of the distance, is then

page_text: parallel for about one quarter of the distance, and inclines the other way
the same distance as the other incline; or if preferred these cams or
grooves may be otherwise arranged on the driving shaft.
Engaging with this last cam or groove is a roller connected with and
projecting inwardly from a vertical curved oscillating off-set bar or arm,
pivotted at the bottom to the platform which is slotted or otherwise
formed to receive its play. The top or upper vertical portion of
this bar or arm is pivotted to the sides of a slot formed in or is
otherwise connected with the bottom of the longitudinal travelling plate,
to whose top are pivotted the forward ends of horizontal lever arms
which extend longitudinally, and at the other ends are pivotted between
bifurcated ears projecting laterally and inwardly from annular former
plates, which if required may be otherwise formed to receive and allow
the play of the horizontal lever arms.
The plates are pivotted to the top of the table which is curved out at
the corners or otherwise arranged to receive them, and on the rear of the
top are recessed or otherwise formed to receive the ends of transverse
oscillating formers curved or otherwise shaped to fit on the annulaṛ
former plates to which they are screwed or otherwise attached, so as to
be readily adjusted to or removed from them for the insertion and
attachment of other formers for different sized and shaped shoes.
The oscillating formers are curved on the rear edge, and on the front
extend laterally in a straight line to the centre where they meet or may
be otherwise shaped, and on the inner ends are straight for part of their
width, and then are curved each in the shape of the half contour of the
desired form of the shoe.
Connecting by a roller with the cam or groove at the rear end of the
driving shaft is an oscillating bent lever off set bar or arm, pivotted at
the top to bifurcated ends of a longitudinal slotted frame or lever,
whose outer ends are bifurcated and pivotted to a lug depending from
the bottom plate of a longitudinal travelling former arranged to travel
back and forth on a frame slotted to receive and allow the travel of the
bottom former plate, and formed at the proper distance on its forward
part with an aperture to allow the dropping through of the shoe which
is knocked off by a rod or stem or other suitable knock-off device con-
nected with a bar holder lever when completed.

page_text: The slotted frame projects longitudinally from the rear end of the
table, and extends a sufficient height above its top to form a bed for the.
iron bar when operated upon, and is provided with suitable vertical
rollers flanged on the top and placed at the required distance apart on
the top of the slotted frame, and at the proper distance in front of the
aperture to receive and bend the bar as it is pressed between them by
the longitudinal travelling former, and to form the flanges or rim of the
shoe in the shape desired before it is carried to the oscillating formers.
The longitudinal travelling former is formed by an upper plate which
extends over the top of the sides of the slotted frame so as to travel
thereon, and at the forward part curves down at the top and inward on
the sides toward its front end, where it is curved and shaped to conform
to the inner contour of the plate and flange or rim of the shoe. The top.
portion of the former end is flanged or projected over the lower portion
to form the sides of the flange, while the lower portion shapes the inner
contour of the shoe. The rear portion of the former is curved on the top
upward and then downward toward the rear, forming a curved cam open
at the bottom and sides to receive and operate so as to raise and lower
roller ends of levers pivotted to the sides of the slotted frame. One of
these levers (above mentioned) is at its forward end curved and formed
with jaws to serve as a bar holder, and the other lever placed on the
other side of the slotted frame is on its forward end curved, narrowed,
and bevilled to form a cutting edge or bottom to serve as a bar cut off.
These cut off and bar holder ends of the levers are so curved and
arranged that when at rest they are in exact position to receive and hold
the bar when introduced to them over the forward end of the longi-
tudinal travelling former, and at the proper time to be lowered by the
action of the curved cam on their roller ends so as to bear the bar down
to the action of the said travelling former, and at the proper time to be
lowered by the action of the curved cam on their roller ends so as to
bear the bar down to the action of the said travelling former, and cut it
off and be instantly raised for the admission of another bar which is fed
to them through a cut-off block placed outside of the bar cut off on the
top of a. lateral projecting portion of the slotted frame, or on top of
a transverse frame formed on the top with ways and having a central
slot, or otherwise formed to receive and allow the forward and back
travel of a transverse feeder having a vertical side projecting above its
top, or may be otherwise formed to receive the pivotted end of a
'

page_text: ratchet provided with a bent spring; or any other suitable arrangement
for holding the bar on the feeder may be employed.
The top of the transverse feeder extends laterally over the ways or
sides of the transverse frame so as to travel thereon, and its body extends
downward through the slot of the said frame, and on the bottom is
formed with a plate extending laterally over the bottom of the sides of
the frame and having a depending lug to which is pivotted the bifur-
cated ends of a transverse slotted frame or lever, the other end of which
is also bifurcated and pivotted to the top of a vertical lever arm pivotted
at the bottom to the end of the platform, and having a roller which
engages with a tapering cam formed on the face of a wheel attached to
the rear end of the driving shaft, which is provided on the outside of the
forward end of the table with a large gear wheel which gears with a
small gear wheel connected with a driving wheel which turns on an axle
attached to and projecting from the forward end of the table; or the
driving shaft may be provided with and operated by any other suitable
arrangement of mechanical devices for imparting motion to it that may
be preferred.
The bottom end of the plunger, piston, or shaft as above mentioned is
formed to receive a plunger formed on the upper part with a socket held
to the piston by a bolt passing transversely through them, or otherwise.
secured to allow of the ready attachment or removal of the plunger, the
lower portion of which is curved and recessed on its front and sides to
receive a steel or other suitable die curved in conformity with the
contour of the shoe, and formed on the bottom with segmental bevilled
projections and prongs of the required shape and size to form the
grooves and nail holes in the flanges or rim of the shoe, the bottom of
the die being the required thickness of the flanges or rim.
The vertical end of the lower portion of the plunger is of an even
surface with the vertical ends of the die, across which is a transverse
bar which receives the screw ends of a yoke which surrounds the die to
which it is adjusted so as to securely hold or readily release it from the
plunger by means of screw nuts operating on the ends of the yoke and
bearing against the outside of the transverse bar.
In the bottom of the upper portion of the plunger on either side
are screws whose heads bear on the top of the die, which by turning the
screws may be raised or lowered as desired.

page_text: The lower portion of the plunger is formed on either side with
channels to allow the introduction and passage of water between it and
the band of the die on to the nail prongs, which are thus kept cool
during the formation of the shoes.
The plunger, if desired, may be otherwise formed to receive any
differently arranged and formed die that may be preferred.