Improvements in Machines for Grinding Cutlery and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Grinding Cutlery and the like. "
I, ALFRED FORBES BANNISTER, of 56 Summer Avenue, in the City of Newark,
and State of New Jersey, United States of America, Cutler, 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 :-
My invention relates to machines for grinding cutlery, &c., and is more especially
designed for use by manufacturers of cutlery, saws, metallic rules, &c.
The object of my invention is to provide a machine of the class stated which will
grind cutlery &c., rapidly, economically, and with a uniform accuracy.
An additional object sought to be attained by my invention is to produce a
surface on cutlery in grinding the same which shall be flat or unbeveled as
distinguished from the convex surface heretofore largely in use, more particularly
upon table-cutlery.
My invention consists in the improved machine for accomplishing the above-stated
objects hereinafter described, and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, which
form a part of the specification.
In said drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine; Figure 2 is a top
view thereof, and Fig. 3 an end view of the same.
Briefly speaking, the machine consists in the supporting framework or stand A,
the grinding mechanism proper comprising the grinding-wheel P, face-plate H, and
pulley 1, all of which are rigidly secured directly or indirectly to the shaft F, the
work holding and operating mechanism comprising the arm G, connecting rod C,
worm wheel K, worm L, shaft B, and pulleys b, b, b, the mechanism for auto-
matically stopping the work holding arm G, when one side of a knife is ground and
another knife replaced by the attendant or operator, comprising the belt-shifting
rod y, and its actuating spring ", the pawls w, sprocket-wheels k and i and chain m.
Power is transmitted to the entire machine through the main pulley I and to the
work-holding arm and automatic stop therefor intermediately by the small pulley b,
rigid with the grinding shaft F.
Before proceeding with the description in detail it will be understood that the
grinding wheel is in continuous motion while the machine is on duty and that the
automatic stopping mechanism applies only to the work-holding arm G.
The knife-blade to be operated upon has the usual perforations for rivets in the
handle portion of the knife, and is held in place on the face of the work-holding arm G
by a small stud and a shouldered button or hook thereon. The end perforation in
the said knife-blade is placed over the small stud g', above mentioned, and the lower
edge of the handle portion of the knife rests on the said shoulder button or hook "1.
The pressure of the grinding wheel retains the blade snugly against the face of the
arm G during the process of grinding. This means of holding work to be ground
is quite old and no claim is made to the same.
Having briefly outlined the machine as a whole, the details thereof are as
follows:-
A is the general supporting framework or stand. This should be of heavy solid-
iron structure of sufficient weight and strength to ensure rigidity of parts and non-
vibration of the machine as a whole. The said frame A is further strengthened by
vertical and horizontal braces u and v.
F is the main shaft of the machine, to which the power-pulley 1 is rigidly attached.

page_text: Upon one end of the shaft F is secured a face-plate H, which carries the grinding
stope or wheel P. The said grinding wheel P is usually and preferably made of
emery and of cup-shaped or cylindrical form.
Gis the work-holding arm, to which the knife-blade or other article to be ground
is securely but removably attached upon the face thereof. The form of the arm G
is most clearly seen upon reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings. The said arm G is
hung or pivoted upon a round bar E, having a very slow oscillating movement
thereon. The said' bar E is mounted upon the stand A in heavy supports or
"boxes" e, e. The end of the round bar E which rests in the support e is plain and
the opposite end, which rests in the support e', is screw-threaded and engages in
screw relation with the said support e. The screw-thread on said bar E should
have a slow thread thereon, as the feed motion is intended simply to compensate
the wear of the grinding wheel toward which it is slowly fed as required. The
work-holding arm G is mounted on the said bar E and is capable of an oscillating
movement thereon in a vertical plane transverse to 'the grinding wheel shaft.
Collars on the said bar E, secured by set screws, hold the arm G in position thereon.
While two such collars may be employed I usually prefer to use one only and
place it on the bar E toward the screw end of said bar. A disk wheel d is rigidly
attached to the serew end of the har E, having radial perforations in the periphery
thereof for the insertion of a hand lever or rod in turning the same when feeding
the work-holding arm G toward the grinding wheel P.
The oscillating movement of the work-holding arm G results from the following
transmission of power: The small pulley on the shaft F communicates by belt
with the pulley, rigid on the shaft B. The worm L thereon gears with the worm-
wheel K. A rod C, having a knuckle joint on each end thereof, connects a crank
pin o on the said worm wheel to a pin q on a lever arm extending from the main
work-holding arm G.
Mechanism for automatically stopping the arm G when it has finished grinding
one side of a knife-blade or other article is provided as follows: A belt shifting
rod g
is normally actuated in an outward direction by means of a spiral compression
spring encircling the same. The said rod g is provided on its outer end with
a fork, which straddles the belt. A spring actuated hook or latch W mounted
on the body of the machine, engages with the rod 9, or a hook on post thereon,
or formed on a block secured to said rod g, and retains the latter in its inner
position, keeping the belt on the tight or driving pulley. A sprocket wheel k
on shalt connects with a similar wheel i by means of a sprocket chain. The
shaft upon which the sprocket wheel i is mounted has a collar secured thereon by
a set screw. The said collar has an arm or extension provided with a pin or stud t
thereon, which trips the latch or hook W, and releases the rod 9, which is thus
automatically thrown outward by the spring r, and the belt is shifted to the loose
pulley 6, that is to say, at every complete revolution of the sprocket wheel i the
mechanism operating arm C is stopped automatically. To set this in motion
again, the attendant draws the belt-shifting arm y inwardly until it is latched in
place by the hook W, and there retained until released as stated. This means of
shifting a belt is not new, being well understood in the art to which it relates.
This is arranged to take place when the work-holding arm G is in the extreme
outward limit of its movement, as seen in Fig. 3. The oscillating work holding
arm mechanism is thrown into active operation by retraction of the rod 9, the
handle I, formed by an angle ou the said rod being provided for this purpose.
stroke of the arm G can be regulated in its length from zero to its greatest limit by
shifting the crank pin o in its slotted holder j, rigid with the worm wheel K, upon
well understood principles of mechanics. In this manner various lengths of knife-
blades can be operated upon with but little or no lost motion of the holding arm G,
that is to say, the crank pin o is set so as to give a sweep to the said arm corre-
sponding, or nearly so, to the length of the surface to be ground.
The
It is usual to employ a stream of water upon the grinding wheel, and also to keep
the same partially submerged. For this purpose the grinding wheel P is incased

page_text: by a box a, having a hinged lid h thereon, an opening in one side, through which
the work-holding arm G travels, and a proper outlet for the water.
The practical operation of the machine is as follows:-The knife blade or other
article to be ground is secured to the face of the work-holding arm G when the
latter is in its extreme outward throw, as seen in Fig. 3, and in inactive position.
The belt-shifting rod g is then pulled inwardly and latched automatically, the belt
being thus shifted to the tight pulley 6" and the arm G thus set in motion. The
arm travels one stroke slowly forward, the knife thereon bearing against the grinding
wheel P and returns at the same speed to its starting point. The knife or blade is
then removed, another replaced, and the operation repeated. The arm G is fed
toward the grinding wheel, as occasion requires, from the wearing down of the
grinding wheel by turning the disk wheel d, and thus carrying the arm G very
slightly forward, as will be understood.
The machines can be used in grinding "right" and "left" respectively,
without material alteration in their structure. For this purpose two machines
may be employed, one running with a straight belt on the pulley I and the other
with a crossed belt thereon.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A machine for grinding cutlery, saws and other articles of hardware requiring
a flat surface, or a flat even bevel comprising a supporting stand, a grinding wheel
mounted thereon, an oscillating arm provided with a lever and lever pin, a longi-
tudinally adjustable bar supporting the said arm, a worm and worm wheel, a crank
pin on the latter, a rod connecting the said crank pin and lever pin and means for
application and transmission of power, all arranged and co-operating substantially
as described.
2. In a machine for grinding cutlery, saws and other articles of hardware
requiring a flat surface or flat even bevel, in combination with a grinding wheel, a
work holding arm oscillating in a plane substantially at right angles to the grinding
wheel shaft, a bar pivotally supporting the said arm, the said bar having a longi-
tudinally adjustable feed movement, the said arm being hung thereon and secured
from end wise movement on the same, substantially as described.
3. A machine for grinding cutlery, saws and other articles of hardware
requiring a flat surface or a flat even bevel, comprising a supporting stand, a
grinding wheel mounted thercon, an oscillating arm provided with a lever and lever
pin, a longitudinally adjustable bar supporting the said arm a worm and worm
wheel, a crank pin on the latter, a rod connecting the said crank pin and lever pin,
an automatic arm stopping device comprising sprocket wheels k and i and chain m
thereon, a spring actuated belt shifting rod 9 retaining pawls w and tripping stud t
on sprocket wheel i arranged and co-operating as a whole, substantially as
described.
Dated this Twelfth day of May 1896.
ALFRED FORBES BANNISTER.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, W.C., Agents for. the Applicant.