Improvements in Domestic Tool and Pencil Sharpeners and Polishers and in Connection therewith Improvements in Rotating Musical and other Tops and Kaleidoscopes.
Year: 1885

page_text: Improvements in Domestic Tool and Pencil Sharpeners and
Polishers and in Connection therewith Improvements in
Rotating Musical and other Tops and Kaleidoscopes.
I, WILLIAM HENRY DUNCAN, of Coalbrookdale, in the County, of Salop,
Engineer, do hereby. declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS, FOR DOMESTIC TOOL SHARPENING, PENCIL SHARPENING, POLISHING,
AND FOR ROTATING MUSICAL TOPS, CHAMELEON TOPS, AND KALEIDOSCOPES, to be
as follows:
My Invention consists of apparatus to be used chiefly in homes, for purposes both
useful and amusing; namely, for sharpening domestic tools, polishing metal articles
for domestic use, and also for purposes of recreation and amusement, chiefly for the
younger members of families.
The leading feature in these arrangements is, "whirling round."
In carrying out my Invention, I generally rotate either one, two, three, or four
cutting wheels for sharpening and polishing; and I rotate from one to four tops
for entertainment and amusement.
The tools intended to be sharpened by these rotating wheels are table knives and
forks, pocket knives, scissors, razors, slate and lead pencils, and the amusements
intended to be produced by the rotating arrangements, are the whirling round or
spinning of tops of various kinds and the revolving of kaleidoscopes.
The arrangements are connected to a table, or to any other convenient support by
a binding screw clamp, a wedge clamp, or by a gripping lever.
Quick motion is given to the cutting or grinding wheels by turning a handle
which gives motion to a belt pulley, or to a train of toothed wheels.
The cutting wheels are made of different materials, suitable to the various
requirements, and generally consist of a small grindstone, a rotating oil or
whetstone, a revolving file, and an emery wheel.
The spindles to which these wheels are attached, are (in those arrangements
where two, or more cutters are used,) fitted in a moveable frame carried by a centre
bolt, so that the cutting wheels can be turned in the frame, round this centre bolt,
and brought into different relative positions with the driving belt, by which means
any one or more of the cutting wheels can be rotated at a time, or can be made
stationary, while others are revolving.

page_text: When a change is required in those wheels which revolve by their pulleys being
in contact with the driving belt, the frame which carries them has to be turned
slightly round on the centre bolt and a peg placed in a hole to keep it in position,
or the centre bolt round which the spindles turn may be fitted sufficiently tight
in its hole to allow of the detaining peg being dispensed with.
On
To keep knives, razors, and other tools at a proper tangent with the periphery
of the cutting wheels, a table is placed in correct position with their surface.
this table the tools are placed, with their edge overhanging the tables edge and
lying on the periphery of the wheel, by which means a uniform taper is given to
the tools edge, which makes the latter more keen.
The tools to be sharpened may be rough ground on one wheel and finished on
another.
For sharpening lead and slate pencils I use the file wheel. This wheel has
various grooves formed in its surface, and all are of different degrees of fineness,
so that the wood part of the pencil may be quickly rasped away and the lead
point made sharp with chisel like or round point, by using the other grooves
prepared for this purpose.
The polishing is done chiefly by the emery wheel, either at the periphery or at
the sides, the table before named being turned out of the way.
These arrangements for whirling round cutting wheels are made useful also for
whirling tops of various kinds, and for rotating kaleidoscopes as shown by the
drawing,
Chameleon tops can be rotated by attaching them to any of the revolving
spindles.
Those chameleon tops intended to display complimentary colours and designs in
colours are fitted with white discs, having one or more slot openings through them.
At the back of these discs square rods are fixed having different colours on each
side By changing the sides of the rods which show through the slots in the white
disc the designs are changed.
The kaleidoscope is rotated by placing it horizontally on the upper part of the
arrangement, and passing a belt round a pulley connected to one of the revolving
spindles and round the tube of the instrument. On turning the handle the
kaleidoscope is made to revolve. This revolving motion is much more rapid than
the motion which could be produced by turning the kaleidoscope round in the hand
while looking through it, and this rapid motion causes a continuous and ever
varying change to be produced in the designs shown by the instrument. The eye
piece through which the objects are veiwed is stationary, being fixed to the centre
of the support.
REFERRING TO MY DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation, fig. 2 a plan, fig. 3 a side elevation of the rotating
arrangement, suitable for working three sharpeners. Fig. 4 and fig. 5, the
arrangement suitable for rotating one sharpener, one top or kaleidoscope. Fig. 6 is
a front elevation, and fig. 7 a side elevation of the rotating arrangement suitable
for four sharpeners to be driven by gearing.
Fig. 8 and fig. 9 the rotating arrangement suitable for working four sharpeners,
four tops or kaleidoscope (The tops are intended to be connected to the screw
projection provided on the sharpeners spindles.
Dated November 28th. 1885.

page_text: Polishers, and in Connection therewith Improvements in
Rotating Musical and other Tops and Kaleidoscopes.
I, WILLIAM HENRY DUNCAN, of Coalbrookdale, in the County of Salop,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
DOMESTIC TOOL AND PENCIL SHARPENERS, AND POLISHERS, AND IN CONNECTION
THEREWITH, IMPROVEMENTS IN ROTATING MUSICAL, AND OTHER TOPS, AND
KALEIDOSCOPES 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 improvements in apparatus suitable for being used to
sharpen edge tools, such as table and pocket knives, scissors, razors, chisels, and the
like tools, also to sharpen pencils, giving to them a round, or a flat point; and also
to rotate slowly, at intervals and at the will of the operator, the kaleidoscope.
The latter use of the apparatus being for the purpose of amusement, and the
former is for purposes of utility.
The objects of my invention are firstly, To provide convenient and effective
means to meet all the requirements specified.
Secondly, To make the apparatus steady in work, and easy to use.
Thirdly, To arrange the parts of the machine, in such a manner, that the whole
can be readilly made, and cheaply sold to the public.
I attain these objects by the arrangements, illustrated by the accompanying
drawings; in which Fig. 1. 2. and 3. are end elevation, side elevation, and plan,
respectively, of one of my tool sharpeners, suitable for working three grinding
stones, or cutting wheels, A. A² and A.-B. B¹ and B' are spindles, to which they
are made fast, by the nuts C. C¹ and C. These nuts are screwed on the spindles
and force the stones against the collars D. D1 and D2 and so fix them. E. E¹ and E
are pulleys for driving the stones A. A1 and A2 These pulleys are generally
driven one at a time, by placing the pivotted frame which carries then in position
for the pulley intended to be driven, to be situated vertically over the centre of the
band pulley G. but should it be desired to drive two pulleys and their stones at one.
and the same time, two may be driven together by turning the pivotted frame J.
slightly round, to place the pulleys level with each other at which place the
strap F. will gear with both pulleys, but when one pulley is placed in vertical line
over the driving pulley G. the strap does not gear with the others, and drives the
upper one only. The pulley G. is turned by the handle H. in either direction, it
being found convenient to reverse the direction of the running of the stones, after
the tools have been ground on one side, and turned over, for the other side to be
ground. The spindles B¹ and B' work in centres, fixed in the frame J.
These centres are adjusted by the set screws K' and K' which are fitted to screw
tightly in the frame J. The spindle B. has one beck centre L. the opposite end of
this spindle passes through the front of the frame J. and projects beyond it at M.
This projecting part is screwed and fitted with a wing nut N. yet to be described.

page_text: The driving pulley G. works on the pivot O. which is screwed into the clamping
frame P. This frame is provided with a clamping or binding screw Q. fitted in the
projecting arm R. This screw clamps or fastens the machine to any convenient
support, such as a common table, &c. At the top part of the frame J. a boss S. is
provided. This boss is fitted with a tapped hole T. into which a fixed pivot U. is
screwed. This pivot is fitted tight into the hole, formed in the centre of the
frame J. so that this frame which carries the three grindstones and their driving
pulleys may be turned, or forced round on this pivot U. so as to bring all the
stones and their pulleys in turn to the top, at which place the pulleys gear with
the strap F. The tight fitting of the frame J. on the pivot U. prevents the former
turning from the required position, until forced round on the pivot by hand to
move one pulley out of gear from the strap F. and another pulley into gear with
the same strap.
A is an emery wheel. A¹ is a grindstone. A is a hone stone. The action of
the machine is as follows:
The frame J. carrying the stones is turned on its pivot to place the emery wheel
in gear with the strap F, and the tools to be sharpened are rough ground on the
emery wheel if very blunt, because the emery cuts quickly and will soon grind
away the steel to a rough edge. The emery wheel is then moved out of gear from
the strap, and the grindstone placed in gear and the tool ground to a finer edge
than that left by the emery wheel. The grindstone is then moved out of gear
from the strap, and the hone stone is brought into gear by turning the frame J.
round as required. A fine keen edge is then produced on the tool more quickly
and satisfactorily than could be done with one of the sharpening arrangements only.
The emery wheel works dry. The grindstone requires to be wet with water,
which is readily done by holding a wet sponge to its periphery when running, and
placing the sliding guard V. over the stone to prevent spattling the water.
guard V. fits on the dovetail edges of the frame, these edges are lettered Z and Z¹
in the drawing.
This
The bone stone works with water put on by a sponge, or by any other
convenient means, or for the finest edge, oil may be used instead of the water.
The emery wheels are made in a mould by pressure, in the ordinery manner for
making emery wheels. The grindstones are by preference also made. in a mould,
the centre hole being formed in them by a mandril core, as composition grindstones
are usually made. The hone stone is first sawn square from a block of stone and
care is taken that the grain of the stone runs longitudinally, and parallel to the
part where the centre hole is to be drilled. These blocks of hone stone. are then
sawn octagon, and the centre hole is drilled through the block in a lathe.
A mandrel may then be put through the hole, and the stone turned to the required
size and length in the lathe.
When my tool sharpening machines are required for sharpening pencils,
I dispense with the emery wheel, and put in a file wheel instead, I make these
file wheels of steel, and form grooves and other shapes in their periphery and
finely cut the surface. For some of my tool sharpeners I prepare the grindstones
and hone stones, with round and hollow parts on their surface. These are useful
for sharpening irregular formed tools. The strap F. used for driving the stones is
useful also to clean the thread edge from the tools, if the grinding has been
continued too long.
The wing nut N. fitting on the projection M. is used to connect bent pieces of
wire, and discs of coloured paper to the quickly running spindle.
These forms, change to the eye when in rapid whirling motion; and are used for
amusement, and to illustrate persistency of vision.
At X. and Y. bosses are provided with holes to receive the supports, S. and S¹,
for carrying the kaleidoscope shown by fig. 4 and 5, in which K. is the kaleidoscope.
S. and S¹ the supports for same, fitting into holes in the bosses X, and Y.
To work the kaleidoscope, the strap F is exchanged for a longer strap Fl. This
strap is passed round the pulley G. and the tube of the kaleidoscope. The operator

page_text: when seated before the machine, with his eye to the kaleidoscope places one hand
on the rim of the wheel or pulley G, and by slightly turning the pulley, moves
round the kaleidoscope at pleasure, without the tiresome process of holding up the
arms, and turning round the kaleidoscope with the hands while looking through
the instrument.
.
Fig. 6. 7. and 8. are a modified form and arrangement of my tool sharpener;
suitable for working alternity four or a less number of grindstones or cutting
wheels and of driving them by spur gearing. A. A¹ A' and A³ are the grindstones
or cutting wheels. B is the clamping frame for fastening the machine to the
table. C. is a spur wheel, driving the pinion C¹, this pinion drives the wheel D.
through the power conveyed by the shaft E. The wheel D drives the pinion
wheels D D D and D. These pinion wheels are fast on the spindles E. E¹ E³
and E which pass through the stones A. A' A and A³. The frame F. carrying
these stones turns on the pivot G. which is connected to the clamping frame B.
The frame turns tightly on this pivot and when the pinion wheels are at the top
they gear with the wheel D. and drive the stone. When the frame is turned, one
pinion will pass out of gear with the wheel D, and another pinion will pass into
gear with the wheel.
The movable table H is connected to the frame F. by the wing nuts J and J
and is for the purpose of supporting the tools while they are being ground.
As the stones become smaller by wear the table is lowered by the pivots being
moved down the slots K and K¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is,
Firstly. The tool sharpening machine made as described and illustrated for the
purposes set forth.
Secondly. The combination of the emery wheel, the composition grindstone, and
the hone stone and file wheel worked in a frame fixed to a common table by a
binding screw for the purposes set forth.
Thirdly. The arrangement for working four grinding stones or cutting wheels in
a frame clamped to a table.
Fourthly. The arrangement of kaleidoscope rotator, worked in combination with
the tool sharpener as described and illustrated by Fig. 4 and 5.
Fifthly. The working of two, or of five stones in a similar manner to that
described for working three or four stones or cutting wheels in a frame clamped to
a table for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 26th day of August 1886