IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING FILES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Tomlinson Bousfield, of Loughborough
Park, Brixton, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING FILES."-A communication from abroad
by William Picket Pierce, residing at Boston, Massachusetts, United
States of America.
Sealed the 9th December 1862, and dated the 10th September 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Tomlinson
Bousfield at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 10th September 1862.
I, GEORGE TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Loughborough Park, Brixton, in
the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING FILES," to be as follows:-
The machine which is the subject of the present Invention is designed for
cutting the several faces of a file at one operation, a cutter striking on each
face of the blank, which is supported and fed forward, as the cutting proceeds.
A bed or table is supported on legs. In the centre of this table is placed a
head or block, in which is pivoted a pair of nippers, which close upon and
hold the file blank, this blank rests on, and is fed up vertically by a screw
shaft, (the movement of which will be presently described,) the upper end of
the blank is steadied, and held by a cap attached to a block, which slides in

page_text: dovetailed grooves in a standard, rising from the table. Sufficient friction is
applied to the block to hold it steady by means of a spring attached to a strip
on the back of the block, but when it is required to raise the block by hand,
to remove the finished file the pressure of the spring is taken off from the
standard by pressing down a hand levor, which is connected by a strap to the
strip above mentioned, and the end of which spring bears against the front
edge of the block; the jaws of the nippers are of a proper form to hold the file
blank to be cut, and they are operated in the following manner :-A lever is
attached to a shaft hung in hangers or bearings from the under side of the
table, to this shaft are attached two bevilled or cam shaped arms, each of
which pressers on a roll on the lower end of the nipper, the outer end of this
lever is drawn down, and pressure is applied by a spring attached to the lever
and to a bracket projecting from one of the legs of the machine. A rod is
pivoted to the outer end of the lever last mentioned, and to a treadle pivoted to
one of the legs of the machines, by which the operator raises the outer end of
the lever, and relieves the nippers from the pressure of the cams when the lower
ends of the nippers are drawn together by springs, and their grasp on the file
is released so that the file may be removed. A lower bed or table is attached
to the legs of the machine, and it has rising from it standards with suitable
bearings, in which rests the main or driving shaft, which is revolved by a belt
applied to a pulley fixed on this shaft. A cog wheel on the main shaft gives
motion by suitable gearing to another shaft (attached to the frame) which
has on it a worm, which engages with a pinion attached to a nut, which
embraces the screw shaft, by which the file blank is raised, and rests in a
collar suspended by hangers from the under side of the table, and as the nut
is revolved the screw shaft is raised or lowered, the screw shaft being pre-
vented from turning round. In order to stop the feed when the cutting of
the file has been completed, and to disengage the worm gear from the pinion
when the screw shaft is to be run down preparatory to introducing a fresh
blank, the following arrangement is adopted :-The box in which one end of
the worm shaft rests is made to slide in a recess in an arm attached to one
of the hangers, and is moved towards or from the pinion, which is
driven by the worm by a wedge-shaped block, which is caused to slide in
behind the box by a rod attached to the wedge, and to an arm on a short
shaft supported on one of the hangers, and which is turned in one direction
by a coiled spring to throw the worm out of gear with the pinion, and is
turned in the opposite direction to engage the worm, and set the feed in
operation by turning a hand lever, by which the attendant revolves a vertical
shaft, to which is attached a slotted arm. A piu in a sliding bar enters the

page_text: slot in the arm, and the bar is moved when a pin on the bar strikes a lever
attached to the short shaft, by which and suitable interposed mechanism the
worn on the worm shaft is put into gear with the pinion, and the screw shaft
is put in motion so as to feed upwards. There is also attached to the short
shaft a short horizontal arm, from which hangs a flat bar, which passes down
through the bed, and has a block attached to its lower end, so that when the
short shaft is vibrated, and the worm is thrown into gear, this bar is depressed
and a notch in it catches under a plate on the lower side of the bed, and the
parts are held in gear until the screw shaft has been fed up sufficiently far to
complete the cutting of the file, when a block attached to the lower end of
the screw shaft strikes the block, and pushes back the flat bar against the
resistance of the spring, and releases the notch in that bar from under the
bed, when the coiled spring revolves the short shaft in the opposite direction
and the worm is thrown out of gear, and the feed is stopped.
As a convenient method of running down the screw shaft, when the feed is
completed, and the feed gears are thrown out of contact, I have attached a
spool to the lower part of the nut, which is on the screw shaft, a cord is wound
up on this spool as the feed progresses, and is drawn off from a barrel, in
which a spring is coiled so that when the pinion and nut are set free, this
spring will react and revolve the nut in the opposite direction, and run the
screw shaft down ready for a fresh blank to be placed in the machine.
I will now describe the mechanism, by which the several faces of a file are
cut at the same time. There are as many vertical shafts as there are faces
to be cut, and each shaft has upon it an indented pulley or "chain wheel," a
chain passes around all the chain wheels, and the motion given to the first
upright shaft is thus communicated to the other upright shafts. Each of
these shafts carries on its upper end, above the table, a cam wheel, which
operates the hammer or cut, which makes the cutter to form the teeth
of the file. Each cutter is secured to an arm on an axis, and an arm
on the axis rests against the edge of a cam wheel on the upright shaft.
A spring acts to throw down the cutter as the arm drops off from one of
the shoulders of the cam wheel. The end of the spring is held in a short
shaft, and the pressure of the spring is regulated by turning a thumb nut,
which revolves the shaft. The force of the blow or the depth of the cut made
by the cutter is regulated by a stop. The several faces of a file being cut by
this machine at one operation, or whilst the blank is being fed up once, a
great saving is obtained, which is effected by having as many cutters, and
cutting apparatus as there are faces to be cut.
The peculiarity of the Invention consists in the central head or block on

page_text: the table with its jaws or nippers for holding the file blank in combination
with a feed mechanism for feeding the blank, and also in combination with
a series of cutters each of which cuts one face of the file during a single feed,
substantially as specified.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Tomlinson Bousfield in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 6th March 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
TOMLINSON BOUSFIELD, of Loughborough Park, Brixton, in the County of
Surry, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord 1862, in the twenty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself,
Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said George
Tomlinson Bousfield, Her special licence, that I, the said George Tomlinson
Bousfield, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
1, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING FILES," a
communication to me from abroad by William Picket Pierce, a person
resident at Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calender months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
Fig. 1 is an clovation; Fig. 2 a vertical section on the line x, x, of Fig. 1;
:-

page_text: Fig. 3 a plan of the parts beneath the table A; Figs. 4 and 5 details to be
referred to.
The machine which is the subject of the present Invention is designed for
cutting the several faces of a file at one operation, a cutter striking on each
face of the blank which is supported and fed forward as the cutting proceeds.
That others skilled in the art may understand and use the Invention, I will
proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out.
In the said Drawings A is a bed or table supported on legs a, in the center
of this table is placed a head or block B in which is pivoted at c, c', a pair of
nippers D, D', which close upon aud hold the file blank 6; this blank rests
on and is fed up vertically by a screw shaft C (the movement of which will be
presently described) the upper end of the blank being steadied and held by a
cap d attached to a block e which slides in dovetailed grooves in a standard E
rising from the table A. Sufficient friction is applied to the block e to hold
it steady by means of a spring ƒ (Fig. 4,) attached to a strip 12 on the back
of the block, but when it is required to raise the block by hand to remove tho
finished file the pressure of the spring is taken off from the standard by
pressing down a band lever g which is connected by-a strap i to the strip 12,
and the end of which bears against the front edge of the block e. The
nippers D, D', the jaws of which are of a proper form to hold the file blank
to be cut (in this case a three-sided file) are operated in the following manner :
-A lever F is attached to a shaft h, hung in hangers / from the under side of
the table A; to this shaft h are attached two bevelled or cam shaped arms k,
each of which presses on a roll m on the lower end of the nipper D or D¹, the
outer end of the lever F being drawn down and the pressure applied by a
spring n attached to the lever and to a bracket o projecting from one of the
legs a of the stand. A rod p is pivoted to the outer end of the lever F,
and to a treddle G pivoted to the leg a by which the operator raises the outer
end of the lever and relieves the nippers from the pressure of the cams / when
the lower ends of the nippers are drawn together by springs u, Fig. 2, and their
grasp on the file is released so that it may be removed. A lower bed or
table II attached to the legs a of the frame bas rising from it standards r with
suitable bearings in which rests the main or driving shaft I which is revolved
by a belt applied to the pulley K. A cog wheel L on the shaft I gives
motion through the gears 1, 2, 3, to shaft M (supported in bearings attached
to the frame) which has on it a worm gears, which engages with a pinion t,
attached to a nut R which embraces the screw shaft C and rests in a collar v
suspended by hangers w, from the under side of the table A, and as the nut
is revolved the shaft C is raised or lowered (a pin 4 passes through a block 5

page_text: attached to the under side of the bed II and enters a groove 6 in the shaft C
to prevent it from turning round.) In order to stop the feed when the cutting
of the file has been completed, and to disengage the worm gear s from the
pinion when the shaft C is to be run down preparatory to introducing a fresh
blank, I have adopted the following device :-The box in which one end of the
shaft M rests is made to slide in a recess in an arm N attached to one of the
hangers w, and is moved towards or from the pinion t by a wedge shaped
block y (shown in Fig. 5) which is caused to slide in behind the box by a
rod a, attached to the wedge and to an arm 6, on a short shaft O, supported
on one of the hangers w, and which is turned in one direction (as indicated
by arrow 2, Fig. 1) by a coiled spring, to throw the worms out of gear,
and is turned in the opposite direction to engage the gear s and set the feed in
operation by turning the hand lever d³, by which the attendant revolves a
vertical shaft P to which is attached a slotted arm ; a pin in a sliding bar f³,
enters the slot in the arm &, and the bar is moved in the direction of the
arrow 3, when a pin on the bar strikes a lever g³, attached to the shaft O, and
through the connections of arm 6 and rod a moves the wedge y and forces
the worm gear s on the shaft M into contact with the pinion t and the screw
shaft C is fed upwards. There is also attached to the shaft O a short horizontal
arm, from which hangs a flat bar h³, which passes down through the bed H
and has a block attached to its lower end when the shaft O is vibrated and
the worm s is thrown into gear, this bar h³, is depressed, and a notch 7 in it
catches under a plate on the lower side of the bed H (a spring 8 pressing it
to one side) and the parts are beld in gear until the screw shaft C has been
fed up sufficiently far to complete the cutting of the file, when a block m³,
attached to the lower end of the shaft C strikes the block A, and pushes back
the bar h² against the resistance of the spring 8, and releases its notch from
under the bed I, when the coiled spring & revolves the shaft O in the opposito
direction (as indicated by arrow 2) and the wedge y throws the worm & out
gear and the feed is stopped. The ends of the blocks and m³ are bevelled
and the former one is made adjustable on the bar h³. As a convenient method
of running down the screw shaft C, when the feed is completed, and the feed
gears are thrown out of contact I have attached a spool n; to the lower part
of the nut R a cord 9 is wound up on this spool as the feed progresses, and is
drawn off from a barrel p² (supported on a bracket 10 attached to one of the
legs a) in which a spring is coiled so that when the pinion t and nut R are set
free, this spring will retract the cord 9 and revolve the nut R in the opposite
direction and run the shaft C down ready for a fresh blank to be placed in the
of
machine.

page_text: I will now describe the mechanism by which the several faces of the file
are cut at the same time. Three vertical shafts S, S¹, S³, rest in steps on the
bed and rise through the table A. The shaft S carries a bevelled gear T
which engages with a pinion W on the end of the driving shaft I, each of
these vertical shafts carries an indented pulley or "sprocket wheel" U a
chain, passing around all the wheels U, the motion given to the first shaft S
is communicated to the other shafts S', S. Each of these shafts carries on its
upper end, above the table A, a cam wheel V which operates the hammer or
cutter which makes the cut to form the teeth of the file (as the three are
similar I will describe but one). Two standards or housings a³, rising from
the table A support a shaft b³, to which is attached a collar c³, carrying a
curved arm d³, and two short arms or studs &³, ƒ³. The cutter X is secured to
the arm d³, and the arm e³, rests against the edge of the cam wheel V. A
spring presses on the arm f³ to throw down the cutter as the arm e³ drops
off from one of the shoulders 11 of the cam wheel V. The end of the spring g³,
is held in a short shaft h³, and the pressure of the spring is regulated by turn-
ing down a thumb nut, which revolves the shaft h³, and applies more
pressure to the spring. The arm f* strikes on a stop m³, which is adjustable
in height so as to regulate the force of the blow or the depth of the cut made
by the cutter.
The following is the operation of the machine.-The operator presses his
foot on the treddle G which vibrates the lever F, throws down the cams k and
permits the spring r to draw the lower ends of the nippers D, D', together,
and open their jaws for the reception of the file blank b. The pulley K
and shaft I are now revolved in the direction of the arrow (Fig. 1) and
the hand lever d³, is turned in the direction of its arrow, which, through the
shaft P, arm, sliding bar f³, and arm g³, revolves the shaft O which vibrates
the arm 63, in a direction contrary to its arrow 2 and through the rod a³,
pushes the wedge block y in the direction of its arrow 5, this moves the box
in which the end of the shaft M revolves up towards the pinion t and engages
the worm gears with the pinion which turns the nut R and feeds up the
screw shaft C, on top of which the blank 6 rests. At the same time the shaft I
through the gears
W and T, wheels U, and chain r³, revolves the shafts S, S¹, S³,
and the three cutters X are caused to strike one on each face of the blank b,
making the necessary cuts as the blank is fed up. When the file has been
cut, and the shaft C has been fed up sufficiently high the block m³, on the
lower end of it strikes the block, and disengages the rod h* from the bed H
when the spring c³ revolves the shaft O in the opposite direction and throws
the gears out of contact with the pinion t and the feed is stopped; the

page_text: belt is now thrown off from the pulley K, and the cutters cease to operate.
A shipper may be attached to the end of the sliding bar f to throw the belt
on to or off from the pulley K by the operation of the machine. As the
shaft C was being fed up the cord 9 was wound upon the spool n³, as soon as
the gears and pinion t are disengaged the retraction of the spring in the
barrel på revolves the nut R in the opposite direction and runs the shaft C down
ready for a fresh blank to be placed in the nippers, and for the operation to be
repeated. The several faces of a file being cut by this machine at one opera-
tion or whilst the blank is being fed up once, a great saving of time and labor
of the attendant is effected.
Having now set forth the nature of this Invention, and explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under
the above recited Letters Patent, I claim, the central rest or block B with its
jaws or nippers D, D¹, for holding the file blank in combination with
a feed mechanism for feeding the blank and the several cutters ✗ each
of which cuts one face of the file during a single feed substantially as
specified.
In witness whereof I, the said George Tomlinson Bousfield, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
GEO T BOUSFIELD (1.9)