IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR SAWING OFF AND BORING WHEEL FELLIES a
Year: 1885

page_text: I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINES FOR SAWING OFF AND BORING WHEEL FELLIES a communication to
me from abroad by William Henry Stevens of Coldwater in the County of Branch
State of Michigan, United States of America, Manufacturer, to be as follows:-
"
This Invention relates to that class of machines which are used for sawing off
the ends of wheel fellies, boring the ends to receive dowels, and boring the inner
arc to receive spoke-tenons, and its consists in means for sawing off both ends of a
felly at once, and means for boring all the holes required in the same felly at one
action and without removing it from the gauge whereon it was sawed.
The machine usually comprises four shafts at suitable angles to one another
mounted to revolve and reciprocate longitudinally in bearings, each shaft carrying
a boring bit to bore the holes in the felly to receive the tenons of the spokes and
the dowels in the ends. On the end of each of the shafts used for boring the dowel
holes is a circular saw to saw off the ends of the felly previous to boring it. A
table is provided having the usual studs as a gauge against which to hold the felly
while it is being worked upon. This table is supported by vertically sliding uprights
lowered by a treadle to bring the felly down upon the saws in sawing it off and to
bring it down to adjustable gauges holding the felley at the proper height to be
centrally bored. The table is elevated by a counterweight when the foot pressure
is removed. Each of the shafts is provided with means for shifting it longitudinally
all the shifters being connected with crank pins on a common disc worked by a
hand lever, so that by swinging the lever in one or other direction all the boring
bits will be brought into or moved out of work at once. By a similar movement
the end pair of shafts may be set in a position to saw the felly as required. For
making a great many fellies of one size, the bearing standards of the one pair of
shafts may be so fixed as to set the said shafts exactly radial to the felly; and the

page_text: other pair of shafts may be similarly set tangent to the arc of the felly at its ends
so as to saw the ends of the felly in radial planes, and so as to bore the said ends at
right angles to the said planes, whereby straight dowels will enter the holes so
bored and will join two such fellies. But in the general run of work the sizes of
wheel fellies vary so that to accomplish the results just stated a certain amount of
adjustment is required for all the bearing standards. To maintain the proper
relation of the two standards of each shaft they are fixed upon a slotted base piece;
the table of the machine on which they are fixed being also slotted nearly at right
angles thereto, a bolt being passed through each slot to secure the base piece upon
the table at the required angle. By this means the one pair of shafts may be set
the right distance apart to properly space the spokes of any wheel and yet be set
radial to the felly of that wheel and the other pair of shafts may be set tangent to
a felly of any size. Of course one of the radial shafts may be omitted and the
.other set on a central radius to the felly in case but one spoke is to be fixed in a
felly. This machine is particularly designed for use in making such wheels as are
composed of sawed fellies of which four or more are generally required to complete
the rim, but it may be adapted to fitting the rims of wheels which are bent in
halves. For this purpose the shafts for sawing off the ends and boring the dowel
holes would be placed parallel with each other and made adjustable to and from
each other to suit wheels of different diameters, and any suitable number of radial
shafts would be fitted upon the table as described. It is evident that the radial
shafts would be serviceable without combination with the end sawing and boring
shafts and vice versa. But I prefer the whole combination as described as producing
the best results.
Instead of fixing the saws on the same shafts as the boring bits they may be
carried on tubular shafts through which the boring shafts pass and are caused to
revolve therewith by means of a spline and slot whereby to permit the boring
shafts to slide longitudinally through the saw shafts to actuate the boring bits to
and fro by the shifting connections before described.

page_text: Improvements in Machines for Sawing off and Boring
Wheel-fellies.
I ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK of the firm of A M and Wm Clark of
53 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention (a communication to me
from abroad by William Henry Stevens, of Coldwater, in the County of Branch,
and State of Michigan, United States of America Manufacturer) and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :--
This Invention relates to that class of machines which are used for sawing off
the ends of wheel-fellies, boring the ends to receive dowels, and boring the inner
arc to receive spoke tenons; and it consists in means for sawing off both ends of a
felly at once, and means for boring all the holes required in the same felly at one
action, and without removing it from the gage whereon it was sawed. To this end,
the Invention consists in the construction and combination of parts forming a
machine for sawing and boring fellies hereinafter described and claimed; reference
being had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1. is a perspective view
of the Invention showing all but the bases of the bearing standards.
Figure 2. is a plan view of the same.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the machine showing one of the
bases omitted in Figure 1. Figure 4 is a rear end view of a modification of part
of the machine; and Figure 5 is a longitudinal section, part in elevation, of the
said modification.
A represents the frame of the machine, and B the table thereof; C C are shafts
journaled in bearings h to revolve and to reciprocate longitudinally therein. These
shafts carry each a boring bit a to bore the holes in the felly P to receive the
tenons of the outer ends of spokes; D D are shafts mounted in bearings h¹ to
revolve and to reciprocate longitudinally therein. In the adjacent ends of these
shafts are bits a¹ to bore holes in both ends of a felly P at the same time; on the
same end of each shaft D is a circular saw d to saw off the ends of the felly previous
to boring it. F is a table provided with the usual studs i as a gauge against which
to hold the felly P while it is being worked upon. This table is provided with
uprights S to slide vertically through the table B and with a treadle t to bring the
felly upon the edges of the saws & in sawing it off and to bring it down to adjust-
able gauges (not shown) holding the felly at the proper height to the centrally
bored. w is a weight provided with a cord running over a pulley and attached to
the cross-bar between the uprights S to elevate the table F when the foot pressure
is removed. Each of the shafts C C and DD is provided with two fixed collars c¹ c¹
between which is a loose collar c engaged by a shifter f attached to a slide rod b
provided with a connecting rod r G is a centrally pivoted disc worked by a
hand lever 7. Each of the rods r is pivoted to the disc G at some distance from the

page_text: centre thereof, and at points where the said rods are somewhat tangent thereto, so
that by swinging the lever in one direction all the boring bits a a and a¹ a¹ will
be advanced into the felly; while by moving the lever in the opposite direction
all the bits will be retracted at once. By a similar movement, the shafts D may
be set in a position to saw the felly as required. For making a great many fellies
of one size, the bearing standards h of the shafts C may be so fixed to the table as
to set the said shafts exactly radial to the felly; and the shafts D may be similarly
set tangent to the arc of the felly at its ends so as to saw the ends of the felly in
radial planes, and so as to bore the said ends at right angles to the said planes,
whereby straight dowels will enter the holes so bored and will join two such fellies.
But in the general run of work, the sizes of wheel-fellies vary so, that to accomplish
the results just stated a certain amount of adjustment is required for all the bearing
standards h. To maintain the proper relation of each two standards I fix them in
pairs upon base pieces H (see Figure 3). Each base piece is perforated with two
vertical longitudinal slots Hand the table B is perforated with two vertical slots H²
to cross the same nearly at right angles. Through a slot in the base-piece, and a
slot in the table, a bolt x passes to secure the base piece upon the table at the
required angle By this means the shafts C may be set the right distance apart to
properly space the spokes of any wheel, and yet be set radial to the felly of that
wheel. By the same means, the shafts D may be set tangent to a felly of any size.
Of course, one of the shafts C may be omitted, and the other set on a central radius
to the felly; in case but one spoke is to be placed in a felly.
This machine is particularly designed for use in making such wheels as are
composed of sawed fellies, of which four, or more, are generally required to complete
the rim, but it may be adapted to fitting the rims of wheels which are bent in
halves. For this purpose the shafts D would be placed parallel with each other,
and made adjustable to and from each other to suit wheels of different diameters,
and any suitable number of shafts C would be fitted upon the table B as described.
I have shown all the shafts C and D provided with pulleys, and belts running from
one countershaft E journaled in the frame A but any other arrangement common
to the art may be made for this purpose. It is evident that the radial shafts C
would be serviceable without combination with the shafts D and vice-versa.
I prefer the whole combination as shown, as producing the best results.
But
In the modification shown in Figure 5. the saw arbor is journaled in the posts h,
which posts being fixed to the base H, may be set for the saw to cut any number
of fellies of one length, and then the base H may be moved to set the saws for
another length; but the saw arbor is hollow and the boring shaft D is fitted to
revolve with it by means of a spline and slot ' and to slide longitudinally through
it to actuate the boring bit to and fro by the clutch and slide bar connections before
described.
Having now particularly described, and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed; I declare that what
I claim is ;-
1. The combination with two shafts journaled in the same horizontal plane and
tangent at their adjacent ends to the arc of a horizontal circle in said plane at the
ends of said arc, of another shaft journaled in the same plane on a radius of the
said arc, all of the said shafts being provided with boring bits and means for
reciprocating them longitudinally as and for the purpose specified.
2. The combination with two shafts journaled in the same horizontal plane
tangent at their adjacent ends to the arc of a circle in said planes at the ends
of said are, and provided with circular saws on the said adjacent ends, of a table
located centrally between the said adjacent ends, and provided with vertical sliding
guides, and guides for fixing a felly on the said table in a tangent position to the
said shafts as shown and described, whereby the felly so fixed may be carried down
upon the saws to saw off both ends of the felly at once, radially to its arc.

page_text: 3. The combination with two shafts D provided with saws on their adjacent ends,
and boring bits in the same ends of a table F provided with vertical guides S, means
for vertically reciprocating and setting the table, and means for rotating the boring
bits, and reciprocating them longitudinally, substantially as shown and described.
4th The combination with a series of shafts C and D journaled in the same plane
in bearings h h¹ respectively, and provided with boring bits a¹ of the shifters f
located on said shafts, the slide-bars b the pivoted disc G and the connecting rods r
substantially as shown and described.