NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SCREWS, AND FOR TAPPING NUTS FOR SCREWS.
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Josiah Lane, of West Bromwich, in the County of
Stafford, Machinist, for the Invention of "NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINERY
FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SCREWS, AND FOR TAPPING NUTS FOR SCREWS.'
Sealed the 8th July 1859, and dated the 29th January 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Josiah Lane at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 29th January
1859.
I, JOSIAH LANE, of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Machinist,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "NEW OR IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SCREWS, AND FOR TAPPING NUTS FOR
SCREWS," to be as follows:-*
My Invention consists, firstly, of a screwing machine constructed as
follows: A-horizontal table, working on a vertical axis, carries a series of
screwing dies, to which dies rotatory motion is communicated in the manner"
herein-after explained. The rods to be screwed descend vertically into the
screwing dies, being guided in their motion by a vertical slide, in which the
upper end-of-the rod engages. The axis of the table is hollow, and a second
and sòlid axis passes down the said hollow axis, and on the lower end of the
solid axis, and below the table, is a toothed wheel, which gears into the toothed
wheels which give rotation to the worming dies. By the rotation of the
hollow axis, motion is given to the worming dies and to the table, so as to

page_text: enable the attendant to feed blanks to and remove finished screws from the
machine. Motion in opposite directions is given to the two axes from a
horizontal shaft. A bevil toothed wlieel on the horizontal shaft engages with
toothed wheels on the hollow and solid shafts respectively, and communicates
motion thereto in opposite directions.
My Invention consists, secondly, of a machine for tapping nuts for screws,
the essential novelty in which consists in fixing the nuts while they are being
tapped upon a revolving table, by which they are readily fed into and removed
from the machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Josiah Lane in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th July 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSIAH
LANE, of West Bromwich, in the County of Stafford, Machinist, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Josiah Lane, Her special licence that I, the said Josiah
Lane, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Josiah Lane, 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 Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "NEW OR
IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SCREWS, AND FOR TAPPING
NUTS FOR SCREWS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Josiah Lane, 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 performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Josiah Lane, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,

page_text: to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, that is to say:-
My said Invention consists, firstly, of a screwing machine, or machine for
cutting the threads of screws constructed in the manner herein-after par-
ticularly described, and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the
accompanying Drawings.
Figure 1 represents in elevation a machine constructed according to this
part of my Invention; Figure 2, a vertical section of the same, taken through
the framing; Figure 3, a vertical section of the same, with framing re-
moved; Figure 4, a plan; and Figure 5, a horizontal section of the same;
and Figure 6, a plan of a portion of the same. A horizontal table or tables
a, a, (a plan of the lower portion or table a¹ being represented in Figure 6) is
situated and works upon a neck on the top of the cistern g. The said
tables a, a, carry a series of screwing or worming dies c, to which said dies a
rotatory motion is communicated in the manner herein-after explained. The
screw blanks d to be wormed are placed in the screwing dies c by hand, and
descend vertically into the screwing dies. By the rotation of the said dies c
the cutting of the screw is effected, after which the motion of the screwing
dies is reversed, and the screws raised from the dies, and finally removed by
the attendant. During the cutting of the screw the tables a, a, carrying the
screwing dies c, and the several parts of the machine appertaining thereto,
perform a rotatory motion upon the neck of the cistern g, the formation of the
screw being effected during about two-thirds of the rotation of the table, and
the raising. of the screws from the dies being effected during the remaining
one-third rotation of the table.
In the machine represented in the Drawing there are six worming dies, but
a greater or less number may be employed. e is the main shaft of the machine,
which said shaft carries the bevil toothed wheels f, g. The wheelf gears into
the wheel h on the bottom of the hollow axis i, and the wheel gears into the
wheel on the lower end of the shaft b.
On the summit of the hollow axis i is a toothed wheel 7, and near the
summit of the shaft bis a similar toothed wheel m. The toothed wheels and
m engage with pinions n and o, on the hollow axes of the worming dies c, and
by means of the clutch boxes p, either the upper pinion n or the lower pinion o
may be geared to the shafts of the worming dies, and a rotatory motion in one
or other direction be given to the said worming dies, the wheels Z and m
rotating in opposite directions. The table a, a, is not geared either to the
shaft 6 or to the hollow axis i, but acquires its rotatory motion in the following
manner-Three or four of the worming dies are geared to the wheel m on
.

page_text: the shaft b at a time, only two or three of the said dies being geared to the
wheel at a time. The friction of the three or four worming dies which are
.cutting screws, being much greater than that of the two or three dies from
which the screw is being unscrewed, the table in consequence takes motion
from the wheel m, and rotates in the same direction. When a bolt or screw
blank d is being introduced into the machine, the table must be brought to
rest. This is done by the treadle q, the forked arms ?, r, of which raise bolts s,
against which the stops t strike and arrest the table. On pressing the foot on
the treadle q, the bolts s descend, and the table is free to assume a rotatory
motion. The bolt d to be screwed is introduced into the worming die by
pressing the lever u, and thereby raising the holder v, in which the head of
the bolt is inserted. On loosing the lever u, the holder v descends and holds
the bolt in its upright position. In order to make the worming die c "bitc
the end of the bolt d, the said bolt d requires to be pressed down for a short
time after it has been placed in the die. This is effected by the lever u
coming against the guide w, supported on a joint and kept to its bearing by a
coiled spring. The said guide w acts as a camb on the said lever u, forcing its
lower end outwards, and thereby pressing the bolt d downwards. As soon
as the worming die has seized the end of the bolt, the further descent of
the said bolt takes place by the screwing action of the die. The holder v
moves up and down in the channel x, which being square or angular prevents
the rotation of the said holder and bolt. After the introduction of the bolt to
be screwed, the clutch box p requires to be raised so as to engage the screwing
die shaft with the wheel m. This is effected in the following manner :-As
the table a, a, rotates, the end y of the lever y, z, engages under the inclined
bar. 2, and the forked end of the said lever y, z, being raised, the clutch box p
is lifted and engaged with the wheel n, and through it with the wheel 12. The
rotation of the worming die c now commences, and cuts a thread on the end of
the bolt d. After the clutch box p has been raised, it is fixed in its place for
a time by the cranked lever 3, which when the end y of the lever y, z, has
been sufficiently, depressed, assumes the position indicated in dotted lines in
Figure 1, when the shoulder 4 is brought over the end y of the lever y, z, and
the said end of the lever y, z, is held down after it passes from under the
bar 2. After the bolt being screwed has descended to the required distance in
the screwing die, the lower end of the rod 5, which is fixed on the holder v,
presses upon the cranked lever 3, and brings it again into the position repre-
sented in Figure 1. The end y of the clutch box lever y, z, is thereby
released, and the clutch box pis at liberty to fall and engage with the wheel o,
and through it with the wheel and thereby reverse the motion of the screwing

page_text: die c, and raise the screwed bolt d from the said die. The clutch box pis
forced downwards in the following manner:-The forked end of the cranked
lever 3 engages with a lever 6, (the position of which is indicated in dotted lines
in Figure 2), and when the cranked lever 3 is in the position represented in
Figure 1, the inner end of the lever 6 is depressed so far that one of the
inclines 7; 7, fixed on the shaft b, in passing over the end of the said lever 6,
depresses it; and as the said lever 6 bears on the side of the clutch box, as
shown in Figure 5, it forces the said clutch box down until the said clutch box
engages with the wheel o,.and the motion of the screwing die is reversed.
The table having come round to the attendant, he releases the treddle q, and
thereby stops the motion of the table, then pressing the lever u with one hand
removes the liberated screwed bolt d with the other, and placing another bolt
or blank in the holder vand screwing die c, he looses the handle u, and
presses upon the treadle q, when the table again commences moving, and the
screwing of the second bolt is effected. Although for convenience of descrip-
tion I have only described the operation of one of the screwing dies c, it must
be understood that the several screwing dies are in operation at the same
time, each one performing the operations I have described with respect to one
of them. It must also be understood, that in some of the Figures in the
Drawing, parts are omitted with respect to one worming die which are
represented with respect to another, as less confusion in the Drawing is
thereby occasioned, and parts exhibited which would otherwise have been
concealed. A solution of soap in water or other lubricating liquid is-supplied
to the worming dies from the cistern 8, and received into the cistern 9.
My Invention consists, secondly, of a machine for tapping nuts for screws
constructed in the manner herein-after described and illustrated in Figures 7,
8, and 9 of the accompanying Drawings; Figure 7 representing the said.
machine in elevation; Figure 8 in vertical section, the said section being
taken through the line 10, Figure 9; and Figure 9, a plan. In Figure 8
parts of the framing are omitted for the purpose of more readily exhibiting the
action of the machine. The essential novelty in this machine consists in
fixing the nuts while they are being tapped upon a revolving table, by which
they are readily fed into and removed from the machine. Motion is com-
municated to the shaft 14 from the horizontal shaft 12 by means of the bevil
gearing 13. The toothed wheel or pinion 15 engages with toothed wheels.
16, 16, on the spindles 17, 17, and through the said wheels and spindles gives
a rotatory-motion to the table 11, when the said table is at liberty to move..
When the table 11 is not permitted to move, as herein-after explained, the
toothed wheels 16, 16, and spindles 17, 17, rotate and effect the tapping of,

page_text: the nuts. A series of holders, one of which is shewn separately in plan and
section in Figure 10, are fixed upon the table 11 in the manner illustrated in
Figure 11, which represents in plan and section the lower part of the table 11
with its holders. One of the nuts to be screwed or tapped is placed by the
attendant in one of the holders 18, and the tap 19 is inserted in the spindle
17, the said spindle 17 being raised for this purpose by means of the handle 20.
The said handle 20 on being pressed inwards raises the pin 21, and with it the
slide 22. The fork 23 on the said slide engaging with a neck on the top of
the spindle effects the-raising of the said spindle. On loosing the handle 20
the spindle is pressed down, so as to make the tap 19 "bite" the nut, when
the further motion of the tap in the nut is effected by the rotating motion
of the said tap. The pressure of the spindle 17 downwards is effected by the
lever 24 pressed down by the coiled spring 25. A spherical roller 26 on the
top of the spindle reduces the friction between the top of the spindle and
the lever 24. As the spindle 17 revolves, the tap 19 passes through the nut,
having done which, the said tap falls from the end of the spindle into the
reservoir 26. The raising of the spindle 17 for the purpose of permitting of
the removal of the screwed nut from the holder 18, and the insertion of
another nut to be tapped is effected as follows:-The pin 21 slides over the
inclined rod 27 as the table rotates, the slide 21, fork 23, and spindle 17, are
raised, and the operations described are repeated. The table 11 is not keyed
to the vertical shaft 14, but rests on the neck of the cistern 26', and when it
is wished to permit of the rotation of the table, the attendant by putting his
foot upon the treadle 28 depresses the bolts 29, by which the table had been
prevented from rotating, and the said table is at liberty to move. When the
table has to be brought to rest, it is only necessary to remove the foot from
the treadle 28, which then rises by the action of a spring or weight, and the
bolts 29 lock the table 11 in the manner which has been before described
with respect to the machine represented in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the
Drawings.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details herein described and illustrated, as the same may
be varied without departing from the nature of my Invention; but I claim as
my Invention,-
Firstly, the new or improved machinery for manufacturing screws, herein-
before described and represented in the accompanying Drawings, that is to
say, machinery consisting essentially of a series of worming dies, the spindles
of which work in a table capable of a rotatory motion, the said worming dies

page_text: taking from shafts situated in the axis of the table the necessary rotatory
motions for worming the bolts or screw blanks, and unscrewing the screws
from the dies; the said table being made to rotate by the friction or resistance
which the blanks being wormed offer to the worming dies.
Secondly, the combination and arrangement of machinery herein described
and illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, for pressing the bolts or blanks.
to be wormed into the worming dies, so as to make the said dies seize or bite
the ends of the bolts or blanks, that is to say, by means of handles or levers
passing over an incline supported by a spring. Also the machinery described
and represented for actuating the clutch boxes, by which the screwing and
reverse motions of the worming dies are effected, that is to say, by means of
the ends of the clutch levers passing under a fixed incline and disengaging
levers passing under inclines on the rotating shaft of the machine.
Thirdly, the new or improved machinery for tapping nuts for screws, herein-
before described and represented in the accompanying Drawings, that is to
say, machinery in which the nuts are fixed upon a table made to rotate by the
friction or resistance of the tapping process, the taps being pressed into the
nuts to be tapped by the tap spindles passing under a spring lever, and the
tapping spindles raised by means of a fixed incline.
In witness whereof, I, the said Josiah Lane, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
GEORGE SHAW..
JOSIAH LANE. (L.s.)