An Apparatus for Feeding Nails to Box-nailing Machines.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Dec., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 13th Sept., 1890-Accepted, 8th Nov., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Apparatus for Feeding Nails to Box-nailing Machines.
JOSEPH MARCH WEBSTER 22 Waverley Road Sefton Park Liverpool in the
County of Lancashire Timber Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This apparatus consists of a receptacle, bin or hopper of circular or other con-
venient shape in which the nails are placed and by rotation or other suitable motion
a magnet or magnets are made to dip amongst the nails, pick one or more up and
deliver them uniformly into an inclined slot or tube, which conveys them to their
respective receptacles on the nailing machine.
The feature of novelty in this apparatus which I claim is the use or application of
a magnet or magnets for picking up nails and delivering them to the receptacles on a
box-nailing machine.
L
101
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Apparatus for Feeding Nails to Box-nailing Machines.
1, JOSEPH MARCH WEBSTER of 22 Waverley Road, Sefton Park, Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Timber Merchant, 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 :-
This invention has reference to apparatus for feeding nails to a box-nailing machine.
or the like into which nails are removed from a suitable receptacle by a travelling
magnet or magnets by which they are delivered uniformly, into an inclined slot chute
or tube which conveys them to their respective receptacles on the nailing machine,
as I will now proceed to describe more fully by reference to the accompanying
drawings in which
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of so much of a box-nailing machine as is necessary
to illustrate the application thereto of nail feeding apparatus according to this
invention.
Fig. 2. is a sectional elevation (to a larger scale) taken on line 1-2 of Fig. 3.
the feeding magnets being shewn in a different position to that shewn in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3. is a plan or top view.
Figs. 4. 5. and 6. are enlarged detail views of the automatic delivery magnets, nail
releasers and connected parts.
Fig. 7 is a front elevation also enlarged shewing the delivery magnets and nail
releaser.
A. is a receptacle for the iron nails to be fed; B. B. are permanent magnets by
which nails are removed from the receptacle and discharged into chutes as herein-
after described. These magnets are preferably horse shoe in shape and each is
attached to a non-magnetic balance piece B* pivotted to one of a set of cross
bars B'.
These cross bars B', are carried by a pair of endless pitched chains B² that work
ow pairs of chain wheels B3, B4. is a ratchet wheel fixed to the upper shaft b
and into which takes a pawl C¹ pivotted to a grooved pulley C². Over this pulley
par is a rope C³, one end of which is attached to one arm of a lever C secured
to a rocking shaft D. the other arm of the lever being connected to a weighted
foot lever E. By depressing this lever E. the rope C³ will be caused to partly
[Price 8d.]

page_text: revolve the pulley C² ratchet C and wheels B3 B4 thus causing the magnets B B
to travel a given distance for each depression of the foot lever.
A weight c. attached to the other end of the rope C³ serves to return the pulley
and pawl to the starting position when the foot lever is released. By this
arrangement the rope will slip over the pulley C should either of the magnets
become fixed from any cause.
Upon the driving shaft b. and between the chain wheels B³. is a fixed wooden
roller G. over which the magnets travel. This roller is partly covered with a
strip G¹ of sheet metal that extends over the inner side of the roller to the lower
shaft 1. and is shaped as shewn so as to guide the magnets B. and prevent them
dropping too suddenly into the opening left between the two sides of the inclined
V-shaped stripping chutes H. H'."
By this means the exposed ends of the magnets are lowered slowly into and
are drawn with a sliding motion between the sides of the chute so that the nails
are disengaged from the magnets by which they were held and received by the
stripping chute H. H' wherein they are suspended by their heads, their shanks
then extending through the slot 7. loft between the side bars of which the stripping
chute is made.
A top guide H³ may be connected to and above the lower end of each chute H. H' as
shewn in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. One side H' of each of the stripping chutes is fixed to or
made in one with a fixed chute J. whilst the opposite side H. is secured to a bar H³
that may be moved end wise periodically through a short distance for the purpose
of moving the sides H. from the sides H and thus widen the slot between them so
that the accumulation of nails and any imperfect nails in the chute that might
interfere with the working of the apparatus can fall away. The transverse move-
ment of the bar H³ in one direction can be effected by a small wedge or inclined
piece projecting from and carried by one of the toothed wheels B³ or to one side
of the endless chain B². and arranged to travel past and against an arm K, connected
to the bar H3 thus sliding the arm and bar slightly to one side, the return move
ment being effected by a spring or its equivalent. The normal width of the slots /
between the sides H. and H of the stripping chute can be regulated by means of
a set screw K' that acts against an arm K² as shewn in Fig. 3. A' is a flexible
cord extending across the machine and onto which the ends of the magnets fall
as shewn in Fig. 1. so as to thereby prevent them from dropping so heavily amongst
the nails in the box A. as to become injured & to scatter or bend the nails.
The nails whilst suspended by their heads in the stripping chutes H. H¹. are
caused by the combined action of gravity and the vibration of the machine to slide
down into delivery chutes, each formed of two fixed plates J. J. placed at an angle
to each other and at a suitable distance apart to admit of the shanks of the nails
sliding between them. These plates J. are fixed to cross bars J1 J³ secured to the
side frames J3 of the machine as shewn.
The lower end of each of these chutes J. is alternately opened and closed in an
automatic manner and at fixed times by a projection L carried by a bar L.
adapted to slide in fixed guides 7. This slide bar is caused to move endwise in
one direction by a bent bar L2 that is secured to the work table F. and acts against
an arm L'on the slide bar when the work table moves towards the grooved nail
plate F. The motion of the bar in the other direction, when moving backward,
is effected by a spiral or other spring not shewn but arranged directly beneath the
slide bar. Thus the slide bar L. is operated positively in one direction, but should
a defective nail become jammed between the projection L³ and the end of the chute J.
the spring will not withdraw the bar and cause injury to the apparatus.
In the arrangement shewn, the bar L. is provided with three projections I³ one
for each chute J. and to each of which is secured a U-shaped delivery magnet M.
Each delivery magnet slides to and fro past the lower end of its corresponding chute J.
and acts as follows ;-
When the foot lever E is free as shewn in Fig. the bar L. and magnets M.
are in the position shown in the upper portion of Fig. 6. and the lower end of each

page_text: chute J. is closed. By depressing the foot lever, the bent bar L³ forces the bar L.
in the direction of the arrow Fig. 3. and into the position shewn in the lower
portion of Fig. 6 in which the central portion of each magnet M. is opposite the
lowermost nail in the chute J. opposite to which it is brought. The nail is attracted
by the magnet and enters a vertical groove M¹ therein of a size to receive one
nail only. Upon releasing the foot lever the bar L. and magnets M. with magnetically
held nails are drawn back by the before mentioned spring into their original positions
shewn in the upper portion of Fig. 6.
During this moveinent the nail held by each magnet M. is removed by the finger n
of a tubular releaser N. and dropped through this releaser into a flexible tube N¹
below, which conveys the nail into a funnel shaped pipe N2 (hereafter called a nozzle)
by which the nail is delivered onto the grooved bar F which is fixed on the table F.
in front of the drivers or hammers P. The point of each nozzle N* rests by its
own weight in the bottom of the groove above which it is placed to prevent the
falling nail shooting beyond the edge F¹ of the grooved bar F. The upper end of
each nozzle is pivotted. and supported by a rod Q carried by levers Q¹ pivotted at Q2
and having downward extensions Q³. Springs Q₁ connected to the upper ends of the
levers serve to normally keep the lower ends of the nozzles forward and in contact
with the grooved bar F¹.
By this arrangement as the table advances towards the drivers or hammers P. the
lever extension Q³ will be brought into contact with a fixed pin Q so that the levers Q¹
will turn on their centres and the lower ends of the nozzles will be raised from a grooved
nail plate F to permit the nail head to clear.
Thus by alternately depressing and releasing the foot lever E. nails will be lifted
by the magnets B from the box A. and delivered into each of the chutes H. H³
where they will slide down into the chutes J. from each of which they are taken
one at a time by a magnet M. from which each nail is removed by a releaser N. and
allowed to fall by gravity through a flexible tube N' and nozzle N³ on to the grooved
nail bar F¹ in readiness to be forced into the pieces of wood to be nailed together,
when these pieces of wood are driven towards them. R is an ordinary guide fence,
S. S. are draw bars jointed to the levers S¹ on the shaft D. and by means of which
the table F is operated by the foot lever.
As will be obvious the shape of the magnets can be varied if necessary to suit
different kinds of iron nails to be delivered.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. Apparatus for feeding nails to box-nailing machines in which a magnet or
magnets carried by endless chains is or are caused to travel within a receptacle so
that by contact with nails therein such nails may be attracted and be carried and
delivered into a suitable chute or chutes to be conducted to the box-nailing
machine substantially as described.
2. In apparatus for feeding nails to a box-nailing machine the combination with
a suspended magnet or magnets and means for causing same to travel, of a chute
or chutes, constructed in parts, into which nails are delivered by the magnet or
magnets, and mechanism for causing the parts of the chute or chutes to open at
intervals in such a manner as to discharge defective and surplus nails.
3. In apparatus of the kind referred to in claim 1, the combination with the nail
chute (or with each of them if more than one be used) of a magnet arranged in
proximity to the delivery end of the chute and carried by a bar adapted to be
reciprocated, the arrangement being such that the magnet will remove nails from
the chute one at a time and carry them into the path of a releaser to be removed
from the magnet substantially as described.
4. The use in conjunction with a magnet arranged to operate as set forth in the
preceding claim of a tubular releaser N. having a finger n. so arranged as to be in

page_text: the path of and to release a nail carried by the said magnet for delivery to a box-
nailing machine substantially as described.
5. My apparatus constructed arranged and operating substantially as described
and shewn in the drawings for delivery nails to a box-nailing machine.
4
Dated this 13th day of September 1890.
W. LLOYD WISE.
Per J. G. Stokes.