IMPROVEMENTS IN TURNING LATHES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Low, of Dundee, in the County of Forfar,
North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TURNING LATHES."
Sealed the 14th September 1875, and dated the 18th March 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Low at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
18th March 1875.
I, ROBERT LOW, of Dundee, in the County of Forfar, North Britain,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN Turning Lathes,” to be as follows, that is to say :—
-
This Invention relates to improved turning lathes, by means of which
certain classes of work can be executed more accurately, more con-
veniently, and more rapidly than by the lathes ordinarily used for the
same purpose. These improved laths are designed more particularly for
the use of makers of gas fittings, pipe connections, stop-cocks, and the

page_text: like, but are also advantageously applicable in the manufacture of many
other articles.
The working parts of the improved lathe are carried upon a simple
frame standard formed with bearings at its top for the main lathe spindle,
on which are fixed the usual "cone" or graduated pulleys. The driving
spindle or shaft with the counterpart graduated pulleys is carried in
three bearings, two of which are in the lower part of the frame standard,
whilst the third is separate, the shaft having on it between the third
bearing and the standard a pair of pulleys to receive driving belts, one
open and the other crossed from a convenient motive-power shaft. A
duplex frictional couc clutch is fitted between the two pulleys to engage
with concavely coned parts of the pulleys accordingly as it is moved
into contact with one or other of them by means of a lever centered on
a bracket and connected by a rod to a hand lever arranged in a position
convenient for the workman. This arrangement of frictional driving
clutch admits of screw threads being cut and tapped with great case and
convenience, as the motion can by it be reversed very accurately on the
comb or tap reaching the end of its traverse; thus in forming an
internal screw thread in the end of a pipe the tap can be run in as far
as required, and be instantly run out again on moving the clutch lever.
An important feature of the improved arrangement is the fitting of a
moveable table in front of the headstock, such table having on it a hand
rest and a slide rest, the latter being designed and fitted for cutting the
plugs of stop-cocks directly and accurately to the desired taper, whereby
very much of the time and labor is saved that is usually required for
grinding the plugs. On the work of
table is turned or moved on its support so as to carry the slide rest quite
out of the way to the further side, and the same movement brings the
hand rest round into the working position for finishing the work with
hand tools.
the slide rest being completed the
For small articles no following centre or headstock is necessary, but
for larger articles a following centre spindle is provided, being carried
by a bracket which is mounted on a horizontal stud below the movable
table so that it can be turned up and be fixed in the working position or
be turned down out of the way when not required.
The fitting of the lathe with the improved details herein-before
described does not prevent its being also provided, as some existing

page_text: lathes are with screw cutting details working with a leading screw or
with what is termed a star tool rest, that is a rest piece having a number
of tools permanently fixed on it in different positions, and being arranged
so as by turning it to bring any tool into the working position.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Low in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 17th September 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
Low, of Dundee, in the County of Forfar, North Britain, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Robert Low, Her special licence that
I, the said Robert Low, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Robert Low, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN TURNING LATHES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Robert Low, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Low, do hereby declaro
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to bo
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, that is to say :—

page_text: My said Invention relates to improved turning lathes, by means of
which certain classes of work can be executed more accurately, more
conveniently, and more rapidly than by the lathes ordinarily used for
the same purposes. These improved lathes are designed more par-
ticularly for the use of makers of gas fittings, pipe connections, stop-
cocks, and the like, but are also advantageously applicable in the manu-
facture of many other articles.
And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, I hereunto append two Sheets of
explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to and representing
two modifications of my improved lathes. In these Drawings the same
reference numerals are used to mark the same or like parts wherever
they are repeated.
Figure 1 on Sheet 1 of the Drawings is a plan; Figure 2 is a side
elevation; and Figure 3 is an end elevation of a lathe embodying my
improvements.
The working parts of the lathe are carried upon a simple frame
standard 1 formed with bearings 2 at its top for the main lathe spindle,
on which are fixed the usual "
33
conc or graduated pulleys 3. The
driving spindle or shaft 4 with the counterpart graduated pulleys 5 is
carried in three bearings, two of which 6, 7, are in the lower part of the
frame standard 1, whilst the third 8 is formed on a bracket bolted to the
workshop floor near the frame standard 1. The shaft 4 has on it
between the third bearing 8 and the standard a pair of pulleys 9, 10, to
receive driving belts, one open and the other crossed, from a convenient
motive-power shaft. A duplex frictional cone clutch 11 is fitted
between the two pulleys 9, 10, to engage with concavely coned parts of
the pulleys accordingly as it is moved into contact with one or other of
them by means of a lever 12 centred on a bracket 13 and connected by
a rod 14 to a hand lever 15 arranged in a position convenient for the
workmen. This arrangement of frictional driving clutch admits of
screw threads being cut and tapped with great ease and convenience, as
the motion can by it be reversed very accurately on the comb or tap
reaching the end of its traverse; thus in forming an internal screw
thread in the end of a pipe the tap can be run in as far as required, and
be instantly run out again on moving the clutch lever 15.
An important feature of my improved arrangement is the fitting of a

page_text: movable table 16 in front of the headstock 17, this table having on it a
hand rest 18 and slide rest 19, the latter being designed and fitted for
cutting the plugs of stop-cocks directly and accurately to the desired
taper, whereby very much of the time and labour is saved that is usually
required for grinding the plugs. The movable table 16 rests on a
plate 20 forming the upper part of a bracket 21, which plate presents a
smooth surface on which the table slides. On the work of the slide
rest 19 being completed the table 16 is turned or moved round the
centre of its support so as to carry the slide rest 19 quite out of the way
to the further side, and the same movement brings the hand rest 18
round into the working position for finishing the work with hand tools.
When the same kind of work is to be continued for a considerable time
stops are provided to arrest the table 16 at positions in which the slide
rest and tool can be used to produce always the same taper or contour
of surface on the work in the chuck.
For small articles no following centre or headstock is necessary, but
for larger articles a following centre spindle 22 shown also separately in
Figure 4 is provided, being carried by a bracket 23 which is mounted on
a horizontal stud 24 below the movable table 16, so that it can be turned
up and fixed in the working position by screw bolts or otherwise, and bo
turned upon the stud 24 down out of the way when not required.
The fitting of the lathe with the improved details herein-before
described does not prevent its being also provided, as some existing
lathes arc, with screw cutting details working with a leading screw or
with what is termed a star tool rest, that is, a rest piece having a number
of tools permanently fixed on it in different positions, and being arranged.
so as by turning it to bring any tool into the working position. The
tool holder 25. of the slide rest 19 is of the kind referred to.
Figures 5 and 6 on Sheet 2 of the Drawings are respectively a plan
and side elevation of a modification of my improved lathe arranged with
screw cutting details. In this modification the supporting bracket 21 of
the movable table 16 is replaced by a casting 26-formed with a short lathe
bed or horizontal guide surface on which is set a saddle 27 carrying the
movable table 16. The leading screw shaft 28 which is tapped through
a lug on the saddlc 27 is supported in bearings on the casting 26 and
frame standard 1, and motion is communicated to the screw shaft 28 by
spur gearing 29 of a usual kind at the back. The casting 26 is bolted

page_text: to the main frame standard 1, and is formed with a leg 30 by which it is
bolted to the floor. The bracket 23 of the movable following centre 22
is not set on a stud (24) as in the other modification, but is fixed to the
casting 26 by bolts entered through arc-shaped slots.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the manner t
in which the same is to be performed, I have to state that I do not restrict
myself to the precise details herein described or delineated, but that
what I believe to be novel and original and claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,--
1. The arranging or combining together of the parts of turning lathes, 1
substantially in the improved manner herein-before described.
2. The driving of the lathe by means of the duplex frictional cone
clutch and pulleys driven by open and crossed belts, as herein-before
described.
3. The fitting of the table (16) with two or more tool rests (one of 1
them being a hand rest), and so as to turn about a vertical centre
pin to bring different tools into action, substantially as herein-before
described.
4. The fitting of the following centre (22) on a bracket (23) which
can be turned down out of the way, substantially as herein-before 2
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Low, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
fivc.
2
DADTO
TAZ