IMPROVEMENTS IN SLOTTING AND SHAPING MACHINES
Year: 1884

page_text: I EDWIN POWLEY ALEXANDER of 36 Southampton Buildings in the County of
Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature
of said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SLOTTING AND SHAPING MACHINES"
to be as follows:-
H
This Invention consists of a peculiar construction and arrangement of portable
apparatus suitable for cutting or slotting keyways, cutting the teeth of wheels,
and for other purposes where slotting and shaping machines are applicable, which
apparatus whilst capable of being used as a substitute for the ordinary slotting and
shaping machines is more particularly useful where owing to the dimensions of the
work to be operated upon it cannot easily be placed upon the machine.
The said improved portable slotting and shaping machine or apparatus is so arranged
that the piece of work to be operated upon (such as a wheel for example) can be
"
chucked or fixed upon the outside of a face plate through the interior of the
bore in which the keyway is to be slotted hence the diameter of the wheel or the
shape of the arms thereof does not affect the applicability of the said apparatus.
For the purpose of thus fixing the work a forked holder or clamp is engaged at
one end with suitable recesses or slots in a stationary face plate the piece of work
to be operated upon being slipped over the fork and then tightened up against the
face plate by a strap or stirrup piece connected with the outer end of the fork and
tightened up against the work by a tightening screw spindle. The face plate
which may either be in a vertical or horizontal plane or at an angle is further
provided with screw holes so that articles or pieces of work having a smaller bore
or varying in shape may be fastened onto the same either from the inside or from
the outside of the bore as found most convenient.
For small pieces of work the said portable slotting and shaping machine or
apparatus is so arranged as to be held or supported between the jaws of an ordinary
vice but where large pieces of work are to be operated upon it being readily
portable and self contained can be attached to and supported directly by the piece
of work itself.
In the body or framing of this portable slotting and shaping machine or apparatus
there is provided an adjustable bed so mounted as to pivot on a fixed centre or

page_text: bolt at one end the angle or inclination of the bed being varied according to the
taper required for the key by suitable adjusting and set screws. An index
working along a scale showing the amount of taper to which the apparatus has
been set.
A longitudinal to-and-fro motion derived from a winch handle or otherwise is
transmitted by gearing to a straight rack working inside this adjustable bed. On
this rack there is mounted a carriage or slide to which a tool carrier is pivotted at
its outer end such tool carrier having the cutter or tool holder fixed therein.
The tool is fed up to its work by hand by means of a hand nut acting upon an
incline or wedge piece upon which the front end of the tool carrier rests its rear
end being pivotted to lugs on the carriage.
To enable the tool not merely to pass freely over the work whilst making ita
back or return stroke but also to clear the work entirely the following means are
employed. The rack which actuates the carriage or slide is not rigidly connected
there with but is free to move slightly with respect thereto under the control of a
pin working in a slot in the said slide so that at each change of motion the incline
or wedge piece will have a corresponding slight end wise movement or play thereby
allowing the tool carrier to assume a lower position during the return stroke than
during the operating movement.
Springs may be added to ensure this action more especially when for instance
the apparatus is working in an upright position.
Dated this 20th dov of March 188s
EDWIN P. ALEXANDER,
Fel. Inst. P.A

page_text: "
I EDWIN POWLEY ALEXANDER of 86 Southampton Buildings in the County of
Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SLOTTING AND SHAPING MACHINES
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This Invention consists of a peculiar construction and arrangement of portable
apparatus or machine suitable for cutting or slotting keyways, cutting the teeth of
wheels and for other purposes where slotting and shaping machines are applicable
which apparatus whilst capable of being used as a substitute for ordinary slotting
and shaping machines is more particularly useful where (owing to the nature and
dimensions of the work to be operated upon) the work cannot easily be placed upon
machines of this class of the ordinary construction.
The said improved portable slotting and shaping machine or apparatus is so
arranged that the piece of work to be operated upon (such as a wheel for example)
can be chucked or fixed upon the outside of a face plate by a forked holder or clamp
passing through the interior of the bore to be slotted hence the diameter of the
wheel or the shape of the arms does not.affect the applicability of the machine.
For small pieces of work the said portable slotting and shaping machine or
apparatus is so arranged that it may be held or supported between the jaws of an
ordinary vice but where large pieces of work are to be operated upon the said
machine, being readily portable and self contained, can be attached to and supported
directly by the piece of work itself.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several Figures on the explanatory Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings is an end elevation showing the driving or actuating
end of the said improved portable machine adapted for slotting or cutting
keyways, but which may obviously be applied as a shaping machine for various
purposes.
Figure 2 is a corresponding side elevation showing a piece of work mounted on
the face plate thereof.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of the said machine taken along the
line A A in Figure 1 the piece of work mounted on the face plate thereof being
also shown in section.
Figure 4 is a transverse vertical section of the holding device of the said machine
taken along the line B B in Figures 2 and 3.
a is the main body of the slotting machine cast in one with the face plate a¹
and containing the whole of the working and driving or actuating parts. In
Figures 1 and 2 the said machine is shown as adapted for being held or fixed
between the jaws of an ordinary vice as indicated by the dotted lines. t is a
forked holder or clamp engaged at one end with suitable holes recesses or slots
formed in the stationary face plate a¹ the piece of work u to be operated upon (say
an ordinary driving pulley for example requiring a key-way to be slotted in the
interior of its boss) being slipped over the said forked holder t and then tightened
up against the face plate a¹ by a thrust or stirrup piece v pressed against the work
by a tightening screw w carried in the outer end of the fork t and bearing against
an abutment in the thrust piece as is more clearly shown in Figure 3 of my
Drawings. The face plate a¹ which may either be in a vertical or horizontal plane

page_text: or at any desired angle and which forms part of the main body of the slotting
machine is further provided with any required number of screw holes or recesses
(Figure 1) so that articles or pieces of work having a small bore or varying in
shape may be fastened thereon either from the inside or from the outside of the
bore as found most convenient.
Inside the body or framing a of the said portable Blotting machine there is
provided an adjustable bed b formed with dovetailed or other suitable guides and
mounted, so as to, pivot round a fixed centre or bolt c passed through the sides of
the framing at the end nearest the work. The angle or inclination of this bed is
varied to suit the taper required for the key by suitable adjusting and set screws de
in the body a of the slotting machine. An index f Figures 1 and 2 on the
adjustable bed shows the amount of taper or inclination to which the bed has been
adjusted on a scale marked on the end of the fixed part or body of the apparatus.
Z is a rack sliding along the adjustable bed b and receiving a longitudinal recipro-
cating motion from the spur gearing h, i, and A, also carried by the adjustable bed b
and driven by the winch bandle g or otherwise. On the shaft or spindle of the
winch handle is mounted the pinion h (Figure 1) which gears into the teeth of the
internal spur wheel the shaft or spindle of which carries a spur pinion k gearing
direct into the rack as shown clearly in Figure 3. On this rack there is mounted
a carriage or slide m to which a tool carrier n is pivotted at its outer end such
tool carrier having the cutter or tool holder o fixed therein.
The tool or cutter (see Figure 8) is fed up to its work by hand by means of a
hand nut p supported between lugs on the reciprocating rack the said nut
causing the shifting longitudinally in the carriage or slide m of a wedge or
inclined piece q upon which the front or inner end of the pivotted tool carrier n
rests.
To enable the tool not merely to slide loosely over the work whilst making its
back or return stroke but also to be entirely clear thereof if desired the following
means are employed. The rack which actuates the carriage or slide m is not
rigidly connected therewith but is free to move slightly with respect thereto under
the control of a pin r fixed in the rack and working in a slot in the said slide so
that at each change of motion of the rack the incline or wedge piece q will have a
corresponding slight endwise movement or play in the slide m thereby allowing
the tool carrier n to drop slightly and assume a lower position during the return
stroke than during the operating movement of the tool.
Springs 8 (Figure 2) serve to ensure this action of the tool carrier n more
especially when the apparatus is working in an upright position for example.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. In a portable slotting or shaping machine the combination of a slide bed
adjustable to any required angle or inclination a rack or equivalent actuating device
driven by gearing contained in the body of the machine a slide carrying a pivotted
tool carrier, and a longitudinally reciprocating inclined or wedge piece adjustably
connected with the rack, the whole being arranged and caused to operate together
substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
2. The peculiar fastening device or clamp consisting of a forked holder passing
through the bore of the work to be operated upon and carrying a tightening screw
for pressing or tightening a thrust or stirrup piece against the piece of work which
is fixed on the outside of the machine as hereinbefore described.
3. In a portable slotting or shaping machine the application and use of an
adjustable pivotted slide bed capable of being set at any desired angle to suit the
required inclination of the cut or the taper of the key substantially as hereinbefore
described.
4. The application and use of a tool carrier pivotting or turning on centres at
one end and resting at its other end upon an adjustable inclined or wedge piece
substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.

page_text: 5. The application and use of a longitudinally adjustable and reciprocating
inclined or wedge piece for effecting the two-fold object of feeding the tool or cutter
up to its work during its operating movement and of liberating it during the back
or return stroke as hereinbefore described.
6. Effecting the liberation of the cutter during the back or return stroke by
connecting the before mentioned inclined or wedge piece with the rack or other
driving device in such a manner that it shall have a limited movement with regard
to the slide and pivotted tool carrier mounted thereon substantially as herein before
described.
Dated this Twelfth day of June 1884.
EDWIN P. ALEXANDER.