IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-FEEDING MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CUT NAILS AND TACKS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Richards, Engineer and Machinist, of No. 43,
St. Vincent Street, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SELF-FEEDING MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CUT NAILS AND
TACKS."
Sealed the 24th April 1877, and dated the 15th November 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Richards at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th November 1876.
JOHN RICHARDS, Engineer and Machinist, of No. 43, St. Vincent St., Birmingham
in the County of Warwick. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-FEEDING MACHINERY FOR
THE MANUFACTURE OF CUT NAILS AND TACKS."
This Invention consists of the arrangement or combination of the parts herein-
after described of mechanism for feeding and turning over the plate or strip from
which nails or tacks are to be cut in nail cutting or tack cutting machines.
The mechanism constructed according to this Invention consists essentially of the
following parts.
A flanged pulley is fixed on to the main shaft of the nail or tack machine; on thé
under side of the framing of the said machine are fixed bearings carrying a counter-
shaft; on the said countershaft is fixed a pulley, also two pairs of excentric blocks
and straps; each excentric strap is constructed with a projecting boss, each boss is
slotted at the extreme end. Parallel with the said countershaft is fixed a metal bar;
on this bar as a fulcrum are fixed two levers; these levers are extended backwards
and connected to the slots provided in the projecting bosses of excentric straps; each
of the said levers are extended forwards from the fulcrum to the front of the said
machine framing; near the front ends of each of the said levers is provided a lon-
gitudinal slot..
At a convenient distance from the before-mentioned machine framing is fixed a
metal column; on this column is fixed a metal disc revolving on a round pin which
is passed through a central hole in the disc into a central hole in the top of
the column on the horizontal plane of the said disc; near to its outer edge is pro-
[Prime Gdl

page_text: vided a round hole; in this hole is fixed the shank end of a hinge-jointed barrel
bearing which can be adjusted to any angle to suit the various sizes of nails
or tacks.
A metal block is fastened to the front of the nail or tack machine framing; a
barrel bearing similar in construction to the before-mentioned one is fitted into the
said metal block; a slot is provided in the said metal block in which is fixed a
curved bracket carrying a small pulley to receive the cord attached to the handle of
the tongs as herein-after described.
A round tube or feed barrel is fitted into the said hinge-jointed barrel bearings;
the inside of the said tube or barrel is square; a pair of metal tongs are fitted to
work easily inside the said tube or barrel; near the end of the feed barrel is fixed
the middle part of a belt of leather or other suitable material; at each end of the
said belt is fixed a metal plate, each of the metal plates is provided with slots, the
ends of the said belt hang down on each side of the feed barrel; the metal plates
are connected to the slots in the front ends of the before-mentioned levers.
On the front side of the knife box of the tack or nail machine is fixed a curved
metal plate with a slot near one end of it, through which an adjusting screw is
passed; at right angles to this adjusting screw is provided a spring, the said spring
is in continual contact with the curved metal plate, the extreme end of which is
turned over to form a bearing in which is fixed a grooved wheel, the said wheel
being provided with a slot through which the strip of iron is passed during the time
of cutting the nail or tack off the strip of iron.
One end of a spring is fastened to the front barrel bearing, the other end of the
said spring is constructed to bear on the extreme end of the before-mentioned curved
metal plate.
'
Motion is conveyed to this combined action in the following manner.
The pulley
on the main shaft conveys the motion to the countershaft by means of a belt; the
excentric blocks and straps fixed on the said countershaft convey the motion to the
two levers. By the action of one of the said excentrics the front end of one of the
said levers draws down the end of the feed-barrel belt, thus turning the said feed
barrel over within the half of a circle from right to left; by the action of the other
excentric the feed barrel is turned back to its former position.
The strip of iron from which to cut the tacks or nails is placed into the before-
mentioned square metal tongs, the said tongs are introduced into the square passage
of the feed barrel; a cord with a weight attached to it is fastened to the handle
of the said tongs and passed over a pulley fixed in the curved bracket herein-before
mentioned.
The rotating of the feed barrel turns over the tongs and plate; the cord and
weight attachment forces the iron continually to the front through the slot provided
in the before-mentioned grooved wheel ready to be cut into nails or tacks.
On the under side of the frame of the nail or tack machines is fixed the following
arrangement by which the feed motion can be disconnected without stopping the
action of the nail or tack machine.
A piece of metal is fastened to the under side of the said machine; on this piece
of metal as a fulcrum is fixed a lever, one end of which is fork shaped, the other
end of which is formed into a handle; on the before-mentioned countershaft is
fixed a projection; within the boss of the driving pulley is provided a slot; the boss
of the driving pulley is constructed to revolve within the fork end of the said lever.
By moving the handle of the said lever in a horizontal direction the driving
pulley can be made to run loose on the countershaft, or to engage with the projection
fixed on the said countershaft.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said John Richards in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th May 1877.
JOHN RICHARDS, Engineer and Machinist, of 43, St. Vincent Street, Birmingham,
in the County of Warwick. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-FEEDING MACHINERY FOR
THE MANUFACTURE OF CUT NAILS AND TACKS."
This Invention consists of the arrangement or combination of the parts herein-
after described of mechanism for feeding and turning over the plate or strip from
which nails or tacks are to be cut in nail cutting or tack cutting machines.
The mechanism constructed according to this Invention consists essentially of the
following parts
-
A flange pulley is fixed on to the main shaft of the nail or tack machine; on the
under side of the framing of the said machine are fixed bearings carrying a counter-
shaft; on the said countershaft is fixed a pulley, also two pairs of excentric blocks
and straps; each excentric strap is constructed with a projecting boss; each boss is
'slotted at the extreme end. Parallel with the said countershaft is fixed a metal bar;
on this bar as a fulcrum are fixed two levers; these levers are extended backwards
and connected to the slots provided in the projecting bosses of excentric straps;
each of the said levers are extended forwards from the fulcrum to the front of the
said machine framing; near the front ends of each of the said levers is provided a
longitudinal slot.
At a convenient distance from the before-mentioned machine framing is fixed a
metal column; on this column is fixed a metal disc revolving on a round pin, which
is passed through a central hole in the disc into a central hole in the top of the
column. On the horizontal plane of the said disc, near to its outer edge, is provided
a round hole; in this hole is fixed the shank end of an hinge-jointed barrel bearing
which can be adjusted to any angle to suit the various sizes of nails or tacks.
A metal block is fastened to the front of the nail or tack machine framing. A
barrel bearing similar in construction to the before-mentioned one, is fitted into
the said metal block; a slot is provided in the said metal block, in which is fixed
a curved bracket carrying a small pulley to receive the cord attached to the handle
of the tongs, as herein-after described.
A round tube or feed barrel is fitted into the said hinge-jointed barrel bearings;
the inside of the said tube or barrel is square; a pair of metal tongs are fitted to
work easily inside the said tube or barrel; near the end of the feed barrel is fixed
the middle part of a belt of leather or other suitable material; .at each end of the
said belt is fixed a metal plate; each of the metal plates are provided with slots;
the ends of the said belt hang down on each side of the feed barrel; the metal
plates are connected to the slots in the front ends of the before-mentioned levers.
On the front side of the knife box of the tack or nail machine is fixed a curved
metal plate with a slot near one end of it, through which an adjusting screw is
passed; at right angles to this adjusting screw is provided a spring; the said spring
is in continual contact with the curved metal plate, the extreme end of which is.
turned over to form a bearing in which is fixed a grooved wheel, the said wheel
being provided with a slot through which the strip of iron is passed during the
time of cutting the nail or tack off the strip of iron.
One end of a spring is fastened to the front barrel bearing, the other end of the
said spring is constructed to bear on the extreme end of the before-mentioned curved
metal plate.
Motion is conveyed to this combined action in the following manner:-The pulley
on the main shaft conveys the motion to the countershaft by means of a belt. The
excentric blocks and straps fixed on the said countershaft convey the motion to the
two levers; by the action of one of the said excentrics the front end of one of the
said levers draws down the end of the feed barrel belt, thus turning the said feed
barrel over within the half of a circle from right to left; by the action of the other
5. excentric the feed barrel is turned back to its former position.

page_text: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved feed; Figure 2 is a sectional view on
the line A, B; Figure 3 is a plan of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a view showing the clutch arrangement to move the feed in and out
of gear.
Figure 5 is an enlarged view of bracket to carry front barrel bearer.
Figure 6 is a section of feed barrel.
Figure 7 is an enlarged view of square metal tongs.
Figure 8 is an enlarged view of front barrel bearer.
Figure 9 is an enlarged view of back barrel bearer showing the cam which
engages with the feed rod clip.
Figure 10 is an enlarged view of cam e, e.
Figure 11 is a view showing the curved metal plate and grooved wheel.
?'
a is the framing of tack or nail machine; b is the main shaft of tack or nail
machine; c is the flanged toothed pulley which conveys motion to the large toothed
pulley d; the toothed pulley d is slotted to engage with the key e, as shewn at
Figure 4. The excentrics fare keyed to counter shaft g. The levers are hung on
the fulcrum bar i, and connected at the back to the ends of the excentric blocks j;
The front ends of the levers h are connected to the metal plates k; the metal
plates are connected to the strap at m; the strap is connected to the feed
barrel n at o. The disc p is provided with a hole to fit pin q. The shank end of
the barrel bearer is fixed in the disc p at 8, and can be raised or lowered by means
of the adjusting pin t. The metal block in Figure 5 is fastened to the under side of the
nail or tack machine frameing. The shank end of the barrel bearer is fitted into
the hole provided in the metal block u at w. The slot x, Figure 5, receives the
curved bracket y which carries the small pulley 2, over which is passed the cord a, a,
attached to weight, ; the other end of the cord a, a, is fastened to the tongs
handle b, b. The feed barrel n is fixed to work in the bearings r and v. The square
metal tongs, shewn at d, d, and Figure 7, are made to work easily inside the barrel n.
The cam e, e, which is fastened to the feed barrel n by means of the set screw fif,
turns with the said barrel, and coming in contact with the rollers g, g, the shank
end of the barrel bearer vis by that means slightly raised in the hole w, to .allow
the strip of iron in tongs to turn over easily on the bottom cutters of nail or tack
machine. The levers h, h, which are hung on the fulcrum i, i, are kept in position,
shewn at Figure 1, by the springs j, j, when the feed barrel turns over, the ends of 5

page_text: The
the levers h, h, are pressed against the feed rod by means of the cams k, k, thus
preventing the strip of iron from feeding forward when the said strip of iron is
making the back stroke. The grooved wheel 1, 1, is placed in the curved metal
plate m, m, and pressed on to the bottom cutter by means of the spring n, n.
fulcrum pin o, o, Figure 4, is fastened to the under side of the nail or tack machine;
the forked end of the lever p, p, is connected with the boss of the driving pulley d
at q, q, by this means the lever p, p, can be used to stop or start the feeding
apparatus without interfering with the action of the nail or tack machine.
Having thus described the said Invention and the manner of performing the
same, I wish it understood that I claim,-
First. The arrangement or combination of levers and excentrics for the purpose
of turning over the feed barrel, as described and illustrated.
Second. The arrangement or combination of a feed barrel with a square-shaped
passage, in which is placed a pair of square metal tongs, as described and illustrated.
Third. The hinge jointed barrel bearings, the shank end of the back one being a
fixture, the shank end of the front one working in a hole provided for that purpose,
as described and illustrated.
Fourth. The pair of levers h, h, working against the cams h, k, for the purpose of
holding the feed rod, substantially as described and illustrated.
Fifth. The curved metal plate attached to the knife box of the nail or tack
machine, substantially as described and illustrated.
Sixth. The cam fastened to the feed barrel and the roller working in the cam, for
the purpose of liberating the strip of iron from the bottom cutter during the time
the barrel is turned over, as described and illustrated.
Seventh. The arrangement or combination of a driving pulley and clutch attached
to a nail or tack machine, substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Richards, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-seven.