Improvements in Machinery for Pointing and Nippling or Shouldering Round or other Section Metal Bars.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 12th July, 1897
Complete Specification Left 9th Anr. 1898 Accepted 18th June 1898
Date of Application, 12th July, 1897
Complete Specification Loft 9th Anr. 1898 Accepted 18th June 1898
Improvements in Machinery for Pointing and Nippling or
Shouldering Round or other Section Metal Bars.
We, JOSEPH HENRY SMITH, of Brierley Hill Iron Works, Brierley Hill, in the
County of Stafford, Fencing Manufacturer, and WALTER HASTED, of Brierley Hill
Iron Works, aforesaid, Foreman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to machinery for pointing and nippling or shoulder-
ing metal bars of round or other section such as are used to form the uprights of
metallic fencing. Each of these bars requires to be pointed at one end to form
the pointed top of the upright bar and nippled or shouldered down at the other
end to enter the hole in the bottom cross bar of the fencing. Heretofore the
pointing and the nippling have been separate operations performed in a machine
such as an oliver. By our improved machine we are enabled to perform the
pointing and nippling or shouldering down operations simultaneously as we
operate on both ends of the bar at the same time. Moreover we are enabled to
finish off the bars to a dead length without measuring and our improved machine
is so constructed that it can easily be operated by an unskilled person. Thus
the cost of pointing and nippling or shouldering the ends of the bars is consider-
ably reduced.
In carrying out this invention we provide a machine bed like a lathe bed on
which are mounted two lathe headstocks carrying spindles which receive rotary
motion from any convenient source. These two headstocks are far enough apart
to admit the round or other section metal bar between them which is laid in
position in line with the lathe spindles by means of a suitable gripping device
which may consist of a stationary bottom block having a horizontal groove in
which the bar will lie the said bottom block carrying a lever grip which turns
about a fulcrum at one end and is weighted at its outer end and is made with an
eccentric swell which bears upon the bar and holds the same in the bottom block
whilst the ends are being operated upon. Or the gripping bar may be operated
by a screw instead of the weight. One of the lathe spindles carries a chuck
fitted with turning tools or cutters shaped so as to point the end of the bar. This
chuck also has a central bush through which the end of the bar is inserted to
steady the bar. The other lathe spindle carries a similar chuck provided with
cutters or turning tools shaped so as to nipple or shoulder down the other end
of the bar. Means are provided for moving the two headstocks along the lathe
bed simultaneously nearer to each other so that the cutters will operate on the
ends of the bar and also for moving the headstocks apart for the removal of the
bar after its ends have been operated upon. Various means may be adopted for
this purpose and what we prefer is to employ two racks within the lathe bed
which are respectively fixed to the two headstocks and gearing with one of these
racks there is a spur pinion mounted on a central spindle and gearing with the
other rack there is an idle pinion turning on a pin which also gears with, a spur

page_text: pinion on the said spindle. The end of this spindle is provided with a hand wheel
or other means for turning the same so that when the spindle is turned in one
direction the pinions and racks will cause the headstocks to advance towards each
other along the lathe bed and when the spindle is turned in the opposite direction
the two headstocks will retire from each other. Or we may employ a screw. which
has a right hand thread at one end and a left hand thread at the other end gearing
with corresponding nuts fixed to the headstocks said screw being turned by
bevelled wheels from the said central spindle so as to retire or advance the two
headstocks simultaneously.
The machine above described operates as follows:-
The headstocks are moved far enough from each other to admit between them
the bar whose ends are to be pointed and nippled or shouldered. The gripping
device is opened to receive the bar and then closed to hold the same. The head-
stocks with their revolving cutters are now caused to advance simultaneously and
to turn the ends of the bar pointing one end and nippling or shouldering down
the other end, and when the headstocks have been advanced as far as a suitable
stop will allow they are moved apart again the gripping device opened and the
pointed and nippled bar removed and another bar inserted which is operated upon
as before. As the end of the bar which is nippled or shouldered is usually shorter
than the pointed end of the bar it is not necessary for the headstock which carries
the nippling or shouldering cutters to travel so far as does the headstock which
carries the pointing cutters. This difference in the travel of the two headstocks
can readily be allowed for by making the pinions which gear with the racks in
the proper proportion. Suitable stops prevent the headstocks from being moved
too near together and thus give the dead length of the finished bars.
Data: 10th law of IL. 1907
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicants.
Improvements in Machinery for Pointing and Nippling or
Shouldering Round or other Section Metal Bars.
We, JOSEPH HENRY SMITH, of Brierley Hill Iron Works, Brierley Hill, in the
County of Stafford, Fencing Manufacturer, and WALTER HASTED, of Brierley Hill
Iron Works,, aforesaid, Foreman, 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 machinery for pointing and nippling or shoulder-
ing metal bars of round or other section such as are used to form the uprights of
metallic fencing. Each of these bars require to be pointed at one end to form
the pointed top of the upright bar and nippled or shouldered down at the other
end to enter the hole in the bottom cross bar of the fencing. Heretofore the
pointing and the nippling have been separate operations performed in a machine
such as an oliver. By our improved machine we are enabled to perform the
pointing and nippling or shouldering down operations simultaneously as we
operate on both ends of the bar at the same time. Morcover we are enabled to
finish off the bars to a dead length without measuring and our improved machine
is so constructed that it can readily be operated by an unskilled person. Thus
the cost of pointing and nippling or shouldering the ends of the bars is consider-
ably reduced.

page_text: We will describe our invention by referring to the accompanying drawings
on which Fig. 1 is a front elevation partly in section of a machine constructed
according to this invention for pointing and nippling or shouldering down the
ends of round metal bars; Fig. 2 shews one of the bars which has been pointed
at one end and nippled or shouldered at the other end by the said machine;
Fig.
shews a part of the same machine; Fig. 4 is a plan of the said machine
partly in section; Fig. 5 is a sectional plan of part of the same; Fig. 6 is a cross
sectional elevation of the gripper part of the machine; Fig. 7 is a front elevation
and cross section of one of the chucks and tools for pointing one end of the bar;
and Fig. 8 is a front elevation and cross section of the other chuck and tools for
nippling or shouldering down the other end of the bar.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures of the
drawings.
In carrying out this invention we provide a machine bed A like a lathe bed on
which are mounted two lathe headstocks B and C of which the headstock B
carries the lathe spindle D provided with pulley to receive rotary motion from
any convenient source and the other headstock C carries a lathe spindle E provided
with a pulley e¹ for driving the same. These two headstocks B C are far enough
apart to admit the round or other section metal bar F between them which, as
hereinafter described, is held in position in line with the lathe spindles D E by
means of a suitable gripping device mounted on the bed A of the machine. This
gripping device may be made in various ways but what we prefer is that shewn
upon our drawings which consists of two gripping blocks G H each made with
horizontal V grooves marked respectively g₁ h¹ to receive the bar F between them.
The block H is adjustable by the screw h³ nearer to or farther from the centre
line of the lathe spindles to suit bars of various diameters and the other block G
is movable by the screw and provided with the handle 3 by turning which
the block G can be set up towards the other block H and thus grip the bar F
between them. In combination with the said gripping device we provide the
two steadies S1 S2 (one of which is shewn separately by Fig. 3) fixed on the lathe
bed A-and-made with open topped slots s in which the bar F will lie in line with
the centre line of the lathe spindles D E.
The lathe spindle E carries the chuck I shewn separately by Fig. 7 fitted with
turning tools or cutters shaped so as to point the end of the bar. These cutters
are by preference three in number marked 13, arranged at equal distances
apart round the centre and fixed to the chuck by the screws and shaped to
point the end of the bar F. The chuck I also carries at the front a central
bush K through which the end of the bar F is inserted to steady the bar whilst
its end is being pointed. The other lathe spindle D carries a chuck L (shewn
separately by Fig. 8) similar to the chuck I and provided with cutters or turning
tools shaped as shewn so as to nipple or shoulder down the end fl of the
bar F. This chuck L also has a central bush K to steady the bar F while the
end is being nippled or shouldered down.
Means are provided for moving the two headstocks B C along the lathe. bed A
simultaneously nearer to each other so that the said cutters will respectively
operate on the ends f¹ f2 of the bar F and the said headstocks are also arranged
so that they can be moved apart for the removal of the bar F after its ends fi få
have been turned down. Various means may be adopted for the purpose of
moving the headstocks B C as aforesaid, but what we prefer is to employ the
screw M arranged within the lathe bed A and extending from end to end of the
same and having a right hand thread m³ at one part for working the headstock C
and a left hand thread m at the other part for operating the headstock B these
Ecrew threads gearing with corresponding nuts b c fixed respectively to the head-
stocks BC, the set screw M being turned by the bevelled wheels n' n³ (see Fig. 5)
from the central spindle N of the machine this spindle being provided with a
hand wheel and turning in a bearing n carried by the lathe bed A so that
when the spindle N is turned in one direction the rotary motion will by the bevel

page_text: wheels n' n² be transmitted to the screw M and cause the headstocks B C to
advance towards each other along the lathe bed to operate on the ends of the
bar as aforesaid and when the spindle N is turned in the opposite direction the
headstocks BC will thereby be caused to retire from each other to allow of the bar F
being removed.
00 are stop collars to limit the movement of the headstocks. It will be seen
that the stop collars 01 02 are both carried on the horizontal stop bar P which is
arranged parallel with the lathe bed and carried from the side thereof by the two
brackets 2. The stop O¹ has to be fixed in such a position on the bar P that
when the headstock B comes in contact with the stop collar O¹ the two headstocks
will have moved together as far as is required for the length of the particular
bar F which is being operated upon, and when the shaft N is turned in the
opposite direction and the headstocks BC are thereby moved outwardly, the
collar O limits the said outward movement of the headstocks. The stops 01 02
can be moved along the bar P and fixed in different positions to suit the length
of the bar I' which is being operated upon.
The machine above described operates as follows:-Before the bar F is placed
in the machine the headstocks B C are moved far enough apart from each other
to admit between them the bar whose ends are to be pointed and nippled or
shouldered. This is as far as the stop 02 will allow. The gripping device is
opened by turning the handle g³, and the bar F is then placed in position for its
ends to be operated upon. The exact position of the bar F can be judged by the
end of the bar F being just flush with the front face of the bush K of the
chuck L (or the gauge hereinafter described may be provided to give the exact
position of the bar F). The bar F falls into the V slots s of the steadies S¹ $2
which thus help to steady the bar so that its ends. will properly enter the
bushes K K. The gripping device is now closed on the bar by turning the
handle g. The hand wheel n³ is now turned so as to cause the two headstocks BC
with their revolving cutters to advance simultaneously and to turn the ends fl f
of the bar pointing the end f² and nippling or shouldering down the other end fl
and when the headstocks B C have been advanced as far as the stop collar O' will
allow the headstocks are moved apart again by turning the hand wheel ³ in the
opposite direction as far as the stop 0 will allow, and then the gripping device
is opened by turning the handle and the pointed and nippled bar is removed
and another bar inserted and operated upon as above described.
As the stop O¹ prevents the headstocks B C from being moved too near together
the stop 01 thus gives the dead length of the finished bar and all the bars which
are pointed and nippled or shouldered with the stop O in the same position will
be finished to the same length.
The gauge above referred to (which however forms no part of our invention)
for enabling the bar F to be placed in its exact position in the gripping device
consists of the bell crank lever made with two arms q¹ q2 and arranged to turn
about a fulcrum pin 3 carried by a bracket 9 on the steady S at some little
distance in front of the chuck L. The end portion of the arm ql is turned at
right angles to the arm q' so as to stand in front of the chuck L before the bar F
has been operated upon. The bell crank lever q¹³ is actuated by the rod 1 which
is jointed to the arm and passes through a hole 63 in the headstock B and is
there fixed by the set screw . When the headstocks B C are moved outwardly
as far as the stop 03 will allow, the bar r¹ moving with the headstock B turns the
lever so that the arm q¹ rises and its end is immediately in front of the
bush K of the chuck L so that the end of the bar F can be placed against
the end of the arm q' before the gripping blocks G H are closed upon the bar and
thus the exact position of the bar F is obtained. Directly the headstocks B C
commence to advance the bar turns the lever q¹ so that the arm q' moves
down out of the way of the advancing chuck L as shewn in Fig. 1.
The accompanying drawings illustrate what we consider to be the best way
of

page_text: carrying our invention into practice but it is to be understood that our invention
is not limited to the precise details shewn.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
1. In a machine for pointing and nippling or shouldering the ends of metal
bars such as form the uprights of metallic fencing, the combination and employ-
ment of two lathe headstocks mounted in the same line on a lathe bed, one of
said headstocks having a lathe spindle adapted to revolve and carrying a chuck
provided with a central bush for steadying the bar and with revolving tools or
cutters adapted to nipple or shoulder down the end of the bar, and the other lathe
headstock having a lathe spindle adapted to revolve and carrying a chuck pro-
vided with a central bush for steadying the bar and with revolving cutters adapted
to point the end of the bar, a holding device situated between the headstocks
adapted to grip and hold the bar in a line with the lathe spindles, a right and
left hand screw and nuts or other equivalent device engaging with the headstocks
and operated by a transverse shaft so as to advance the headstocks towards each
other simultaneously to operate on the ends of the bar or cause the headstocks to
simultaneously recede from each other to allow of the bar being removed and
replaced, and stops to limit the movement of the headstocks, the said parts being
arranged for joint operation substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
by the accompanying drawings.
2. The improved machine for pointing and nippling or shouldering the ends of
metal bars constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
1000
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicants: