Improvements in Type Cutting Machines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1896-Accepted, 4th Apr., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Type Cutting Machines.
I, THOMAS TINSLEY HEATH, of Loveland, Clermont County, State of Ohio,
United States of America, Attorney, 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 :-
Fig. 1, is a side elevation of a machine embodying my invention:
Fig. 2, a perspective view of the template chuck:
Fig. 3, an end elevation and vertical longitudinal section of the blank-chuck:
Fig. 4, side view of two cutters:
Fig. 5, a plan of the machine as modified for cutting a number of types at
once and
Fig. 6, an end elevation of the modified machine.
While this machine is adapted for the cutting of types direct, it is designed
principally for the cutting of steel types or punches employed by type founders in
making matrices.
A large sized metallic template is prepared, corresponding with the character to
be cut, this template presenting an edge or profile about one-eighth of an inch
thick. It is carried in one end of a universally journailed rod which at the other
end carries a blank to be cut. A cutter operates on the blank while the template
is moved around in engagement with a guide-pin, the size of the guide-pin and the
depth of the cutting being changed as the work proceeds step by step. For
cutting a number of similar types at once there will be several cutters engaging
several blanks moved by the rod which carries the template.
Referring to Fig. 1, the rod 6 is universally journalled at 5. At one end it has
a chuck 7 to hold the prismatic blank 8 on the end of which the character is to be
cut. Fig. 3 shows the construction of this blank-chuck. Its body is slotted to
receive the blank, a keeper 16 fitting in the slot over the blank. The shell 17,
also slotted to admit the blank and keeper, has a slightly eccentric bore to pinch
the keeper when the shell is turned.
Referring to Fig. 2, 12 is the template-chuck, receiving the template 13. The
rud 6 is clamped telescopically at 10 for the adjustment of the length of the rod
so that the lever-proportions of the rod will correspond with the proportion
between the template and the character to be cut.
In Fig. 1 a tailstock 3 bears a guide-pin 14 the periphery of whose end may
engage the contour of the template. The guide-pins are changeable and have
engaging ends of definite different. sizes, some too large to follow the sharpest
contours of the template, another small enough to follow the finest contours, and a
definitely arranged series of sizes between. Rotary cutter-spindle 2 is mounted in
a sliding headstock and carries the cutter 9. Screw 4 adjusts the headstock
end wise and is moved by a handle 15 at the tailstock, the handle having a pointer
in connection with a graduated are so that the endwise movement of the cutter
may be determined in, say, thousandths of an inch. Fig. 4 shows two cutters, one
a prismatic cutter and one a pyramidal one.
Assume the flat ended blank in the blank chuck, and the proper template in the
template chuck, and a proper proportioning of the length of rod 6, and assume a
prismatic cutter, like 18, turning with the spindle. Assume that the character is
to be cut fifteen thousandths of an inch deep, that is to say, the face of the letter
when done is to project that far from its ground. The cutter will be smaller than

page_text: snown at 18 in Fig. 4, small enough to roughly rout away the character. A guide-
pin 14 is to be selected having an active end of such diameter, with relation to the
diameter of the cutter and with relation to the proportionate reduction in the
cutting, that the cutter will produce a somewhat enlarged outline in doing its work.
In other words the guide-pin is to be a trifle larger than the diameter of the cutter
would call for if the cutter was to rout down to the finished outline of the character.
The guide-pin is to be adjusted to engage the edge of the template. Screw 4 is to
be operated to bring the end of the cutter just to the face of the blank. The
blank is then to be swung clear of the cutter and the cutter is to be drawn
forwardly, by screw 4, fifteen thousandths of an inch. The template is then caused
to work around the guide-pin, handle 11 being employed, this resulting in roughly
routing the blank to full depth, the work being done rapidly by a comparatively
stout cutter.
The cutter is now to be backed out and a second cutter, of smaller size and
having some taper is to be substituted. A second guide-pin is to be substituted
with a smaller end. The end of the cutter is again adjusted to the face of the blank,
and the blank swung aside and the cutter drawn toward it, say, thirteen thousandths
of an inch. The cutting operation is repeated, the new cutter cutting two
thousandths of an inch shallower than the first cutter and cutting away some of
the contour of the letter, leaving its plainer outlines completely finished and with
such taper as corresponds with the cutter. The operation is then repeated with a
pointed cutter like 19, Fig. 4, having known diameters and tapers, a new guide-pin
now being employed having a diameter at its active end corresponding, proportion-
ately, with the diameter of the pointed cutter at a distance of, say, twelve one-
thousandths of an inch from the point of the cutter. This cutting is done at an
adjusted depth of twelve one-thousandths of an inch and cuts a trifle of metal at
points proper to be cut with the cutter at such depth of penetration. The operation
is then repeated with a smaller guide-pin and less penetration of cutter, and so on
until the letter is finished with the point of the cutter at very shallow penetration,
working in connection with a proportionately small guide-pin. The result is that
the fine cuts in the letter are made with fine parts of the cutter working at shallow
depths, the depth of the cutter being proportioned to the freedom of the angles or
curves in the letter. The blank should be finished by slightly rubbing its face
with an oilstone to remove the burr produced by the cutter.
In practice the machine of Fig. 1, having templates about an inch high, and
making steel type of ordinary English letter form of any size which will go on a
blank two-tenths of an inch square, and worked by an operator having only two
weeks practice, can cut thirty perfect punches per day.
Where many punches or types of the same letter are wanted the machine will
be modified as indicated in Figs. 5 and 6, the rod 6 controlling several blanks
operated on simultaneously by separate cutters. In this case each cutter spindle
is mounted in its individual headstock 20, each of which can be adjusted end wise
independently by screws 21, the entire group of headstocks being mounted in a
plate 22 sliding under the control of the adjusting screw 4.
The ground produced by my machine is a trifle spherical, but this is not
objectionable in small letters. In large work, where the spherical ground would
be objectionable, it may be avoided by causing the blank chuck to slide in a plane
in a sash free to move vertically and horizontally under the control of the short
end of rod 6. In some kinds of work a chisel cutting may be preferred to the
rotary cutting. In such case a delicately pointed reciprocating chisel is to be
employed instead of the rotary cutter, its angle of reciprocation being adjustable,
and its depth of cutting being under the control of screw 4.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what mauner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. A type-cutting machine comprising a universally journalled rod carrying at

page_text: one end a blank-chuck and at the other end a template-chuck, a changeable guide-
pin rigidly supported near the template-chuck, an operating cutter rigidly supported
near the blank-chuck, and devices to move the cutter endwise and measure such
movement.
2. A type-cutting machine comprising a universally journalled rod carrying at
one end a blank-chuck and at the other end a template-chuck, a changeable guide-
pin rigidly supported near the template-chuck, an operating cutter rigidly supported
near the blank-chuck, additional rods carrying blank-chucks and mounted to move
in unison with the first mentioned blank-chuck, an operating cutter for each of the
additional blank-chucks, and mechanism for moving all the cutters endwise and
measuring such movement.
Dated this 4th day of Februar 1906
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant.