Improvements in Machinery for Cutting Key Grooves in the Bosses of Toothed Wheels, Belt Pulleys, and other objects.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Feb., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Nov., 1892-Accepted, 31st Dec., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Cutting Key Grooves in the Bosses
of Toothed Wheels, Belt Pulleys, and other objects.
I WILLIAM WILSON HULSE of the Ordsal Works Salford in the County of
Lancaster Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Key grooves are cut in the bosses of toothed wheels, belt pulleys and other
objects by means of a series of cutters secured in a traversing bar, each cutter
being secured and adjusted in the bar independently of the others. According to
our method the cutters may be fixed by means of wedges in elongated holes formed
through the bar transversely at equal or otherwise convenient distances apart
longitudinally. The cutters are graduated as to the projecting distances of their
cutting edges from the axis of the bar so that a straight edge may touch all the
cutting edges simultaneously and when so doing, will be inclined at a small angle
to the axis of the bar. The bar is operated longitudinally by a slide traversed to
and fro along guides by a screw which is rotated comparatively slowly in one
direction and comparatively quickly in the other so as to make the return stroke of
the cutters quicker than the cutting stroke. The work to be key grooved is placed
upon or against a suitable abutment head in which can be placed alternative
The bars are
bushes to serve as guides for the various sizes of cutter bars.
forced through the holes along which the key grooves are to be cut, in line with
the axis of the holes. The bars are generally of cylindrical form, and of the same
size as the holes but other forms and sizes may be used. If it is required to cut
the key grooves with a taper, the tapering may be done by a separate operation
and with an alternative cutter bar having fewer cutters, as the amount of material
to be cut away in order to give the required taper to the already formed key
groove is small. The bar for tapering must work with its axis inclined to the axis
of the hole in the work correspondingly with the angle of taper to be produced.
For this purpose the guides along which works the slide for operating the tapering
bar may be made adjustable for guiding the slide and the tapering bar in the
inclined direction required and a guiding bush for the tapering bar may be used
when desirable in the abutment head such bush being formed with a hole having
its axis coincident with or parallel to that of the inclined bar. The longitudinally
working slide is provided with a cross slide (to which the bar is connected) for
enabling the position of the bar to be adjusted in a direction at right angles to its
own axis as required for setting it to its work. The machines may be constructed
either for working vertically or for working horizontally; the slides driving gear
and abutment heads being carried by suitable standards or beds as the case may be.
The cutter bars are pushed through the work under compression by the action of
the machines but in the case of small bars which night become deflected by the
pressure necessary for overcoming the resistance to the cutting action, weights
may be employed so as to exercise a pull upon the bars and thus diminish the
compressive strain. For adjusting the cutters and forcing the wedges which secure
them either in or out it is preferred to employ a clamp or grab which can be
applied to the cutter bar and holds on to it, while a screw with which the clamp or
grab is fitted is caused to act on the cutters and wedges as required. Sometimes
there may be two longitudinally working slides each mounted and guided on a
respective slide adjustable transversely. One of the longitudinal slides carries and
operates a cutter bar for cutting parallel keyways, and the other longitudinal slide
carries and operates a cutter bar for giving a taper to the keyways, and is therefore
set to work at a corresponding inclination to the axis of the hole along which the

page_text: keyways have been or are being cut. The inclination of the tapering longitudinal
slide may be made either variable or unalterable as may be preferred. Either
longitudinal slide with its cutter bar can be brought into position for working or
can be moved out of this position to make room for the other longitudinal slide
with its cutter bar by shifting the transverse slide on which it is mounted. The
driving mechanism is so arranged that when one longitudinal slide is at work the
other can be put out of gear.
Dated the 20th day of February 1892.
H. C. CARVER,
Agent for Applicant.
•
.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Cutting Key Grooves in the Bosses
of Toothed Wheels, Belt Pulleys, and other objects.
1, WILLIAM WILSON HULSE of the Ordsal Works, Salford in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, 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 :-
Key grooves are cut in the bosses of toothed wheels, belt pulleys and other
objects by means of a series of cutters secured in a traversing bar each cutter being
secured and adjusted in the bar independently of the others. According to our
method the cutters may be fixed by means of wedges in elongated holes formed
through the bar transversely at equal or otherwise convenient distances apart
longitudinally. The cutters are graduated as to the projecting distances of their
cutting edges from the axis of the bar so that a straight edge may touch all the
cutting edges simultaneously, and when so doing, will be inclined at a small angle
to the axis of the bar. The bar is operated longitudinally by a slide traversed to
and fro along guides by a screw which is rotated comparatively slowly in one
direction and comparatively quickly in the other so as to make the return stroke of
the cutters quicker than the cutting stroke. The work to be key-grooved is placed
upon or against a suitable abutment head in which can be placed alternative bushes
to serve as guides for the various sizes of cutter bars. The bars are forced through
the holes along which the key-grooves are to be cut, in line with the axis of the
holes. The bars are generally of cylindrical form and of the same size as the holes
but other forms and sizes may be used. If it is required to cut the key-grooves
with a taper, the tapering may be done by a separate operation and with an
alternative cutter bar having fewer cutters as the amount of material to be cut
away in order to give the required taper to the already formed key-groove is small.
The bar for tapering must work with its axis inclined to the axis of the hole in the
work correspondingly with the angle of the taper to be produced. For this
purpose the guides along which works the slide for operating the tapering bar may
be made adjustable for guiding the slide and the tapering bar in the inclined
direction required and a guiding bush for the tapering bar may be used when
desirable in the abutment head such bush being formed with a hole having its axis
coincident with or parallel to that of the inclined bar. The longitudinally working
slide is provided with a cross slide (to which the bar is connected) for enabling the
position of the bar to be adjusted in a direction at right angles to its own axis as
required for setting it to its work. The machines may be constructed either for
working vertically or for working horizontally; the slides driving gear and
abutment heads being carried by suitable standards or beds as the case may be.
The cutter bars are pushed through the work under compression by the action of
the machines but in the case of small bars which might become deflected by the
pressure necessary for overcoming the resistance to the cutting action, weights may
be employed so as to exercise a pull upon the bars and thus diminish the
compressive strain. For adjusting the cutters & forcing the wedges which secure

page_text: them either in or out it is preferred to employ a clamp or grab which can be
applied to the cutter bar and holds on to it while a screw with which the clamp or
grab is fitted is caused to act on the cutters and wedges as required. Sometimes
there may be two longitudinally working slides each provided with a respective
slide adjustable transversely, One of the longitudinal slides carries and operates a
cutter bar for cutting parallel keyways, and the other longitudinal slide carries and
operates a cutter bar for giving a taper to the keyways and is therefore set to work
at a corresponding inclination to the axis of the hole along which the keyways have
been or are being cut. The inclination of the tapering longitudinal slide may be
made either variable or unalterable as may be preferred. Either longitudinal slide
with its cutter bar can be brought into position for working or can be moved out of
this position to make room for the other longitudinal slide. The driving mechanism
is so arranged that when one longitudinal slide is at work the other is out of gear.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is a plan, Fig, 2 an end view and Fig. 3 a side view of a machine
constructed in accordance with the present improvements.
In these views 1 is a baseplate carrying a bed 2 secured by bolts in T grooves
and provided with guides along which the longitudinal slide 3 is traversed by the
screw 4. 5 is the cutter bar attached by a joint pin to a holder 6 secured in a
bracket 7 carried on a slide 8 adjustable transversely by a screw on the longitudinal
slide 3. 9 is a bracket fitted with a bush for guiding and supporting the cutter
bar 5 bolted to the bed 2. The work to be keygrooved is placed against an
abutment comprising a stand 10 on which is mounted a 4 jaw chuck 11 in which the
work is gripped. The stand is also fitted with a bush 12 for guiding the cutter
bar 5, to the left hand of which is secured a chain passing over a pulley and weighted
at the end as shown in order to exercise a pull on the cutter bar 5. The screw 4
is rotated through bevel wheels (as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3) driven in one
direction or the other through alternative belt pulleys 13, 14 of differing diameters ;
so that during the cutting stroke the bar 5 is traversed comparatively slowly and
during the return stroke comparatively quickly. 15 and 16 are loose pulleys.
17 is a stop secured to the longitudinal slide 3 for automatically shifting the driving
belt through adjustable stops 18, 19 and other mechanism as clearly shown in
Figs. 1 and 3. The cutter bar 5 is fitted with a series of cutters 20, each cutter
being secured independently by a wedge in a respective elongated hole in the bar.
Fig. 4 which is a view of part of the cutter bar on an enlarged scale shows
clearly the arrangement of the cutters and wedges. As many cutters are employed
in the series as will suffice to cut a keyway to the required depth at a single stroke
of the bar, the distances of the respective cutting edges from the axis of the bar
being so graduated that the same thickness of cut is taken by every cutter, and
consequently a straight edge would touch all the cutting edges simultaneously and
when so doing would be inclined at a small angle to the axis of the bar. The
cutting stroke is produced as the longitudinal slide 3 advances towards the work.
The guide bushes through which the cutter bar traverses have slots in them to
permit the projecting cutters to pass through the bushes. Various sizes of cutter
bars with corresponding guide bushes may be employed according to the work. In
cutting parallel keyways the axis of the cutter bar is parallel or coincident with
that of the holes along which the keyways are to be cut and the guides for the
longitudinal slide 3 are likewise parallel with the axis of the boles. If however it
is required to cut taper keyways the axis of the cutter bar and the guides for the
longitudinal slide must have an inclination to that of the holes equal to the taper
of the keyways. For this purpose the bed 2 has pivotted upon it at 21 a swivelling
bed 22 having guides for a longitudinal slide and a segmental slot 23 through which
passes a bolt for securing the swivelling bed at any required angle. The swivelling
bed is fitted with slides and apparatus for holding and traversing the cutter bar 5
and with belt shifting mechanism similar to that on the bed 2 which can be shifted
transversely on the base-plate 1 so that either of the two longitudinal slides may be
made to operate on the cutter bar alternatively. When changing the position of

page_text: the bed 2 it is necessary to detach the bracket 7 from one bed and bolt it to the
other and also to make disconnections and re-connections of the cutter bar and belt
shifting gear. Owing to the facility afforded by the transverse slides for making
fine adjustments in a transverse direction it is not necessary that the position of the
bed 2 should be adjusted with great precision. When cutting taper keyways the
swivelling bed is employed and the guide bushes for the cutter bar are constructed
with holes having their axes coincident with or parallel to that of the bar. It is
not always necessary to utilise the bracket 9 and its bush for guiding and supporting
the bar, as the bar may in some cases have sufficient rigidity to render the provision
superfluous. If desired the swivelling bed may be adjusted on its pivot so as to be
available in cutting parallel keyways and sometimes in making taper keyways a
parallel groove may be cut first thus leaving only a small amount of metal to be
removed for imparting the taper, which may in such case be produced with an
alternative cutter bar having a reduced number of cutters. When the cutter bar
is sufficiently rigid to resist the compressive strain set up in it by the cutting stroke
without bending it is not necessary to employ the chain and weight, the object of
these being to diminish the compressive strain when the bar would otherwise be
liable to bend. It will be seen that if desired the machine might be set to work
vertically by bolting the baseplate against a wall, the stand and guide pulley for
the weighted chain being in such case rendered unnecessary.
In Figs. 4 & 5 is shown a clamp 24 (made in two parts secured together by joint
pins) clasping the cutter bar and fitted with a screw by operating which the cutter
wedges can be forced up and the cutters adjusted without hammering them.
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. The arrangement of a machine for cutting keyways substantially as shown
and described.
2. The method of adjusting and securing cutters in a bar by means of a clamp
and screw substantially as described.
Dated this 21st day of November 1892.
TI
ADVED
H. C. CARVER,
Agent for Applicant.