A Machine for Turning Pearl Buttons and for Sharpening the Cutting Tool Employed therefor without Removing the said Tool from the Machine.
Year: 1884

page_text: A Machine for Turning Pearl Buttons and for Sharpening the
Cutting Tool Employed therefor without Removing the said
Tool from the Machine.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I, ERNEST DE PASS, of 68 Fleet Street, in the City of London, Fellow of the
Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of said Invention for
A MACHINE FOR TURNING PEARL BUTTONS AND FOR SHARPENING THE CUTTING
TOOL EMPLOYED THEREFOR, WITHOUT REMOVING THE SAID TOOL FROM THE
MACHINE, communicated to me from abroad by La Société May frères et
Compagnie, of 1, Boulevard Saint-Denis, Paris, France, Manufacturers, to be as
follows:-
This Invention has for its object the construction of a machine for turning pearl
buttons, said machine being provided with a carriage serving two distinct purposes,
viz. for bringing the cutting tool to the mandril, which carries the piece to be
worked upon, and for conducting the said tool to the grindstone, for the purpose
of sharpening the same.
The machine is destined to replace turning by hand, with a cutter, which is a
very slow and expensive process, by mechanical turning which, according to this
invention is effected by a tool of regular shape, prepared by a grindstone and
sharpened without being removed from the carriage. This machine allows of a
greatly increased production and at the same time of obtaining buttons of
indefinitely varied forms, according to the section of the tool; of having a con-
stantly regular turning for all buttons of the same form, the tool producing always
the same section which is a very important result and one which it is impossible
to obtain by the most skilful workman, by hand cutting.
The cutting tool is placed on a carriage and fixed to its upper-face plate by clips;
this face plate travels longitudinally in a slide which receives a transverse move-
ment on the carriage by an endless screw furnished with a handle.
At its lower
part this carriage carries a stud turning in a dovetail bearing and sliding in a
groove in the table.

page_text: On this carriage is a pin which travels in a longitudinal groove contrived in the
bottom of the first named groove. This pin, together with the stud serves to
guide the travel of the carriage in its course along a curved groove or slot in the
table, leading to the grindstone.
The carriage is moved by hand and brings the tool to the mandril carrying the
button to be worked upon, and this mandril is actuated by a rapid rotary
movement.
The tool, as before stated, is shaped according to the section of the button to be
produced, by means of a grindstone, and is sharpened by a grindstone, and in order
that the sharpening be always done quickly and at the same angle, the tool, as soon
as its edge is blunt, is carried to the grindstone, by the carriage.
For this purpose the carriage carrying the tool is drawn back and moved away
from the mandril. Guided by the stud and pin it is moved to one end of the
groove where it is caused to describe a quarter of a circle around the stud, it being
guided into the curved groove or slot, and it then takes up a straight line so as to
bring the handle on the outer side of the table.
The carriage is now pushed along in a straight line up to the grindstone where
the tool is sharpened, always at the same angle.
The reverse movement is effected to bring back the tool into engagement with
the button to be turned.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, ERNEST DE PASS, of 68 Fleet Street, in the City of London, Fellow of the
Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of said invention for
A MACHINE FOR TURNING PEARL BUTTONS AND FOR SHARPENING THE CUTTING
TOOL EMPLOYED THEREFOR, WITHOUT REMOVING THE SAID TOOL FROM THE
MACHINE, communicated to me from abroad by La Société May frères et
Compagnie, of 1 Boulevard Saint-Denis, Paris, France, Manufacturers, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be, particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement, reference, being had to the
accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say:
This Invention has for its object a machine for turning pearl buttons, said
machine being provided with a carriage or slide rest serving two distinct purposes,
viz. for bringing the cutting tool to the chuck which carries the piece to be worked
upon, and for conducting the said tool to the grindstone for the purpose of
sharpening the same.
This machine is designed to supersede hand turning with a graver which is very
slow and expensive, by mechanical turning, executed with a tool of regular form
prepared by a grinding disc and sharpened without being removed from the slide
rest.
By means of this invention the rate of production of buttons may be greatly
increased, and at the same time the forms of the buttons indefinitely varied,
according to the outline or form of the cutting edge of the tool; the turning
operation being always the same, for all buttons of the same form, the tool always
producing the same outline, which is a very important result and one which it is
impossible to obtain by the most skilful operative, by hand cutting.
Referring to the accompanying sheet of drawings:-
Fig. 1 is a plan of a machine, constructed in accordance with this invention, for
turning pearl buttons, shewing the slide rest which carries the cutting tool in its
two operations of bringing the tool to the chuck in which the piece to be operated
upon is mounted and of carrying the same tool to the grindstone to be sharpened.
Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively side and end views of the slide rest and lathe bed.
Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are respectively a front, an edge, and a plan view of the cutting
tool.
Fig 7 is a cross section of the lathe bed taken on the line A, B of Fig. 1, and
Fig. 8 is a front and sectional view of one of the numerous types of buttons that
may be turned by this machine.
The cutting tool a, is placed in the slide rest b, and fixed on its top plate d, by
means of the holding plates c, c; this plate & travels longitudinally in a slide f,
which itself receives a transverse motion on the slide rest 6, by means of an endless
screw h, operated by a handle i.

page_text: L
The slide rest b, carries at its lower part a stud j, turning in a bearing k; this
latter terminates in a dovetail which slides in a groove in the bed r.
In the slide rest is fixed a pin m, which travels in the longitudinal groove n,
formed in the bottom of the groove l. This pin with with the stud j, serves to
guide the slide rest through the arc of a circle n¹, as hereinafter explained.
The slide rest is moved by hand and brings the cutting tool to the chuck p,
holding the button to be operated on; this chuck receives a rapid rotary motion.
As already stated, the cutting tool is shaped according to the required section of
'button to be made by means of a grinding disc o, shewn in Fig. 4 in position with
respect to the cutting tool; it is further sharpened at the grindstone and in order
that the operation of sharpening shall always be performed very rapidly, and at the
same angle, the cutting tool, as soon as its edge is blunt, is moved to the grindstone
by the slide rest b.
For this purpose the slide rest carrying the cutting tool is drawn back and
moved away from the chuck p. Guided by the stud j, and the pin m, it is moved
up to the end of the groove l, where it is caused to describe a quarter of a circle.
on the stud, it being then guided into the curved groove n¹ and it then takes up
a straight line of travel so as to bring the handle i, on the outer side of the
lathe bed.
All that is now required is to push the slide rest in a straight line up to the
grindstone q, where the cutting tool is sharpened always at the same angle.
The reverse movement is effected to bring back the cutting tool into engagement
with the button to be turned.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim, as communicated to mẹ by my foreign correspondents, is
A machine for turning pearl buttons and for sharpening the cutting tool employed
therefor, without removing the said tool from the machine, having its parts arranged
and combined to operate substantially as herein described, and as illustrated in the
drawings, and for the purposes set forth.
'