CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING NAILS, APPLICABLE IN PARTICULAR TO THE MAKING OF THAT DESCRIPTION OF NAILS CALLED HORSE NAILS
Year: 1860

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas Till at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition; on the 14th September
1860.
I, THOMAS TILL, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Machinist,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING NAILS, APPLICABLE IN PARTICULAR TO THE
MAKING OF THAT DESCRIPTION OF NAILS CALLED HORSE NAILS," to be as follows,
that is to say:-
This Invention consists in a combination of hammers, gripping tools, and
dies worked by a shaft under the bed-plate. The action of the several parts
will be better understood by reference to the accompanying Drawings, in
which (Fig. 1) represents a plan of the machine seen from above, part of the
top hammers being removed to shew the parts underneath, and (Figure 2)
represents a side elevation. (A) is a driving shaft, upon which are fixed the
cams or eccentrics working the several hammers and dies; one of the centre
cams works the top hammers (b, 6'), the other centre cam working the anvil
slide (c). The outside cams work each one of the side hammers (d, d¹).
The iron rods in a heated state are fed to the machine through sliding grips
(E, E¹), furnished with levers (f, f'), which may be weighted, if necessary.
These grips, sliding in grooved beds (g, g¹), are to be advanced, as required,
by the hand of the operator, or they may be made self-acting by any suitably
contrived mechanism in gearing with the driving shaft. The rods being thus

page_text: advanced to positions on either side of the anvil (h) are struck by the side
hammers (d, d¹). These hammers receding, and with them the anvil slide,
the partially-formed nails or blanks are left exposed upon the second anvil (h'),
and receive the blows of the top hammers (b, 6'). Two cutting edges j, j' are
provided for the purpose of severing each nail from the rod. This is done by
the blocks (k, k) fixed upon the faces of the top hammers, striking the cutters
down upon the rod at a suitable part for the formation of the head. These
cutters are also advanced at the proper moment by the operator employing the
levers (L, L'), by which he can bring the edge of the cutters (j,j¹) imme-
diately under the blocks (K, K¹). The levers being released, the cutters are
thrown back by springs, the nails fall from the machine complete. The arms
of the top hammers (6, 61,) and of the side hammers (d, d¹,) are made in two
parts jointed together as at (6"), (d"); this is for the purpose of avoiding
breakages that would arise were those parts too rigid. x, x, x, are the
springs operating the hammers. A guage (not shewn in the Drawings) is
attached immediately at the back of the cutters (j,j). This guage is to
regulate the length of iron fed to the machine, and which length is just
sufficient for making each nail. The machine may be driven in other ways
than that exhibited; for instance, a disc hung horizontally on a vertical shaft
may have upon its periphery all the needful cams, or vertical bevil wheel
gearing may be employed, if preferred. The faces of the several hammers
and dies or anvils must, of course, have the requisite form cut upon them to
produce the form of nail desired.