IMPROVEMENTS IN RELATING TO MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND SHAPING WOOD AND PRODUCING FAC SIMILE COPIES OF IRREGULAR PATTERNS, PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF SPOKES, SHAFTS, BOOT LASTS, AND ARTICLES."
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Wilson and Samuel Nowland, both of Liverpool, in
AND
the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
RELATING TO MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND SHAPING WOOD AND PRODUCING
FAC SIMILE COPIES OF IRREGULAR PATTERNS, PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE
TO THE MANUFACTURE OF SPOKES, SHAFTS, BOOT LASTS, AND
ARTICLES."
LIKE
Sealed the 19th December 1879, and dated the 25th June 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Wilson and Samuel
Newland at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th June
1879.
JAMES WILSON and SAMUEL NEWLAND, both of Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO MACHINERY FOR CUTTING
AND SHAPING WOOD AND PRODUCING FAC SIMILE COPIES OF IRREGULAR
PATTERNS, PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF SPOKES,
SHAFTS, BOOT LASTS, AND LIKE ARTICLES."
Our Invention relates to certain improvements in machinery for cutting and
shaping wood, the machinery being of that type known as copying lathes, chiefly
used for shaping from a pattern of metal, wheel spokes, pick or hammer handles,
gun stocks, boot lasts, and like articles.
A machine constructed according to our Invention consists of double headstocks
which are carried upon radial arms extending from suitable bosses stayed together
and forming a frame which travels longitudinally along a rotating shaft. One set
of headstocks, namely, the lower ones, are arranged to carry the metal pattern to bo
copied, and the other set of headstocks, namely, the upper ones, are arranged to
carry the wood which it is required to cut, and thereby shape in accordance with
the metal pattern carried by the lower headstocks. The wood to be shaped is first
sawn to the desired dimensions, and in the case of a wheel spoke the end tenon is
cut in the usual manner. The wood is mounted between centres on the upper
headstocks, one centre being a dog chuck, and the other a cupped lathe centre. The
travelling frame which carries the headstocks moves along its axis by means of an
endless chain or its equivalent, actuated by a bevel wheel gear arranged to reverse

page_text: and work the frame forwards and backwards as required, or a worm wheel gear
may be substituted for the bevel wheel gear. The metal pattern and wood to be
cut are rotated with the centres which carry them by means of a train of three
toothed wheels, one of which drives the chuck on each headstock, while the centre
one which imparts motion to them is driven by the rotating shaft which carries the
sliding carriage or frame. This centre wheel is attached by a sleeve or clutch to
the sliding carriage, and is driven by a key which takes into a keyway on the
horizontal shaft, of length corresponding to the extreme travel of the carriage.
Suitable pulleys and gear are provided for imparting differential speeds to the
rotating shaft, and thereby to the wood to be cut and pattern to be copied. The
wood to be cut rotates and has reciprocating motion in front of a fixed rotary cutter
carried on a horizontal spindle mounted in suitable bearings. The cutter is by
preference provided with four cutting blades, and the wood is held up thereto by
means of a roller or friction pulley which works on the metal or other pattern, which
metal or other pattern is kept up to the said friction pulley by means of a heavy
weight attached by a chain to an arm on the travelling frame. The apparatus cau
be arranged to cut wood and produce articles identical in size with the pattern, or
to cut the article larger or smaller than the pattern.
The horizontal shaft which
drives the apparatus is carried in suitable bearings mounted on standards, and the
cutter is also carried by a suitable standard which will be understood.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Wilson and Samuel Newland in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 19th December 1879.
JAMES WILSON and SAMUEL NEWLAND, both of Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND RELATING TO MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND
SHAPING WOOD AND PRODUCING FAC SIMILE COPIES OF IRREGULAR PATTERNS,
PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF SPOKES, SHAFTS, BOOT
LASTS, AND LIKE ARTICLES."
Our Invention relates to 'certain improvements in machinery for cutting and
shaping wood, the machinery being of that type known as "copying lathes," chiefly
used for shaping from a pattern articles such as wheel spokes, pick or hammer
handles, gun stocks, boot lasts, and other articles.
A machine constructed according to our Invention consists of double headstocks
which are carried upon radial arms which are stayed together and extend from
suitable bosses, the whole forming a frame which travels longitudinally along a
rotating shaft. One set of headstocks, namely, the lower ones, are arranged to carry
the pattern to be copied. The other set of headstocks, namely, the upper ones, are
arranged to carry the wood or other material required to be cut and shaped in
accordance with the pattern carried by the lower headstocks. The wood or material
to be shaped is first sawn or formed to the desired dimensions; in the case of a
wheel spoke the end tenon is cut in the usual manner. The wood or material is then
mounted between centres on the upper headstocks, one centre being a dog chuck,
and the other a lathe centre. The travelling frame which carries- the headstocks
moves along its axis by means of an endless chain, a screw rod, or its equiva-
lent, actuated by a toothed wheel gear arranged to reverse and work the frame
forwards and backwards as required.
The pattern and the wood or material to be cut are rotated with the chucks
which carry them by means of a train of three toothed wheels, one of which drives
the chuck on each headstock, while the centre one which imparts motion to them
is driven by the rotating shaft which carries the sliding carriage or frame. This
centre wheel is attached by a sleeve or clutch to the sliding carriage, and is driven
by a key which takes into a key way on the horizontal shaft. The keyway is of
length corresponding to the extreme travel of the carriage. Suitable pulleys and
gear are provided for imparting differential speeds to the rotating shaft and
thereby to the wood or material to be cut and the pattern to be copied. The wood
or material to be cut rotates, and has reciprocating motion in front of a fixed rotary
cutter carried on a horizontal spindle mounted in suitable bearings. The cutter is
driven at a high speed, and is by preference provided with four cutting blades, and
the wood or material being cut is held up to the cutter by means of a roller or
friction pulley, against which the pattern bears. The pattern is kept up to the said
roller or friction pulley by means of a weight attached to an arm on the travelling
frame.
The apparatus can be arranged to cut wood and produce articles identical in size
with the pattern, or to cut the article larger or smaller than the pattern.
That our Invention may be clearly understood we have hereunto attached a Sheet
of Drawings illustrative thereof, marked with figures and letters of reference corre-
sponding with those in the following explanation. Like letters denote like parts
throughout the various views.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS,
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine constructed according to our
Invention:

page_text: The machine consists of double headstocks, being the headstocks A, A', and B, B',
which are carried upon the radial arms C, C¹, and D, D', stayed together by the
stays E, the whole forming a frame F which travels longitudinally along a rotating
shaft G. The headstocks B, B', carry the pattern H which is to be copied, and the
headstocks A, A', carry the wood or other material I (see Figure 2) required to be
cut and shaped in accordance with the pattern H. The travelling frame F moves
along its axis G by the action of the screwed shaft J which works into a block K
carried by a quadrant L formed in the arm D¹. The screwed shaft J is operated
by the toothed wheel gear Al (see Figure 4). This toothed gear is operated by the
rotation of the shaft G, and the motion is reversed by the action of the lever N
operated by the rod O and the stops P, P¹, which stops are acted upon by the travelling
frame F and can be set to correspond with the travel that it is required to give the
frame F, the reversing motion being obtained by throwing the wheels a and b, (see
Figure 4,) respectively in and out of gear with the wheel d. The pattern H which
is to be copied, and the wood I which is to be cut, are rotated by the chucks which
carry them by means of a train of three toothed wheels Q, R, S. The wheel Q
turns the pattern H, and the wheel S turns the wood to be cut I. The centre wheel
R which imparts motion to the wheels Q, S, is mounted on and rotated by the
shaft G. The wheel R is attached to the sliding frame F by the sleeve or clutch T,
and is driven by the key U which takes into and slides in the keyway V of the
shaft G. The keyway V is of length corresponding to the extreme travel of the
frame F. Differential speeds can be imparted to the shaft G, and thereby the
wood I and the pattern H, and to the screwed shaft J, and thereby to the frame F,
by gear such as that shown at Figure 3, which consists of mounting the driving
pulley W upon a shaft W to which vertical movement can be given, and thereby
different sized wheels X can be used to gear into the wheel X' which rotates the
shaft G.
The wood I or material to be cut rotates and has reciprocating travel in front of
the fixed rotary cutter f which is carried by the horizontal spindle g mounted in
suitable bearings. The cutter f is driven at a high speed by the pulley h, and the
wood or other material I is beld up to the cutter f by means of a roller or friction
pulley against which the pattern H bears; the pattern H is kept up to the roller i
by means of the weight & suspended by a chain or its equivalent which passes
over the pulley m, and the end of which is attached to the lower portion of the
frame F.
Having now described our Invention, and shown how the same may be practically
carried into effect, what we claim as our Invention and secured to us by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
Firstly. Constructing and arranging copying lathes with a travelling frame which
carries double headstocks arranged to receive the pattern and the material to be
shaped, and which receive rotary motion, the pattern revolving against an anti
friction roller, and the material to be shaped revolving against a stationary
rotating cutter, substantially as herein described and shown in the Drawings hereto
annexed.
Secondly. The combination and arrangement of parts together constituting a
copying lathe, as herein described and shown in the Drawings hereto annexed.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Wilson and Samuel Newland, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Seventeenth day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
JAMES
(L.S.) WILSON,
SAMUEL (L.S.) NEWLAND.