IMPROVEMENTS IN HORSE SHOE NAIL BLANK FORGING MACHINES
Year: 1881

page_text: "
LETTERS PATENT to Sydney Pitt, of Sutton, in the County of Surrey, for
an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN HORSE SHOE NAIL BLANK FORGING
MACHINES." A communication from abroad by Charles Wellington Woodford,
of Essex, in the County of Essex, and State of New York, United States of
America.
*
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Sydney Pitt at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th August 1881.
SYDNEY PITT, of Sutton, in the County of Surrey. IMPROVEMENTS IN HORSE
SHOE NAIL BLANK FORGING MACHINES." [A communication from abroad by
Charles Wellington Woodford, of Essex, in the County of Essex, and State of New
York, United States of America.]
"
The Invention has reference to that class of nail forging machines usually known
as "Dodge" machines, and consists in certain improvements in the details of
construction and arrangement of such machines, whereby the parts can be adjusted
for operation more quickly and easily and with greater certainty than heretofore,
a more effective working of the apparatus is attained, the wear of the parts
compensated for.
Improvements in the means by which the pitman which receives motion from
the roller shaft of such a nail forging machine is connected with the hammer
which it operates form the first portion of the Invention.
Up to the present time this has been done by means of a straight pin connected
with the pitman by an universal joint, and driven into a hole in the hammer
corresponding to it in size. This connection is however not only very difficult to
adjust so as to obtain the exact relative positions of the hammer and pitman, but
from the strain of the parts the pin becomes loose in the socket, thus necessitating
the removal and re-reaming of the hammer.
I propose therefore to make the noddle pin of such a section that it can be
slipped into (and will not turn in) a mortice formed in the hammer, and to secure
it in place by a strap and set screw or their equivalents. By this means the parts

page_text: adjusts themselves when they are put together, and all chance of injury from wear
and consequent loosening of the connection is obviated.
The Invention also has reference to the gauge for regulating the length of nail
to be cut, and the advantages which I propose to attain are its easy adjustment,
certain operation, and nonliability to become choked in its bearings. I propose
instead of arranging the spindle of such gauge to turn in bearings formed for it in
the frame (by which arrangement scale and dirt are likely to accumulate in such
bearings), to carry it in hangers or projections, thereby obviating this inconvenience.
The head of the stock is bored out to receive a screwed arm, which is adjustably
secured in its place by jam nuts, and carries on its end the nail stop. This
construction allows of very easy and accurate adjustment of the parts.
Upon the lower part of the spindle above mentioned is secured a lug impinged
against by a cam mounted on the lower shaft of the machine, this operating to turn
the spindle so as to bring the arm into such a position as to stop the bar and hold
it till it is seized by the gripper. When the spindle is released by the cam it is
restored to its normal position by means of a suitable spring or other analogous
device.
The Invention also has reference to the parts of the machine connected with the
carriage on which the nail rod is placed.
A cam mounted on the cam shaft of the machine acts through a lever and rock
shaft upon a lever pivotted to a lug below the carriage, thus giving the throw
required, all these parts being of the ordinary construction. In addition to these
I form below the carriage projections from the frame on the insides of these being
formed curved grooves in which run boxes receiving the ends of a spindle, which
carries a square sleeve attached to a projection from the carriage. By this arrange-
ment the carriage is maintained in a perfectly horizontal position, the sleeve which
supports it rocking on the spindle so as to conform to the are described by the
operating lever.
Up to the present time the cutter stock carrying the cutter which severs the
nail from the rod is made in one piece. This arrangement when the operating cam
or any of the parts through which it imports motion becomes worn, causes
irregularity of throw, and consequent variation of the length of the head of the
nail. To remedy this, the cam and its connections have to be removed from the
machine. Besides this, with the cutter stock once set the length of the nail lead
cannot be varied.
I therefore propose to form the cutter stock in two parts, one, the cutter stock
proper, carried on centres in any suitable way and rotated by means of a projection-
acted upon by a projection from the cam.
To this stock is attached a cutter holder slotted and secured in place by means
of screw or other bolts passing through the slots and entering into the cutter stock.
By this means the distance of the cutter (carried in this cutter holder or moveable
head) from the centre of the stock may be easily and readily varied at will, thus
compensating for any wear of the operating mechanism and allowing the length of
the head of the nail to be altered.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Sydney Pitt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th February
1882.
SYDNEY PITT, of Sutton, in the County of Surrey. "IMPROVEMENTS IN HORSE
SHOE NAIL BLANK FORGING MACHINES." A communication from abroad by
Charles Wellington Woodford, of Essex, in the County of Essex, and State of New
York, United States of America.
. This Invention, which has reference to that class of nail forging machines.
known as "Dodge," machines, comprises certain improvements in the details of
their construction as follows:-
First. In the means whereby the pitman which receives motion from the roller
shaft is connected with the hammer which it operates, so as to make the parts
self adjusting when put together and obviate the difficulties caused by loosening
from wear.
Second. In so constructing and arranging the gauge for regulating the length of
nail to be cut as to secure its easy adjustment, certain operation, and non-liability
to become choked.
Thirdly. In improvements connected with the carriage on which the nail rod
is placed, by which it is maintained in a perfectly horizontal position, and
Fourthly. In the construction of the cutter stock in such a way that the wear of
the cutter or of the operating mechanism can be easily compensated for and the
length of the head of the nail altered at will.
For full comprehension of the Invention reference must be had to the annexed
Drawings, in which Figure 1 shews a plan view of a machine embodying my
improvements; Figure 2, a back view, partly broken away, shewing connection of
pitman and hammer; Figure 3, a detail of noddle pin enlarged; Figure 4, a
sectional elevation shewing pitinan gauge and gauge stock; Figure 5, view of
gauge stock, &c.; Figure 6, a side view, partly broken away, showing carriage
and operating mechanism; Figure 7, the same, shewing in addition thereto
cutter mechanism; and Figures 8, 9, 10, and 11, details of cutter stock, cutter
holder, and cutter.
Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.
A is the frame of the machine, of any suitable construction and sufficient
strength to carry the parts, B being the roller shaft carried in proper bearings, and
operating as usual the devices for forging (i. e., rolling and hammering out) the
blank, and C is the cam shaft, by which the several devices for carrying the rod,
gauging, gripping, and cutting it off are worked.
It will of course be understood that where no special allusion is made to any of
the parts they remain unaltered, and if shown are only so to enable the improve-
ments to be clearly understood.
I will now proceed to describe particularly the devices forming the first part of
the Invention and specially shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4.
The pitman in this case instead of being a single rod or bar is composed of two
rods D, D, bent out and having shoulders d, d, d, d, formed thereon.
Upon the upper shoulders d, d, rests the plate E slipped over the upper ends of
the rods D; on this are placed boxes F, F, receiving between them the roller
shaft B, on these being set the plate E¹, the whole being secured preferably by jam
nuts e, e, in the usual way.
Boxes G, G, are secured on the lower end of the pitman by plates H, H', held in
place by jam nuts h, h, and carry between them in a ball socket the rounded
end K' of the noddle pin K, which is fitted into a mortice in the hammer L and is

page_text: as shown at , Figure 3, slotted at one end and secured to the hammer by a screw
bolt passing through the slot k, whilst its other end is held by a strap passing over
it, thereby allowing the noddle pin when it is inserted to move of itself in the
mortice till it comes into its proper position with relation to the hammer, and can
then be secured therein.
This construction of the pitman also allows the die L¹, attached to the hammer L
by a strap or in any usual way, to be made much longer than usual, and by this
arrangement a far larger relative proportion of the material of the die can be used
up than by the ordinary construction.
The construction of the noddle pin and the connection thereby of the pitman and
hammer enable any adjustment to compensate for wear, &c., to be done with ease
and certainty.
The operation of the hammer and roller in forging the nails is similar to that
now practiced.
I will now proceed to describe in detail the improvements relating to the gauge
stock, which are shown particularly in Figures 4 and 5.
M is the spindle carried in any suitable projections or hangers and supported at
either end upon centres.
M is the head of the gauge stock threaded out to receive the arm N, screwed
and secured adjustably therein by jam nuts m, and having a bent end N¹, which
acts as a stop for the nail rod.
Upon the lower part of this spindle M is secured a lug or projection M²
impinged against by the cam O mounted on the shaft C, so as to turn the spindle
and bring the end N¹ to the position shown in Figure 1 (i.e., that which will stop
the bar), in which position it is held until the gripper, constructed and operating in
the usual way, comes down and holds the bar. The cam in its revolution releases
the projection M' and the spindle M carrying the stop is restored by a spring or
other suitable device to its normal position.
The improvements in the parts connected with the carriage, and shown in
Figures 6 and 7, will be now described.
P is the carriage of the usual form and receiving its throw in the usual way.
It is proposed, however, in addition to the ordinary construction, to arrange
immediately under the carriage, and either cast in one with the frame or secured
thereto, projections Q, Q, in which are formed curved grooves Q', Q'. In these
run boxes R receiving the ends of the spindle s carrying a square sleeve S attached
-to-a-projection-p-from-the carriage.-
By this arrangement the carriage is maintained in a horizontal position during
its reciprocal movement, as the sleeve S supporting the end of the carriage and
. rocking on the spindle s conforms to the arc of the circle described by the end of
the operating lever.
The last part of the Invention refers to the novel construction of the cutter
stock, &c., the details of which are as follows:-
T is the cutter stock, carried in suitable bearings and having as usual the
necessary movement imparted to it from the cam shaft C by suitable devices
impinging on the arm t projecting therefrom, and being restored to its position by
any suitable return spring, as shown in Figure 7.
T is the arm or block formed on the end of the cutter stock N, shewn specially
in Figures 8, 9, and 11, in which Figure 8 is a front view, Figure 9 a top view, and
Figure 11 a section through T¹.
To this is attached the cutter holder U of the shape shown, and with a
projection or dovetail U on its underside entering into and sliding on a
corresponding groove in T', to which it is thus attached. V, V, are slots formed
in U, through which pass the set screws V1, V₁, entering the block T¹ and securing
the holder U in any position desired.
W is the cutter carried in U, Figure 10, showing the fixed cutter.
Having thus described the Invention, what I claim is as follows:-
First. In a nail forging machine the combination with the roller shaft and

page_text: hammer carrying the die of a pitman formed in two parts and made self adjusting
with the hammer, substantially as herein set forth.
Second. The noddle pin K slotted and secured in a mortice on the underside of
the hammer by a screw and strap, as and for the purposes set forth.
Third. The improved gauge, herein described, consisting of the spindle M
carried in centres and arm N screwed through threaded head of said spindle,
and adjusted by jam nuts m, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Fourth. In combination with the carriage for the nail rods, projections Q having
curved grooves in which travel boxes carrying the ends of spindles, on which are
placed blocks or lugs connected with said carriage, all substantially as set forth and
for the purposes described.
Fifth. In a nail forging machine, the combination with the cutter stock of a
holder carrying the cutter and secured adjustably to said stock, so that the distance
of the cutter from the centre of the stock can be varied at will, substantially as
and for the purposes described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Sydney Pitt, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty fifth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.