IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR CUTTING AND BENDING METAL TO FORM LINKS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake of the firm of Haseltine Lake
& Co, Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings London for an invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR CUTTING AND BENDING METAL TO FORM
LINKS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES" Communicated to him from abroad by
Robley D. Evans, and Richard M. Green both of Washington, District of
Columbia United States of America
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th May 1882.
"
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings London "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR CUTTING
AND BENDING METAL TO FORM LINKS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES [Communicated
to him from abroad by Robley D. Evans, and Richard M. Green both of
Washington, District of Columbia United States of America]
This Invention relates to machines for cutting and bending metal, when cold, to
form links shackles or similar articles; and it consists in the combination of devices
hereinafter described.
It is well known that the fibre of iron is more or less injured by every heating
of the metal, and to avoid a heating and consequent injury is one object of the said
invention. It is also well known that in bending heated iron none of its imper-
fections are exposed, and chains are liable to be made of imperfect and faulty
metal, while the bending of the iron cold exposes any imperfections which may
exist in the fibre of the metal, and all imperfect links can be rejected, and the best
results secured.
In carrying the said Invention into practice I provide vertical guides and a
cross-head or cutter-head sliding on the same and attached to a crank-shaft, by a
connecting rod. The said crank-shaft is operated by a hand-wheel, but the piston-
rod of a steam-hammer may, if desired, be attached to, and operate, the cutter-head,
LD 637

page_text: and thus afford a power sufficient to cut and bend links of cold iron two inches in
diameter, with great rapidity.
The said cutter-head is provided with dovetail grooves, in which are held a
bending tool and cutting-tool, by means of lugs formed by the heads of screw-
bolts fitting snugly in the grooves. These screw bolts are loosened or tightened by
means of nuts. When the screw-bolts are loosened the bending tool and cutter
*can be adjusted laterally to suit the work to be done, and when these bolts are
tightened the bending tool and cutter are held firmly in position. The dye-block
is grooved in a similar manner to receive the heads of screw-bolts, which hold the
dies in position, and by which the same may be adjusted to their work like the
bending tool and cutter in the cutter-head. Each die is recessed in its face to
receive friction-rollers which rest upon, and revolve on, the body of the screw-bolts.
When the metal rod is in position, for cutting and bending, the cutter head
descends and the cutter, being longer, severs the rod by the time and just as the
bending-tool comes into action, and as the cutter-head continues to descend the
bending-tool carries the link-piece down between standards, the piece in its descent
being caught upon the friction-rollers. These rollers allow the metal to bend
without disrupting the fibre thereof which is an essential feature of the said
invention.
Along the front and one side of the dies is a plate held in position by bolts.
This plate is slotted to allow it to be adjusted on the bolts. The end of the plate
furnishes a bearing for adjusting screws. The position of one of these screws
determines the distance the link-rod can be passed under the cutter, while the
other screw holds the die opposite to the cutter firmly in position during strain
from the bending tool. The face of the dies may be slightly grooved to furnish a
bed to steady the link-rod while being cut and bent.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th November 1882.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR CUTTING
AND BENDING METAL TO FORM LINKS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES." A communication
to me from abroad by Robley D. Evans and Richard M. Green, both of
Washington, district of Columbia, United States of America
This invention relates to machines for cutting and bending metal when cold, to
form links, shackles, or similar articles and it consists in the combination of devices
hereinafter described.
It is well known that the fibre of iron is more or less injured by every heating
of the metal, and to avoid a heating and consequent injury is one object of the
said invention. It is also well known that in bending heated iron, none of its
imperfections are exposed, and chains are liable to be made of imperfect and faulty
metal, while, the bending of the iron cold exposes any imperfections which may
exist in the fibre of the metal and all imperfect links can be rejected, and the best
results secured; moreover chain made from links bent while cold will stand a
higher strain than that made from links bent while the metal is hot.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1. is a front elevation of a link-bending machine constructed according to
this invention.
Figure 2. is a section on the line x x Figure 1.
Figure 3. represents the position of the parts after the link has been bent.
Figure 4. is a detail view hereinafter referred to.
A. A. represent vertical guides and B a cross-head or cutter-head sliding on the
same and attached to a crank-shaft C by a connecting rod D. The crank-shaft, as
shown in the drawing, is operated by the hand-wheel E, but the cutter-head B is
preferably attached to the piston-rod of a steam-hammer which affords sufficient
power to cut and bend links of cold iron two inches in diameter with great
rapidity.
The cutter-head B is provided with dove-tailed grooves b, b in which fit the
heads of the bolts ff, the said bolts serving for holding the bending tool F, see
Figure 4, and cutting-tool G in place. These screw-bolts are loosened or tightened
by means of the nuts f¹. f¹. When the screw bolts ff. are loosened the bending
tool and cutter can be adjusted laterally to suit the work to be done, and when
the said bolts are tightened the bending-tool and cutter are held firmly in position.
The die-block is grooved in a similar manner to receive the heads of screw-bolts
hh and i. i which hold the die-standards H H in position and by which the said
standards may be adjusted to their work like the bending-tool and cutter in the
cutter head. The dies are recessed in their faces to receive friction rollers h¹ which
are mounted and revolve upon the screw-bolts i as shewn in Figures 2 and 3.
When the metal rod is in position as shewn in dotted lines in Figure 1., for cutting
and bending, the cutter-head, descends, and the cutter being longer severs the rod
just as the bending-tool comes into action, and as the cutter-head continues to
descend the bending-tool carries the link-piece down between the standards or dies
H. H. the said link-piece in its descent being caught upon the friction rollers h¹
and thus protecting it from injury which would result if it were forced against a
stationary or rigid portion of the dies. These rollers allow the metal to bend
without disrupting the fibre thereof, which is an essential feature of the said
invention.
.

page_text: Along the front and one side of the dies is a plate I which is held in position by
the bolts i. This plate is slotted as shown in Figure 1., to allow it to be adjusted
on the said bolts, The end of the said plate furnishes a bearing for the adjusting
screws J. J'. The position of the screw J. determines the distance to which
the rod from which the links are to be made, can be passed under the cutter, while
the screw J¹ holds the die opposite to the cutter firmly in position during the
strain caused by the bending. The face of the dies may be slightly grooved to
furnish a bed to steady the link-rod while being cut and bent.
Having thus fully described the said invention as communicated to me by my
Foreign correspondents, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it under-
stood that I am aware that devices in some respects similar to that herein described
are employed in staple-making machines, I do not therefore claim such devices, but
I clain.
First. The cross-head B, having the dove-tail grooves and the independent
adjustable cutter and bender attached thereto by bolts having correspondingly
dovetailed heads, in combination with a similarly grooved die-block, and the
standards or dies carrying anti-friction rolls attached thereto, and independently
adjustable, in a similar manner, substantially as described
Second. The combination, with the standards or dies and the anti-friction rolls
attached thereto, of the slotted plate I and the screws J, J¹, substantially as
described.
In witness whereof I the said William Robert Lake have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Twenty fifth day of November in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty two.