IMPROVEMENTS IN CUTTING MACHINERY FOR FORMING THE TEETH OF TOOTHED WHEELS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake of the firm of Haseltine Lake
& C° Patent Agents Southampton Buildings London for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CUTTING MACHINERY FOR FORMING THE TEETH OF TOOTHED
WHEELS Communicated to him from abroad by Charles E. Albro of
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 15th August 1882.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings London, "IMPROVEMENTS IN CUTTING MACHINERY FOR
FORMING THE TEETH OF TOOTHED WHEELS" [A communication to him from abroad
by Charles E. Albro of Philadelphia Pennsylvania, United States of America]
This invention relates to machinery for cutting teeth upon wheels, but more
particularly to those machines adapted to form the teeth upon worm-wheels, and
the said invention comprises certain mechanism hereinafter specified; it consists
partly in forming the cutter with a curvilinear surface parallel with its length, the
said curve corresponding to the periphery of the wheel to be cut at the base or
roots of the teeth, or in other words, the pitch line of the worm-shaped cutter being
curved to correspond with the pitch line of the worm-wheel to be cut, the cutting
edges in the said cutter being arranged in a helix and having their outer edges
brought toward each other so as to be in line with the radii of the worm-wheel it
is designed to cut; and the said invention further consists partly in extending
the cutting edges so as to make a complete worm with deep notches across the
teeth.
The chief object of the said invention is to arrange the cutter shaft, or that
which carries the worm cutter, in a frame adapted to slide vertically to feed the
said cutter down upon the worm-wheel disc; or if the worm is to be cut to feed
the worm cylinder or blank down upon the cutters carried by the master wheel
shaft, further to provide automatic mechanism to automatically feed the said frame;
further to provide means to drive the master wheel worm from the cutter shaft,

page_text: and at the same time to allow the said shaft to change its position; further to
provide means by which the cutter and its shaft may be set at any desired angle
to cut oblique teeth as on bevel wheels, or oblique teeth on spur wheels
spur
In carrying the said invention into practice I provide a bed-plate, to the front
end of which is secured an upright housing or standard upon which a frame slides in
a vertical line or in a line at right angles to the shaft which carries the master wheel.
Secured to, or forming part of, the said frame are bearings to which are pivotted
lugs secured to a plate. These lugs are held in position on the bearings by slots
and bolts, or, if desired, a shaft may be used. The said slots are curved, and when
working on the bolts, constitute a pivot or hinge joint, and by tightening the bolts
after setting the plate it may be securely held in position. To the said plate is
secured another lower plate which carries a guide and a feed screw having a handle
to move the slide plate which carries the cutter shaft. The lower plate is pivotted
to the upper one by means of curved slots and bolts by means of which it may be
set at any desired angle thereon. To one end of the cutter shaft is secured a
wheel which meshes with a pinion secured upon the shaft carrying the driving
pulley. The other end of the said cutter shaft is provided with a universal joint
which is also secured to a shaft carried by a bearing secured to, or forming part of,
the aforesaid frame. An arm is loosely pivotted to a shaft and is guided by a slot
curved about the said shaft as a centre, in which slot works a pin secured to the
said frame. To the free end of the said arm is pivotted a rod or link whose other
end is pivotted to another arm or frame loosely pivotted to a shaft supported in
bearings or standards and carrying a worm which works the master wheel'secured
upon a lower shaft which is supported in bearings. The said arm or frame is
guided by curved slots in which work rigid pins or bolts, the said arm working
against a face-plate. The three arms form a kind of toggle-joint, and two of them
carry the speed gearing by which the master wheel is rotated, and allow the shaft
to be raised or lowered without interrupting the movement of the master wheel.
The end of the lower shaft is slightly tapered to form the mandrel upon which the
worm-wheel blank disc is secured. To the said lower shaft is secured a bevel
wheel which meshes with another bevel wheel secured upon a vertical shaft
carrying at the top another bevel wheel which meshes with a bevel wheel secured
upon another shaft carrying on its end a crank wheel to which is pivotted a rod
provided at its end with a slot. Supported in bearings on the top of the standards
is a shaft which carries the two bevel wheels which mesh with bevel wheels
secured to shafts which are screw-threaded and work in lugs on the frame.
Pivotted to one of these shafts is a rocker carrying at the top a pawl which works
a ratchet-wheel and at the bottom an adjusting slot in which a bolt works. The
rod and rocker are secured together by a bolt, which, when secured in different
positions in the slot in the rocker, causes the frame to be fed down faster or slower
as the case may be.
The driving pulley being rotated, the cutter-shaft revolves and puts a train of
wheels in motion rotating the worm and the master wheel with its shaft. By this
means the cutter on the shaft and the disc to be cut on the lower shaft or vice
versa, are rotated at the proper relative velocities. The said train of wheels is
varied to correspond with the pitch of the worm cutter. During the operation of
the cutter the feed mechanism gradually lowers the frame, and the toggle joint
carrying the train of wheels moves correspondingly. If a bevel wheel is to have
its teeth cut the train of wheels is dispensed with and the worm rotated by hand
power, an interval corresponding with the pitch of a tooth, and the plate is set at
the desired angle in the bearings, and by means of a screw the cutter-shaft is
reciprocated having been disconnected from the universal joint. If an oblique
tooth is to be cut with a rotating cutter on the shaft the lower plate is set at the
desired angle on the upper plate. This is done by rotating the said screw while
setting the plate.
Various forms of cutters may be used upon this machine, and in all cases, except
in cutting worms, the cutter is placed upon the shaft and is rotated while the

page_text: master wheel shaft carries the worm wheel blank, spur wheel blank, or bevel wheel
blank, as the case may be
The body of the worm-wheel cutter has a hole for fitting it to the mandrel.
The curve of the cutter corresponds to the circle on the worm wheel to be cut at
the base or roots of the teeth thereon. Deep notches or grooves extend the full
length of the cutter and below the roots or base of the teeth, thereby forming the
worm into segmental cutters having radial cutting edges. These notches or grooves
form the cutters and also provide means for the escape of the metal cut from the
worm wheel and prevent any possibility of the cutters clogging. The outer
surface of the segmental cutters may recede toward the centre as it recedes from
the cutting edges. The cutter is first made of annealed steel, and after being cut
in a suitable machine it is then notched or grooved and after properly forming tho
cutting edges, commonly known as relieving them, it is hardened and tempered.
The segmental cutters are made so as to radiate from a point corresponding with
the centre of the worm wheel. To make the cutter more durable the cutting edges
may be made removable by making a steel cutter to slide into a dovetailed groove
which may also be made adjustable to compensate for the wear by placing liners
under them,
It is not necessary that the outer curve should be the same as the curve at the
roots of the teeth of the worm wheel it is designed to cut, as the said curve may
correspond to the curve at the outer edge of the teeth of the said worm wheel, or
the outer surface may be cylindrical, or it may be curved in the opposite direction,
making the cutter substantially egg-shaped; but in all these cases the curve at the
roots of the teeth on the cutter coincides exactly with the curve or periphery of
the worm wheel it is to cut, and all of the teeth of the cutter radiate from a point
corresponding with the centre of the worm wheel, the teeth of which it is to cut.

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
13th February 1883.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, “IMPROVEMENTS IN CUTTING MACHINERY FOR
FORMING THE TEETH OF TOOTHED WHEELS A communication to me from abroad
by Charles E. Albro of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
"
This invention relates to machinery for cutting teeth upon wheels but more
particularly to those machines adapted to form the teeth upon worm-wheels, and
the said invention comprises certain mechanism hereinafter specified; it consists
partly in forming the cutter with a curvilinear surface in the direction of its length,
the said curve corresponding to the periphery of the wheel to be cut at the base or
roots of the teeth, or in other words, the pitch line of the worm-shaped cutter being
curved to correspond with the pitch line of the worm-wheel to be cut, the cutting
edges in the said cutter being arranged in a helix and having their outer edges
brought toward each other so as to be in line with the radii of the worm-wheel it is
designed to cut and the said invention further consists partly in extending the
cutting edges so as to make a complete worm with deep notches across the teeth.
The chief object of the said invention is to arrange the cutter shaft, or that
which carrics the worm cutter, in a frame adapted to slide vertically to feed the
said cutter down upon the worm-wheel disc, or if the worm is to be cut, to feed
the worm cylinder or blank down upon the cutters carried by the master wheel
shaft further to provide automatic mechanism for feeding the said frame;
further to provide means for driving the master wheel worm from the cutter
shaft and at the same time to allow the said shaft to change its position, and
further to provide means by which the cutter, and its shaft may be set at any
desired angle to cut oblique teeth as on bevel wheels, or oblique teeth on spur wheels
as more fully hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawing.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tooth forming machine constructed according to
this invention.
Figure 2 is a sectional plan of the same on the line x x Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a front elevation of the same partly in section.
Figure 4 is an end view of an improved worm wheel cutter a small part thereof
being in section.
Figure 5 is a sectional elevation of the same showing its application to a worm-
wheel, and,
Figure 6 is an elevation of a cutter showing the adaptation of removable cutters.
A is the bed plate to the front end of which is secured the upright standard B
upon which the frame C slides in a vertical line or in a line at right angles to the
shaft which carries the master wheel. Secured to or forming part of frame C are
the bearings D¹ to which are pivoted the lugs E2 secured to a plate E'. These
lugs E are held in position on the bearings D₁ by slots e and bolts e¹ or if desired
a shaft may be used. The slots e are curved and when working on the bolts el
constitute a pivot or hinge joint which by tightening the bolts after setting the
plate E may be securely held in position. To the plate E¹ is secured the plate F1
which carries a guide and a feed screw L having a handle to move the slide
plate K which carries the cutter shaft N in bearings M and O. The plate F¹ is
pivoted to the plate E' by means of curved slots and bolts f so that it may be set
at any desired angle thereon. To one end of the cutter shaft N is secured the spur

page_text: To
wheel N which engages with a pinion N*. secured upon the driving shaft supported
in the bearing O and carrying the driving pulley P. The other end of the said
cutter shaft N is provided with an universal joint Q which is also secured to a
shaft Q carried by a bearing M secured to or forming part of the frame C. The
arm R is loosely pivoted to the shaft Q' and is guided by a curved slot R¹, having
the said shaft as a centre, in which slot works a pin r secured to the frame C.
the free end of the arm R is pivoted one end of a rod or link R2 whose other end
is pivoted to an arm R³ loosely pivoted to the shaft E supported in bearings on
the standards D and carrying a worm g which works the master wheel G secured
upon a lower shaft H supported in bearings I and J. The arm or frame R³ is guided
by curved slots in which work rigid pins or bolts as shewn the said arm working
against a face R. The three arms R R and R³ form a joint. The arms R and R³
carry the speed gearing R³ by means of which the master wheel is rotated, and
allow the shaft N to be raised or lowered without interrupting the movement of the
said master wheel. The end H¹ of the shaft H is slightly tapered to form the
mandril upon which the worm wheel blank disc is secured as shown in dotted lines
in Figure 1. Secured to the shaft H is a bevel wheel S which engages with another
bevel wheel S¹ upon a shaft S2 carrying at the top a bevel wheel S³ which engages
with a bevel wheel S₁ secured upon the shaft T carrying on its end a crank wheel U
to which is pivoted the rod U provided at its end with a slot. Supported in
bearings Y on the top of the standards B is a sbaft V carrying the bevel wheels V8
which engage with the bevel wheels V2 secured to the shafts W which are screw
threaded and work in lugs on the frame C. Pivoted to the shaft V is a rocker U³.
carrying at the top a pawl U³. which works the ratchet wheel V₁, and at the bottom
an adjusting slot in which a bolt t works. The rod U. and the rocker U. are
secured together by the bolt t which when secured in different positions in the slot
in the rocker U2 causes the frame C to be fed down faster or slower as the case
may be.
The operation of the machine is as follows: that is to say, The pulley P being
rotated the cutter shaft N revolves, and puts the train of wheels R in motion thereby
rotating the worm 9 and the master whoel G with its shaft H. By this means the
cutter on the shaft N and the disc to be cut on the shaft H or vice versa, are rotated at
the proper relative velocities. The train of wheels R³ is varied to correspond with
the pitch of the worm cutter. During the operation of the cutter, the feed
mechanism gradually lowers the frame C, and the joint carrying the wheels R³
moves correspondingly. If a bevel wheel is to have its teeth cut, the train of
wheels R³ is dispensed with and the worm g rotated by hand power, an interval
corresponding with the pitch of a tooth, the plate E' is set at the desired angle in
the bearings D¹ and by means of the screw L the cutter shaft N is reciprocated,
having been disconnected from the universal joint Q. If an oblique tooth is to be
cut with a rotating cutter or the shaft N the lower plate F¹ is set at the desired
angle on the plate E¹ by rotating the screw L.
Various forms of cutters may be used upon this machine, and in all cases, except
in cutting worms; the cutter is placed upon the shaft N and is rotated, while the
master wheel shaft H carries the worm wheel blank, spur wheel blank, or bevel.
wheel blank, as the case may be. In the case of cutting worm-wheel teeth or
worms the train of wheels R³ is used to automatically rotate the master wheel
shaft. In all other cases the shaft N. alone rotates. The driving belt is arranged
so that the driving pulley may be moved up and down or set at an angle, but
always remaining in a vertical plane, or in other words, having its axle.
horizontal.
When a worm is to be cut, the blank is placed upon the shaft N and the master
wheel shaft H carries the cutters which may be made in various manners those
commonly used radiating from the centre of the shaft H, and when the worm is
being cut, it and the cutters rotate in such relation to one another that they have
the same movement as if the worm was driving the worm wheel.
A is the body of the cutter, Be is the hole for fitting it to the mandril.

page_text: De represents the curved line which corresponds to the base of the teeth of the
cutter and the curve of the periphery or the circle on the largest diameter of the
wheel which is to be cut, Ce represents the curve of the cutter at the outer ends of
the teeth, and corresponds to the circle on the worm wheel to be cut at the base or
roots of the teeth thereon. E represents the worm teeth as a whole, F are deep
notches or grooves extending the full length of the cutter and extending below the
roots or base of the teeth E thereby forming the worm into segmental cutters E7
having radial cutting edges e6. These notches or grooves Fe form the cutters, and
also provide means for the escape of the metal cut from the worm wheel and prevent
any possibility of the cutters clogging. The outer surface of the segmental cutters
E may recede towards the centre as it recedes from the cutting edges e as shown
at 67.
The cutter is first made of annealed steel and after being cut in a suitable
machine it is notched or grooved after properly forming the cutting edges e com-
monly known as relieving them, it is hardened and tempered. The segmental
cutters E7 are formed so as to radiate from a point corresponding with the centre
of the worm-wheel they are caused to cut as shewn in Figure 5. To make the
cutter more durable the cutting edges e may be made removable by making a
steel cutter Go to slide into a dove-tailed groove go as shewn in Figure 4 and Figure 6,
which cutters may also be made adjustable to compensate for the wear by placing
packing g under them.
It is not necessary that the outer curve D6 should be the same as the curve at
the roots of the teeth of the worm-wheel it is designed to cut, as the curve DⓇ may
correspond with the curve at the outer edge of the teeth of the said worm-wheel,
or the outer surface may be cylindrical, as shewn by. dotted lines H or it may be
curved in the opposite direction, as shewn in dotted line K6 making the cutter
substantially egg-shaped; but in all these cases the curve at the roots of the teeth
on the cutter coincides exactly with the curve or periphery of the worm wheel it is
to cut, and all the teeth of the cutter radiate from a point corresponding with the
centre of the worm wheel, the teeth of which it is to cut.
Having thus fully described the said invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent and the manner of performing the same I wish it understood
that I Claim :-
First: In a machine for forming the teeth of wheels, a master-wheel and its shaft
supported in stationary bearings, in combination with a cutter-shaft supported in
bearings carried by a frame arranged to slide vertically, and mechanism for rotating
the said master-wheel through the agency of the cutter-shaft, substantially as, and
for the purpose, specified.
Second: In a machine for forming the teeth of wheels, a master-wheel and its
shaft supported in stationary bearings, in combination with a cutter-shaft supported
in bearings carried by a frame arranged to slide vertically, mechanism for
automatically feeding the said frame, a worm for rotating the said master-wheel
mechanism connecting the cutter-shaft with the said worm or its shaft, and
mechanism controlling the relative revolutions of the cutter-shaft and the master-
wheel shaft, and allowing vertical movement to the said cutter-shaft, substantially
as, and for the purpose, specified.
Third-In a machine for forming the teeth of wheels, a master-wheel and its shaft
supported in stationary bearings, in combination with a cutter-shaft supported in
bearings carried by a frame arranged to slide vertically, mechanism for feeding the
said frame vertically, and means for adjusting the said cutter-shaft horizontally
and angularly, substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
Fourth-In a machine for forming the teeth of wheels, a master-wheel and its
shaft supported in stationary bearings, in combination with a cutter-shaft supported
in bearings carried by a frame arranged to slide vertically, mechanism for feeding
the said frame vertically, means for adjusting the said cutter-shaft horizontally and
angularly, a worm for rotating the said master-wheel, and mechanism connecting
the cutter shaft with the said worm or its shaft, the said mechanism controlling

page_text: the relative revolutions of the cutter-shaft and master wheel shaft, substantially as,
and for the purpose, specified.
Fifth-In a machine for forming the teeth of wheels, the combination of the
master-wheel G, the shaft H, the worm g, the shaft E, the joint R³ R2 R, the gear-
wheels R³, the cutter shaft N, carried by a frame E', the slide C, and the standards B,
substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
Sixth-In a machine for forming the teeth of wheels, the combination of the
master-wheel G, the shaft H, the worm g, the shaft E, the joint R³ R³ R, the gear-
wheels R³, the cutter shaft N, the slide K, the screw feed L, the plate F', the
adjusting device f, the plate E¹, having the lugs E, the bearings D' secured to the
slide C, the universal joint Q, the shaft Q1, the standards B, and means for feeding
the said slide C, substantially as described.
Seventh-A cutter for cutting or forming the teeth on worm-wheels, which
consists of a body having cutters spirally arranged thereon, and converging to a
point corresponding to the centre of the worm-wheel, the teeth of which it is
required to cut, substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
Eighth A cutter for forming the teeth on worm-wheels, which consists of a
body having cutters (spirally arranged thereon, converging to a point corresponding
to the centre of the worm-wheel, the teeth of which it is to cut, and having its
outer cutting surface curved to correspond with the periphery of the said worm-
wheel, substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
:-
Ninth A cutter for forming the teeth on worm-wheels, having segments spirally
arranged thereon, in combination with adjustable and removable cutters fitted
thereto, the said cutters converging to a point corresponding with the centre of the
worm-wheel the teeth of which they are to cut, substantially as, and for the
purpose, specified.
Tenth In a cutter for forming the teeth of worm wheels, the combination of the
body A, the spirally arranged segmental teeth E', and the notches or grooves F*
forming cutting edges e, substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
Eleventh-A cutter for forming the teeth of worm-wheels, which consists of a
body having cutters spirally arranged thereon, converging to a point corresponding
to the centre of the worm-wheel, the teeth of which it is to cut, and having its outer
cutting surface curved to correspond with the curve of the circle at the root of the
teeth of the said worm-wheel, the distance between the centres at the outer edge.
of the said teeth being smaller than the distance between the roots of the said
teeth, the difference being in proportion to the difference in the diameters of the
face and root circles of the teeth of the worm-wheel to be cut, substantially as, and
for the purpose, specified.
In witness whereof I the said William Robert Lake have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Thirteenth day of February in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty three.
WH ROBT LAKE (L.S.)