IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FORRINDING AND POLISHING METALLIC ARTIC
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Dodge, of Waterford, Saratoga County.
State of New York, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer, at
present residing in the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
DM.
33
Sealed the 9th February 1864, and dated the 29th August 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Dodge at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 29th
August 1868.
I, JAMES DODGE, of Waterford, Saratoga County, State of New York,
United States of America, Mechanical Engineer, at present residing in the
City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature
of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
GRINDING AND POLISHING METALLIC ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the grinding and polishing of knives, saws, file.
blanks, and similar articles, and consists in the employment in grinding or
polishing machinery of any kind for such purposes and in combination with
the bed plate thereof, whether the same be stationary, revolving, or vibratory,
of an elastic or yielding substance, such as leather, india-rubber, flannel, or
felt applied between the matrix bed or support and the articles to be ground
or polished so that when the latter are brought in contact with the stone or

page_text: polishing wheel they will be pressed against it with a yielding pressure, by
which arrangement a better grinding or polishing action is obtained and the
articles are not so liable to become unduly heated as when no yielding material
is employed. In some cases the articles to be ground or polished are held in
their places by clamps which are actuated so as to expose the entire surface of
the articles to the action of the grindstone or polishing wheel, these latter
being either grooved circumferentially or made up of two stones or wheels
having an intermediate space between them to allow that portion of the
holding clamp or contrivance which projects from above the surface of the
article to sink below the surface of the grindstone or polishing wheel.
When the articles are carried upon the surface of a revolving drum I employ
in some cases rocking tables or supports, which are connected to the surface
of the carrying drum by pins and curved slots made in the framing of the
tables. Each table is provided with a guide pin or pins which enter fixed
guiding grooves or slots just as the table approaches the grindstone or
polishing wheel, the table being first turned into a position tangential to the
drum and stone or wheel by a stationary cam or projection acting upon a tail-
piece on the framing of the table. The object of the guiding slots or grooves
is to hold the table securely in its tangential position to the drum and grind-
stone or polishing wheel during the time it is passing with its articles in
contact therewith. When the articles have irregular surfaces I propose to
employ moveable patterns which are shaped to conform to the article, and
form the beds or supports therefor. The back of the pattern is shaped so as
to form a counterpart of the surface to be ground or polished.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Dodge in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th
February 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
DODGE, of Waterford, Saratoga County, State of New York, United States of
America, Mechanical Engineer, at present residing in the City of Manchester,
in the County of Lancaster, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of August in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Dodge, Her special license that I, the said James Dodge,

page_text: my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
the said
executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make.
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR GRINDING AND POLISHING METALLIC
ARTICLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James:
Dodge, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
hand and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of them, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to
be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next.
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Dodge, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and. to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to the grinding and polishing of knives, saws,
file blanks, and similar articles, and consists in the employment in grinding or
polishing machinery of any kind for such purposes, and in combination with
the bed plate or plates, or surfaces thereof, which support or carry the articles.
to be ground or polished, whether such bed plates or supporting surfaces be:
stationary, revolving, or vibratory, of an elastic or yielding substance, such as.
india-rubber, leather, flannel, or felt applied between the matrix bed or sup-
porting surface and the article. or articles to be ground or polished so that
when the latter are brought in contact with the stone or polishing wheel, they
will be pressed against it with a yielding or equable pressure, by which
arrangement a better grinding or polishing action is obtained, and the articles
are not so liable to become unduly heated as when no yielding material is
employed. In some cases, the articles to be ground or polished are held: in
their places by clamps, which are actuated so as to expose the entire surface
of the articles to the action of the grindstone or polishing wheel, these latter
being either grooved circumferentially, or made up of two stones or wheels,
having an intermediate space between them to allow that portion of the holding
clamp or contrivance which projects from above the surface of the article to
sink below the surface of the grindstone or polishing wheel. When the
articles are carried upon the surface of a revolving drum, I employ in some

page_text: cases rocking tables or supports, which are connected to the surface of the
carrying drum by pins and curved slots made in the framing of the table.
Each table is provided with a guide pin or, pins which enter fixed guiding.
grooves or slots just as the table approaches the grindstone or polishing wheel,.
the table being first turned into a position tangential to the drum and stone
or wheel by a stationery cam or projection acting upon a tail-piece on the
framing of the table. The object of the grinding slots or grooves is to hold
the table securely in its tangential position to the drum and grindstone or.
polishing wheel during the time it is passing with its articles in contact there-
with. When the articles liave irregular 'surfaces I propose to employ move-
able patterns which are shaped to conform to the article, and form the beds or
supports therefor. The back of the pattern is shaped so as to form a counter-
part of the surface to be ground or polished.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheets of Drawings hereunto 'annexed, the
same.letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the corresponding
Figures.
a
Figs. 1 and 2 on Sheet One of my Drawings represent respectively a-side
and end elevation of my improved machinery or apparatus adapted for grinding
file blanks or similar articles; Fig. 3, a side elevation of the same with one.
side of the framework removed; Fig. 4 is section of some of the parts-
drawn to a large scale; and Figs. 5 and 6 (Sheet 2), represent also on.
an enlarged scale a side elevation and plan of one of the rocking tables 'or
supports detached herein-before referred to. The blanks to be ground are
shewn at A; they are placed side by side on beds or plates B fitted in grooves in
the rocking tables or supports C, so that they can be readily changed. To the
under surface of each table C there may be fitted a pattern plate D (Fig. 4),
formed of a concave shape corresponding with the convex form to which the
blanks are to be ground. The said plates are in contact with the periphery
of the revolving drum or cylinder E, and each table C is attached to or forms
part of a pair of frames F, provided with curved slots G, bosses H, and snugs I.
The curved slots G pass over pins on the sides of the drum or cylinder, to which
a slow revolving motion is imparted by means of the toothed wheel J, pinion K,
and pulley L. The upper surface of each plate B is recessed at one end, and
covered with a plate M, the recesses being filled with india-rubber or other
yielding substance, so as to present an elastic bearing surface, on to which the
tangs or stems of the blanks are placed, and held by the plate M. To each
plate B is fixed a number of india-rubber or other elastic strips or cushions N,

page_text: for the blanks to rest upon, which cushions are fixed at their ends, and serve
to equalize the grinding, for if one blank be thicker than another the thick
blank presses down the elastic material at that part, and causes the part under
a thinner blank to rise, and thus place all the surfaces to be ground upon a
level. The grindstone is shewn at O, it is fixed to the shaft P, and to it is
given a quick revolving motion, and at the same time a slow lateral movement
to and fro in the direction of its axis, thereby preventing the stone from
becoming unevenly worn, the whole of its surface being presented to the
articles to be ground. The revolving motion is given by the drum Q, and the
lateral traversing movement by the following simple arrangement. To the
shaft P are fixed adjustable collars R, S, and upon it work freely the wheel T
and cam U, and in the groove of the can is placed a bowl or roller V, working
on a stud fixed to the stationary bracket W. The collar S is adjusted according
to the desired traverse of the stone, which traverse is greatest when the collar
is close to the cam, and lessened in proportion to its distance from it, and it
has been found by experience that the friction of the wheel and cam on the
shaft and against the collars is sufficient to give the lateral to-and-fro traverso
of the stone, and that when the friction is increased or lessened the traverse is
faster or slower. The stone revolves in the same direction as the drum E, and
is brought up to its work, and there maintained by the screws X, which
both turn at the same time, and bring up the bearings equally on each side,
and the stone is surrounded by a casing or cover Y, for. preventing dust
and dirt from flying about. Between the drum and stone there is a guide
plate Z which can be adjusted and fixed as required by the lever a and set
screw b for the purpose of holding the blanks down to their beds as they come
in contact with the stone, and to the main side frames of the machine are
fixed projecting pieces c, vertical guide bars d, and curved plates e for regu-
lating the movements of the rocking frames F with their tables C and plates B,
which latter can be removed and replaced when the drum E is revolving, by
which means the operation of grinding is continuous. The upper bed. or
plate B is first covered with the blanks to be ground, and the drum is then
turned, and blanks supplied to each of the beds or plates, and as the snugs I
on the rocking frames come in contact with the projecting pieces c they turn
over the frame so that the bosses H at each side shall enter between the
vertical guide bars d, and prevent the rocking frames from shaking when the
blanks are iu contact with the stone, but at the same time allow their tables C
to roll or oscillate on the drum according to the pattern. The guide plate Z is..
then pressed against the files so as to bed them on the india-rubber cushions,.
and the plate, after its adjustment, is held steady by the set screw. The

page_text: revolving grindstone is now brought in contact with the surface of the blanks,
and the drum as it revolves brings the several series one after the other in
contact with the stone, and as the bed oscillates according to the pattern, and
the india-rubber cushions yield according to any slight inequality of thickness
of the blanks, the said blanks are ground with great accuracy by only taking
off what is recessary, and as the beds or plates B are placed in grooves in
the stables C they can be removed with the ground blanks and others,
replaced with fresh blanks, and thus the operation of grinding is continued
without loss of time. The drum E may be made of any suitable diameter,
and any convenient number and size of rocking frames or tables placed upon
it, and also the pattern plates may be adapted for one or more rows of blanks
upon the bes.
;
Although the grinding of blanks for files ouly has been described, various
other articles of regular and irregular shapes can be quickly and efficiently
ground by this improved machinery, as it is only necessary to provide suitable
beds and holders, and form the pattern plates according to the required shape
of the articles to be ground, whether convex, concave, flat, or any combination
of these forms.
Fig. 7 on Sheet 2 of the Drawings represents a sectional elevation of
another arrangement of grinding or polishing machine for grinding or polisbing
articles of cutlery, such as knives, saws, and other articles of a like nature.
Figure 8 is a sectional plan of the same; Figure 9 is a transverse vertical
section of the machine, and Figures 10, 11, and 12 are views of one of the
beds detached with its traversing clamp. A is a carrying drum provided with
a flange D projecting from and bordering each side of the periphery of the
drum or cylinder. These flanges are indented to form the bearings in which
the matrices or beds E of the knife or other article to be ground or polished are
bung or pivoted, allowing the matrix to swing or accommodate itself to the
surface of the drum, as described in the Specification of a Patent granted to
John Henry Johnson, on or about the Twenty-sixth day of April One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-nine, No. 1051. These matrices or beds E. (Figures
10, 11, and 12) may be of wood, iron, or other suitable material, of a length
Dearly to occupy the distance between the two flanges, and of a depth some-
what less than that of the flanges; they are provided at their ends with rounded
studs or axles e, upon which they are hung. Along the sides a and b the
matrices or beds are grooved to admit of the hooked ends of a clamp & being
secured to and sliding along the bed or matrix, as is shewn clearly in Figures
10 and 12, and herein-after more fully explained. The surface of the matrix
or bed, which is of the reverse form of the article to be ground or polished,

page_text: is lined or covered with a sheet of india-rubber or other yielding or elastic y,
which may be glued to the matrix or simply laid into it so as to come between
the article and the bed or matrix. The articles are held in their places by
means of the clamp herein-before referred to. In order to admit of the
grinding or polishing of the whole surface of each article, I form in the
periphery of the grindstone or polishing wheel G a groove g a little wider than
the width of the clamp, or I form the stone or wheel of two separate stones
or wheels so mounted upon a shaft as to leave a space between them for the
passage of the clamp. I also form a guiding groove or channel h in the inner
surface of the casing or covering H, which surrounds or partly surrounds the
cylinder or drum A; this guiding groove or channel confines the clamp, and
guides it in its rotatory travel along the casing so as to come opposite to the
groove g in the stone or polishing wheel at or immediately before the article
comes in contact therewith. The drum or cylinder A receives simultaneously
with its rotatory motion or lateral reciprocating motion in the direction of its
axis which may be imparted to it in the manner herein-before described and
illustrated by Figures 1 and 2 (Sheet 1) of my Drawings, or by any other
suitable mechanical contrivance, whether worked by hand or automatically.
The rotatory motion may be transmitted to the drum from the stone or
polishing wheel by the aid of driving pullies and a driving strap or belt, as
shewn on Sheet 1 of my Drawings, or by the aid of toothed gearing, or other:
wise, as preferred.
In the accompanying Drawings the groove or channel h is shown wider in
the upper side of the casing or at the mouth or entrance to such groove or
channel, and gradually narrowing or contracting towards the point of contract
with the grindstone or polishing wheel, where it is of the same width, and in
the inner vertical plane as that of the groove g. The object of this arrange-
ment is to dispense on the part of the attendant with nice adjustment of the
clamp in the casing and on the bed or matrix. It will be readily understood
that on revolving the drum or cylinder A, whilst a reciprocating movement.is
imparted to it along the axis of rotation, the clamp which is placed in any
position within the expanded part of the groove h will be guided by the
converging sides so as to occupy the proper position in relation to the groove g.
The constant lateral reciprocating motion of the drum or cylinder A, or of the
grindstone or polishing wheel, or both, in opposite directions, as preferred,
causes the holding clamp to move along the article operated upon, so that the
whole of the surface of the article will be exposed to the action of the
grinding or polishing stone or wheel. The casing H surrounding the drum or
cylinder A may be provided with a hinged door H', as shown in Figure 7, or

page_text: it may be left permanently open at that part so as to enable the workmen to
remove the beds or matrixes with their articles upon them and insert others
without stopping the operation of the machine, the rotatory motion of the drum
or cylinder (the direction of which is shewn by the arrows being very much
lower than that of the grindstone or polishing wheel. In grinding or. polishing
saw blades and similar articles I use no separate beds E, but bend the blade
round the cylinder or drum A, as shewn in vertical section and plan at
Figures 18 and 14 respectively. The saw blades X are secured to the surface
of the drum A by pins or screws S-passing through the holes which are
provided in the blade for the attachment of the handle. The surface of the
cylinder or drum A has matrixes sunk therein, and into these sunk portions I
place a sheet of india-rubber or other suitable elastic or yielding material Y,
which is thus interposed between the blades and the surface of the cylinder or
drum. I also find it desirable to use in addition to the elastic or yielding
material Ya very thin and flexible sheet of-steel placed between the saw blade
and the elastic.or-yielding material Y, for the purpose of combinining the yield
or elasticity of the india-rubber or other material with a certain rigidity and
durability of surface, whereby the saw blade is prevented from undulating and
having its different parts irregularly reduced. The saw blade it will also be
seen is only attached at one end, the other being free to spring and to
adapt itself to the surface of the drum or cylinder, as induced by the pressure
of the stone or wheel upon it.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion, that what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
1st. The general construction, arrangement, and combination of machinery
or apparatus for grinding and polishing metallic articles, substantially as
herein-before described.
2nd. The application and use to and in the grinding or polishing of metallic
articles of an elastic or yielding substance or material interposed between the
article to be ground or polished and the bed or surface which carries or
supports such article.
3rd. The application and use in combination with stationary, revolving, or
vibratory bed plates or supporting surfaces used in machinery, for grinding or
polishing metallic articles of an elastic or yielding substance, applied between
the bed or supporting surface and the articles to be ground, when two or
more articles are placed side by side on the same elastic-or yielding bed or

page_text: support, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein-before
described.
4th. The application and use of moveable or traversing clamps for holding
articles to be ground or polished on their beds or supports, actuated so as to
expose the entire surface of the article to the action of the grindstone or
polishing wheel, substantially as herein-before described.
5th. The application and use of grindstones or polishing wheels which are
grooved circumferentially, or made up of two stones or wheels having an inter-
mediate space, between them in combination with traversing holding clamps,
substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein-before described.
6th. The application and use of rocking tables or supports fitted to the
revolving carrying drums or cylinders for grinding and polishing machinery,
and caused to assume a position tangential to the drum and grindstone or
polishing wheel, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Dodge, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of February, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-four.