IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING WHEELS FOR CARRIAGES
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CROSSKILL, of Iron Works, Beverley, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Thirtieth day of March, in the seventh year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Crosskill, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and autho-
rity, that I, the said William Crosskill, my exors, admors, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Crosskill, my exors, admors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
MAKING WHEELS FOR CARRIAGES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso that I, the said William Crosskill, shall cause a particular descrip-
tion of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being there-
unto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I have
ascertained and set forth the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be carried into effect, in and by the following de-
scription thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,

page_text: premising that the same letters of reference are employed to denote the same
parts of a machine in all the different representations of such machine.
My Invention consists of certain improved machinery or mechanism for
performing certain operations in the manufacture of wheels in a superior and
more expeditious manner than can be effected by the means ordinarily
employed for such
purposes.
The Drawings in Sheet 1 represent my machine for cutting the ends of
the felloes. Figure 1 is a'longitudinal elevation of the machine; Figure 2 a
front elevation, and Figure 8 a back elevation; Figure 4, a longitudinal
section; Figure 5, a plan; Figure 6, an end elevation with the bracket
and mandril removed to shew the supporting block r; and Figure 7 a trans-
verse section of the bed and an end view of the cutters and carriage. a is the
frame or bed of the machine supported by the standards b, b; c, c, is a head-
stock which can be screwed at any part of the frame by the clamps and bolts
d; e is a spindle revolving in bearings in the headstock, and furnished at one
end with two cutters, as shown at f (and on a larger scale in Figures 8, 9,
and 10), which are adapted to form the outer end of the spokes into a
cylindrical tennon with a cylindrical shoulder or step. The spindle is driven
by a band or strap passing round the pulley 9, which is fixed upon the spindle;
and the spindle can be likewise moved endwise by means of the screw h, so as
to advance or withdraw the cutters. k is a vertical mandril fixed on the
bracket in the front end of the bed a, moving in guides m, m, on the face of
the standard. It is raised or depressed at pleasure by the regulating screw n
working in a nut in the standard at o, and in a collar p fixed to the back of
the bracket. q, q, are tightening screws to retain the bracket at the required
height. The box or nave of the wheel, with all the spokes inserted therein,
is placed upon the mandril k, which is fixed at such height as to place the
outer ends of the spokes on a level with the cutters. One spoke is then
placed in a line with the cutters, and firmly clamped to the supporting block
r by the screw s. The block can be raised or lowered by the screw t, so as
to retain the rough spoke at the proper height. The spindle, with the cutters,
is then set in motion by the strap, and at the same time advanced by the screw
h, and the cutters revolving rapidly round the end of the spoke, reduce it to
a cylindrical form, as before said. A stop u is fixed upon the spindle to
regulate the length of the tennon. The tennon being completely formed, the
clamp is removed, and another spoke is brought round to the cutters, and the
operation is repeated, and so on in succession with the remainder until the
outer ends of all the spokes are formed into tennons. The tennons thus
formed will all lie in the same horizontal plane, and will all be equidistant
from the centre of the wheel.

page_text: Figures 11, 12, 18, and 14, Sheet 2, represent my improved machine for.
planing the back surface of the felloes, and for cutting the ends to the proper
angle. Figure 11 is a plan of the saw frames and the bed of the planing;
machine, the cutters being omitted for the sake of perspicuity; Figure 12 is,
a transverse section of the planing machine and an end view of the saw,
frames; Figure. 13 is a front elevation of the planing machine, and Figure,
14 a front. or longitudinal elevation. of the sawing, machine. I shall begin,
with the description of the planing machine. a, a, is the bed of the machine,
consisting of a horizontal plate with two concentric semicircular sides. with
two vertical semicircular ribs on the under. side. The semicircular sides of. the
plate are wrought to an acute angle, and form a semicircular guide to a
traversing plate b, which is retained concentric with the bed plate by means
of the guide pieces c bolted to the under side of the traversing plate, to which,
is also attached a carriago d, which supports a. pinion e, that works in a rack f
attached to the bed, and thereby carries the traversing plate over the surface.
of the bed of the machine.. g, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, are dogs or holdfasts for securing,
the felloes upon the traversing plate. They are moveable. in grooves in the,
upper face of the traversing plate, the outer central one being moved by a,
screw h, and the remainder being set by hand, and the whole firmly retained.
in the proper position by nuts and screws i,.i. is a horizontal bar moveable:
along vertical guides formed upon the standards m, m; its height is regulated.
by the adjusting screws n,.n, which are turned simultaneous by means of the,
bevilled wheels o, o, fixed upon the horizontal shaft p,, and working into the.
wheels q, q, fixed on the upper end of the. regulating screws n, n. r, r, is a
traversing carriage moveable. along the bar 1 by means of a screw-s, the upper.
and lower edges of the bar being formed into V guides. t is a vertical,
spindle, the upper end of which works in a stop t screwed into the frame v
attached to the carriage, and is supported below by bearings u, u, attached to
the face of the carriage. To the lower end of this spindle is fixed a carrier w,
having radiating arms to which the cutters or plane irons x are attached.,
The spindle is driven by a strap passing round the pulley y fixed on the upper
end of the spindle.
I now proceed to describe the machinery for sawing the ends of the felloes..
a', a', is the bed of the machine; a, a, the saw frame or carriage moveable
5. along the bed a¹, a¹, and b, b1, the saws mounted on the shafts c', c', which
revolve in bearings d', d, in the frame. The saws receive a circular motion,
from the band e¹, e, which passes over the driving pulley f¹, f, and the,
pulleys g', g', fixed on the saw shafts, the tension of the driving strap. being.
rendered nearly uniform in all positions of the frame or saw carriage by means

page_text: of the tension rollers ¹, ¹. The saw carriage is made to traverse the bed of
the machine by the following means:-A shaft k¹, supported in bearings in
the saw frame, is driven by a strap passing over the pulley fixed on the end
of the shaft, and over a pulley m¹ fixed on one of the saw shafts. On the
shaft ¹ is fixed a pinion n', which drives the wheel o¹ that is fixed upon a
shaft p¹ revolving in bearings in the saw frame, and on this shaft p¹ is fixed a
pinion that works into a rack r¹ attached to the bed of the machine, and
thus the frame is impelled along the bed of the machine. When the frame
has arrived at the end of the bed the motion of the driving shaft is reversed,
which causes the saws to revolve and the carriage to proceed in the opposite
direction. And I would remark, that reciprocating saws may be employed in
lieu of the rotatory saws before described. The operation of these combined
machines is as follows:-The felloe to be operated upon being firmly secured
in the proper position on the traversing plate, as shewn by red lines at z², and
the plate being brought to that end of the bed opposite which the saw frames
may happen to stand, the saws are set in motion, and in their progress cut the
end of the felloe, and when they arrive at the end of their course are thrown out
of geer either by the workman or by the action of the machine, if the latter is
fitted with the necessary apparatus for this purpose. The end of the felloe
being cut, the cutters of the planing machine are set in motion, and the work-
man, by turning slowly the handle of the pinion e¹, causes the plate to move
over the surface of the bed, thereby submitting every portion of the upper
surface of the felloe to the action of the cutter, which renders the surface
plane and smooth. When the plate arrives at the end of its course the cutters
are stopped, and the saws set in action with a reverse motion, whereby they
are carried back to their original position, and in their passage they cut the
other end of the felloe, which completes the operation. The range of the
traversing plate is regulated by stops according to the number of felloes com-
prised in the circumference of the intended wheel, so as to present the ends
of the felloes to the saws at the proper angle.
Figures 15, 16, and 17, Sheet 3, represent my improved machinery for
boring the holes in the internal circumference of the felloes to receive the
spokes, and the holes in the ends of the felloes to receive the dowels by
which the felloes are connected to each other. Figures 15 is a plan of the
machine; Figure 16, a front elevation, and Figure 17 a longitudinal
section. Figures 18, 19, 20, and 21 represent some of the parts detached.
a is the bed plate. Above a is placed a table b of a similar figure, and above
b is placed the plate c (likewise of a similar form), which moves in the are of
a circle upon corresponding guides d on the surface of the table. e, e, are guage

page_text: pins moveable along radiating grooves formed in the face of the traversing place,
so as to admit of their being brought beneath corresponding holes formed in the
under or inner face of the felloes. The height of the table is adjusted to suit
the varying thickness of the felloes by means of the regulating screws f, which
work in nuts at g in the brackets h, attached to the under side of the table,
which, when adjusted, is clamped to the bed plate by the jam screws i; the
lower ends of the regulating screws work in sockets in the platform k, which is
attached to the under side of the bed plate by the rods 1, 1. The screws are
caused to turn simultaneously by means of the wheels m, m, denoted in the
plan by red circles. n is the boring bit, by which the holes are formed in the
felloes to receive the ends of the spokes. It lies in the line of the centre
of the table, and is mounted in the end of the horizontal spindle o, which
revolves in bearings in the carriage p, placed upon the bed q. The carriage is
adjusted in its place upon the bed by the screw r, and retained at any position
by the clamps 8, s.
The cutter is driven by a strap or band passing round the
pulley t fixed on the spindle, and is advanced or withdrawn by the screwv, the
extent of its motion endwise being regulated by a stop v¹ on the spindle. w, w,
are the bits for boring the holes in the ends of the felloes to receive the dowels.
They stand perpendicularly to or at right angles with the straight sides of the
table, and revolve in bearings in the carriages x, x. They are driven by bands
passing round the pulleys y, y, fixed upon their stems, and are advanced and
withdrawn means of the levers z, z. The carriages x, x, are supported by
the frames a, a, attached to the bed plate, and are moveable along V guides
by means of the screws 6, 62, for the purpose of accurately adjusting the posi-
tion of the boring bits to the ends of the felloes. 63, 63, are upright plates
placed in a radiating direction at the ends of the base plate, and serving as
stops to the traversing plate. c* is a clamp for holding the felloes firmly down
in the traversing plate; the side bars are connected to the bar d³ attached to
the under side of the table, and in the inner bar is formed an aperture for the
passage of the boring bit n. The bed q of the boring bit n is supported
on standards e, e³, and forms the supports to the bed plate a; the frames a³, a²,
are supported by the bed plate, and by the standards f³, f.
It should have been before observed that the traversing sectoral plate c
should comprise an arc of a circle equal to the circumference, or 360° divided
by the number of felloes contained in the intended wheel, and the bed plate a
and the table 6 should each contain one half as many more degrees. Thus,
if the wheel is to be composed of six felloes, the plate c will form an arc of
sixty degrees, and the bed plate and table will each form an arc of ninety
degrees. The operation of this machine may be described as follows:-The

page_text: height of the table is first. adjusted. by. the screws f, so that the distance of the
surface of the traversing plate c below the centres of the boring bits shall be
equal to half the intended depth of the felloes, and the table. is then, firmly
clamped to the bed plate.. A felloe, which has already been planed on, one
side, and the ends cut as already described, and having: holes bored in the
planed side to aguage plate, is fixed upon the guage pins,. so that its ends will
coincide with the straight sides of the: traversing plate; the plate is then
brought to abut upon one of the vertical stops 63, and the plate and felloe
are held firmly down. in that position by the clamp c.. The boring bits are
then set in motion, and one of the holes for the spokes is. bored, and also a
hole for the dowel in that end of. the felloe which is at the end of the table.
The bits are then withdrawn, the clamp loosened,. and the traversing, plate
pushed: to the other end of the table.against the other stop 6, in which position
it and the felloe. are secured: by the clamp; and the hole for another spoke, and
a. hole: in the other end of the felloe; for another, dowel are bored,. which
completes the.operation..
Figures 22, 23, and. 24,. Sheet 4,. represent my improved machinery for.
reducing the external and.internal circumference of the felloes to their proper.
diameters. and. to: a cylindrical figure; and: for reducing the felloes to the
proper thickness, and facing the external surface. Figure 22 is a front
elevation of the machine, Eigure 23 a plan of the same, and Figure 24 a
transverse section.. a is ar vertical' face. plate of cast iron, with a facing.
of wood 6 attached to it by countersunk screws. c, c, and then turned true on
the face. d, d,. are stearly pins inserted. in the face plate, and projecting
through the wooden facing; their distance apart coincides with that of the pin
holes in the inner face of the felloes already spoken of. e, e, are holes through
which the wood screws pass which bind the felloes. to the face plate, as will be.
presently, described. The face plate is mounted on the shaft f which turns in
plummer: blocks g, g; it is driven by a band passing round the fast pulley h; and
is thrown out of geer by means of the loose pully i. j is-a.rest for supporting
the cutter, and: clamped' to the bed k... The operation. of the machine is as
follows: The number of felloes required. to: form. the rim of a wheel (and
which have been previously faced on one side, and cut at: the ends and bored
as already described,) are put together by means of iron. dowels inserted in
the holes in the ends of the felloes, and. thus connected are placed upon the
steady pins, and then braced to the face plate by. wood screws m put in from
the back of the plate. They are then turned on the outer and inner circum-
ference, and the outer surface is faced. n, Figure 25, shews one of the dowels.
detached.

page_text: Figures 26 and 27 represent my improved machine for bending the tires of
wheels. Figure 26 is a plan of the machine, and Figure 27 an elevation.
a, a, is a cast-iron plate mounted horizontally upon a bed of brickwork. b, b,
are a number of rollers. placed above the base plate a in a radiating. direction,
and turning in bearings.c, c, attached to the base plate. d.is a fluted roller
fixed upon
the lower part of a vertical shaft e, which turns in a step in the bed
plate and in a bearing at f. g, g, are two rollers mounted in brackets h, h,
which are moveable in a horizontal slot in the bari by means of adjusting
screws, which work in nuts. formed in the stems of the brackets. k, k, are
clamps or wedges passing through slots in the stems of the brackets, and
serving to retain the brackets in any. required position in the slot. The bar i
is mounted in plummer blocks m,: m, attached to the bed plate. n, n, repre-
sent the wheels by which the shaft. e is turned. The principle of this machine:
is derived from the well-known proposition that a circle can be drawn through:
any three given points not lying in a right line, and the operation of the
machine is as follows:-The end of a bar of iron, as o, is slightly bent to allow
it to enter between the fluted roller d and the plain rollers g,.g, and the fluted
roller being set in motion draws the bar forward and bends it into a circle, the
diameter of which depends upon the relative position of the three rollers,
the diameter of the circle being reduced by diminishing the distance between
them. Thus, if the plain rollers are placed in the position indicated by dotted.
lines at p, p, the bar will be formed into the circle represented by the dotted.
blue lines.
When it is. desired to make the tyres slightly conical, or dished as it is
termed, the rollers are slightly inclined from the perpendicular, as shewn
in Figures 28 and 29, by means of the screw 7 applied to the step of the
shaft e, and by the screws connected to links or bridles attached to the bar i.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best means I
am acquainted with for carrying the same into effect, I will now proceed to
state my claims in respect to the different machinery herein-before described,
observing that I do not limit myself to the precise form and arrangement of
the various parts as herein described, as they may be varied without departing
from the characteristic of my Invention.
Firstly, I claim the combination of a mandril and revolving cutters whereby
the spokes fixed in a nave are in succession presented to the action of the
cutters, and their ends are formed into tennons, all equidistant from the center
of the wheel, as described under the first head of my Invention.
Secondly, I claim the combination of revolving cutters and rotatory or
reciprocating saws, with a sliding plate or other equivalent contrivance

page_text: whereby the upper surface of the felloes is brought under the action of the
revolving cutters, and the ends of the felloes are presented to the saws at
the proper angle, as described under the second head of my Invention.
Thirdly, I claim the combination of boring bits and a sliding plate or other
equivalent contrivance, whereby the felloes are presented to the bits and bored
with holes to receive the spokes and dowels, under the third head of my
Invention.
Fourthly, I claim the construction of the face plate, and the mode of affix-
ing the unfinished felloes thereto, described under the fourth head of my
Invention; and,
Fifthly, I claim the inclining the rollers from the perpendicular in order
to give the tires a conical or dished form; and also the application of
adjusting screws to regulate the position of the outer rollers upon the bar,
as described under the fifth head of my Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Crosskill, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-four.