IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE CUTTING OF NAILS, BRADS, OR SPIKES, AND IN THE CONFORMATION OF SOME OF SUCH NAILS AND SPIKES
Year: 1865

page_text: こ
Street, in the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR THE CUTTING OF NAILS, BRADS, OR SPIKES, AND IN THE
CONFORMATION OF SOME OF SUCH NAILS AND SPIKES."
Sealed the 26th September 1865, and dated the 29th March 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Cardwell Robin-
son at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 29th March 1865.
I, RICHARD CARDWELL ROBINSON, of No. 25. Cannon Street, in the City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR THE CUTTING OF NAILS, BRADS. OR SPIKES, AND IN THE CON-
FORMATION OF SOME OF SUCH NAILS AND SPIKES," to be as follows:-
The machine for which I claim novelty for cutting nails. brads, and spikes
of the forms and character shewn in the accompanying Drawing has a
revolving cylinder on which are affixed two sets of cutters, one set being of
the form of one side and head end of the nails which it cuts off. and one
side of the next succeeding nail, and the other set which cuts off such
succeeding nail cats the sheet in such manner as to form the top of the head
of the nail at the same time as it is cutting the length of the nail from the
sheet, and the cutters last named in like manner as the first cuts the side of
the nail which comes next in succession: the heads so formed being cut
from the inner part of the sheet, the outer edges of the sheet forming the top
of the heads of the other nails. The machine has a bed on which slides in
V or other suitable grooves a slide block across the face of the cylinder already
Price 8d.1

page_text: described, and parallel with the face of said cylinder.
This slide block is
made to slide from right to left, and from left to right alternately, by being
connected by a rod to a cam or its equivalent, which has a rest at each end of
its stroke so as to enable the edges of the cutters which are on the cylinder to
be brought close to the edges of their reciprocal dies, which dies are fixed upon
the slide block. When it is intended that one or more nails at a time shall
be cut from the sheet of metal, a dic or dies the length of one or two nails is
or are fixed upon the sliding block besides those which correspond in length
with the width of such sheet of metal, so that the cam in its revolution moves
the die or dies by means of a connecting rod the length requisite across the
hed plate, the dies being attached to the slide block on which the cams act.
and are presented either singly or in conjunction with others (which are of
the same length as the width of the sheet to be cut) in such manner as to
reciprocate with the alternate forms of cutters on the cylinder. Each cutter
is so inclined to or from the axis of the cylinder as to form the required taper
for the nail. The sheet of metal to be cut is fed over the die or dies and
under the cutters during their relative movements by means of feed rollers
which push the metal forward a given distance during such movements of
cutters and dies as is sufficient for the width of a nail. such rollers being
impelled by means of a toothed ratchet wheel attached to the shaft of the feed
roller. The peculiar conformation of these nails. brads. and spikes is such
that the side of one nail shall form the counterpart of the succeeding nail.
owing to the heads and points of the nails being cut in alternation. so that
the points of two of the nails which are in the same direction shall form
the head of the nail which is between them, and one side of the heads
of two other nails. and the heads of the same two nails shall form the
point of the nail which is between them, and one side of the points of the
other two nails, and so on in succession without any waste of the material to
be cut.
It is not necessary that the sheet of metal from which the nails are
cut shall be of the same width as the length of one nail only, but of a width
suitable for the cutting off of two or more nails.
The form of nails. brads. and spikes are shewn in Figs. 1. 2, 3, 4, and 5 on
the accompanying Drawing. Figs. 1, 4. and 5 shewing views of large and
small sized nails, and Figs. 2 and 3. views of spikes and brads. For novelty
of form and application I claim those shewn in Figs. 2. 3, and 5.
The object of the spike A. which has a curve at its heel, marked B, is to
force the brad C (which is of the ordinary kind now in use) in the direction
shewn, thereby firmly securing together two or more pieces of wood or other
materials requiring to be fastened. I use also in connection with the spike A

page_text: a chisel-pointed brad D, Fig. 3, both being novel in form and application.
The spikes A will be cut from sheets or bars of metal (rolled to the form
shewn) by my improved machine, with this exception, that the reciprocating
die will be dispensed with, the sheet of metal being fed up to the cutter or
cutters affixed to the revolving cylinder by the ratchet motion herein-before
described, the straight side E resting upon a stationary die fixed to the slide
block of the machine until separated from the sheet or bar, when the
ratchet motion again feeds the sheet or bar of metal up to the cutter or
cutters for the next succeeding stroke the required breadth, and so on in
succession.
By my improvements the die or dies on the sliding block and the cutters on
the cylinder reciprocate in such manner as to cut the sheet of metal to be
acted upon into such nails, brads, or spikes, of the kind or shape herein
described and shewn in the accompanying Drawing, but by means of other
suitable die or dies and cutters placed in their relative positions, nails, brads,
and spikes of other shapes and forms can be cut by my machine.
by the said Richard Cardwell Robinson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 28th September 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
CARDWELL ROBINSON, of No. 25, Cannon Street, in the City of London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Iler heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Richard Cardwell Robinson, Her special licence that 1, the said Richard
Cardwell Robinson, my executors, administrators. and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Richard Cardwell Robinson, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with. and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE CUTTING OF NAILS, BRADS,
OR SPIKES, AND IN THE CONFORMATION OF SOME OF SUCH NAILS AND SPIKKS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that 1, the said Richard Cardwell Robinson,

page_text: my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain 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 1, the said Richard Cardwell Robinson, 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:-
Chapter My Invention consists in the construction and arrangement of
a machine for cutting nails, brads, and spikes, and in the general form and
character of some of such nails and spikes, some of which are compound
spikes or nails, and some are single, but particularly adapted to the construction
of work where great strength of nailing or spiking is required.
The peculiarity of the machine for producing these nails, brads, and spikes,
is in the moving of the dies from right to left and from left to right alternately,
so that the, dies when they are at the ends of their traverse present two sets of
cutters, which are fixed in the cylinder, the necessary shapes or forms for
enabling each set of cutters to cut off from the sheet of metal to be acted on
the nails, brads, and spikes required, as herein-after described and shown in
accompanying Drawings.
Machines have been patented to move the sheet of metal transversely, from
which nails of the forms as shewn, Figures 4 and 5, have been cut; but in
order to cut nails, brads, and spikes more effectually, I prefer to move the die
or dies on which the sheet of metal rests, a reciprocating motion being given
to a slide block to which the dies are attached, the cutters fixed in the
revolving drum or cylinder by means of bolts, one of each set of cutters on the
cylinder being in the form of one side and head end of the nail, brad, or spike,
and the next set of cutters of the form and shape of the opposite side of the
nail, brad, or spike to be cut. The dies on which the sheet of metal rest
slides by a reciprocating motion, firstly, to present a corresponding die to the
first set of cutters on the revolving cylinder, and then slide a given distance
back again to fit the next succeeding revolving cutter, and so on for any
number of nails in succession.
When one nail only is being cut from the sheet at each stroke of the
cutters, the dies are shifted the length of such nail, but when two or more
fails are being cut, then the dies are shifted the lengths of two of such nails
as are being cut. The dies are shifted the requisite distance during the space

page_text: of time taken up by the cylinder in making half a revolution, and while the
feed rollers are impelling the sheet of metal the width of a nail to be cut
from it.
Chapter 2.-Sheet 1, Figure 1, represents a side elevation of the nail-
making machine; Figure 2 represents part of the opposite side, shewing the
feed motion for the advancing of the sheet of metal to the cutters; Figure 3,
Sheet 2, a general ground plan of the machine.
A, A, the side frames of the machine; B and B', loose and fast driving
pullies; C, the fly wheel; D, the driving shaft; E, the driving pinion working
into the driven wheel F affixed to the main drum shaft G, on to which is
adfixed the drum H for holding the revolving cutters 1, 1, and I', 1', which
cutters "match" and work in concert with corresponding lower dies J, J, and
J', J, allixed to the slide block Y, and upon which the metal plate K rests,
and is fed up to the cutters 1 and 1 by an intermittent motion being given to
the feed rollers L and L' by the eccentric M, which is affixed on
to the
driving shaft D, the eccentric rod N communicating motion to the pin O
which works the bell-crank "lever P, attached to which is the "pall "Q giving
motion to the ratchet wheel R, which is affixed to the roller shaft S, motion
being given to the upper roller by the pinions T and T. On to the stud
shaft U is affixed a cam V which actuates the lever W, on the other end of
which is a link X actuating and giving a reciprocating motion to the slide
block Y, which carries the dies J, J, and J', J', the motion and object of
which will be hereafter explained. Motion is given to the cam V by the
driving wheel Z which is affixed on to the shaft G, and works into an inter-
mediate or stud wheel a actuating the wheel b on the shaft U, thereby
obtaining the same number of revolutions of the cam shaft to that of the main
drum shaft G, so that the two sets of cutters 1, 1, and 1, 1', affixed to the
drum H may each be presented to and "matched" with the corresponding set
of dies J, J, and J, J', as shewn in plan, see Figure 3, Sheet 2. These dies
and the revolving cutters 1, 1, 1', 1', correspond, the reciprocating motion
being given by the cam V through the lever W and link X, to the slide
block Y, so that when each cutter comes round the slide block Y moves a
"
given distance and presents its corresponding die to the cutter, hence a nail is
nipped off the end of the sheet K, making one or more nails at each
clip," and two clips in one revolution of the drum 11. The present cutters
being set for two nails at a "clip," or four of every revolution of the drum H.
In order to "match" these dies J, J, and J', J. to their corresponding cutters
on the drum H, and also to give the necessary extent of traverse backward
and forward, fitting the exact length of nail, the fulcrum e of the lever W

page_text: can be altered by the adjusting screw d as circumstances may require, so that
nails commonly known as cut nails of any special conformation may be cut
without moving the sheet of metal transversely.
Chapter 3. The form of nail which the machine is represented to cut by
the shape of the dies J. J. J. J. and cutters 1. 1. and I. 1, is shown in
Figures 4 and 5. Sheet 2.
The brad. Figure 6, can be cut in the machine by using the proper forms
of cutters and dies. I claim no novelty in such brad, but the nails or spikes
shewn at Figures 7 and 8 are new. The two nails in conjunction, as repre-
sented at Figure 7. are what may be termed a compound nail or spike. the
spikes e being first driven, then the nail or brad : on the point of the brad /
coming into contact with the curve at the side of spike e it is turned into the
wood, as shewn in the Drawing, thus holding the two pieces of wood firmly
together, and rendering it a most diflicult operation to draw either the spike
or the brad from the wood.
Figure 8 represents another form of mail; it can be made in the machine,
and owing to its peculiar conformation its hold of the wood into which it may
be driven is much more tenacious than the ordinary nails now in use.
The traverse motion of the sliding block Y (holding and carrying the dies)
may be effected by a common crank motion instead of the cam V. or a cam
known as a dead strokecam may be used. or motion obtained by eccentric
spur wheels, so as to cause a delay at each stroke or traverse of the sliding
block Y.
I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details
herein described and shewn in the Drawings. as long as the main features of
my Invention are adhered to (viz.), as long as I maintain the traversing dies
in connection or combination with the revolving cutters.
CLAIMS.
First, what claim as of my Invention is, the construction of a machine
for the cutting of nails. brads, and spikes, by resting the sheet of metal to
be cut on the dies, and reciprocating such dies with the cutters by the means
herein described and shewn, for the purpose of presenting each die to its
mutual cutter, each die being presented in its turn by the alternate re-
ciprocating action of the slide block which carries the dies, as fully set forth
and shewn in the Drawings.
Con-
Secondly, the peculiar conformation of the spike e. and its use in
junction with the brador nail, as described in Chapter 3, and shewn in
Diagram, Fig. 7.

page_text: Thirdly, the peculiar conformation of the nail or spike, as shewn in Fig. 8.
Fourthly, claim the fulcrum of the lever bar by which an adjusting
medium is obtained over the movement imparted by the cam to the dies.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Cardwell Robinson, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of September, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Witness,
WILLIAM BEATTIE.
25. Cannon Street.
C
R. C. ROBINSON. (L.S.)