IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRILLING OR PER- . FORATING ROCKS AND OTHER HARD SUBSTANCES
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRILLING OR PER- .
FORATING ROCKS AND OTHER HARD SUBSTANCES." -A communication from
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PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 30th June 1873.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
6 Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRILLING
OR PERFORATING ROCKS AND OTHER HARD SUBSTANCES," a communication, to be
as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in machines which drill or
perforate the rocks or other hard substances by repeated blows of the

page_text: drill which is carried by a piston driven rapidly to and fro by the pressure
of air or steam upon a piston working in a cylinder. The said improve-
ments relate first to a stand for supporting the said machine, and which
is capable of adjustment to permit the drill to penetrate the rock in any
direction so that it may be conveniently used in sinking shafts in quarry
work and other similar operations.
The said improved stand is constructed as follows:-It has a base
consisting of four arms, each of which has at its extremity a socket
filled with an adjustable pointed rod. The said rods are held in place in
their sockets by pinching screws or other contrivances which permit
their ready adjustment. At its centre this base piece is connected by a
ball and socket with a standard or column which carries the drilling
machine. The said base picce is preferably made in two halves, in cach
of which I form one-half of the socket. The ball part of the joint is a
hollow sphere cast on the lower end of the column, and fitted to work
freely in the said socket. I form holes in two opposite portions of the
said ball for the passage of a bolt, which secures the two portions of the
socket and base together. The said holes are made much larger than
the bolt, so that the ball is free to work freely for a sufficient distance in
any direction to permit the required angular adjustment of the column.
For light machines the said column may be a plain bar on which the
machine is adjusted by hand and secured by clamping screws. But for
large machines I form on the said column a circular or spiral rack, and
support the machine thereon by means of a strong sleeve, which is
provided with a toothed pinion gearing into the said rack for adjusting
the same, and in combination with the said pinion I arrange a pawl
which drops into its teeth and prevents the accidental slipping of the
said sleeve upon the column. The said sleeve is also provided with a
pinching block and screws to make it fast when adjusted. I modify
the said stand by making the column with a boss at the lower end,
and fitting the said boss upon a cross-bar, upon which the column may
be adjusted longitudinally and to any desired angle. The said boss is
provided with a pinching block and screws for holding the column when
the same is adjusted to any required position.
'My improvements relate secondly to the means for attaching the
cylinder to the said column so that it may be firmly sustained thereon,
but with a capability of endwise feed movement as the work progresses.
For this purpose I attach to the aforesaid sleeve carried on the column a

page_text: rail or bar H shaped in transverse section. This bar is attached to the
said sleeve by a swivel joint. The cylinder has flanges cast on it which
correspond with the sectional form of the said rail or bar, and which
retain the cylinder in place while allowing it to slide freely thereon when;
operated by the feed screws..
The said improvements relate thirdly to mechanism for turning the'
drill upon its axis during the operation of the machine. Heretofore this
object has been accomplished by a rotating cam arranged at the front
end of the machine, and operating in combination with teeth on the
piston rod.
;
According to my present Invention I. use a rotating spirally toothed,
cam or cam spindle acting on a spirally toothed protuberance on the.
piston rod to impart the required rotative motion to the same, but I:
arrange this mechanism with the arms for operating the distributing
valve at the rear of the machine. The said cam is provided with a
ratchet wheel, which is held by a paul so that the cam may turn only.
in one direction. It is rendered immovable during the backward move-
ment of the piston, and therefore causes the rotation of the said rod,
but does not rotate the piston rod during the forward stroke of the
piston.
:
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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 30th December 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
גי
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of Junc, in the year.
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and succes-
sors, give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special
licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said. William Robert Lake,.
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at, any time agree.

page_text: In the said Drawing, Figure 1 is a plan or top view of my improved
stand, showing the drilling mechanism mounted thereon. Figure 2 is a
side clevation of the same. Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line
x, x, Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a plan illustrating a modified construction of the stand.
Figure 5 is a side clevation of the same.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing.
The improved stand (Figures 1 and 2) is constructed as follows:-
Its base or lower part a is formed in two halves or parts united at the
centre, and these two halves have four arms a¹, cach of which has at its
extremity a socket a³ fitted with an adjustable pointed rod b. The rods b
are held in place in their sockets a² by pinching screws 6' or other
contrivances, which permit their ready adjustment to any required
height in the said sockets. Each half of the base piece a has a partly
spherical portion a* from which the said arms extend, and these portions
form the socket or female part of a ball and socket joint, whereby the
column c is connected with the base a of the stand. The ball part of
this joint is a hollow sphere c¹ cast on the lower end of the column c
and fitted to work freely in the said socket. I form holes c² in two
opposite portions of the said ball for the passage of a bolt d, which
secures the two portions of the base a together. The said holes are
made much larger than the bolt, so that the ball will work freely for a
sufficient distance in any direction to permit the required angular adjust-
ment of the column c, and when the said column is adjusted it is secured
by the said bolt.
For light or small machines the said column may be a plain or smooth
bar on which the cylinder e is adjusted by hand and secured by clamping
screws c*; but for large machines I form on the said column a circular
or spiral rack as in Figure 5, and support the machine thereon by means.
of a strong sleeve f, which is provided with a toothed pinion g gearing
into the said rack for adjusting the same, and in combination with the
said pinion I arrange a pawl which drops into its teeth and prevents the
accidental slipping of the said sleeve upon the column.. The said sleeve.
is also provided with a pinching block i and screws j to make it fast
when adjusted.
I modify the above described stand as shown in Figures 1 and K. that

page_text: end, and fitting the said boss or head upon a cross bar or tube k, upon
which the column may be adjusted longitudinally and to any desired
angle. The pinching block i and screws j above described permit the
ready adjustment of the column on the bar k, and the securing of the
same when it is adjusted to any required position.
According to the second part of this Invention I attach to the afore-
said sleeve a rail or bar 7, which is H shaped, in transverse section, as
clearly shown in Figure 3. This bar is attached to the said sleeve by a
swivelling joint, consisting of a face plate m formed on the said bar or
rail 7, and fitted into a socket on the said sleeve, in which it is held by
screws with V shaped heads. The cylinder e has flanges e¹ cast on it,
which flanges correspond with the sectional form of the said rail or bar,
and are fitted to slide thereon and retain the cylinder in place on the
said bar while allowing it to slide freely on the same when operated by
the feed screw n. The latter is supported to turn freely in bearings at
or near the ends of the bar 7, and passes through a screw nut secured
between two brackets on the cylinder.
The rotation or turning of the drill upon its axis in these machines
has been heretofore accomplished by a rotating cam arranged at the
front end of the machine and operating in combination with teeth on
the piston rod, as described in the Specification of Letters Patent dated
April 14, A.D. 1870, No. 1104.
According to my present Invention I use a similar or nearly similar
rotating spirally toothed cam or cam spindle o acting on a spirally
toothed protuberance p on the piston rod q to impart the required
rotative motion to the same, but I arrange this mechanism with the arms
for operating the distributing valve at the rear of the machine, as shewn
in Figure 2. The said cam o is provided with a ratchet wheel, which is.
held by a pawl so that the cam may turn only in one direction. It is
rendered immovable during the backward movement of the piston, and
therefore causes the rotation of the said rod, but does not rotate the
piston rod during the forward stroke of the piston, as described in the
said Specification.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the a
same, I wish it understood that I claim,-
First. A stand or supporting apparatus. for a machine for drilling or

page_text: perforating rocks and other hard substances, which has a base or lower
portion and a column constructed substantially as herein set forth, and
united by a ball and socket joint, which permits the said column to be
adjusted and secured in various positions to vary the angle of perforation
as herein described.
Second. The construction of the said stand with a horizontal bar or
tube and a column united by a boss or head, which is adjustable on the
said bar or tube, and made fast in any desired position thereon, as herein
set forth and for the purpose specified.
Third. In combination with the column of the said stand the sleeve
with the rail or bar jointed to the same in the manner described, and
with the cylinder fitted to slide endwise on the said rail or bar, as herein
set forth and for the purposes specified.
Fourth. In a machine for drilling and boring rocks and other hard
substances effecting the rotation or turning of the drill on its axis during
the working of the machine by mechanism constructed substantially as
described in the said former Specification, and arranged and operating in
combination with the parts of the present machine as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three
Witness,
H. J. NOONE,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
W. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)