CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY. TOOLS, OR APPARATUS FOR TURNING; BORING, PLANING. AND CUTTING METALS AND OTHER MATERIALS
Year: 1835

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
WHITWORTH, of Manchester, in the County Palatine of Lancaster, Machinist,
send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Eleventh day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-five, and in the fifth year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Joseph Whitworth, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Joseph Whitworth, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Whitworth, my executors,
administrators, 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 men-
tioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY. TOOLS, OR APPARATUS FOR TURNING;
BORING, PLANING. AND CUTTING METALS AND OTHER MATERIALS;" in which said
Letters Patentis contained a proviso, obliging me, the said Joseph Whitworth,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe
and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, and to cause the saine to be inrolled in His said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately

page_text: after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joseph Whitworth, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say):-
My improvements in machinery, tools, or apparatus for turning, boring,
planing, and cutting metals and other materials consist,―
First, in a peculiar construction and arrangement of certain of the parts of
a lathe for turning or boring metal and other materials.
Secondly, in a peculiar construction and arrangement of certain parts of a
planing machine.
Thirdly, in a peculiar arrangement and adaptation of tools and mechanism
for cutting threads of screws on cylindrical shafts.
And, fourthly, ina peculiar mechanism for cutting teeth in the peripheries
of certain kinds of wheels.
In Sheet 1 of the accompanying Drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of
the lathe, exhibiting the first feature of these improvements; Figure 2 is a
horizontal view of the same, as seen from above; Figure 3 is an elevation
taken at the end behind the mandril; and Figure 4 is a vertical section taken
transversely through the slide rest. Hanging brackets A, A, made fast to the
ceiling of the workshop, carrying the driving shaft B, on which the fast and
loose pullies C, C, C*, and D, D, D*, are mounted; C* and D* are the
pullies made fast to the shaft, and may be driven in opposite directions by a
straight and a crossed strap, the other pullies turn loosely upon the shaft. In
the same hanging brackets A, A, is also mounted the sliding rod a, carrying
the guides b, b, by which the straps are traversed that drive the lathe, in the
manner herein-after explained. The bed E, E, of the lathe supports the slide
rest F, F, which carries the tool or cutter. The fast headstock is shown at
G, G, and the adjustable headstock at H, H. The spindle or mandril I, I, has
the several speed pullies K, K, K, fixed upon it, which are driven by the straps
from pullies L, L, L, on the driving shaft B. At the outer end of the
mandril a spur wheel M. is affixed, which, through an intermediate wheel N
taking into the spurwheel O, drives the worm shaft P, by which the slide rest F
is traversed. The slide rest is connected to the wormshaft Pby a piece Q, shewn
by dots in Figure 2, mounted between brackets on the under part of the slide
This piece Q, 1 call a half-nut, having a hollow screw formed in its
rest.

page_text: edge, and which is shewn detached in three positions at Figures 5 and 6.
This half-nut is slidden in its groove in and out of gear with the worm shaft
by jointed levers R, S, in the manner hereafter explained. The work
intended to be turned must be placed in the ordinary way between the mandril
and the adjustable headstock, and the tool or cutter fixed in the slide rest as
usual. The half-nut Q being now thrown into gear with the worm shaft l'
and one of the driving straps shifted on to one of the fast pullies C* or D*,
the speed pulley Lon the shaft B will, through the agency of a strap embracing
one of the pullies K, give that rotary movement to the mandril I, and through
the gear M, N, O, or any other gear that shall be found necessary, according
to the required speed,) to the worm shaft P, which will cause the work to
revolve, and the tool or cutter, with the slide rest F, to nove progressively
along the bed of the lathe. The tool having been brought up to its work by
the adjustable apparatus shewn in Figure 2, the longitudinal movement of the
slide rest and cutter will necessarily produce cylindrical turning, but in the 1
event of a collar or shoulder upon the shaft requiring its face or flat surface to
be turned when the tool has arrived at such collar or shoulder, I then stop
the longitudinal progress of the slide by means of other mechanism, and cause
the tool to travel across the machine in a transverse direction by the following
means-A lever T turns upon a fulcrum stud c, fixed in the slide rest, and
which lever is capable of adjustment as to the length of its arms. One end of
this lever T is forked, and takes hold of a pin d, set into a sliding bolt U, (sec
Figure 2, and shewn by dots in Figure 1,) attached to the side of the slide rest;
and in the sliding bolt Uthere is also inserted another pin e, which is passed
through an oblique slot in the end of the lever R. The reverse ciid' of the
lever T carries a small antifriction roller and as the slide rest advances,
this roller f, by coming in contact with the face of the shoulder or collar of
the work under operation, causes the lever to turn upon its fulerüm stud'e, and
to draw forward the sliding bolt U. The pin e, by this movement of the bolt
U, is made to bear against the edge of the inclined slot in the end of the
lever R, and by so doing to force back the jointed levers R, S, which will
withdraw the hollow screw of the half-nut Q from connection with the worm
shaft P. The longitudinal movement of the slide rest being thus stopped by
the disengagement of the half-nut from the worm shaft (the cutting tool having
been in the commencement adjusted to correspond with the position of the
lever T), the transverse movement of the cutter is effected in the following
manner: A worm wheel W, fixed on a short axle V, mounted vertically in the
slide rest(see the cross section, Figure 4,) is continually in gear with the worm'
shaft P; but as the slide rest moves longitudinally with a corresponding 'speed'

page_text: to that of the revolving worm shaft, the worm wheel and its axle do not
revolve, but remain locally quiescent when the slide rest is moving. As soon,
however, as the longitudinal movement of the siide rest is stopped, the worm
wheel W, with its axle, necessarily revolves, and a bevel wheely, fixed upon the
axle V,taking into a bevel pinion h, on a transverse shaft i, gives rotary motion
to that shaft and to a wheelX, affixed to its end. This wheel X takes into a
a transverse worm shaft Y,
sliding pinion, connected by a key to the end of
mounted in the slide rest, and this shaft works in a nut or screw box fixed to
the under part of a sliding plate Z, which moves transversely in dovetailed
grooves in the slide rest, and by the rotation of the worm shaft Y, driven by the
means described, the plate, with the cutting tool, is now made to moveat right
angles to its former course. The movement last described brings the cutting
tool outward from the centre of the work, but in order to conduct it towards
the centre the following means must be applied:-The sliding pinion must
be withdrawn from gearing with the wheel X, which is done by throwing back
the lever. This lever has a pinion inserted into it, which takes into a groove
formed at the outer part of the pinion, and as the lever is pushed back by the
hand of the workmen, the pinion slides towards the end of its shaft Y, and
becomes released from the wheelX. A long pinion m, mounted loosely upon
a stud fixed in a lever n (shewn by dots in Fig. 1), is now, by raising its spring
catch, let fall into gear both with the wheel Xand pinion &, and thus becom-
ing an intermediate, communicates the rotary movement of the wheel X to the
pinion, and causes it now to turn in an opposite direction, and thereby to give
the retrograte rotary movement to the shaft Y, by which the plate %, with the
cutting tool, is conducted inward or toward the centre of the work. In order to
fix the slide rest firmly, that is, prevent its shifting in a longitudinal direction
when the half-nut is withdrawn from the worm shaft, a screw o, having a broad
dix at its lower end, is mounted vertically in the slide rest. The head of this
screw o is made square, having a key or forked lever p connected to it, and the
reverse end of this key being attached to the sliding bolt U, whenever that boltis
moved forward by the operation of the lever T, as described, the screwo will be
turned, and the disc at its lower end made to press with sufficient force against
the bed of the lathe to hold the slide rest securely. When the lathe is employed
for boring, the cutter is to be fixed in the slide rest and the work attached to
the revolving mandril, the pinions & and m being then thrown out of gear with
the wheel X, the hollow screw of the half-nut Q is to be brought into con-
nection with the worm shaft P, as before described. The mandril, with thework,
being then made to revolve, the longitudinal traverse of the slide rest, obtained
by the means above explained, will force the cutter against the inner surface of

page_text: the work, and cause the boring to be effected. The cutter having reached the
end of its work, a lever g, suspended by a stud to the slide rest, comes in
contact with a stop r, fixed to the side of the bed (shewn by dots in Fig. 1).
This stop, as the slide rest proceeds, causes the reverse end of the lever to draw
forward the bolt U,and thereby throws the half-mut Qont of gear with the worm
shaft P, in the way before explained. The progress of the slide rest may also
be stopped by the workman applying his hand to the handle at the upper end.
of the lever q. In order to bring the slide rest up to its work, or withdraw it
therefrom (the pinions and m being thrown out of gear), the handle attached
to the transverse shafts is to be turned, when a pinion t, at its end, taking into
the bevel wheely, on the axle V, will give rotatory motion to the worm wheel
W, and cause it to work along with the worm shaft P as a pinion and rack,
and thereby to traverse the slide rest. For the purpose of shifting the driving
straps from the fast to the loose pullies, a rod u is applied, which is mounted
vertically in a step and bearings, and to its upper end is attached a lever,
connected by a slot and pin to the sliding rod a. By turning this vertical rod u
to the right or left, the guides b, b, are made to pass the driving straps from one
pully to the other. When the straps are on the two inner loose pullies C
and D, the machinery remains at rest, when theguides b, h, are so shifted that
one of the straps is upon the fast pulley C, the other being upon a loose
pulley, the machinery is driven in one direction; when the other strap is
upon the fast pulley D*, the machinery is driven in the opposite direction.
Near the lower part of the vertical rod u,another lever wis aflixed (see Fig. 3),
which by a slot and pin is connected to a lever a, turning upon a stud under
the bed of the lathe; the front part of this lever a is attached to a longitudinal
sliding rody,y,mounted in staples, and extending along the front of the bed of
the lathe. Upon this longitudinal rod stops 5,, may be fixed, for the p
of intercepting a tail piece f*, hanging from the under part of the slide rest;
hence, whenever as the slide rest traverses longitudinally, the tail piece /*
comes against one of the stops, the sliding rod y is moved along in its staples, .
which movement being communicated through the levers a and to the
vertical rod, that rod turning upon its axis shifts the rod a, a, with the
guides b, b, and the straps pass from one pulley to the other, and reverses the
movements of the machine. The stops,, therefore being fixed as may be
required at certain parts of the longitudinal rod y, y, when the piece f* arrives
at the stop z, the slide rest is prevented from advancing further. This re-
versing of the movements is required principally when the machine is employed
for cutting screws
purpose
Fig. 7 is a longitudinal view of the hand rest of an ordinary lathe; Fig. 8.

page_text: is a sectional elevation of the same; and Fig. 9 is an elevation taken at the
end. A is the frame in which the rest B is mounted; C is a cylindrical
shaft, turning in the frame upon journals a, a, which are placed excentrically
to the axis of the cylinder. D is a cylindrical socket fitted on the cylindrical
shaft. A pin E, extending from the socket, with a screw mnt F beneath,
supports the plate G, under the projecting flanges H, HI, of the bed I, I. On
turning the cylindrical shaft C round by means of the head b. its excen-
tricity will cause the the socket D, with the pin E, to be drawn upwards, and
by so doing brings the plate G up, and presses it with such considerable force
against the under surface of the flanges H, H, as to confine the frame of the
rest and fix it firmly to the bed. By turning the head of the cylindrical shaft
in the opposite direction, its excentricity allows the socket D of pin E, with
the plate G, to descend and release the frame of the rest from its adhesion to
the bed.
My improved planing machine is shewn in Sheet II. of the Drawings,
Figure 10 being a horizontal view of the machine, as seen from above;
Figure 11 a side elevation of the same; and Figure 12, an end clevation. That
part of the machine which carries the cutter or planing tool is shewnupon an
enlarged scale at Figure 13, which is a horizontal view, and at Figure 14, a
sectional elevation. A, A, are the sides or standards of the machine, secured
at bottom by bolts to transverse plates B. B, B. A longitudinal flange a, a,
having an angular upper edge, is cast upon and extends outwardly from
the standards on each side of the machine, forming railways for the wheels
of the travelling carriage to run upon. Flanges b,b,b, are also cast upon and
extend from the inner part of the standards for the purpose of receiving at
different depths the beds C, C, on which the work is to be placed, in order to
be submitted to the planing process. A driving pulley Dis mounted on a stud
set in the end frame of the standards, and to this pulley a bevel wheel c is
affixed, taking into the mitre wheels E, E, which turn loosely upon a horizontal
transverse shaft F at the end of the machine. A clutch G slides upon this
shaft between the loose wheels, and locks one or other of these wheels to the
shaft, as may be required for driving the carriage to and fro. To the outer
ends of the shaft F, bevel wheels H, H, are affixed which take into correspond-
ing bevel wheels 1, at the ends of two longitudinal worm shafts J, J,
mounted in brackets at the sides of the standards, and extending the whole
length of the machine. The carriage in which the planing tool is set is
formed of the sides K, K, connected by the plate M in' front, and by the
brace N behind, and is mounted on wheels L, L, running upon the lateral rail-
ways a, a, above described: On each side of the carriage flanged pullies d, d,

page_text: are mounted on studs standing obliquely, the outer edges of the flanges ofthe
pullies working against the sides of the grooves of the worm shafts J, J,
rotary motion being given by the rigger through the gear D, E, F, G, H, I,
the worm shafts J, J, are made to revolve, by which the worms acting against
the flanges of the pullies d, d, move them and the carriage K forward, and
conduct the cutter or planing tool along the work placed upon the bed. On
the inner side of the carriage there are flanges supporting longitudinally
an angular rail e, e, on each side, which rail acts in angular grooves f
formed in ribs on the standards for the purpose of preventing the carriage
rising as it travels along, in the event of the cutter coming in contact with
any irregularity in the surface under operation. The plate M carries the slide
O, in which the cutter or planing tool is set, and the slide is moved laterally
upon its dovetailed bearings by the screw y. The plate M is connected to
the upright parts ofthe carriage by bolts passed through slots, and is raisedor
depressed by the vertical screws h,h. These screws turn in two bearings fixed
to the standards, and have bevel wheels i, i, at their upper ends, taking into
pinions on the transverse shaft ; hence, by turning.the shaft, the plate M,
with the slide Oand cutter will be raised or depressed, as may be required. The
peculiar manner in which the cutter is mounted in the slide will be best under-
stood by reference to the detached Figures 13 and 14. To the slide O, a piece
P, P, is attached by screws Z, Z; this piece is bored cylindrically, for the
purpose of receiving a cylindrical socket Q, Q, in which the cutting tool R is
fixed by screws Y, Y. The piece P, with the cutter, may be set at any angle
to the perpendicular by turning it upon the pin S. A toothed wheel T is fixed
upon the socket Q, by means of a key or feather fitting into a groove in the
tube. The periphery of this wheel protrudes through a slot in the piece P,
and is made to revolve by a toothed wheel U on the perpendicular shaft V.
A pulley upon this shaft is embraced by a band screw at a, a, in Figure 12,
and the motion commonly employed for lifting the cutting tool may be
applied for giving rotation to this pulley and shaft by which the socket and
tool is to be turned half a revolution when it reaches the end of the cut. To
the upper end of the socket Qa perpendicular shaftw is attached by means of
a boss and cap plate, and this shaft is prevented from turning by a pin u
passed through the piece P, the end of which pin is inserted into a groove in
the shaft; the upper end of this shaft has a screw thread, which works in a
screw box or nut v. This screw box is fitted into an aperture in the cover
or cap plate of the piece P', and to the upper end of the screw box, above the
cover, a ratchet wheel S is affixed; hence, it will be perceived, that by turning
the ratchet wheel S the screw box will be made to revolve; and this screw

page_text: box acting upon the screw of the shaft w, will cause the shaft w and the
socket Q, with the cutter R, to be depressed; the ratchet wheel S is driven
round by two clicks 1, 2, attached to the ends of the levers q, q, which are
made to vibrate alternately by a wiper p, fixed on the top of the perpendicular
shaft V. A longitudinal rod W, W, extends along the whole length of the
machine by the side of the bed, and which rod has an inclined slot at its end,
resting upon a pin in a lever connected to the clutch G, by which the
machinery is thrown in and out of gear; this rod is moved to and fro by the
carriage coming against stops; previously to reversing the traverse of the car-
riage, it is necessary to reverse the position of the cutting tool, this is effected
by means of two inclined planes, attached to the longitudinal rod W, which,
as the carriage K moves along at the end of each cut, act against a roller m,
connected to a vertical rack 7, suspended from a balance lover k; this rack 1, in
rising and falling, turns a toothed wheel of the axle of one of the pullies/and
by working the endless cord.gives that rotatory movement to the pulley which
'cause the socket and cutter to be turned half round, as described above. At
the side of the vertical rack 1, an arm is affixed, which, as it rises and falls,
causes two clicks to act upon the ratchet wheely, fixed on the end of the trans-
verse worm shaft mounted in the plate M, and hence, by the movement of this
ratchet wheel, the screw is turned, and the slide, with the cutter, madetotravel
in a transverse direction.
The novel arrangement and adaptation of tools and mechanism for cutting
screw threads or worms on cylindrical shafts is exhibited in the Drawings
by the several Figures of Sheet III. The improvements which constitute
this part of the Invention is, the adaptation of certain mechanism for giving
the necessary reciprocating rotary motions to those parts of a screw cutting
machine which holds the shafts or blanks while the worm or thread is formed
upon them by the cutting dies, and for feeding into the screwing machine
the shafts or blanks, and removing them therefrom after the screw thread or
worin has been cut or formed.
Figure 15 is a plan or horizontal view of a screw cutting machine;
Figure 16 is a front elevation; and Figure 17 is a side elevation of the same.
A, A, is the framework or standards of the machine, upon which the several
shafts are mounted, turning in bearings: B is the driving pulley, fixed
upon
the shaft C; the driving pulley is connected to the driving pinion D, the teeth
of which gear with the spur wheel E on the end of the shaft F; upon this
shaft is fixed the two wheels G and G, each having a segment of teeth
formed halfround its circumference, the toothed segments of which are placed
in opposite situations to each other. The teeth of the wheel G takes into

page_text: gear with the wheel H on the shaft C, and the teeth of the other wheel G
with the intermediate wheel I, which gears into the wheel K, also fixed on the
shaft C; by these toothed segments, and the wheels described, reciprocating
rotary motion is given to the shaft C, which is so communicated through the
wheel M to the pinion N, connected to the shaft L. by a projecting rib orkey,
by which means the shaft Lis allowed to slide forwards and backwards through
the boss at the same time that the pinion is actuated by the reciprocating rotary
motion. Upon the end of the shaft L is ncunted on ears the chaps O, which
hold the screw shafts or bolts while the thread is formed upon them, which
holding chaps, togetherwith the screw blanks, partakeofthereciprocatingrotary
motion,and also the advancing and receding movements given to this shaft by
means of the leading or governing screw P, upon which depends the rake or
pitch of the thread to be cut upon the screw shafts. In order that screws of
different lengths may be eut by the same machine; the shaft C is mounted in
segment slots Q. Q, (concentric with the shaft. F.) by which means the shaft. C
may be adjusted, and the wheel M brought into gear with different sized
pinions N on the shaft L, for upon the diameter of these pinions N will
depend the number of revolutions given to the screw shaft while the screw
threads are being formed, and also the distance which the shaft L will be made
to advance and recede governed by the leading screw P, on which movement
depends the length of the thread or worm cut upon the shafts. The holding
chaps are a pair of levers a, a, mounted in cars on the end of the shaft L, and
are made to close upon the screw blank by the frustrum of a cone or inclined
planes, which act upon small rollers at the ends of the levers a, and force
them outward, causing the other ends or chaps to take fast hold of the screw
blank. The cone & is connected to the shaft L by a feather,and slides thereon,
revolving with the shaft, at the same time that it is allowed to slide longi-
tudinally upon it; e is a lever, employed for opening and closing the holding
chaps, having its fulcrum on a fixed pin at one end, and the other end being
acted upon by the grooved cam S, on the shaft R. Upon this lever c is placed
small roller, which works in a groove or between collers on the conical
piece b; by these means, as the cam S revolves, the cone is moved forward on
the shaft L., for closing the holding chaps, and is withdrawn by the same cam
when the screw or thread is finished; the chaps opening by the action of
springsd, d, and releasing the now finished screw, which is removed by a pair
of spring clips or fingers in the manner hereafter described; the chaps then
tauding open ready to receive another blank. The apparatus for holding the
lies which cut or form the thread or worm upon the screw shaft or bolt is
constructed in the manner described in the Specification of a Patent granted

page_text: to me, the said Joseph Whitworth, by His present Majesty, dated the Twenty-
seventh day of February, One thousand eight hundred and thirty-four, which
Specification was duly enrolled in the Rolls Chapel Office of the Court of
Chancery. T is the case or box containing the dies, which are acted upon in
the manner therein described, and are opened so as to allow of the blanks or
bolts being passed through them into the holding chaps, and are closed
gradually upon the shaft or bolt, as the worm or thread is cutting, by means
of the weighted lever e, which is raised by the tappet or cam U on the shaft R
at the time the dies are opening; and as the tappet recedes from the lever, the
weight brings it down again, closing the dies upon the screw blank or bolt
during the time the thread is cutting. The apparatus for feeding in and
discharging the screw shafts is placed opposite the screwing dies, and consists
of a pair of sliding spring clips or fingers g, for carrying in the blanks or
bolts, and another pair h, for removing them after being cut; these fingers or
clips are placed on the ends of rods which slide through slots formed in the
standards i, i, and have an advancing and receding, as well as a rising and
falling movement given to them by means of the levers and l, to one end of
which they are connected by pins and slots; these levers have their fulcrums
in pins and sockets m, m, mounted upon the shaft, supported by the
brackets o; their other ends work in the grooves of cam wheels
which give to the fingers g and h, through the levers and I, the advancing
and retiring movements; the peripheries of these cam wheels p and q being
also excentric; as they revolve they raise and depress the ends of the levers,
and with them the spring clips or fingers, the levers being kept in contact
with the surfaces of the cams by springs or weights. The shaft R is made to
revolve by a pinion V, on the end of the shaft F, taking into the intermediate
wheel W,which gives motion to the toothed wheel X, mounted on the shaft R,
which performs one revolution in the cutting of each screw. The operation of
the machine is as follows:-A screw shaft having been placed in the fingers g,
the machine is put in motion, when the cam p, acting against the lever k,
depresses its longer arm, and with it the rod and fingers g, at the same time
that it moves them forward, together with the screw shaft, through the screwing
dies into the position of 7 (Figures 15 and 17); at this time the cam S, acting
upon the lever c slides the cone balong the shaft L, and forcing out the ends
of the levers a, a, causes the chaps to close upon the screw shaft and take fast
hold of it; the camp then withdraws the fingers g, and the tappet U at this
time recedes from under the lever e, and allows the weight f to close the dies
and cut the thread or worm upon the shaft. On this being done the tappet U
again lifts the weighted lever and opens the screwing dies, when the cam q
p and
I

page_text: raises the discharging fingers h, and carries them forward through the dies,
causing them to take fast hold of the finished screw then in the holding chaps;
at this time the cam S, acting upon the lever c, withdraws the cone b, and the
springs d, d, are free to open the chaps and release the screw; the fingers h
are then withdrawn by the action of the cam g, the screw falling out of the
chaps by striking against a stud; during the time these movements are
proceeding a fresh screw blank is placed in the fingers g, when the operation
of screwing again takes place, as above described.
The fourth feature of these improvements, viz, the mechanism for cutting or
forming teeth on the peripheries of wheels, is shewn in the Drawings by the
several Figures in Sheet IV., consisting in a novel or peculiar arrangementand
construction of mechanism or apparatus, which may be called a cutting engine
ortool, applicable more particularly to the cutting of the teeth of screw wheels,
or those which take into or gear with endless screws, or such other wheels as
have their teeth formed at an angle to the direction of their axis; the
principal novel feature being that a continuous rotary motion is given to the
piece of metal or disc to be cut, at the same time a distinct continuous rotary
motion is given to the cutting tool, by which means the cutting of the teeth
proceeds arounds the periphery of the discorwheel without intermission from
the time it is commenced until it is finished. These continuous rotary motions
are obtained from one source through the intervention of wheels and pinions,
so that such a relative speed inay at all times be given to the cutter and disc
or wheel as shall be required.
Figure 18 is a plan or horizontal view of the cutting engine; Figure 19
is a front elevation; and Figure 20 is a side elevation. a, a, is the standard or
framework upon which the several parts are mounted; this frame may be
bolted on to a work bench, or placed in any other convenient situation; bis a
shaft, upon one end of which is mounted the driving pulley c; upon this shaft
is fixed the endless screw d, which gives motion to the screw wheel e on the
spindlef; at the other end of this spindle the disc or wheel intended to have
teeth cut in its periphery, is placed, and held by a screw nut and collar, which
disc or wheel consequently partakes of the rotary motion of the spindle; is a
sliding frame, properly secured by dovetails against the front of the framed, and
is raised or lowered by turning the screw i, which passes through a female
screwj, attached to the slide, the other end of the screw being confined by a
collar on the frame; projecting ears or lugs 1,1, are formed on the slide h, one
of which carries the socket or axis m, into which the rotary cutting tool is.
firmly fixed; the other ear/carries the centre piece o, for steadying the cutting
tool. Rotary motion is given to the tool n from the pinion p, mounted on the

page_text: end of the shaft b,which pinion takes into an intermediate wheely, turning upon
an adjustable pin in the moveable piece or leverr: this intermediate wheel gears
with the wheels, mounted upon the end of the axle or socket of the cutting
tool, by which means a certain continuous rotatory motion is given to it, accord-
ing to the relative diameters of the pinion and wheels, which relative motions
should be properly adjusted to suit different pitches of the teeth intended to be
cut. A weight t is suspended by a cord passed over a pulley w, and round the
small drum or rigger v, on the upper end of the screw i, for the purpose of
turning this screw and lowering the cutting teol. The cutting machine is put
into operation in the following manner:-The screwi is first turned round by
the small handle w, which raises the slide h, and with it the cutting tool; a
of metal or wheel is then placed upon the end of the shaft, and properly
secured, as at ; the machine is then set in motion by shifting the driving band
from the loose to the fast pulley, the weight t then causes the screw i to
revolve by uncoiling the cord from the pulley v, which carries down the slide
hand tool n until it comes in contact with the periphery of the disc or wheel,
when the tool immediately begins to cut indentations or spaces in the disc or
wheel, aud continues cutting as the wheel or disc revolves until a part of the
slide meets with the adjustable screw stop y, attached to the traine a, which
determines the depth of the teeth to be cut. As soon as the circle of teeth
are formed round the wheel or disc, the slide and cutting tool are raised by
turning the handle e,when the finished wheel may be removed. As the slide
is raised or lowered with the wheel, the intermediate wheel
g accom
modates itself to the position of the wheels and pinion p, by the movement of
the lever; the gravity of the wheel and lever being sufficient to keep the
wheels in gear while the machine is in motion.
Lastly, I beg it to be observed, that though I have shewn many parts of a
lathe of a planing machine of an apparatus for cutting screws, and of a
machine for cutting teeth in the peripheries of wheels, which are already
known and in use, yet I do not intend to claim such known parts as con-
stituting portions of my present Invention, except in their general arrangement
and novel connection; but I do claim,―
First, in reference to the self-acting slide lathe, the peculiar construction,
adaptation, and arrangement of the bed, the worm shaft with its half-nut, in a
self-acting slide lathe, as described. By these means the top part of the bed in
front is made wider and extended to a greater distance from the centre than
the top of the bed at the back part, which is for the purpose of giving greater
stability to the slide rest supported thereon, and the worm shaft being placed
under the projecting flange within thebel is made toact more advantageously

page_text: as the driver of the slide rest, and is protected from injury and dirt. And, further,
in employing a worm wheel in connection with a worm shaft, to produce by any
convenient means the transverse movement of the cutter at right angles to the
longitudinal movement of the slide rést; and also in employing the said wheel:
and worm shaft ou the principle of a rack and pinion for moving the slide rest!
expeditiously along the bed by hand; and likewise in the mode herein-before
described of holding the hand rest by bringing the plate to bear against the
under surfaces of the flanges of the bed, between which the headstocks are
fitted, and in the method of fixing or holding the hand rest of an ordinary
lathe by means of a cylinder turning upon excentric journals.
Secondly, in reference to the planing machine, I claim the fixing of the
cutter in a socket, which shall be so mounted in its bearings as will render it
capable of turning the cutter half round at the end of the cut, and being again
brought into operation for cutting in the opposite direction, which improve-
ment is also applicable to planing machines now in use, and by its adaptation
the difficulty of adjusting two tools is obviated. And in traversing the cutting
tool, when the work is stationary, or the work when the tool is stationary, by
means of rotary worm shafts with friction rollers connected to the carriage, or
to the bed, and made to act against the sides of the worms on the shafts as
they revolve.
Thirdly, with reference to the screw cutting apparatus, I claim the manner
of producing the reciprocating rotary motion to the shaft, on which the screw
thread is to be cut, by means of two segment toothed wheels, which alternately
act upon the train of wheels and pinions. And also the arrangement and con-
struction of the mechanism for feeding into the machine the screw blanks or
shafts, and removing them therefrom when cut.
Fourthly, in reference to the machine for cutting teeth in the peripheries of
such wheels as are to have teeth cut at an oblique angle to their axes, I claim
the construction and arrangement of mechanism by which I give a continuous
rotary motion to the wheel or disc under operation, which motion is so propor-
tioned to the speed of the rotary cutter that by every rotation of the cutter a
segment of the wheel or disc shall be advanced equal to the distance of one
tooth and space.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Whitworth, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of December, in the year of our
Lord One Thousand eight hundred and thirty-five.
JOSEPH (L.S.) WHITWORTH.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that ou the Eleventh day of December, in
the sixth year of the reign of His Majesty King William the Fourth, the said
Joseph Whitworth came before our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and
acknowledged the instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein con-
tained and specified, in form above written. And also the instrument afore-
said was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in the fifty-
fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty King George the Third.
Inrolled the Eleventh day of December,One thousand eight hundred and