Improvements in Nail Presenting and Driving Mechanism.
Year: 1895

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Nail Presenting and Driving Mechanism.
I FRANK FORRESTER STANLEY of Swampscott, in the County of Essex, and
State of Massachusetts. United States of America, Manufacturer do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention has for its object the production of a novel tool for receiving
nails in bulk and feeding them into a revoluble carrier from which they pass into
a nose, the revoluble carrier also forming a guide for the driver, said carrier taking
one nail after another and discharging it through an auxiliary nail passage into the
uose at a point under the said carrier, so that it may be struck by the driver and
driven into the work when the nose of the driver is pressed to the work to receive
the nail.
A feed table is located within a curb connected to the upper end of the raceway
and covered by a cup-shaped cap, whose edges rest close to or on top of the curb,
a narrow substantially circular slot being left between the curb and the feed table,
into which the shanks of the nails to be driven are adapted to drop and hang
therein from their heads.
As the table is reciprocated the nails travel in the slot and finally enter the open
upper end of the raceway and pass therefrom to suitable driving mechanism.
Sometimes, however, a nail will be so presented that instead of turning down
point foremost in the circular slot leading to the raceway, it will lay across the
opening and will be carried around until it becomes jammed between the top of the
slot walls and the cover, and the operation of the tool is arrested until taken
apart and the nail extracted.
Again, the heads of some nails are smaller than they should be, or they have no
head, and they will be carried around to and delivered into the raceway to be
driven, spoiling the appearance of the work, and sometimes the head is small
enough in some directions to drop down into the slot and wedge.
By this invention the jamming of a nail in the feed mechanism is prevented, and
nails having heads that are too small or improperly shaped, or those nails which
may be presented in such manner as to extend across the opening of the raceway,
will be discharged.
The nails properly presented pass from the raceway into a vertical slot made in
one side of a revoluble carrier, through the center of which the driver reciprocates,
the slot in said carrier being in line with the lower end of the raceway when the
driver is in its elevated position, and in this invention, wherein the slot is cut to
intersect the driver passage, the nail as it leaves the raceway comes against the
side of the driver, but as the driver descends it, through suitable mechanism,
actuates the carrier and effects a partial rotation thereof, so as to place its open
slot containing the nail in line with an auxiliary nail passage into which the nail is
dropped, said auxiliary passage leading the nail into a space in the nose located
below the said carrier, where the nail is stopped by one side of the driver then
acting upon and driving a nail, and later, when the driver is elevated, it retires
from the said nail, letting it drop a little further to meet an arresting device which
ields to the pressure of the nail when acted upon by the driver at its next
escent.
Fig. 1 in side elevation represents a sufficient portion of a nail presenting

page_text: and driving mechanism with one of its side plates removed, with this invention
added thereto.
Fig. 2 is a section thereof on the line x-x, the hopper or nail supply being
removed.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation of the upper end of the raceway, with the cap
removed.
Fig. 4 is a tup or plan view of the feed plate, together with part of the
mechanism for actuating it, and with its surrounding curb b.
Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional detail through the feeding table and cap,
raceway, and part of the frame to be grasped by the hand, on the line ¹—x¹,
Fig. 6.
Fig. 6 is a partial top view and section of the devices shewn in Fig. 5, below
the line x².
Fig. 7 is a detail shewing the revoluble carrier.
Fig. 8 is a section thereof on the line 2-².
Fig. 9 a detail shewing part of the driver with its wing which ensures the
discharge of the nail from the carrier into the auxiliary nail passage and thence
into the nose.
Fig. 10 is a top view of the nose removed from the frame and with the carrier
taken out and the raceway omitted, and
Fig. 11 is an enlarged perspective view of the lower end of the raceway.
Referring to the drawings, A, represents the main part of the hand frame of
my improved hand-nailer, the said frame having a removable side-piece A2 con-
fined in position by means of a ring A³ clamped about the two parts by a suitable
screw A, the lower ends of the frame being connected by a screw A³ another
screw A serving to unite the raceway B to a projection A' of the part A¹.
The removable plate A2 has a fulcrum a extended inwardly to receive upon it a
lever a¹ having a hole a², see Fig. 1, to fit said fulcrum, the upper end of said lever
having a roller or other stud a³ which plays in a cam groove c made in a driver
bar C having attached to its lower end a driver c¹ said driver-bar being surrounded,
between its head and the upper end of the hand piece, with a spiral or other
spring c², to normally lift the driver-bar, so that the lower end of a slot c³ therein
will contact with an up-stop or cross-bar e fixed to the removable side piece A².
The edge of the driver-bar is notched, as best represented in Fig. 1, and is made
cam-shape to operate and be engaged by a dog d, pivoted at d¹, and acted upon by
a suitable spring-controlled latch d².
The edge of the driver-bar has a shoulder or stop 10 which is engaged by the
dog d, as shewn in Fig. 1, when the driver-bar is in its most elevated position, and
at a proper distance above said shoulder said bar has a dog releasing cam 12.
The lower end of the dog d is normally kept pressed toward the driver-bar as
shewn in Fig. 1, by the spring controlled latch d".
When the driver descends far enough to properly drive a nail from the nose, the
nose forming the end of the frame of the machine, the releasing cam 12 meets the
bead of the dog and turns its lower end outwardly, so that the spring latch bears
on the opposite edge of the head of the dog and keeps the lower end of the dog out
away from the driver-bar, so that as said driver-bar begins its ascent the lower end
of the dog will not meet the shoulder 10, but as soon as the said shoulder meets the
head of the dog it will act to restore the dog into its normal position, shewn in
Fig. 1.
Should, however, the driver-bar fail to complete a stroke or move far enough to
properly drive a nail, such movement being insufficient, by reason of carelessness or
otherwise, then the dog releasing device 12 will not descend far enough to strike
the head of the dog and turn it, as before described, far enough to enable the latch
to hold the lower end of the dog out of the path of movement of the shoulder 10 as
the driver-bar next rises, and, consequently, said shoulder 10 meets the said dog
and the ascent of the driver bar is prevented.
It will be understood, consequently, that the driver-bar cannot rise to its full

page_text: extent unless at its previous descent the nail then below the driver-bar has been
properly driven.
The lower end of the lever a¹ is suitably shaped to engage and move a rack e
kept in suitable guide-ways of the frame-work by the plate A2, said rack being
jointed at its inner end by a link e' to an arm e² connected to a shaft e mounted in
a suitable bearing of a curb b attached to or forming a part of the upper end of the
raceway, said curb receiving within it a feed-table or plate composed essentially of
a disc attached to or forming part of the said shaft, and having applied to it, at
its under side, a disc e, having a downturned wall or flange eo, forming the inner
side of the slot et into which may drop the shanks of the nails to be driven.
The inner face of the curb bis circular, and the greater portion of the periphery
of the flange is concentric therewith, but between the points 3 and 4, Fig. 4, the
flange is of such form as to thereby increase the width of the slot at ex for a
purpose to be described.
A shoulder b¹ is made in the curb, and a corresponding shouller is made in the
disce, upon which the heads of properly presented nails will rest with their shanks
depending in the slot e, they following the slot around to the slotted upper end of
the raceway B.
The disc et has fast upon it an agitatore, the latter being held in place by a
screw e, a suitable pin or projection e³ connecting the said disc e with the said
disc and thereby forming the feed table.
The shaft receives in it a suitable screw f, which is passed through the cap f',
made like a cup, the edges of which, as herein represented rest upon the upper en
of the curb b, the said cap having a suitable door f which may be opened
outwardly and which is normally kept closed by a suitable spring f³.
The lever a¹ is fully reciprocated once for each full operation of the driver-bar
in the case A, said driver-bar being moved by striking its upper eud by the haud,
or in other suitable manner.
As the driver-bar is thrown down, the cam portion thereof, see Fig. 1, will push
the upper end of the lever a¹ in the direction of the arrow Fig. 1, which will effect
the sliding of the rack e and the movement of the feed table.
At each movement of the feed-table,-which is at times quite frequent, as for
instance, when a number of nails are to be driven in quick succession,-the
agitator e, by striking the nails placed in bulk on the feed table and covered by
the cap, throws said nails against the inner side of the cap, so that some of them
drop into the slot e, which is really the commencement of the raceway, and the
said table and the said disc e' by their movement, aid the nails in following the
circular slot e to the open top of the raceway.
I have shown part of the periphery or edge of the feeling table as cut away
sufficiently to leave a shed or weby to overlap the heads of the nails in the slot es,
said shed also performing the important function of a protector for the heads of
the nails hanging in the slot e, said shed lying between the heads of the nails going
to the raceway and the bulk of nails lying on the feed-table.
To effect the proper introduction of the said nails into the slot e, with their heads
under the shed and so that the heads will rest properly on a shoulder b' of the curb
and a corresponding shoulder on the disc e, I have cut away the said shed or wel
for a part of its periphery, see Figs. 3 and 4, to leave inclinel ends 2, 2, with an
open slot between, said ends acting on the heads of the nails during the
reciprocations of the table and settling the bodies of some of said nails properly
into the slot eⓇ.
Now as the feed table is reciprocated the agitator throws some of the nails
towards the upper side of the feed table, so that some of them can pass into the
slot and should a nail be presented horizontally above the slot and in the opening
at eo, as at n, Fig. 4, the flattened portion of the flange between the points 3
and 4 permits the shank to descend into the slot, the head resting upon the
shoulders in the curb and disc e, so that the nail will pass on towards the
raceway.

page_text: Should a nail, otherwise properly presented to the slot e, have a small or
irregular shaped head, as shown by dotted lines at n*, Fig. 4, it will drop down
through the enlarged or widened portion ex of the slot into the curb, and thence
out through an opening 60 therein, Fig. 5.
If a nail should, in passing from the slot e to the upper end of the raceway B
become tilted, with its shank extended into the raceway and its head caught at
the opening thereof it will slide down along the upper end of the raceway and out
of the openings 630 and 640 in the curb and upper end of the raceway respectively,
as through an auxiliary raceway.
The feed table, located within the surrounding curb, and the cap constitute a
hopper, the feed-table forming a movable bottom therefor.
As shown in Fig. 1 the feed table assumes an inclined position when in use, and
the ends 2, 2 of the space or opening eo in the shed fact on the nails between
them as the table is reciprocated, arranging said nails in the slot e leading to the
raceway.
By the term "nail" I include any headed nail or tack.
The band piece has connected to its lower end a suitable nose g having an outlet
at its bottom for a nail, said nose containing a spring-controlled nail-support or
gate g which normally stands in and partially closes the nose outlet, said gate
serving to sustain the upper end of each nail while the driver descends to meet the
head of the nail to drive it out through the nose.
The hand-piece contains a revoluble carrier h, shown detached in Figs. 7 and 8,
said carrier having an enlarged head or upper end having a series of teeth to be
engaged by the rack e, said carrier also having a slot 3 at one side, which, at times,
stands in the line of the opening in the raceway, so that a nail can enter said
opening and come, it may be, in contact with the driver c' then standing therein.
As the driver descends to drive a nail sustained by the gate gl, the lever a¹ is
moved, moving the rack e in the direction of the arrow near it in Fig. 6, which
movement imparts a partial rotation to the carrier, causing it to move the opening 3
therein opposite the auxiliary nail passage 4 in the hand-piece, so that said nail
may enter said auxiliary passage, but should the nail fail to enter said passage,
then as the driver descends, the projection 5 on said driver will come behind the
head of and will strike the nail, causing it to be transferred into and so as to follow
down said passage into the space 15 in the nose, but said nail does not pass to the
gate, for the driver, it then driving a nail from the nose, occupies a position in said
nose, so that the nail entering the latter, drops against one side of the driver.
After the driver has driven a mail, and the driver-bar is elevatel to lift the
driver, the nail resting against the side of the driver and then in the nose below
the carrier, immediately drops down to and is arrested by the gate, and as the
driver bar completes its ascent, it acts through the lever to move the latter in
the direction opposite the arrow thereon and moves the rack e in the direction to
again put the slot 3 of the carrier opposite the lower end of the raceway to receive
another nail.
Fig. 11 shows the shape of the end of the raceway, it being concaved to
substantially fit and form a bearing for one side of the revoluble carrier, one of the
walls of the lower end of the raceway being reduced in thickness towards the
bottom of the raceway to prevent any clogging of the nails which should enter
the slot 3 in the side of the said carrier.
I have found by practice that by cutting away one portion of one side wall of
the delivery end of the raceway and rounding the same to present a sort of convex
cam surface, as in Fig. 11, that all tendency of the point of the endmost nail of
the raceway sticking to the raceway when it should be taken off by the carrier is
obviated, and so also the tendency of the point of the next to the endmost nail to
sag forward and enter the slot in the carrier is practically prevented.
From the foregoing description it will be understood that the driver-bar, by its
position, determines whether or not the mail-carrier shall be moved or o-cillated
back into its position to receive from the raceway a nail, and it will be understood

page_text: that in case the driver-bar should fail to be moved far enough to properly drive
the nail then under the driver, the driver-bar will not ascend far enough to effect
the backward movement of the carrier, and consequently a nail will not be taken
from the raceway unless the nail previously taken therefrom has been properly
driven.
When the carrier is in a position to enable its open slot to be put in register
with the auxiliary nail passage, then a part of the carrier acts as a stop to prevent
the escape of nails from the raceway.
The carrier performs the function of a driver guide, and, as shown, the centre
of motion of said carrier is substantially coincident with the centre of the driver,
and the driver, when it meets a nail to drive the same, meets said nail always below
the lower end of the carrier and in the nose terminating one end of the frame-work
or hand-piece.
The carrier in this my invention does not act as a pick-off to take a nail from
the end of the raceway and carry said nail directly under an elevated driver, so
that said nail is driven from said carrier in line with its centre of motion, but, on
the contrary, the carrier merely travels between the end of the raceway and an
auxiliary nail-passage through which a nail is driven by a device 5, in this instance
of my invention shown as attached to and movable in unison with the driver, but
this invention is not limited in all instances to connecting said device 5 directly to
the driver, or operating it directly from the driver.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. The use in a nail-presenting mechanism, of a curb, a movable inclined feed-
table provided with a projecting shed or web cut away for a portion of its length
to enable the heads of nails to pass below said shed or web as the nail bodies lie in
a passage-way between the curb and feed-table, said shed acting to protect the
heads of properly suspended nails, on their way to be driven, from the loose nails
placed in bulk upon the top of the feed table which constitutes a hopper bottom,
and an agitator to throw the nails along the inclined feed-table into the entrance of
the passage-way, substantially as described.
2. The use in a nail presenting and driving mechanism, of a raceway, an auxiliary
nail passage, a driver, a revoluble carrier to take a nail from the raceway and carry
it into position to be transferred to the auxiliary nail passage, and means to move
the nail out of the carrier and into the auxiliary nail passage to be driven by the
next descent of the driver, substantially as described.
3. The use in a nail presenting mechanism, of a passage-way to receive the
bodies of nails, a shed or web to cover a portion of said passage-way above and to
permit movement thereunder of the nail heads, the uncovered portion of the
passageway being wider than the covered portion thereof; the wider part forming
an entrance for the nails, whereby any nail whose head cannot pass through the
wider portion of the passage-way will be necessarily upheld in the narrower part
thereof substantially as described.
4. The use in a nail driving machine, of a raceway to receive an guide loose
nails, a driver-bar having a driver, a revoluble carrier having a slot to receive a
nail from the end of the raceway, the driver controlling meaus to prevent a nail
being taken from the end of the raceway until after the nail previously taken
therefrom has been driven, substantially as described.
5. The use in a nail driving mechanisin, of a frame piece having a nose and an
auxiliary nail passage, a raceway having a curb in which a movable feed table
constitutes the bottom of a hopper adapted to contain loose nails, a revoluble
carrier having a central passage to act as a guide for a driver, the carrier having
at one side a slot to receive a nail from the raceway and take it to the auxiliary
nail pussage, and means to positively move the nail through and from the carrier
and into the auxiliary passage, substantially as described.

page_text: 6. The use in a nail driving mechanism, of a raceway having at its receiving end
a curb in the plane of the raceway, and a concentric circularly movable feed-table
the periphery of which constitutes one side of a curved passage-way to receive the
bodies of and lead nails to the upper end of the slot in the raceway, the curb
constituting the other side of the passage-way, substantially as described.
Dated the 5th day of October 1895.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.