IMPROVEMENTS IN SHAFT MACHINES FOR LOOMS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Alfred Barlow, of the Firm of H. B. Barlow,
of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Patent Agent, for an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SHAFT MACHINES FOR LOOMS." A communication from
abroad by Nils Anderson, of Fritsla, in the Kingdom of Sweden.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Alfred Barlow at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st November 1881.
CHARLES ALFRED BARLOW, of the Firm of H. B. Barlow, of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHAFT MACHINES FOR
LOOMS." A communication from Nils Anderson, of Fritsla, in the Kingdom of
Sweden.
This improved shaft machine is applicable to hand looms and power looms.
The object of the Invention is to produce a large quantity of cloth in a given
time at a small expenditure of power.
To attain this object a row of needles at each side of the machine is used, and a
vertical division board is placed in the middle of the shaft machine; this board is
fitted in grooves in the frame ends, and it is divided horizontally and slotted at the
division to receive the inner ends of the needles (the needles on one side of the
machine alternating with those of the other), which are kept in their places by the
weight of the upper part of the division boards; springs are placed on the inner
ends of the needles; these springs bear against the division board and press the
needles outward; the outer ends of the needles pass through two needle boards,
one at each side of the machine; the wires (which are made flat) are held between
projections on the needles; the pressers that carry the cylinders which operate the
needles swing radially from centres near the top of the machine and are actuated
by pulleys and springs; levers by means of springs act upon the swells of the
cylinders, which are caused to move at each motion by catches connected to the
frame ends; there are two lifting frames which slide between the end frames and

page_text: are worked up and down by two levers; each lifting frame is provided with a
"knife holder," or lifting bar, which rests under catches on the wires that are
not pushed back by the blanks on either of the cylinders pressing the needles
inward.
The wires are placed in two rows, one row at each side of the machine, and
connected with the rods that lift the healds by cords or wires passing through the
bottom board. The lifting rod on one side of the machine and the next following
lifting rod, which is on the other side of the machine, connected respectively to
corresponding wires, work on the same heald. As one lifting frame rises the other
falls, one set of warp threads being lifted as the others are lowered, whereby the
loom can put in two picks in the same time that it puts in only one pick by the
shaft machines hitherto used.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles Alfred Barlow in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th April 1882.
CHARLES ALFRED BARLOW, of the Firm of H. B. Barlow, of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SHAFT MACHINES for
LOOMS." A communication from abroad by Nils Anderson, of Fritsla, in the
Kingdom of Sweden.
This improved shaft machine is applicable to hand looms and power looms.
The object of the Invention is to produce a large quantity of cloth in a given
time at a small expenditure of power.
To attain this object a row of needles at each side of the machine is used, and
a vertical division board is placed in the middle of the shaft machine; this board
is fitted in grooves in the frame ends, and it is divided horizontally and slotted at
the division to receive the inner ends of the needles (the needles on one side of the
machine alternating with those of the other), which are kept in their places by
the weight of the upper part of the division board; springs are placed on the inner
ends of the needles; these springs bear against the division board and press the
needles outward; the outer ends of the needles pass through two needle boards,
one at each side of the machine; the wires (which are made flat) are held between
projections on the needles; the pressers that carry the cylinders which operate the
needles swing radially from centres near the top of the machine and are actuated
by pulleys and springs; levers, by means of springs, act upon the swells of the
cylinders, which are caused to move at each motion by catches connected to the
frame ends; there are two lifting frames, which slide between the end frames and
are worked up and down by two levers; each lifting frame is provided with a
"knife holder," or lifting bar, which rests under catches on the wires that are
not pushed back by the blanks on either of the cylinders pressing the needles
inward.
The wires are placed in two rows, one row at each side of the machine, and
connected with the rods that lift the healds by cords or wires passing through the
bottom board. The lifting rod on one side of the machine, and the next following
lifting rod, which is on the other side of the machine, connected respectively to
corresponding wires, work on the same heald. As one lifting frame rises the other
falls, one set of warp threads being lifted as the others are lowered, whereby the
loom can put in two picks in the same time that it puts in only one pick by the
shaft machines hitherto used.
And in order that this Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into effect, I will describe the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, reference being
had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
Fig. 1 shows an end view of the machine; Fig. 2, a perspective view; Fig. 3, a
sectional elevation; Fig. 4 is a horizontal section, showing the arrangement of the
needles in the needle boards and in the middle division board of the spring
motion; Fig. 5 shows two views of a needle, on one of which is a spiral spring;
Fig. 6 shows & wire.
Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several views.
a, a, are the feet of the machine; B is the wire board; C, C, are the vertical
frame ends; F, F, the pressers, which, in connection with the pulleys V, V, and
the springs H, H, (see Fig. 1) effect the swinging motion of the cylinders r, r,
(see Fig. 3); D, D, is the top framing which supports the pressers; E is the middle
division board, which serves as a spring motion for the needles; M, M, are the
needles; N, N, the needle boards; G, G, are the levers, which by means of the

page_text: springs x act on the swells (not shown on the Drawing) of the two cylinders r, r;
0, 0, are the catches, which by catching in the above-named swells effect a quarter
turn of the cylinder at each motion; T, T, are the lifting frames for the knife
holders; K, K, L, L, are the wires; P, P, the levers working the lifting frames T, T,
(see Fig. 2); Q, Q, are the lifting rods; R, the guidegrate for the lifting rods Q, Q,
(see Fig. 1); and S is the frame carrying the machine.
This machine differs from those of the ordinary construction in the following
respects:-
1. In the arrangement of the division board E (Figs. 3 and 4).
2. In the construction of the needles M, M, (Fig. 5).
3. In the mode of arranging the wires L, L, (Figs. 2, 3, and 6).
4. In the arrangement of the lifting rods Q, Q, (Figs. 1 and 3).
The division board E (see Figs. 3 and 4) is fitted in grooves in the vertical frame
ends C, and divides the machine into two equal parts. The division board itself
consists of a top and bottom part. Along the top edge of the bottom part are
slots to receive the inner ends of the needles M, M, the needles being kept in their
places by the weight of the top part resting on them. The needles M, M, (Fig. 5)
are in consequence of their shortness very rigid, which is of great importance when
applied to power looms. By means of the nibs, which stand at right angles to the
needles, the pressure effected by them on the wires L, L, is more regular than is
the case with the ordinary needles made of wire. The arrangement of the needles
is such that the needles on one side of the division board are in every second slot,
so that a needle on one side of the board follows a needle on the other side; the
outer ends of the needles are guided by the needle boards N, N. These outer ends
are acted upon by the cylinders r, r, (see Fig. 3), which by means of the swinging
motion of the pressers F, F, springs H, H, and pulleys V, V, (see Fig. 1) move a
certain number of needles according to the kind of pattern to be woven.
same time the wires L, L, projecting from between the nibs on the needles are
thereby pushed off the knife holders K, K, and that part of the warp corresponding
to the respective wires remains down and forms the lower warp of the shed, whilst
the rest of the warp threads are lifted.
At the
The arrangement of the wires in one row on each side of the machine, instead of
in two rows, one behind the other, close to the needle board where the needles get
their support, has the advantage of giving a higher power of resistance to the
wires.
The wires L, L, are connected with the lifting rods Q, Q, by strings or wires S, S,
(see Fig. 3), which pass through holes in the bottom board B. One end of the
lifting rod swivels in its bearing fixed to the carrying frame 8; rings k, which
are screwed into the top of the lifting rods in a vertical line with the holes in the
bottom board B serve as a fastening for the strings or wires at the same end of the
lifting rod, but underneath and inside the guiding grate R are likewise rings k
screwed in, which serve as a fastening for the strings or wires connecting the
lifting rods with the heald staves U. Onto these staves are fastened the healds
carrying the warp threads.
The connection between the lifting rods and the heald staves is such that the
lifting rod Q, No. 1, on the right hand side of the machine, and the next following
one Q, No. 1, on the left hand side of the machine, work on one and the same heald
stave. Again, the lifting rod No. 5 on the right band side works the same heald
stave as the corresponding lifting rod No. 5 on the left hand side of the machine,
and so on.
Now, as one of the lifting frames T, with the respective wires and the
warp connected to it, rises at the same time as the other lifting frame T falls, this
double shaft machine works in the same way as an ordinary hand loom, one
distinct number of warp threads being lifted as another certain fixed number of
warp threads is lowered, contrary to the arrangement of shaft machines hitherto in
use, by which a new lot of threads can only be lifted after those previously lifted
have been allowed to fall again. Two consecutive wires, one of which is on the
right and one on the left hand side of the machine, therefore effect the raising of

page_text: one and the same heald stave U, and consequently the lifting of one or a number
of warp threads belonging to it.
If during the lowering of one wire the thread falls, it is raised up again by the
next wire on the other side during the same time, so that the thread or a certain
number of threads do not in this case fall back again into the horizontal position
of the warp.
With the lifting of one of the wires this falling back takes place, as the wire
follows the falling frame, the remaining wires of which have first to raise the
respective warp threads for the purpose of introducing a new weft thread by
the shuttle, an operation which, on the foregoing machine, is done by the wires on
the other side during the time that the wires on the one side move downward.
Consequently the shuttle of the new machine is able to lay two threads in in
the same time that it takes to lay in one thread by the machines bitherto in use.
It follows therefore that double the quantity can be woven with this machine,
that it is possible to weave with one in use at the present time, consequently it
may be applied to power looms with great advantage.
This double shaft machine constitutes an improved form of shaft machine, by
which a hand loom with fifty shafts may be run at the same speed as a simple
hand loom with two shafts.
Owing to its simple and sound construction, it is very effective when fixed on
power looms; a speed of 160 to 200 picks per minute may be obtained. The
machine will work from two to fifty shafts; on a fifty shaft machine there are two
rows of needles on each side instead of only one row on each side as arranged for
the twenty-five shaft machine, shown on accompanying Drawing.
Having stated the nature of the said Invention, and described the manner of
performing the same,
I declare that I claim,-
1. The improved double shaft machine, substantially as and for the purpose
herein shown and described.
2. The division-board E, as and for the purpose shown and described.
3. The improved needles M, M, as shown and described.
4. The improved manner of arranging and operating the lifting rods Q, Q, and
the wires L, L, as and for the purpose herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Alfred Barlow, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of April, One thousand eight
hundred and eighty-two.
CHARLES ALFRED BARLOW. (L.S.)