IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING FILES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Waterhouse, of Sheffield, in the County of
York, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING
FILES." A communication.
Sealed the 20th October 1854, and dated the 8th August 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Waterhouse at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th August 1854.
I, THOMAS WATERHOUSE, of Sheffield, in the County of York, do hereby
5 declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
CUTTING FILES " to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of several improvements in machinery used for
cutting files, and according to these improvements the bed (on which the
"blank" which is to be cut into a file) is made capable of sliding, and also of
turning on an axis, thus allowing of the "blank" in the transverse cut being
varied in its angular position, whilst the line of action of the hammer and
cutter is retained. The "blank" which is to be formed into a file is held on
to the bed by means of a lever, acted on by a spring, which keeps down a
friction roller on the "blank." An inclined plate is pressed by a screw against
the point of the blank, by which the tang is pressed into a slot fitted to receive
it, and at the same time the blank is pressed on to the table, allowing for the

page_text: increased length consequent on cutting the blank into a file. The cutter is
formed with a slot through it, through which a pin on the end of a slide
(carried by the holder) passes; a bent spring presses against the surface of the
cutter, and retains it against the end of the slide, and yet allows the cutter to
move freely when placed on to the blank, so that it may take its place cor-
rectly before being struck by the hammer. The slide (against the end of which
the cutter is pressed) is kept in position by a lever. The cutter holder is an
arm which moves on an axis, and the holder may be adjusted by raising its
axis, so as to hold the cutter to any desired inclination; and the hammer is
also capable of adjustment, so as to accommodate its line of action to the
position of the cutter; or the cutter holder may be on the hammer and slide
thereon, and the cutter held by a pin and spring. The cutter is controlled by
the action of a cam and spring, so as to be adapted to or set on the surface
of the "blank" whilst the hammer is suspended and the feed motion is at rest;
the blow of the hammer also is given when the feed motion is at rest. The
action or force of the hammer is caused by a spring, which is controlled by
combined levers, acted on by a pattern suitable for the form of file which is
being cut, which controls or regulates the force of the spring for the time
being acting on the hammer; thus the action of the hammer is greater or less,
depending on the pattern.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Waterhouse in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th February 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WATERHOUSE, of Sheffield, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the. eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas Waterhouse, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas
Waterhouse, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Thomas Waterhouse, 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

page_text: and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING FILES," communicated to me from
abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas Water-
house, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly
describe and ascertain 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 I, the said Thomas Waterhouse, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof (that is to say) :—
This Invention consists of several improvements in machinery used for
cutting files, and according to these improvements the bed, on which the
"blank" which is to be cut into a file rests, is made capable of sliding, and
also of turning on an axis, thus allowing of the "blank" in the transverse
cut being varied in its angular position, whilst the line of action of the
hammer and cutter is retained. The "blank" which is to be formed into a
file is held on to the bed by means of a lever, acted on by a spring, which
keeps down a friction roller on the "blank." An inclined plate is pressed by
a screw against the point of the "blank," by which the tang is pressed into a
slot fitted to receive it, and at the same time the blank is pressed on to the
table, allowing for the increased length consequent on cutting the blank into a
file. The cutter is formed with a slot through it, through which a pin on the
end of a slide (carried by the holder) passes; a bent spring presses against the
surface of the cutter, and retains it against the end of the slide, and yet
allows the cutter to move freely when placed on to the blank, so that it may
take its place correctly before being struck by the hammer. The slide (against
the end of which the cutter is pressed) is kept in position by a lever.
The cutter holder is an arm which moves on an axis, and the holder may be
adjusted by raising its axis, so as to hold the cutter to any desired inclination;
and the hammer is also capable of adjustment, so as to accommodate its line
of action to the position of the cutter; or the cutter holder may be on the
hammer and slide thereon, and the cutter held by a pin and spring. The cutter
is controlled by the action of a cam and spring, so as to be adapted to or set on
the surface of the "blank" whilst the hammer is suspended and the feed motion
is at rest; the blow of the hammer also is given when the feed motion is at rest.
The action or force of the hammer is caused by a spring, which is controlled
by combined levers acted on by a pattern suitable for the form of file which is

page_text: being cut, which controls or regulates the force of the spring for the time
being acting on the hammer; thus the action of the hammer is greater or less,
depending on the pattern.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention, I will proceed to
describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shows a front clevation of a machine constructed according to the
Invention; Figure 2 is a plan thereof; Figure 3 is a transverse section of
the machine. a, a, is the framing, the nature of which is clearly shown in the
Drawing; b is a bed on which the "blank" is held which is to be cut into a
file. This bed has the capability of being slided on the lower or rotating part
of the bed ', such lower part having dovetail guides, as shown, between which
the upper part of the bed is slided, and one of the dovetail guides is adjust-
able by means of the screws c, c. The lower part of the heel is capable of
rotary movement on the bed plate at d, where it may be retained in any position
by the set screws d', and the bed is slided progressively along by means of
the following apparatus:-c is a lever moving on an axis e¹, and it receives
motion from an excentric, ou the axis f, which receives motion by a strap
from a steam engine or other power acting on the drum g, fixed on the axis f.
The lever e, by a connecting rod e³, raises the arm e', fixed on the axis e', on
which there is also fixed another arm e, which carries the driver e', which,
taking in succession against the teeth of the ratchet wheel h, fixed on the
screw ', drives that screw found, and by reason of the screw passing through
a screw nut and bevil wheel h³, revolving in a bracket fixed to the side of the
bed b, that part of the bed is moved along the lower part of the bed b¹, so as to
present the "blank" to be cut by the cutter, as hereafter explained. is a
spring, which brings back the driver &, and when the bed has travelled to its
farthest position for cutting a file, it is returned by the bevilled toothed wheel
13, on the axis ', carried by the bed b. taking into the bevil wheel h², on the
travelling nut; the dog or catch h5 being removed from the teeth of the ratchet
wheel h³, fixed on the axis h', motion being given to the axis by the crank
handle h', by which the bevil wheel and nut 4 will be caused to travel on the
screw h¹, and carry the bed back to the original position or starting point.
The "blank" to be cut into a file is to be placed on the upper surface of
the bed b, as shown at i; the tang end of the "blank" passes through a slot
formed in the projection i', and the other end of the "blank" is passed under
an inclined plate, pressed up by a screw j, and the blank is pressed on by means
of a lever k and spring ¹, the spring having a roller at its end, under which

page_text: "
the blank is moved, but is kept pressed to the bed by the spring and lever.
7 is the cutter, which has a slot through it, into which a pin. on the holder
passes, and upon which the cutter may move as a centre, and thus ensure its
edge being placed on a level with the surface of the "blank;" and there are
other projections on the holder which act as guides to the surface of the cutter;
and the slot in the cutter admits of a slight endway movement; or in place of
having a slot in the cutter, it may have a projection, to enter a slot formed in
the holder. is a bent spring, carried by the holder, which presses against the
surface of the cutter, and retains it correctly against the end of the slide, and
yet allows the cutter to move freely when placed on to the "blank," so that it
may take its place correctly before being struck by the hammer. On the bed b
is placed a pattern m, there being holes in the bed and studs on the under side
of the pattern, which is, on its upper surface, of similar contour to the "blank
which is to be cut, and it is by means of this pattern that the blow of the
hammer p is regulated or controlled, according to the tension put on the spring
9, and the hammer is constantly borne down by the spring 7 acting on a pin
on the hammer, to force the hammer down upon the cutter, and the tension
on the spring q is increased or decreased by the elevation or depression of the
surface of the pattern, which, by moving with the bed b, acts on the truck or
roller q', which gives motion to the lever g², supported by the bracket ³, the
other end of the lever q² acting on the link q, to pull down or to release
the cranked lever 2, to which the spring 2 is aflixed, the lever moving on a
pin q, fixed to the framing of the machine. The cutter is carried by the
frames n, n, which slide in the guides n', n', and is constantly pressed down-
wards by the spring n", and this frame is raised by means of the cam o, which
raises the frame each revolution of the main or driving axis, which movement
upwards takes place just before the bed is slided a short distance, so as to
bring up a fresh surface of the "blank" to receive a cut, when the cam o again
allows the frame n, n, to descend, in order that the cutter may come again on
the blank, and be ready to receive the blow of the hammer p, which slides in
guides n', n. The hammer p is raised by the cam r on the main or driving
shaft, and this cam allows the hammer to descend soon after the cutter has
been allowed to descend by its arm on to the pattern. The inclination of the
cutter and hammer is regulated by means of the frame s, which carries the
guides . The two sides of the frames have slots s¹ formed in them, through
which the screws & pass and screw into the top framing a; hence it will be
readily understood that the hammer and cutter may be made to assume any
desired angle.
Figure 4 shows an arrangement where the cutter holder is carried by an

page_text: arın, which moves on an axis t, which may be raised and adjusted by the
slotted bracket t', so as to vary the inclination of the cutter. This Figure
also shows the cutter acted upon by a slide with pins, which is retained in
position by the lever u and spring catch u', as shown. is a spring to bring
the holder back.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not claim the
mechanical parts separately; but what I clain is, the combination of machinery
herein described for cutting files.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Waterhouse, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Sixth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
Witness,
S. CARPMAEL.
T
WATERHOUSE (2.5.)