IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINE TOOLS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Barbour, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim, and
Kingdom of Ireland, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINE
TOOLS."
Sealed the 10th June 1879, and dated the 16th December 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Barbour at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 16th December 1878.
JAMES BARBOUR, of Belfast, in County of Antrim, and Kingdom of Ireland.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINE TOOLS."
This Invention relates to an improvement in attaching the connecting rod of
shaping, slotting, punching, or similar machines, and consists in a mode of attaching
the connecting rod to the ram or slide which carries the tool, such mode being
specially advantageous where the position of the connection requires to be altered.
The ordinary method of attaching the connecting rod to the ram or slide, is by
means of the friction of two plane surfaces being nipped together by a bolt head
and nut; this is found to be insufficient in many cases, and so a screw (in con-
nection with the ram) is passed through the centre of the bolt or pin on which the
connecting or driving rod swings, but this arrangement makes the alteration of the
position of the ram or slide a slow process.
To remedy these defects, the ram or slide is provided with a fixed rack into
which gears a pinion that forms either the nut or the head of the bolt or pin upon
which the connecting rod acts when moving the ram or slide. One side of this
pinion or nut being held in the teeth of the fixed rack on the ram or slide, any
motion or slip of the centre of the connecting pin is doubled on the other side of
the nut or pinion, and so practically the holding power of the nut is doubled.
The nut or the pin head being in gear with the rack fixed to the ram or slide,
facilitates the setting of the slide in any desired position in relation to the con-
necting rod or the work to be done.

page_text: "
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Barbour in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th June
1879.
JAMES BARBOUR, of Belfast, in the County of Antrim, and Kingdom of Ireland.
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINE TOOLS."
This Invention consists of a new method of attaching the connecting rod of
shaping, slotting, punching, or similar machines wherein a reciprocal motion is
given by a connecting rod to the ram or slide that carries the tool, such method
being specially advantageous where the position of the connection requires to be
altered.
The nature of this improvement will be understood from the following descrip-
tion, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing wherein the same letters
of reference always apply to the same or like parts.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the ram or slide of a shaping machine showing it
coupled to a connecting rod according to this Invention. Fig. 2 is a cross section
of the same, and Fig. 2a is a detached view of the coupling pin or bolt.
c is the ordinary ram or slide which carries the tool box d of a shaping or similar
machine. To this slide is affixed a rack a, into which gears a pinion b that forms
the head of the bolt or pin 61; this bolt or pin b' passes through the eye of the
connecting rod e, and transmits motion from that rod to the slide c.
One side of this pinion b being retained in the teeth of the fixed rack a on the
ram or slide c, any motion or slip of the centre of the connecting pin b¹ is doubled
on the opposite side of the pinion b, and thus the holding power of the nut or head
of the bolt 61 is practically doubled. The pinion b being in gear with the fixed
rack a on the ram or slide c, facilitates the setting of the slide c in any desired
position in relation to the connecting rod c, or the work to be done, for when the
pin b' is slackened, and the connecting rod e is at rest, by turning the pinion b the
slide c is carried backwards or forwards by the rack a.
A modification of this coupling is shown at Fig. 3, which represents in cross
section a slide shewn in side elevation in Fig. 4, with its coupling pin in place.
Figures 5 shew this pin and its pinion detached. In this example the pinion b
fits loosely on the pin a, and it is held firmly in place by means of a clamping nut
62. By this pinion gearing into the rack a, a, similar result will be obtained to
that described with reference to Figures 1 and 2.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in Machine
Tools," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be
understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,-
The use of a rack and pinion as described for increasing the retaining power of
the bolt or pin upon which the connecting rod acts in shaping or similar machines,
and also as an aid for the ready adjustment of the position of the slide with respect
to the work in hand.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Barbour, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Ninth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
JAMES BARBOUR. (L.S.)