IMPROVED MACHINERY TO BE USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FILES
Year: 1836

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JonN
ERICSSON, of Brook Street, New Road, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, 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 Twentieth day of July, in the seventh year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Ericsson, His especial license, that I, the said John Ericsson, my exors,
admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Ericsson, my exors,
admors, 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 expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY TO
BE USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FILES;" in which said Letters Patent is con-
tained a proviso, obliging me, the said John Ericsson, 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,
to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will
more fully and at large appear.

page_text: John Ericsson, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention to consist
in various alterations, in modifications of, and additions to the machinery
by which files have heretofore been cut, whereby I am enabled to cut several
files at the same time by the power of a steam engine or some other motive
power, and with greater perfection than any mode heretofore adopted has
accomplished; and in further compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Ericsson, do hereby describe the manner in which my said Invention is
to be performed by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawing annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that
is to say:
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents a plan or top view of my improved machinery, the
section of which will be seen in Figure 2. A, A, A, A, is a strong heavy
frame of cast iron; B is a carriage or slide of cast iron, nicely fitted to and
working between two parallel guide plates C, C, which are fitted to the frame
A, A, A, A, as will be better seen in Figure 2; 6, 6, b, is a frame connected
with the lower side of the carriage B, the use of which will be explained here-
after; D is a screw, having an angular collar working in a collar box E, as
shewn by the dotted lines marked thereon. This screw works through a
square nut, fixed to the carriage B at d, better seen in Figure 2. F, F, is an
axle or shaft of wrought iron, working on plummer blocks or bearings, to be
fixed under the frame A, A, A, A; f is a pulley or band wheel, to be worked by
a strap from a steam engine or other motive power. It works loose on the
shaft F, F, its boss being made to fit into a clutch box G, attached to the
shaft F, F, in the usual manner; g is a fork or lover for moving the said
clutch box; II, II, is a handle or bent lever, and h, a lock, by which the said
clutch box may be disengaged or kept in the band wheel; I is a conical
wheel, fixed to the shaft F, F, and working into another conical wheel J, fixed
on the shaft or spindle i, i, i; K is a crank, fixed to the end of the said
spindle i, i, i, having a sliding crank pink, provided with a set nut at the back,
in order to adjust the distances between the cuts on the file; Lis a connecting
link between the said crank pin and the lever M and pall m, which latter
works into a ratchet wheel N, which wheel works loose on the screw D. The
ratchet, pall, connecting rod, crank, and sliding crank pin will be better seen at
Figure 3. O is a pulley, working loose on the screw D. This pulley is
worked by a gut line running round a small brass sheave o, on to the boss of
the band wheel f, which is provided with a groove for that purpose; P is a

page_text: clutch box attached to the screw D, and made to fit either of the bosses of the
pulley O or ratchet N; p is a lever, by which the said clutch box P may be
attached to or disengaged from either the said pulley O or ratchet N; Q is a
small conical wheel, fixed to one end of a spindlo q, q, q, the other end of
which is provided with a screw, which is to act as an endless screw, which will
be further explained hereafter; n is a small conical wheel fixed on the end of
the screw D, and working into the conical wheel Q; R is a cylinder or roll,
which I call a revolving anvil, on which the files are cut. It is made of
copper, or otherwise of cast iron, covered with some soft metal, such as tin or
pewter. This cylinder works on pivots or axles r, r, supported by bearings
a, a, the centre of which is eccentric, that is, not in a line with the centre of
the cylinder, for reasons which will be explained hereafter. S is a cog wheel,
fixed to the end of the axle r, r, the teeth of which are placed at an angle, and
working into the endless screw of the spindle q, q, q; a, a, are the said
plummer blocks or bearings, and are fixed on the frame A, A, A, A, in which
the axles r, r, work; T, T, T, T, T, T, are six files of tho kind termed flat
taper files. The heels of these files should be held down by springs fixed to
the carriage B, and their points by springs fixed to the frame b, b, b, as will
be explained hereafter. U is a sliding bar, provided with a slot and set screw,
for the purpose of regulation, as also with a hook at n, intended to pull the
trigger of the lock h; V is a similar sliding bar, intended to push the lever p,
for the purpose of disengaging the pulley O from the screw D. I will hero
mention that the handle of the lever p should be bent upwards, so as to meet
the end of the sliding bar V. W, W, is a piece of cast iron extending across
the frame, supported by stands or brackets at v, v, to such height above the
frame as shown in Figure 4. This cross piece is supposed to be partly
removed to give a better view of the parts of the machine situated under
it. Several other parts shown in Figure 1 will be better understood by
first referring to Figure 4; I will therefore now proceed to describe that
Figure, which represents a side view of my improved machinery. All
corresponding parts in this Figure are marked by similar letters as in Figure
1. X is a spiral ratchet wheel, fixed on the shaft F, which lifts and drops
a pall or other lever wo, once for each revolution, the pall working on a
hinge supported by a bracket &, attached to the side of the frame A, A, A, A;
Y is a spindle, better seen in Figure 1, working in bearings fixed under the
cross piece W, W; y is a crank or lever fixed to the end of the said spindle Y ;
and the parts marked S, better seen in Figure 1, are six slight levers fixed at
equal distances along the said spindle; Z is a square curved bar resting on the
pall w, and attached to the crank or lever y; 1 is a spring; 2, a slight rod,

page_text: connecting it to the curved bar Z, and pressing it against the circumference
of the cam 3, which is fixed to the end of the axler; 4 is a flat hammer, of
wrought iron with face of hardened steel; 5 is the handle or lever of the said
hammer, and 6 a hinge which attaches the lever to the cross piece W; 7 is
one of six springs, and 8 a hinge by which it is secured to the cross piece W;
9 is a
link by which the lever 5 is attached to the said spring, and 10 is a set
screw by which the power of the said spring may be regulated; 11 is one of
six tools or chisels by which the files are to be cut, they should be made of the
best cast steel, in the form of an ordinary chisel used in file cutting, with a small
square recess or hole on one side, and ground perfectly flat on the opposite side
12; 12 is a cross bar, provided with six square holes for receiving the tools, as
shown in Figure 1. This bar is only partly shown, in order not to obscure the
parts situated below; this bar, which I call a chisel holder, should be firmly.
fixed at each end by firm stands attached to the framing A, A, A, A, above
the bearings a; a; 13 is one of six springs pressing the flat side of the chisel
or tool against the chisel holder; 14 is another of six springs, which enters the
recess made in the tool, always tending to press it firmly downwards on the
surface of the file; R is the anvil on which the files are cut, it is a cylinder or
roll, as before described, the surface of which is eccentric to its pivets or axles,
such eccentricity to be nearly equal to the greatest thickness of the files to be
cut; 15 is a spindle, with six small levers 16, placed at equal distances with the
chisels; this spindle extends across the frame, and should work in bearings fixed
to the stands supporting the chisel holder; 17 is a curved lever attached to
the end of the spindle 15; the lower end of this lever is made to bear against
the circumference of an excentric pulley on tappet wheel 18, fixed on the
shaft F; T is the side view of one of the six files, it should be fixed as shewn
in Figure 5, which represents a plan and side view of my mode of fixing the
file; 19 is a piece of wrought iron firmly fixed on the carriage B, into which
the tong of the file drops, the heel bearing or butting against it; 20 is a spring
pressing the tong downwards, and so shaped as only to bear on the centre part.
of the tong to allow the file to take its bearing unrestrained on the anvil; 21 is
a spring fixed to the frame b, b, b, with a small notch at its end to receive the
point of the file. This spring should be made to press downwards, it should
also be made somewhat too long, by which it will force the file lengthways as
well as downwards; being thus pressed down at both ends the file will bear
firmly on the roll or anvil R, just under the chisel.
Having described the various parts of which my improved machine consists,
I will now proceed to describe the manner in which the same is to be set in
motion or worked. The band wheel being in motion in the direction.

page_text: indicated by the arrow, the clutch P being disengaged from the pulley O, and
the machine at rest, the chisel or tool 11 having been ground in the usual
manner and put into the chisel holder, as shown in the Drawing, the shaft F
should be turned in an opposite position to that represented in the Drawing,
when the excentric pulley or tappet 18 will, by means of the levers 16 and 17,
lift the spring 14, and thereby keep the chisel or tool up. The ratchet wheel X
will at the same time, by the pall or levers before described, press or lift the
spring 7 upwards, and thereby keep the hammers lifted about halfway up.
The files should now be fixed in manner before described, and the lever p
pressed by the hand towards the machine, so as to bring the clutch P in gear
with the pulley O and screw D, which will then, by means of the gut line, turn
round, thereby causing the carriage B to move backwards until the sliding
bar V, pressing against the lever p, disengages the clutch P from the pulley O,
when the carriage B will stop just as the small ends of the files are placed
under the chissels, at which time the lowest point of the circumference of the
cam 3 will be presented towards the curved bar Z, the band wheel ƒ being in
motion in the direction indicated by the arrows; the lever p should now be
pushed by hand from the machine, so as to bring the clutch P in gear with the
ratchet wheel N; the clutch G should now be brought in gear with the band
wheelf, the machine will then commence cutting the files, making one blow
simultaneously with all the hammers for every revolution of the shaft F, F.
By inspecting the relative position of the various parts of the machine, it will
be seen that while the hammers and chissels are lifting, the pall m moves
forward, thereby giving a partial turn to the screw D, by which the carriage B
will be moved a given distance again whilst the chissels are let down and the
blows given, the carriage and files remain stationary, because the pall m is then
drawn back; it will also be seen that in proportion as the files advancing under
the chisels and presenting a broader face, the cam 3, which turns round with
the revolving anvil R, will present a greater radius towards the curved bar Z,
whereby the bar will be pushed gradually higher on the pall w, and whereby
the springs 7 will become gradually more bent, and whereby the blows will
increase in proportion to the increased width of the files, the radius of the cam
being made to correspond with the breadth of the files; it will also be seen
that in proportion as the files advancing under the chissels increase in thickness,
and lastly diminish in thickness, so will the top of the revolving anvil fall, and
lastly rise, its circumference being excentric to its axis, and whereby the un-
equal thickness of the files will be compensated for, the points or edges of the
chissels thereby remaining at a nearly uniform height. By the time the heels
of the files arrive under the chissels the hook u of the sliding bar U will pull

page_text: the trigger of the lock h, thereby disengaging the clutch G, and stopping the
machine; the files should then be turned over, and their small ends again
brought under the chissel, in manner before described, in order to receive the
cu on the opposite side. The files, in order to receive the cross cut, should bo
put into another machine, similarly constructed, except being made, as to its
obliquity, the reverse way to the machinery now described.
Now, whereas I claim as my Invention the improved machinery herein-
before described, having-
First, the revolving anvil turned or moved by the screw that moves the files,
or in which the upper surface or circumference is made to fall and rise as the
thickness of the files cut thereon increase or diminish during the operation
of cutting.
Secondly, an application of springs attached to tho chissel holder, and acting
directly on the chissel, and tending to form it in two different directions,
namely, lengthways from the heel of the file towards the chissel holder, and
downwards against the surface of the file.
Thirdly, an application of set screws, by which those springs that give
momentum to the hammers may be so regulated that the force of the blows
of all the hammers may be alike, that being absolutely necessary in cutting
many files at one time on one and the same anvil.
Fourthly, an application of a spindle or bar for lifting all the springs
attached to the hammers simultaneously.
Fifthly, an application of an endless screw for moving or turning the anvil
on which the files are cut.
Sixthly, an application of a lever bearing against the circumference of an
excentric or tappet wheel attached to the driving shaft, for the purpose of
moving or turning a spindle or bar, which lifts all the chisels simultaneously,
whilst the files are moved to receive each successive cut.
Seventhly, and lastly, the files pressed firmly against the anvil and keeping
them in their proper position, that is, preventing any lateral motion during the
process of cutting by applying springs at both ends of each file, the spring at
the heel pressing on the centre part of the tong downwards, whilst the spring
at the point of the file not only prevents any lateral motion, but presses the file
downwards, and also lengthways, in order to make the heel bear firmly against
a support firmly fixed to the carriage B.
And such my Invention being to the best of my knowledge and belief
entirely new and never before used within that part of Ilis said Majesty's
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, His said
Dominion of Wales, or Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, I do hereby declare

page_text: this to be my Specification of the same, and that I do verily believe this my
said Specification doth comply in all respects fully and without reserve or dis-
guise with the proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters Patent
contained, wherefore I do hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and
privilege to my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Ericsson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven.