AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CUTTING SCREWS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Thomas Hughes, of the Firm of Hughes
and Son, Patent Agents, 123, Chancery Lane, London, for the Inven-
tion of AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CUTTING SCREWS." -A communica-
tion from abroad by Henry Bascom Brown, of New Haven, United
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Thomas Hughes
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st January 1867.
I, EDWARD THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent
Agents, 123, Chancery Lane, London, do hereby declare the nature of the
said invention for "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CUTTING SCREWS," a communi.
cation to me from abroad by Henry Bascom Brown, of New Haven, United
States of America, to be as follows:-
This Invention consists, first, in a ring or cylinder provided with internal
ways or bearings (portions of which are made eccentric) so constructed in
conjunction with other parts that it is capable of being slid laterally backward
and forward at the will of the operator; second, a set of levers attached to the
dieholder; third,asetof dies, each of which is provided with aninclineand a pro-

page_text: jectionor hook; fourth, a sliding flangewith itsconnecting and operating levers;
and fifthly, a latch or stop; all of which are arranged in such a mauner that
by working the operating lever the sliding flange with the ring or cylinder
attached is moved backward and forward, which causes the dies to open and
close at the will of the operator, which allows of the bolt being withdrawn
without stopping or reversing the machine. By changing the rotary position
of the ring or cylinder in relation to the sliding flange and die holder the
size of opening in the dies can be adjusted to compensate for wear of the dies
or to cut bolts of different sizes. By raising or otherwise removing the latch
or stop and thus permitting the ring or cylinder to move a trifle further back-
ward the dies are all relieved and can readily be put in or taken out without
removing other parts of the machine.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal section of
this Invention; Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section, the plane of section
being indicated by the line a, a, Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of the
arrow marked near that line; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the ring or
cylinder showing its internal ways or bearings; Fig. 4 is a front elevation
of the cap or face plate; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 6 is a
front elevation of the sliding flange with its levers and rock shaft attached;
Fig. 7 is a side clevation of the same; Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the die
holder with its levers shewn in perspective; Fig. 9 is a front elevation of the
same; Fig. 10 is a side clevation of the die; Fig. 11 is a front elevation of
the same; Fig. 12 is a front elevation of the tap holder; Fig. 13 is a
longitudinal vertical section of the same; Fig. 14 is a back elevation of the
same; Fig. 15 is a side elevation of the latch; Fig. 16 is a front elevation of
the same. Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.
A represents a frame made of cast iron or other suitable material, and
provided with two guideways a to receive the moveable head block B; in this
head block the bolts are fastened on which a screw thread is to be cut. C is
a spindle which carries the head D containing the dies; said spindle has its
bearings in two standards c rising from the frame A, and is provided with a
hand wheel, pulley, or gearing d, by means of which a rotary motion is
imparted to it. The head D is composed of seven principal parts (exclusive
of the dies) which are connected to each other and to the spindle as will be
hereafter explained. The inner part or die bolder e is rigidly attached to the
spindle with a set screw or in any other suitable manner, and is provided with
three (more or less) slots to receive the dies g; these slots meet or run
into other slots /, running back the entire thickness of the die holder e, and

page_text: are at right angles with its face. In these slots h, working on suitable fulcra,
are arranged the levers i (see Fig. 8). In the rear of the die holder e is the
flangej made to slide on the spindle C, but made to rotate with it by means
of the feather j¹ and the slot 2. In front of the flange j and firmly fastened
to it by means of bolts 13 passing through slots j (see Fig. 6) is the ring or
cylinder (see Fig. 3). This ring or cylinder is provided with three internal
ways or bearings k¹, k2, k³. These ways or bearings are subdivided into six
(more or less) parts (the number of parts being twice the number of dies
used). Each alternate part is made on the same circle with the body of the
ring or cylinder itself; the remaining parts are made eccentric with the ring
or cylinder. The eccentric parts of the ways or bearings k¹ and k² are in the
same position to each other and expand in the same direction with each other.
The eccentric parts of the way or bearings k³ are in the same relative position
as the others, but expand in a contrary direction to them; this arrangement of
the eccentrics is made to correspond to the reverse motion of the levers and
dies, and the whole arrangement of eccentrics is used only to adjust the size
of opening in the dies and to compensate for wear. The dies gare retained
in the slots f by means of a cap or face plate 7 (see Figs. 4 & 5), which is
secured to the die holder e by screws . This cap or face plate / has a flange
or projection m at its periphery which shuts over a portion of the ring or
cylinder, therebyexcluding the chips from the working parts of the machine.
Through the flanges m are openings n corresponding to the number and-
position of the slots f in the die holder e; through these openings n the dies
are passed when it becomes necessary to remove or change them. The
sliding flangej with the ring or cylinder attached is moved backward and
forward by means of the forked lever o (see Figs. 6 and 7), the rock shaft o¹,
and the operating lever o², as will be readily understood This arrangement
of levers may be varied to suit different styles of machines. A portion of the
outer ends of the dies g is made square at right angles with their face. The
latter portion forms an incline which is prolonged beyond the back side of the
die and forms a projection or hook gl. It is not essential that this incline and
projection or hook should be formed of one solid piece with the cutting portion
of the die, but if for any reason it is desirable the dies may be constructed of
several pieces bolted or otherwise rigidly fastened together. The altitude of
the incline should correspond to the amount of movement required in opening
aud closing the dies. I do not wish to be understood however as confining
myself to the exact proportions of the incline, which may be varied according
to circumstances. The inner ends of the dies gare so made as to form screw

page_text: cutting tools, which when caused to revolve around the iron rod or bolt cut a
screw thread thereon. The dies g are firmly held in position for working
(see Fig. 1), by their projections or hooks resting upon the ends of the
levers i, and the square parts of their outer ends bearing firmly against the
way or bearing 3. in the ring or cylinder k. The latch or stop p (see Figs.
15 & 16) is attached to the standard e by means of a screw p¹. This latch
or stop prevents the ring or cylinder k from sliding entirely off the inclines
and relieving the dies while the machine is in motion. The exact form of this
latch or stop and mode of attaching it may be varied to suit circumstances.
It is only necessary that it be so made attached and used that when it is in
position for work itwill arrest the backward movement of the ring or cylinder
so as to prevent it from sliding entirely off the inclines,and that on being raised
or removed the ring or cylinder will be permitted to slide entirely offtheinclines
in order to relieve the dies and facilitate their removal. When the flange j
with the ring or cylinder k attached is moved backward by means of the
operating lever o² the internal way or bearing 2 in the ring or cylinder k
comes in contact with the levers i, and thereby causes them to act upon the
dies g and draw them outward. The bearing 2 does not reach the levers i
until the bearing 3 has left the square portion of the dies g; it (the
bearing) then recedes along the inclines and permits the dies gto be drawn
outward or expanded. When the bearing has reached a point near the end of
the inclines the ring or cylinderkisarrested in its further progress by the latch
orstopp, and the diesgare thereby retained in the slots f. Whenever it becomes
necessary to remove the dies g the latch or stopp is raised or removed, which
permits the ring or cylinder k to slide backward entirely off the inclines, so
that the bearing clears the hook or projection g; the dies g are then
taken out at the openings n in the flange m of the cap l. When the
flange j with the ring or cylinder k attached is moved forward by means
of the lever o³ the way or bearing k³ in the ring or cylinder k comes
with the incline at the outer ends of the dies g, and forces them inwards
until it reaches their square part, when it ceases to act upon the dies,
but continues its forward movement until it reaches the cap 1, in which
position the square part of the ends of the dies g bear firmly against it (the
way or bearing 3) and are capable of resisting the pressure consequent upon
cutting the screws without yielding. The position of the ring or cylinder k
and consequent size of opening in the dies while the machine is cutting the
screw may be regulated by means of the circular slots through which the
bolts j³ pass, which allows of the ring or cylinder & being moved in either

page_text: direction and fastened in the desired position. The outer or long ends of the
lever i are slightly curved so as to give the inner or short ends a uniform
motion; this becomes necessary owing to the continually increasing distance
from the fulcrum to the point where the bearing k² acts upon the levers. After
the bearing 2 leaves the levers i in its forward movement the outer ends of
the levers i rest against the bearing; this holds the dies in their proper
position against the bearing 3 and prevents any lost motion. The tap
holder 9 (see Figs. 12, 13, & 14) is made to fit the central hole in the
face plate, and is provided with a flange q¹ which bears against the face
plate ; it is also provided with a stud q2 which passes through the face
plate in the notch 93 and enters one of the die slots f in the die holder e (the
dies being removed). The notch q³ being narrower than the slots the stud q²
locks by the face plate 1; by this means the tap holder is held firmly in its
place. The tap holder is also provided with a square hole or socket r in the
centre, in which the shank of the tap fits while in use.
The operation of this machine is as follows:-The several parts being in
their position as shewn in Fig. 1 the motive power is applied to the spindle c,
causing it with the head D and dies g to revolve around a common centre.
The bolts upon which a screw thread is to be cut is fastened in the moveable
bead block B which is moved up to the dies, causing them to cut the required
screw upon the bolt. When the screw has been cut the desired length upon
the bolt the operation by means of the operating lever o³ causes the flange j
with the ring or cylinder k attached to slide backward upon the spindle c
Thebearing k2 acts upon the levers i, and the levers acting upon the dies g
cause them to be drawn outward or opened, which allows of the bolt being
withdrawn without stopping or reversing the machine. By moving the
flange with the ring or cylinder k attached forward by means of the
operating lever o³ the way or bearing k³ is made to act upon the inclines of
the dies g, and causes them to be pushed inward or closed. The machine is
then ready to receive another bolt.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edward Thomas Hughes in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 30th July 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
THOMAS HUGHES, of the Firm of Hughes and Son, Patent Agents, 123,
Chaucery Lane, London, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Edward Thomas Hughes, Her special licence that I, the said
Edward Thomas Hughes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, 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 night make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CUTTING SCREWS," a communication
to me from abroad by Henry Bascom Brown, of New Haven, United
States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Edward Thomas Hughes, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Edward Thomas Hughes, 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 (that is to say) :-
This Invention consists, first, in a ring or cylinder provided with internal
ways or bearings (portions of which are made eccentric) so constructed in
conjunction with other parts that it is capable of being alid laterally backward
and forward at the will of the operator; second, a set of levers attached to
the die holder; third, a set of dies each of which is provided with an incline
and a projection or hook; fourth, a sliding flauge with its connecting and
operating levers; and, fifth, a latch or stop all of which are arranged in such
a manner that by working the operating lever the sliding flange with its ring
or cylinder attached is moved backward and forward which causes the dies to
open and close at the will of the operator, which allows of the bolt being
withdrawn without stopping or reversing the machine. By changing the
rotary position of the ring or cylinder in relation to the sliding flange and
die holder, the size of opening in the dies can be adjusted to compensate for
wear of the dies, or to cut bolts of different sizes. By raising or otherwise
removing the latch or stop, and thus permitting the ring or cylinder to move

page_text: a trifle further backward, the dies are all relieved and can readily be put in
or taken out without removing other parts of the machine.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawings Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal
vertical section of this Invention; Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section, the
plane of section being indicated by the line z, z, Fig. 1, and looking in the
direction of the arrow marked near that line; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of
the ring or cylinder showing its internal ways or bearings; Fig. 4 is a front
elevation of the cap or face plate; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the same;
Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the sliding flange with its levers and rock
shaft attached; Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 8 is a side
elevation of the die holder with its levers shown in perspective; Fig. 9 is a
front elevation of the same; Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the die; Fig. 11
is a front elevation of the same; Fig. 12 is a front elevation of the tap
holder; Fig. 13 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same; Fig. 14 is a
back elevation of the same; Fig. 15 is a side elevation of the latch; Fig. 16
is a front elevation of the same. Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.
A represents a frame made of cast iron or other suitable material and provided
with two guideways a to receive the moveable head block B; in this head
block the bolts are fastened on which a screw thread is to be cut. C is a
spindle which carries thehead Dcontaining the dies,said spindle hasitsbearings
in two standards crising from the frame A, and is provided with a hand wheel,
pulley, or gearing d,by means of which a rotary motion is imparted to it. The
head D is composed of seven principal parts (exclusive of the dies) which are
connected to each other and to the spindle as will be hereafter explained. The
inner part or die holder e is rigidly attached to the spindle with a set screw,
or in any other suitable manner,and is provided with three (more or less) slots f
meet or run into each other; slots h running back the entire thickness of the
die holder e and are at right angles with its face. In these slots h working in
suitable fulcra are arranged the levers i (see Fig. 8). In the rear of the die
holder e is the flauge j made to slide on the spindle C, but made to rotate with
it by means of the feather j' and the slot 2. In front of the flangej and firmly
fastened to it by means of bolts 3 passing through slots * (see Fig. 6) is
the ring or cylinder k (see Fig. 3); this ring or cylinder is provided with
three internal ways or bearings k', ³, ; these ways or bearings are sub.
divided into six (more or less) parts (the number of parts being twice the
number of dies used). Each alternate part is made on the same circle with
the body of the ring or cylinder itself, the remaining parts are made eccentric
with the ring or cylinder. The eccentric parts of the ways or bearings k¹
and 2 are in the same position to each other, and expand in the same

page_text: 7.3
direction with each other. The eccentric parts of the way or bearing ³ are
in the same relative position as the others, but expand in a contrary direction
to them. This arrangement of the eccentrics is made to correspond to the
reverse motion of the levers and dies,and the whole arrangement of eccentrics
is used only to adjust the size of opening in the dies and to compensate for
wear. The dies g are retained in the slots by means of a cap or face
plate (see Figs. 4 and 5) which is secured to the die holder e by screws ;
this cap or face plate has a flange or projection mat its periphery, which
shuts over a portion of the ring or cylinder, thereby excluding the chips from
the working part of the machine; through the flange m are openings n
corresponding to the number and position of the slots in the die holder ei
through these openings n the dies are passed when it becomes necessary to
remove or change them. The sliding flange, with the ring or cylinder k
attached is moved backward and forward by means of the forked lever o,
(see Figs. 6 and 7) the rock shaft o¹, and the operating lever o², as will be
readily understood. This arrangement of levers may be varied to suit
different styles of machines, a portion of the outer ends of the dies g is made
square or at right angles with their faces, and a portion is made at an angle less
than a right angle with their faces. The latter portion forms an incline
which is prolonged beyond the back side of the die, and forms a projection
or hook g'. It is not essential that this incline and projection or hook should
be formed of one solid piece with the cutting portion of the die, but if, for any
reason it is desirable the dies may be constructed of several pieces bolted or
otherwise rigidly fastened together. The altitude of the incline should
correspond with the amount of movement required in opening and closing the
dies. I do not wish to be understood however as confining myself to the exact
proportions of the incline, which may be varied according to circumstances.
The inner ends of the dies g are so made as to form screw cutting tools, which
when caused to revolve around the iron rod or bolt cut a screw thread thereon.
The dies y are held firmly in position for working (see Fig. 1) by their pro-
jections or hooks resting upon the ends of the levers i, and the square part
of their outer ends bearing firmly against the way or bearing in the ring or
cylinder. The latch or stop p (see Figs. 15 and 16) is attached to the
standard c by means of a screw p¹; this latch or stop prevents the ring or
cylinder from sliding entirely off the inclines and relieving the dies while the
machine is in motion; the exact form of this latch or stop and mode of
attaching it may be varied to suit circumstances; it is only necessary that it
be so made, attached, and used that when it is in position for work it will
arrest the backward movement of the ring or cylinder so as to prevent it from

page_text: sliding entirely off the inclines, and that on being raised or removed the ring
or cylinder will be permitted to slide entirely off the inclines in order to relieve
the dies and facilitate their removal. When the flange j with the ring or
cylinder / attached is moved backward by means of the operating lever of the
internal way or bearing in the ring or cylinder k comes to contact with the
levers i and thereby causes them to act upon the dies gand draw them outward.
The bearing does not reach the levers i until the bearing 3 has left the
square portion of the dies g; it (the bearing ³)then recedes along the inclines
and permits the'dies g to be drawn outward or expanded. When the bearing
has reached a point near the end of the inclines the ring or cylinder k is
arrested in its further progress by the latch or stop p, and the dies g are
thereby retained in the slots f. Whenever it becomes necessary to remove
the dies g the latch or stop p is raised or removed which permits the ring or
cylinder k to slide backward entirely off the inclines, so that the bearing k³
clears the hook or projection g', the dies gare then taken out at the openingsn
in the flange m of the cap . When the flange j with the ring or cylinder k
attached is moved forward by means of the operating lever o² the way or
bearing ³ in the ring or cylinder & comes in contact with the inclines at the
outer ends of the dies g and forces them inward until it reaches their square
part, when it ceases to act upon the dies, but continues its forward movement
until it reaches the cap l, in which position the square parts of the ends of
the dies g bear firmly against it (the way or bearing ³) and are capable of
resisting the pressure consequent upon cutting the screws without yielding.
The position of the ring or cylinder k and consequent size of opening in the
dies while the machine is cutting the screw may be regulated by means of the
circular slots j through which the bolts j³ pass, which allows of the ring or
cylinderk being moved in either direction and fastened in the desired position.
The outer or long ends of the levers i are slightly curved so as to give the
inner or short ends au uniform motion; this becomes necessary owing to the
continually increasing distance from the fulcra to the point where the
bearing acts upon the levers. After the bearing 2 leaves the levers i in
its forward movement the outer ends of the levers i rest against the bearing /c¹;
this holds the dies in their proper position against the bearing k³ and prevents
any lost motion. The tap holder q (see Figs 12, 13, and 14) is made to fit
the central hole in the face plate l, and is provided with a flange q' which
bears against the face plate ; it is also provided with a stud q² which passes
through the face plate / in the notch q³ and enters oue of the die slots f in the
die holder e (the dies being removed). The notch q³ being narrower than the
slot f the stud q locks by the face plate ; by this means the tap holder is
2

page_text: held firmly in its place; the tap holder is also provided with a square hole or
socket r in its centre in which the shank of the tap fits while in use.
The operation of this machine is as follows:-The several parts being in
their position as shown in Fig. 1 the motive power is applied to the spindle C,
causing it with the head D and dies g to revolve around a common centre,
The bolt upon which a screw thread is to be cut is fastened in the moveable
head block B which is moved up to the dies, causing them to cut the required
screw upon the bolt. When the screw has been cut the desired length upon
the bolt the operator by means of the operating lever o² causes the flange j
with the ring or cylinder k attached to slide backward upon the spindle C;
the bearing acts upon the levers i, and the levers acting upon the dies g
cause them to be drawn outward or opened, which allows of the bolt being
withdrawn without stopping orreversing the machine. By moving the flangej
with the ring or cylinder kattached forward by means of the operating lever o²
the way or bearing is made to act upon the inclines of the dies g and causes
them to be pushed inward or closed; the machine is then ready to receive
another bolt.
Having thus minutely described the construction and operation of this
Invention I do not wish to be understood as confining myself to this particular
construction of all the parts, but believing the screw cutting dies provided
with inclines and projections or hooks, the sliding ring or cylinder provided
with internal ways or bearings, the small levers, and the latch or stop when
used for the purpose herein set forth to be new.
First, I claim in combination with a revolving die holder two or
more screw cutting dies provided with inclines and projections arranged
and operating substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein
specified.
Second, in combination with a revolving die holder and two or more screw
cutting dies, constructed substantially as described, I claim the arrangement
of longitudinally sliding bearings operating uponsaid dies, substantially in the
manner and for the purposes set forth.
Third, in combination with longitudinally sliding bearings operating directly
upon screw cutting dies, substantially as described, I claim the arrangement
of a latch or stop for the purpose of retaining said dies in or releasing them
from the die holder at the will of the operator, substantially as herein
specified.
Fourth, closing the dies by theuse of the bearings k upon the longitudinally
sliding cylinder acting directly upon the dies, substantially as and for the
purposes herein specified.

page_text: Fifth, the sliding bearings k, the levers i, and the dies g, arranged and
operating substantially as and for the purposes herein specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Thomas Hughes, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of July, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-seven.
E. T. HUGHES. (L.S.)