Improved Machinery for Making Nails or Brads and for Nailing or Bradding together the Parts of Wooden Boxes or other Articles with such Nails or Brads.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Mar., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 24th Dec., 1890-Accepted, 31st Jan.. 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Machinery for Making Nails or Brads and for Nailing or
Bradding together the Parts of Wooden Boxes or other Articles
with such Nails or Brads.
1, HENRY CAMPBELL, of 115 Cannon Street, in the City of London,
Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention to be
as follows:
This invention relates to machinery for making nails or brads from wire and
for applying such nails or brads, as they are made, to the purpose of connecting
together the parts of wooden boxes or other articles.
For these purposes I employ the following arrangements:-On a suitable frame
or bed is mounted a driving shaft turning in bearings and carrying suitable cams,
cranks, or arms, for giving motion to the various operative parts of the machine. A
coil or reel of wire is mounted so that it can unwind freely, and one end of this wire
is fed forward into the machine by any suitable wire feeding apparatus capable of
holding the wire firmly while its end is being cut off to form a nail or brad in
the manner hereinafter described. The end of the wire intended to form a nail is
fed forward to a certain distance between the jaws of a pair of grippers. These
jaws close and hold the wire firmly while a cutter moves in a direction oblique
to the length of the wire and cuts the same through diagonally, thereby forming
a bevilled point for the next nail or brad and a corresponding bevilled end
on the portion of wire cut off and intended to form a nail or brad. This
bevilled end, on the portion of wire thus cut off, is bent outwards more or less
at right angles to the body of the nail or brad by the action of the cutter, and
forms a head thereto somewhat like that of an ordinary wrought iron brad.
The nail or brad having been thus cut off and the point and head formed, the
jaws of the aforesaid grippers are opened, and a further movement of the cutter
forces the nail or brad through between the said gripper jaws into the parts of
the box or other articles intended to be nailed together, such parts having pre-
viously been placed and held in position behind the said grippers in order to
receive the nail or brad as soon as it has been cut off and the head formed. And
in most cases I prefer that the feeding apparatus which feeds the wire forward shall
force the point of the wire, which has been bevilled by the preceding cutting off
operation as above described, more or less into the parts of the box, or other object
to be connected, before the aforesaid grippers are closed, and before the nail or brad
is severed from the wire; by this means the severed nail or brad is supported with
certainty in a position suitable for being forced home into the parts of the box or
other article after the aforesaid grippers are opened.
I sometimes employ two obliquely acting cutters to cut off the nail or brad, one
on each side of the wire, and arrange them so that each cuts half way through the
wire and meets the other cutter in the middle thereof, whereby the point of the nail
or brad is made with a bevil on each side, that is to say is chisel pointed, and the
head with a fin-like tapered portion projecting on each side, each fin-like portion
being bent more or less at right angles to the end of the nail or brad so as to form a
head, somewhat like that of an ordinary wrought iron brad, at each side of the nail
or brad.
The mechanism may be so arranged that one or more nails or brads are made and
driven into place for each revolution of the driving shaft and the latter, instead of
being caused to rotate, may be arranged to make rotary oscillating movements,
a single nail or brad being, in that case, made and driven into place at each such
rotary saillation

page_text: The various mechanical parts, for communicating motion from the driving shaft
to the wire feeding, gripping, and cutting-off appliances, may consist of levers,
toggles, slides, and so forth, as may be best adapted to attain the several objects in
view, and they will vary in character according as the driving shaft is caused to
make complete revolutions, or rotary oscillations only.
Dated this 5th day of March 1890.
H. CAMPBELL.
W. H. Beck,
Per S. E. Gunyon,
115, Cannon Street, London, E.C., Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Machinery for Making Nails or Brads and for Nailing or
Bradding together the Parts of Wooden Boxes or other Articles
with such Nails or Brads.
I, HENRY CAMPBELL, of 115 Cannon Street, in the City of London,
Mechanical Engineer, 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, reference being had to the accompanying two
sheets of drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
This invention relates to machinery for making nails or brads from wire and for
applying such nails or brads, as they are made, to the purpose of connecting together
the parts of wooden boxes, or other articles.
For these purposes employ arrangements of mechanism of the following
character: On a suitable frame or bed is mounted a driving shaft turning in
bearings, and carrying suitable cams, cranks, or arms, for giving motion to the
various operative parts of the machine. A coil or reel of wire is mounted so that it
can unwind freely, and one end of this wire is fed forward into the machine by any
suitable wire-feeding apparatus. The end of the wire, intended to form a nail, is
fed forward, to a certain distance, between the jaws of a pair of grippers. These
jaws close, and hold the wire firmly, while a cutter moves in a direction oblique to
the length of the wire, and cuts the same through diagonally, thereby forming a
bevilled point for the next nail or brad, and a corresponding bevilled end on the
portion of wire cut off and intended to form a nail or brad. This bevilled end, on
the portion of wire thus cut off is bent outwards more or less at right angles to the
body of the nail or brad by the action of the cutter, and forms a head thereto
somewhat like that of an ordinary wrought iron brad. The nail or brad having
been thus cut off, and the point and head formed, a further movement of the
cutter forces the nail or brad into the parts of the box or other article intended
to be nailed or bradded together, such parts having previously been placed and
held in position in order to receive the nail or brad as soon as it has been cut
off, and the head formed. And in most cases I prefer that the feeding apparatus,
which feeds the wire forward, shall force the point of the wire, which has been
bevilled by the, preceding cutting off operation above described, more
or less
into the parts of the box or other object to be connected, before the aforesaid
grippers are closed, and before the nail or brad is severed from the wire; by
this means the severed nail or brad is supported with certainty in a position
suitable for being forced home into the parts of the box or other article after
the head has been made.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in vertical section, of one arrangement of
machinery constructed in accordance with my invention.
Figure 2 is an elevation of the side of the machine opposite to that shown in
Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a plan, partly in horizontal section, on the line 1-1 of Figure 1.

page_text: Figures 1, 2 and 3.
Figure 5 is a view of the underside of the machine.
Figures 6 and 7 are detail views of certain parts to be hereafter described.
Figure 8 is a view of the nail or brad as made by the machine.
Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating a slightly modified form of the nail or brad
and of a modified arrangement of parts for making the same.
Figure 10 is a side elevation of a machine constructed in accordance with my
invention but arranged to be operated by a hand lever instead of by a shaft and
rotating cams.
Figure 11 is a plan of same, partly in section, on line 3-3 of Figure 10.
Figure 12 is a vertical sectional elevation taken on line 4-4 of Figures 10
and 11, and
Figure 13 is an end elevation of the part marked F4 in Figures 10, 11 and 12.
Referring to Figures 1 to 8, A. is the frame or bed of the machine, B a driving
shaft turning in bearings in the standards A' cast with or secured to the bed A.
The shaft B has secured upon it the edge cam C and the side cam C₁ for actuating
the apparatus for feeding forward the wire D from which the nails or brads are to
be made, the cam E for operating the aforesaid gripping jaws which hold the
wire D while the nail or brad is being cut off, and the cam F for operating the
cutter which cuts off the mail or brad and afterwards forces it home into the parts
to be mailed or bradded together. As hereinbefore stated, the machine may be fitted
with any suitable wire feeding apparatus, but I consider the one shown in the
drawings very suitable for the purpose; it consists as follows, C2 is a lever
oscillating in a vertical plane on a fulcrum pin C³ secured in a piece C* which is
free to oscillate in a horizontal plane on a fulcrum pin C passing through
lugs C cast on the frame or bed A. The rear end of the lever C2 is provided with
a friction roller C7 which is acted upon at the proper times by the cams C Cas
will be hereafter described. The front end of the lever C has formed in it a
slot Cs in which is fitted a sliding block C³. A pin C is rivetted or otherwise
secured at one end in a bar C" fitted to slide vertically in dovetail or other suitable
guides formed in or secured to the frame A. The other end of the pin C10 takes
into a hole in the sliding block C³. C2 and C are steel plates through which the
pin C passes.
A hole C is made in the said pin C and a groove is made in
each of the opposed faces of these plates, forming between them a continuation of
the hole C through which the wire D is passed, the said grooves in the
plates C2 C3 being preferably roughened to secure better hold of the wire. The
plates C12 C13 are moved up and down by the lever C2 with the pin C10 and form a
pair of nippers or clamps between which the said wire D is gripped and held
firmly when the plate C¹³ is pressed towards the plate C. This pressure of the
plate C3 towards the plate C2 is effected by the outer edge of the cam C acting
on the flange C* of the friction roller C' whereby the rear end of the lever C2 is
pressed outwards, causing the said lever to oscillate horizontally on the fulcrum
pin C so that its front end is moved inwards and the spring C15 thereon presses the
plate C3 by means of the block C towards the plate Ciz, nipping or clamping
the wire D firmly between them, and when the periphery of the cam C acts upon the
friction roller C, the slide C", pin C, and plates C12 and C¹³ are pressed down-
wards and the wire D is carried therewith to the required distance. When the
cut-away portion Cx of the cam C releases the flange C7 of the roller C', and
thereby the rear end of the lever C2, springs C16 and pins C17 press the plate C¹³
and the front end of the lever C2 outwards, thereby releasing the wire D so that
when the periphery of the cam C allows the rear end of the lever C² to be drawn
down by the spring C, the front end rises, and the plates C12 C13 slide up on
the wire D in readiness to take a fresh grasp thereof at the next movement of
the machine. The side cam C₁ (Figure 3) is arranged to act on the face of the
roller C at the time when the flange Cx of the said roller is about to be acted
upon again by the outer edge of the cam C when the cut away part C of that

page_text: cam is passing away from the said flange; the object of the said cam C¹ being
to hold the flange of the roller free until the edge of the cam C has come to
act against it, so that there may be no chance of the said flange riding up on to the
periphery of the cam C. The length of wire fed forward by the feeding apparatus
at each operation can be regulated by the set screw C₁ which stops the upward
movement of the front end of the lever C2 sooner or later according as the said set
screw C¹ is screwed up or down in the lug C.
E E2 are levers placed below the bed of the machine and oscillating respectively
on fulcrum pins E3 E. The front ends of these levers form a pair of gripping
jaws E E which close, at the proper time, and hold firmly between them the
part of the wire D intended to form the next nail or brad. The rear ends of these
levers carry friction rollers E' E³ which are respectively acted upon by the cam
surfaces E9 E of the cam E, being pressed against those surfaces by the
spring En
Fis a lever oscillating on a fulerum pin F2 fixed to the frame A. It is provided
at its rear end with a friction roller Fx which is acted upon, at the proper time,
by the cam F. The front end of the lever F engages in the notch F³ of a sliding
piece F with which is formed or to which is secured the cutter F. This sliding
piece F is furnished with laterally projecting studs F which take into guide
grooves F7.
One side of each of these guide grooves is formed in the moveable
side plates F8 which are held in place by the screws F and the other side of each
of the grooves by the cover plate F. The upper part of each of these guide
grooves F is formed obliquely as shown, and the lower part of each is formed
vertically, so that when the sliding piece F is forced down by the lever F1, it
is caused to move first in a direction oblique to the wire D and then in a vertical
direction.
F is a part of the frame A faced with a steel facing piece F12 against which the
cutter F5 works. The wire D is led through a hole formed in the part F" of
the frame, and in the steel facing piece F12, and then between the gripper
jaws E E
The action of the machine is as follows:-The coil or reel of wire, intended to
form the nails or brads, is mounted in any convenient position so that it can be
readily unwound. The end is passed through the feeding apparatus and through the
guide hole in the pieces F and F12 and between the gripper jaws E³ E as shown
in Figure 4. In the position of the parts of the machine shown in the drawing, the
gripper jaws E³ E are closed on to the wire which has just been fed forward, the
feeding apparatus is returning to take a fresh grasp of the wire and the cutter F
is about to move downwards in an oblique direction to cut off the part D' of the
wire as soon as the plates C2C have again grasped the wire. While the jaws E³ E°
and nippers C12 C13 still grasp and hold the wire D D' tightly, the cutter F
descends obliquely by the movement of the studs F in the oblique parts of the
grooves F, cutting off the part D¹ of the wire from the part D and bending the
upper end of the part D' outwards, somewhat as shown in Figure 8, forming a kind
of brad head as already explained. The gripper jaws E³ E then opens the first
named, Es, moving aside only a short distance just clear of the cut off piece of
wire D', now formed into a nail or brad, but the second named, E6, being moved
further aside by reason of the greater inclination of the cam surface E of the cam E
in order to give room for the further descent of the cutter F5 into the space between
the said jaws. When the said jaws are wide open, the cutter F descends vertically
by reason of the movement of the studs F6 in the vertical parts of the guide
grooves F and the lower face of the said cutter pressing on the head of the cut off
nail or brad D (Figure 8) forces the same downwards into the parts H I of the box
or other article to be nailed or bradded together; such parts being supported on a
suitable adjustable bracket or table, not shown in the drawings. The cutter F
then retires again into the position shown in Figures 1 and 4, being drawn up by
the spring F³ The feeding apparatus then feeds forward another length of wire
..the ent to make another nail or brad, forcing the bevilled end of such wire to enter

page_text: more or less into the parts H I, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4, for the purpose
hereinbefore explained. The gripper jaws E' E' then close on and grasp tightly
the part D of the wire, the plates or clamps CC of the feeding apparatus close
on and grasp tightly the upper part of the wire D, the cutter F descends, cuts off
the part D of the wire, bends down its upper bevilled part to form the head as
shown in Figure 8, and then, when the jaws E Es have again opened, forces the
nail or brad home into the parts H I. These parts are then moved by hand so as
to bring another point on them, where it is desired to insert a nail or brad, in line
with the wire, and on turning the shaft B another similar cycle of operations is
performed.
The shaft B may be caused to rotate continuously by any suitable means at such
a speed as will give the operator time to move the parts H I into the required
position between the end of one cycle of operations and the beginning of the next,
or it may be connected when required with a continuously rotating wheel or shaft
by means of a suitable clutch, thrown into gear therewith when it is required to
make and insert a mail or brad, and thrown out of gear therewith when such nail or
brad is made and inserted, but I sometimes arrange so that the shaft B can be
rotated by hand by means of a crank handle, not shown in the drawings, actuateil
by the operator himself at pleasure after he has adjusted the parts HI to the correct.
position to receive the next nail or brad.
Instead of employing a single cutter to cut off the nail or brad as shown in
Figures 1, 3 and 4, I sometimes employ two obliquely acting cutters, one on each
side of the wire, and arrange them so that each cuts half way through the wire, and
meets the other cutter in the middle thereof as shown diagrammatically in Figure 9,
whereby the point of one nail or brad is prepared with a beril on each side, that is
to say is chisel-pointed, and the head of the nail or brad thereby cut off with a fin-like
tapered portion projecting on each side as shown in the said figure, each fin-like
portion being bent more or less at right angles to the body of the nail or brad so as
to form a head somewhat like that of an ordinary wrought iron brad, at each side
of the nail or head. In this arrangement both cutters may co-operate to force the
nail or brad home into the parts to be united, the gripper jaws being in that case
arranged to open so as to admit both cutters between them."
The mechanism may be so arranged that two or more nails or brads are made
and driven into place for each revolution of the driving shaft B, by arranging and
shaping the cams accordingly; but so far as I am at present aware, the arrangement
shown in the drawings, in which one nail or brad is made and driven into place for
each revolution of the shaft, is preferable.
Instead of the driving shaft being caused to make a complete revolution for each
cycle of operations, it may be arranged to make rotary oscillating movements, the
cams being arranged and shaped accordingly, and a single nail or brad is in that
case also preferably made and driven into place at each such rotary oscillation.
Referring now to Figures 10, 11, 12 and 13, which illustrate a machine having
operative parts analogous to those described in reference to Figures 1 to 6, but
so adapted that they can be operated by a simple lever arm instead of by
cams A is the frame or bed of the machine as before, B is either a short rocking
shaft turning in holes or bearings in the jaws of the bracket A', and
having secured thereto the lever arm K, or a fulcrum pin passing through holes
in the jaws of the bracket A' and having the lever arm K turning loosely thereon.
The wire feeding mechanism shown is similar to that described in reference to
Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, but instead of being actuated by a lever C, having vertical
and lateral movements imparted to it by cams as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, it is
actuated by the lever K moved by hand, a slot Cs therein taking over the pin Co
secured in the sliding bar C". The lever K engages in a slot F3 at the upper end of
the sliding piece with which is formed or to which is secured the cutter F³.
This sliding piece F₁ and the cutter F³ move obliquely with reference to the wire D,
in a recess F formed in the frame A, being retained in such recess by the cover
The sliding
plate F which is removed in Figure 10 for the sake of clearness.

page_text: piece F, with the cutter F³, is pressed down by the action of the underside of the
lever K upon the curved bottom of the slot F3 and is raised again to its normal
position by the spring F13
F is a part of the frame A faced with a steel facing piece F12 against which the
cutter F works, the wire D being led through a hole formed in the said part F",
and in the steel facing piece F, all as described in reference to Figure 4.
E' is a wedge picce which grips the wire D firmly between itself and the upper
portion of the part when it is acted on by the inclined part E of the sliding
cutter piece as the latter descends.
The operation of this machine is as follows:-
The wire is supplied from a coil or reel as described in reference to the machine
shown in Figures 1 to 5. The end of the wire is passed through the feeding
apparatus, then between the gripping wedge E and the upper part F of the
frame A, and then through the guide hole in the pieces and F12. In the
position of the parts of the machine as shown in full lines in the drawing, an
operation has just been completed; that is to say a nail or brad D' has been cut
off and driven home into the parts H. I to be joined together, and the lever Kis
being raised into the higher position shown in dotted lines, carrying with it the
feeding apparatus, which being at that time released from the wire, slides up over it
to take a fresh grip thereof. Assuming now that the lever K is in the upper
position indicated by dotted lines, and which position is in this case defined by the
lower end of the slot C in the lever K coming against the pin C, the operator
presses the outer end of the lever K sidewise in the direction of the plain arrow in
Figure 11. This presses the plate C³ against the plate C, grasping the wire D
firmly between those plates. He then presses the lever K downwards, still holding
it pressed laterally in the direction of the plain arrow, Figure 11, and the wire D
is thereby fed downwards a sufficient distance to leave sufficient wire projecting
beyond the hole in the plate F12 to form a fresh nail or brad, the lower end of which
is forced by the operation a certain distance, as before explained, into the parts H 1
to be united, such parts having in the meantime been adjusted into proper position
to receive the nail or brad. When the lever K has been pressed downwards so that
its underside comes in contact with the bottom of the notch F3 of the sliding cutter
piece F, the operator moves the lever K sidewise in the direction of the feathered
arrow, Figure 11, whereby the grasp of the plates C12 C13 on the wire D is released,
and the feed of the wire ceases. Instead of the lateral movement of the lever K in
the direction of the feathered arrow, to release the feeding apparatus from the wire,
being effected by hand, it may be effected mechanically by means of a wedge-shaped
projection C formed on one side of the notch F3 as shown in Figure 13, which
projection forces the lever K in the desired lateral direction automatically as it
approaches the bottom of the notch. Further downward movement of the lever K,
after it has reached the bottom of the notch F3, forces the sliding cutter piece F
downwards also. The inclined part E of the sliding piece I then presses the
gripping piece E against the wire D, holding the latter firmly between itself and
the part of the frame A, so that the said wire cannot slip down during the
cutting off operation. The sliding cutter piece F1 then continues its downward
movement, the inclined part E sliding down behind the gripping piece E³, still
pressing the latter firmly against the wire D, while the cutter F cuts off the
piece D₁ from the wire, bends down the upper end of the latter so as to form the
head of the nail or brad, and then presses the nail or brad so formed into the parts H I
to be joined together as shown in Figure 10. The downward movement of the
lever is limited by the upper end of the slot C coming against the pin C
whereby the cutter F is prevented from being pushed down too low so as to injure
the parts H. I which are being nailed. The lever K is then raised again into its
highest position, the plates C2 C3 slide up on the wire D (the latter being still
held by the gripping piece E) ready to take another grip of the said wire for the
next feeding operation. The sliding cutter piece F', being thus released from the
action of the lever K, is pressed up by the spring F3 into the position shown in

page_text: Figure 10 in readiness for the next cutting-off operation, the inclined part E rising
clear of the gripping piece E5 which is thereby released from the wire D, leaving
the latter free to be fed down by the feed clamps C12 C13 when they are next pressed
together and downwards by the lever K.
Similar letters of reference relate to like parts in all the figures of the drawings,
and it will be seen that the lever K in Figures 10, 11 and 12 performs functions
analogous to those performed by the levers C F and E' or E2 of Figures 1,2,3,4,5,
that is to say it performs the functions of the levers C2 in effecting the feeding
forward of the wire; of the lever in effecting the cutting off of the nail or brad,
the formation of the head and the forcing of the nail or brad into the parts to be
united; and of the lever E or E in effecting the grasping and holding of the wire
while the same is being cut.
The sliding piece F4, Figures 10, 11 and 12, may, if preferred, be applied and
guided in the same way as shown in Figures 1, 4 and 6, so that it has the oblique
movement for cutting off the length of wire and the vertical movement for forcing
the nail or brad into the parts to be united together.
It is obvious that the apparatus above described may be employed for the
manufacture of nails or brads of the kind described and shown in Figures 8 and 9,
when such nails or brads are not intended to be used immediately, and as they are
made, for the purpose of joining parts of material together, as, instead of being so
used immediately and as they are made, they may be allowed to drop out of the
machine into a suitable receptacle and be stored for future use, or be sold as nails
or brads.
I do not confine myself to the particular arrangements and combinations of
mechanical parts for effecting the various operations involved in the practical
carrying out and application of my invention, as they may be varied in a
great variety of ways without departing from the essential features of the said
invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I would have it
understood that I make no claim to the parts separately, nor do I claim
separat ly the wire feeding mechanism described and shown, as I am aware that
similar mechanism for feeling wire and metal strips into certain other machinery
is already known and in use, nor do I claim broadly machinery for making nails
or brads from wire, and for applying such nails or brads, as they are made, to
the purpose of connecting together the parts of wooden boxes or other articles, as
am aware that it is not new to effect these two objects in one machine, but what
I do claim is :-
First The improved machinery for making nails or brads from wire, which
consists of apparatus for feeding forward the wire, for grasping and holding the
wire during the cutting-off operation, for cutting the wire obliquely into lengths
suitable for making nails or brads, and for forming the heads of such nails or
brads from one of the obliquely cut ends of such lengths, all combined, arranged
and operating substantially as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in the
drawings.
Second The improved machinery for making nails or brads from wire, and for
nailing or bradding together the parts of wooden boxes or other articles with such
nails or brads as they are made, such machinery consisting of apparatus for feeding
forward the wire, for grasping or holding the wire during the cutting-off operation,
for cutting the wire obliquely into lengths suitable for making nails or brads, and
forming the heads of such nails or brads from one of the obliquely cut ends of such
lengths, and for forcing the nails or brads, when so made, direct into the parts to
be united, all combined, arranged, and operating substantially as herein before
described, and illustrated in the drawing.
Third In machinery for making nails or brads from wire, the use of a cutter
moving in a direction oblique to the length of the wire so as to cut the same

page_text: obliquely into lengths intended to form nails or brads and at same time to bend
outwards one of the obliquely-cut ends of each such length so as to form the head
of the nail or brad substantially as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in the
drawings.
Fourth In machinery for making nails or brads from wire, the use of a cutter
which cuts the wire obliquely into lengths intended to form nails or brads, at same
time bends outwards one of the obliquely cut ends of each such length so as to form
the head of the nail or brad, and then forces the said nail or brad home into the
parts to be united, substantially as hereinbefore described, and illustrated in the
drawings.
Dated this 23rd day of December 1890.
H. CAMPBELL.
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, Agent.