Improvements in Machines for the Manufacture of Nails and Screws.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 7th June, 1892-Accepted, 6th Aug., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for the Manufacture of Nails and Screws.
I, SYLVANUS EUGENE GROFF, of Marietta, in the County of Lane, in the State
of Pennsylvania, Carpenter, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :—
The object of my invention is to produce a machine which will take wire, cut it
into suitable lengths, form heads and points upon each nail and groove it spirally at
the same time, also so as to produce nails which are adapted to be used either as
nails or screws, and to produce nails more cheaply than has been done heretofore.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a nail machine which embodies my invention.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.
Fig. 3 is a detail view of the stationary grooved, corrugated or fluted surface.
Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views of two forms of mechanisms for cutting off the
wire.
Fig. 6 is a detached view of the feed and straightening mechanism.
A represents a suitable frame of any desired shape size or construction and in
which the driving shaft B is journalled. To the outer end of this shaft B, is
secured a suitable driving pulley C and to the opposite end of the shaft B is secured
the combined beveled spur wheel D. Secured to the shaft B, in between the sides
of the frame A, is the pinion E, which meshes with the large spur wheel F, which
is secured to the shaft upon which the large revolving wheel G, is secured.
This wheel G, is provided with a large number of grooves, ribs or corrugations
which extend diagonally across its surface, and which wheel G has one edge slightly
bulged or enlarged as shown at H, so as to assist in forming the points of the nails
or screws, and has the opposite edge as shown at I, slightly recessed, grooved or
cut away, so as to assist in forming the heads of the nails or screws as shown.
The forms given to these two edges of the wheel, may be varied according to the
shape desired. This wheel operates in connection with the stationary, curved die
or surface J, which is provided with a series of grooves, flutes or corrugations
corresponding to those on the surface of the wheel G, and which act in connection
with those on the wheel G, for rolling, elongating, grooving or threading and
finishing the nails or screws as they pass between the surface J, and the wheel G.
The opposite edges of this part J, are shaped similarly to the edges of the
wheel G, so as to assist in shaping the points and heads of the nails or screws as
they are being formed. At the upper end of the surface J, it is further from the
wheel G, than it is at its lower end, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the object
being to allow the cut off piece of wire to drop readily between the two surfaces
between which it is compressed and elongated at the same time it is being gradually
compressed into a nail or screw until it drops out below.
The projecting edge H upon the wheel G, while the nail or screw is being formed,
forms the point at the same time that the recess forms the head.
The wire is fed from the reel and passes over the guiding pulley L, at the outer
end of a suitable guide M, and in between the feed rollers N. In this guide M is
a straightening roller O, under which the wire is made to pass, and which roller has
its pressure upon the wire regulated by means of the lever P, and an adjusting
screw Q, of any desired construction. All of the kinks or bends in the wire are
straightened out by means of the rollers O, so that only straight pieces of wire are
ed to the machine. The feed rollers N, are placed at any desired angle in suitable
bearings R and the rollers are made adjustable to suit different thicknesses of wire
by means of the regulating screws S.
To the lower one of these rollers is secured the shaft T, which is provided with

page_text: a suitable pinion U; which meshes with the beveled portion of the wheel D. The
shaft T extends across the wheel D at its lower end to the bearing V, which
extends diagonally across the end of the frame to receive it, as shown in Fig. 1.
Journalled in suitable bearings upon the top of the frame is the short shaft W,
which has a spur wheel X, secured to one end, and which receives its motion from
the wheel D, with which it meshes and at the other end of the shaft W., is a wrist
wheel Z, which operates the cutting lever A¹, by means of the connecting rod C¹.
The lever A is pivoted at B₁ upon the casing D', through which is made-an
opening F¹ through which the wire is fed. The movement of the lever A' is so
timed that the wire is cut off at even lengths according to the length of the nail or
screw which is to be made.
The end of the lever A¹ is pointed as shown, and the cutting blade projects
beyond its two edges and the wire is cut by the lever at both the up and down
movement thereof.
Fig. 4, for cutting off
Instead of the wrist
this shoulder may be
purpose of cutting off
Should it not be desired to use the mechanism shown in
the wire, the mechanism shown in Fig. 5, may be used.
wheel Z, a wheel G' having a shoulder H¹ may be used and
made to move the spring actuated cutter I', endwise, for the
the wire at each revolution of the wheel G¹. The spring applied to the knife
returns it to position as soon as the shoulder H¹ releases it.
Any sized wire may be used according to the nail or screw that is to be made.
Annealed wire may be used and it will be sufficiently hardened by the forging it
receives, by passing through the machine to make a serviceable nail.
If
The nails made by this machine are intended to be used both as nails and screws.
They can be driven with a hammer and removed by means of a screw driver.
screws are to be made then the heads must be slotted in the usual manner. By a
change of dies and wheels either nails or screws can be made as desired direct from
pieces of wire.
As shown in Figure 1, the shaft B and the shaft to which the wheels and F and G
are secured are held or journalled in suitable boxes which are placed in slots made
in the machine and which boxes are rigidly held in position by means of suitable
set screws and jamb nuts, but I do not limit myself to this precise construction as
other forms of journals or boxes may be used without departing from the spirit of
my invention.
The transverse ribs or flutes on the die are made at a reverse angle to those on
the wheel. In the process of rolling the nail the flutes or ribs of the wheel are
forced or pressed into the wire which causes the wire to roll around against the die J.
This rolling of the die on the flutes or ribs of the wheel and die forms spiral grooves
on the wire, the pitch and number of these grooves on the wire can be regulated by
the pitch given the flutes on the wheel or die and the number of flutes or ribs placed
thereon.
The wire is of the same diameter that the head of the nail is intended to be
when finished and this being the case it is necessary to cut the wire shorter
than the nail is intended to be when finished so as to admit of the surplus wire
being rolled and forged out from the head across the face of the wheel or die, to
the flange against which the point is being formed.
By this method the original size of the wire remains for the head which is forced
into the slot formed therefor.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1. In a machine for forming wire screws or nails, the combination of a frame, a
die having the curved working face, one longitudinal edge of said working face
being recessed throughout its length so that one end of the wire section will
remain of the original diameter to form the head, the other longitudinal edge
being. bulged throughout its length to form the point, the portion of the face

page_text: between said edges being formed to swage out the wire, and the rotary wheel
co-acting with the said die and having one edge recessed and the other edge.
bulged completely around the wheel and having the periphery corresponding with
the die, as set forth, the space between said wheel and die decreasing in size.
from one end to the other, whereby wire sections dropped transversely into said
space are headed and pointed simultaneously and by a single step.
2. The combination of a frame, a stationary vertical die provided with the
downwardly curved working face having one longitudinal edge recessed throughout its.
length and the other edge bulged, the face between said edges having the inclined pro-
jections, a horizontal shaft, a wheel carried thereby co-acting with said die having one
edge recessed and the other bulged completely around its periphery and its periphery
formed to correspond to the die, said die being so formed that the space between
the wheel and die gradually decreases in width from the upper receiving end
downwardly to the lower discharge end whereby wire sections dropped into said
space are by one operation pointed, headed and threaded, each section being
swaged out except at the end within said recess which is left of the original
diameter of the wire to form the head.
3. In a nail machine, a frame, a stationary curved die, a shaft, a wheel carried
thereby to coact with said die, in forming a wire nail, a drive shaft geared to
said before mentioned shaft, a wire reel, a wire guide carried by the frame, wire
feed rolls operated from said drive shaft, and a cutting mechanism comprising a
knife at the inner end of said guide arranged to cut the wire into lengths and
drop the lengths into the space between the die and wheel, combined substantially
as specified.
4. In combination, a frame, a vertical. stationary curved die, a rotary wheel
coacting therewith, said die and wheel being relatively formed to simultaneously
form the head, point and grooves of the nail, the die and wheel being so arranged
that the space between them decreases downwardly, a horizontal wire guide in
a plane above said space through which the wire is fed, and a knife acting with
said plate to cut the wire into lengths and drop them transversely into the space,.
substantially as shown and described.
5. In a nail machine, a stationary die transversely fluted, a transversely fluted
rotary die co-acting therewith, a wire-guide way arranged transversely to and in
a plane above said dies with its inner end located near the receiving end of the
space between the dies, and a cutting mechanism at the inner end of said.
guide-way to sever the wire into lengths and drop the lengths into the said space,.
combined substantially as shown and described.
6. In a nail machine, the combination of the guide M, with a wheel O, the
lever P, and a regulating screw for adjusting the pressure of the wheel upon the
wire, feed rolls, and a mechanism for operating the feed rolls, substantially as set
forth.
7. In a nail machine, the combination of a supporting frame, a shaft journalled
therein carrying a wheel, a die placed therein adjacent to the wheel, a cog wheel
upon the said shaft, a driving shaft having a wheel engaging therewith, a bevel
and spur wheel upon one end, a shaft having a wheel on one end engaging the
said bevel wheel, and a feed roller upon its opposite end, a second roller engaging
the said first roller, a cutter, and a wheel engaging the said spur wheel which
operates the cutter, substantially as shown and described.
Dhio 7th day of Iun 1909
S. E. GROFF,
By L. W., per F. B.