IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING, PUNCHING, AND BENDING SHEET METAL
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Henry Leese, of the City and State of New
York, in the United States of America, but now residing at No. 8, Eaton
Terrace, St. John's Wood, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING, PUNCHING,
AND BENDING SHEET METAL."-A communication from abroad by Nathan
Harper, residing at Newark, in the State of New Jersey, in the United
States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Henry Leese at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th June 1865.
I, ROBERT HENRY LEESE, of the City and State of New York, in the
5 United States of America, but now residing at No. 8, Eaton Terrace, St.
John's Wood, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
CUTTING, PUNCHING, AND BENDING SHEET METAL," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in constructing machinery or apparatus for cutting,
punching, and bending sheet metal, in which these three operations or any two of

page_text: them are performed by a series of tools or instruments contained in and
actuated by one and the same machine.
For this purpose the machine is provided, firstly, with two rollers carried
by the framing, the one roller being situated immediately above the other.
These rollers are made to revolve more or less in contact with each other by
means of suitable gearing, the upper roller being pressed in an adjustable
manner upon the lower roller by means of set screws. The upper roller is pro-
vided on one end face with a steel disc, which overlaps the edge of the lower
roller, and which in revolving acts as a circular shears or cutting roller, shearing
the metal that is passed between the two rollers. The upper roller is furthermore
provided with a series of radially projecting punches situated near each edge
of the same, or in any other position in which it is required to punch holes in
the sheet metal that is being operated upon, and the lower roller is provided
with a corresponding series of recesses acting as dies, into which the punches
on the upper roller pass as the rollers revolve. By this means the sheet
metal in passing through between the rollers is cut to the required size, and
at the same time has holes punched in its surface in positions corresponding
with those of the punches on the upper roller. Both the upper and lower
roller are formed of two separate parts or discs, so that if it be required to
operate upon sheet metal of greater width the two parts of each roller are
moved the required distance away from each other upon their shafts, and
other discs are inserted between them to fill up the spaces formed. Those
parts of the upper roller in which the punches are situated are made hollow,
and into such hollow parts loose rings are inserted, having a number of set
screws in their circumferences corresponding in number and position with
those of the punches in the roller, upon which set screws the punches rest,
and are thus made abjustable thereby. Behind the above-described rollers
are situated two other rollers in positions corresponding with those of the
former, and also made adjustable by means of set screws. The circum-
ferences of these rollers have a configuration corresponding with the form into
which it is required to bend the sheet metal, the circumference of the one'roller
being made to fit into that of the other, so that the sheet metal after being
operated upon by the cutting and punching rollers passes between those last
described, and is bent into the required form. These rollers may also be
formed in two parts as described with reference to the cutting and punching
rollers, and discs inserted according to the width of the metal operated upon.
On passing from between the bending rollers the metal is, guided, and kept
straight by an adjustable guide roller, and guides are also provided for feeding

page_text: the metal into the machine, and for guiding it from the cutting and punching
rollers to the bending rollers.
.. If it be required simply to cut and punch the métal without bending it, then
the bending rollers or one of them are omitted or removed: If, on the other.
hand, it be required either simply to cut and bend or to punch and bend the
metal, then in the former case the punches; and in the latter case the steel
cutting plate or plates of the upper roller are omitted or removed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Henry Leese in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th December 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
HENRY LEESE, of the City and State of New York, in the United States of
America, but now residing at No. 8, Eaton Terrace, St. John's Wood, in the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant, unto
me, the said Robert Henry Leese, Her special licence that I, the said
Robert Henry Leese, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Robert Henry Leese, 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 might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland,. the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING,
PUNCHING, AND BENDING SHEET METAL," a communication to me from abroad by
Nathan Harper, residing at Newark, in the State of New Jersey, in the
United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the,
said Robert Henry Leese, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Henry Leese, 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 thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-.
This Invention consists in constructing machinery or apparatus for cutting,
punching, and bending sheet metal, in which these three operations or any two
of them are performed by a series of tools or instruments contained in and
actuated by one and the same machine.
For this purpose the machine is provided, firstly, with two rollers carried
by the framing, the one roller being situated immediately above the other.
These rollers are made to revolve more or less in contact with each other by
means of suitable gearing, the upper roller being pressed in an adjustable
manner upon the lower roller by means of set screws. The upper roller is
provided on one end face with a steel disc, which overlaps the edge of the
lower roller, and which in revolving acts as a circular shears or cutting roller,
shearing the metal that is passed between the two rollers. The upper roller
is furthermore provided with a series of radially projecting punches situated
near each edge of the same, or in any other position in which it is required to
punch the holes in the sheet metal that is being operated upon, and the lower
roller is provided with a corresponding series of recesses acting as dies, into
which the punches on the upper roller pass as the rollers revolve. By this means
the sheet metal in passing through between the rollers is cut to the required
size, and at the same time has holes punched into its surface in positions cor-
responding with those of the punches on the upper roller. Both the upper
and the lower roller are formed of two separate parts or discs, so that if it be
required to operate upon sheet metal of greater width, the two parts of each
roller are moved the required distance away from each other upon their
shafts, and other discs are inserted between them to fill up the spaces
formed. Those parts of the upper roller in which the punches are situated
are made hollow, and into such hollow parts loose rings are inserted having a
number of set screws in their circumferences corresponding in number and
position with those of the punches in the roller, upon which set screws the
punches rest, and are thus made adjustable thereby. Behind the above-
described rollers are situated two other rollers in positions corresponding with
those of the former, and also made adjustable by means of set screws.
The
circumferences of these rollers have a configuration corresponding with the
form into which it is required to bend the sheet metal, the circumference of the

page_text: one roller being made to fit into that of the other, so that the sheet metal after
being operated upon by the cutting and punching rollers passes between those
last described, and is bent into the required form. These rollers may also be
formed in two parts as described with reference to the cutting and punching
rollers, and discs inserted according to the width of the metal operated upon.
On passing from between the bending rollers the metal is guided and kept
straight by an adjustable guide roller, and guides are also; provided for
feeding the metal into the machine, and for guiding it from the cutting and
punching rollers to the bending rollers.
If it be required simply to cut and punch the metal without bending it,
then the bending rollers, or one of them, are omitted or removed. If, on the
other hand, it be required either simply to cut and bend or to punch and
bend the metal, then in the former case the punches, and in the latter case
the steel cutting plate or plates of the upper roller are omitted or removed.
But in order that this Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into practice, I will now proceed more particularly to describe the
arrangement of the same as shown on the accompanying Drawing.
Figure 1 shows a plan of the before-described cutting, punching, and
bending machine; Figure 2 shows an end elevation of the same; Figure 3
shows a front elevation; Figure 4 shows a longitudinal section on line X, X,
Figure 1; and Figure 5 shows a back elevation. Similar letters of reference
indicate similar parts in each. of these Figures.
A framing having four uprights A, A, A, A, carries four shafts or spindles
B', B, B³, B', the two B1, B2, of which are situated in one and the same vertical
line. These spindles overhang the framing in front, where B' carries a cylin-
drical roller C, having a series of projecting points or punches c, c, near each
edge, whilst B³ carries a second cylindrical roller D, the circumference of which
is in more or less close proximity to that of B', and is. provided with. a cor-
responding series of recesses d, d, into which the punches c, c, pass as the
rollers revolve. The roller C is furthermore provided with a steel disc E,
which overlaps the end surface of the roller D, and which, together with the
edge of the roller D, forms a circular shears or cutter. Both the rollers C
and D are built up of any convenient number of separate discs as shown, in
order that their width may be varied according to the required width of the
metal to be operated upon, and the two end discs of the roller C carrying the
punches are formed hollow, as shown at Figure 4, and carry a series of
adjusting screws c¹, c', in a central boss for the purpose of regulating the
extent to which the punches c, c, project from the surface of the roller. The

page_text: V
shafts B and B carry respectively a roller F having a deep groove of the
same angle which it is required to impart to the plate, and a roller G having
a corresponding projecting V surface which fits into the groove of the upper
roller, and is in more or less close proximity thereto. Behind the roller G is
a second similar V roller H carried by the framing A, which has for its object
to keep the metal straight after it has been passed through the other V rollers,
as it has a tendency to become somewhat curved whilst undergoing the:
operation of bending. In front of the rollers C, D, is a guide plate I, from
which the metal to be acted upon is fed into the machine, and which is pro-
vided with a projecting edge for guiding the metal. Other guide plates
J and K are fixed between the rollers C, D, and F, G, between which the
metal passes, and is thus guided on its way from the former to the latter.
The lower guide K has a V surface, which is flattened out to a certain extent
near the rollers C, D, and gradually assumes the same angle as the V rollers:
as it approaches these latter, in order to allow of the gradual bending of the
metal in front of the V rollers consequent on its assuming the angle of the
same in passing through. The rollers B', B3, B³, are caused to revolve at:
the proper relative speeds by means of gearing L, L, upon the shafts B at the
back of the machine, the requisite driving power being applied either by a
crank handle as indicated, or, if the machine is required to do heavier work
than can be produced by this means, any suitable arrangement of driving
pulleys or cog wheels may be employed for transmitting the power from the
prime mover.
If it is required to cut, punch, and bend the metal by this machine, then
by feeding it in between the rollers C, D, from the guide plate I, it is cut to
the width required by the circular cutter E at the same time that two rows of
holes are punched into it by the punches c, c. It then passes between the
guides J, K, to the V rollers, where it is bent so as to issue from them in the
form of an angle iron, having a row of holes punched in each surface.
If it is required only to cut and punch the plates, leaving them flat, this is
effected simply by removing the V roller F'; if, on the other hand, it is re-
quired only to punch the metal and not to cut it, the cutting disc E is removed;.
and again, if it is only required to bend the metal, then either the upper roller C
is entirely removed, or the cutting disc E is removed and the punches c, c,
taken out. The distance between the rollers C and D, F and G, is regulated
according to the thickness of the metal to be acted upon by means of the set
screws M, M.
Having now described the nature of this. Invention, and the manner in.
:

page_text: which it is to be performed, what I claim is the arrangement of machinery
or apparatus herein-before described, whereby the cutting, punching, and
bending of sheet metal may either be effected at one operation, or each
operation may be performed separately without the others.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Henry Leese, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
ROBERT HENRY LEESE. (L.S.)