Improvements in Hatter's Lathes.
Year: 1889

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hatter's Lathes.
I EDWARD TURNER WHITELOW of Richmond Terrace, Stockport Road, Timperley
in the County of Chester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN HATTER'S LATHES" and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment and accompanying drawings:-
:-
My said invention relates to improvements in the vertical lathes used by hatters
and has for its object the prevention of the jumping or vertical vibration of the
spindle to which such lathes as ordinarily constructed are liable when driven at a
great speed.
In order that my said invention and various methods of carrying the same into
practice may be more readily understood I have annexed hereunto a sheet of
drawings in all the figures of which the same letters refer either to the same parts
or to parts having the same functions.
Figure 1 is a front elevation partly in section of a hatter's lathe constructed in
accordance with my said invention. In this figure A is the main driving shaft from
which the lathe is driven and which is usually continued under a series of lathes:
B is a friction driving pulley secured thereto. D is a horizontal friction disc secured
to the spindle E of the lathe for the purpose of imparting rotary motion thereto
when the disc D is pressed into contact with the rim of the pulley B. The surfaces
of the disc D and the pulley B may be covered with leather, paper, wood or other
substances having a high co-efficient of friction for the purpose of increasing their
capacity for receiving or transmitting power by contact when in motion. Suitable
bearings as at F and G secured to the frame of the machine are provided for the
purpose of affording support to the spindle E. To the upper extremity of the
spindle E is secured the face plate e on which the work to be manipulated is placed.
For the purpose of depressing the spindle E and with it the disc D in order to
bring the latter into contact with the pulley B I make use of an excentric or
excentric shaft H shown in a side view in Fig. 2 which may be turned backwards
or forwards in its bearings by means of a handle J.
The excentric H works in an
opening of the lever K one end of which is pivoted at L to a fixed part of the
machine. The other end of the lever K is formed so as to bear at its under side on
the top of the dise D when the excentric H is turned for the purpose of depressing
the spindle. The degree of pressure with which the disc D bears on the pulley B
may be regulated by the extent to which the handle J is moved. Owing to the dead
pressure exercised in this manner by the excentric H the spindle and face, plate
cannot jump or vibrate in a vertical direction and therefore they run more steadily
than in lathes of the ordinary construction in which the weight of the spindle and
of the parts attached thereto is alone relied on for keeping the friction disc in driving
contact with the driving pulley. On the spindle E is a collar E', a swell, or other
similar projection against which the upper surface of the lever K bears so that when
the handle J is moved so as to raise the lever K the spindle will be lifted and the
disc D will be removed from contact with the pulley B for the purpose of stopping
the rotation of the spindle.
At K Fig. 3 is shown another form of lever actuated in the same manner and
for the same purpose.
In this case the bearing surfaces of the lever lie between
the fulcrum L and the excentric H. Instead of causing the lever K to bear
directly on the upper face of the friction disc D in the manner described, washers
or other similar objects may intervene, or collars, swelled parts, shoulders, recesses or
projections may be formed on or in or attached to the spindle to form a bearing
surface on which the lever K may act.

page_text: Other forms of simple or compound levers may be used instead of those shown
for the purpose mentioned.
In order to diminish the friction between the underside of the lever K and the
surface of the disc or other surface on which it may bear I use in some cases the form
of bearing shown in section in Fig. 4. In the upper part of the disc D or other
surface provided for the same purpose and in the underside of the bearing surface
of the lever K are formed grooves having balls a. a running therein, or instead of
balls small rollers inserted in suitably shaped recesses might be used.
In such
Fig. 5 shows part of an ordinary hatter's lathe as at present constructed.
lathes the bush bin which the spindie revolves is divided into two parts, the meeting
surfaces of which are formed into a series of circular inclined planes and to the
upper part a handle c is fixed so that when pulled in a horizontal direction the
upper part will rise and by bearing against the face of the boss d underneath
the face plate e attached to the spindle, the spindle E and the disc D will be raised
and the lathe stopped. In order to apply my said invention to such a lathe I use a
sliding bar K³ movable in a horizontal direction in suitable bearings or guides by
means of an excentric H³ operated by the handle J2. In this case the underside of
the lever K bears against a collar for other bearing surface provided on the spindle
or the disc D for the purpose. Preferably I connect the handle J' with the handle c
in such a manner that a single movement of the handle c is sufficient to
turn the excentric for removing the sliding bar K2 and also to rotate the upper
half of the bush for the purpose of stopping the lathe. This I effect by
applying the handle c is such a manner that it lies loose on the bush and can
move a certain distance without turning the bush b. The handles cand J are con-
nected so that during this first movement of the handle e the handle J will be turned
and the sliding bar K³ will be withdrawn. The lever c is arranged so that at this
point it meets a stud or other obstacle in the upper surface of the part and if the
movement of the handle is continued the part will be taken round by the handle
and the spindle will be raised. To start the lathe the order of movement will be
reversed that is to say the effect of the first part of the movement of the lever will
be to turn the part band lower the spindle and then to turn the handle J³ and cause
the sliding bar K² to come into the proper position for preventing the spindle from
rising while at work. The connection between the handle e and J2 may be made in
various ways.
For example a flat bar may be used pivoted at one end on the lever c
and provided with a slot at the other end through which the end of the handle J2
may project. The object of the slot is to allow of the movement of the lever c for
the purpose of starting the lathe without turning the handle J until the spindle is
in its lowest position.
Although in the foregoing description and in the Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 referred to
therein only flat and cylindrical friction discs are mentioned it is to be understood
that my said invention as hereinbefore described is equally applicable to friction
pullies having conically shaped driving surfaces similar to those shown in Fig. 6.
In Fig. 6 I show a modification of my said invention as applied to a lathe having
conically shaped friction pullies. The driving pulley B is caused to rotate by the
driving shaft A but by means of a tongue and groove or other similar well-known
mechanical expedient it is capable of longitudinal displacement on the shaft.
The spindle E is prevented from rising by means of a collar E or other similar
projections hearing against a fixed part of the machine or a long bush E8 as indicated
in dotted lines might be used. The friction pulley D is secured to the spindle E
and in order to bring the driving pulley Be into contact with the pulley De I make
use of a lever Ke pivoted at Le to a fixed part of the machine and having an
excentric H operating therein by means of a handle J. According as the handle .Je
is turned to the right or to the left the lathe will be started or stopped. In some
lathes it is desirable to have the means of reversing the direction of rotation of the
spindle and for this purpose I provide a second driving pulley as indicated in dotted
lines at B7, connected by means of a bush or sleeve with the pulley B. With such
an arrangement the lathe spindle may be caused to run in either direction by

page_text: bringing one or other of the pullies B B' into contact with the pulley D by means
of the lever J acting through the excentric H and the lever K. In some cases it
may be found more convenient to pivot the lever K on the other side of the driving
shaft so that the lever K may bear on the pulley B at a point between the fulcrum
of the lover and the excentric somewhat in the manner described when referring to
Fig. 3.
The pullies to w¹ are loose on the driving shaft and their purpose is to take up the
thrust exerted on the discs or friction pullies B and B so as to equalise the pressures
and thus contribute to the steady motion of the spindle. In some cases it may be found
more convenient to turn the excentric H by means of a lever and pedal attached
thereto instead of by means of a handle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is-
1. In a hatter's lathe the use combination and arrangement of parts for the raising,
depression, and prevention of vertical vibration of the spindle substantially as
hereinbefore described and shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying
drawings.
2. The excentric H and the lever K acting substantially as hereinbefore described
and shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the accompanying drawings for the purpose set
forth.
3. The excentric H² and sliding bar K2 substantially as and for the purpose herein-
before described with reference to Figure 4.
4. In a batter's lathe the use of a movable stop bearing on a horizontal surface
formed in or on the spindle or on a part attached thereto for preventing the lifting
of the vertical spindle when being driven.
5. In a hatter's lathe of the construction hereinbefore described the use of balls or
rollers inserted between the part used for preventing the spindle from rising when
at work and the surface bearing against the same substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to Figure 5.
-
6. In a hatter's lathe the use of a spindle provided with means for preventing the
same from rising in combination with a lover K and an excentric H for the purpose
of starting, stopping or reversing the direction of rotation of the spindle substantially
as herein before described and shown with reference to Figure 6.
Dated this Twenty-seventh day of September 1889.
JULIUS ALLMANN & Co.,
70, Deansgate, Manchester, Agents for Applicant.