Improvements in Milling Machines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Nov., 1896-Accepted, 23rd Jan., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Milling Machines.
I, CHARLES EDWARD VAN NORMAN, of No. 98 Yale Street, in the City of
Springfield, County of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, United States of
America, Manufacturer, 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 :-
This invention relates to milling machines and particularly to that class provided
with a pivotally hung tool-carrying head adjustable in a vertical plane to any degree
of a circle having for a center the pivot on which said head turns; and the invention
consists more particularly in the construction of the driving mechanism for the
milling tool, or cutter, whereby the latter is positively driven by means of shafts
having suitable gear connections with each other, said connections being attached
to, and adapted to move with, the horizontally sliding head to which the tool-carrying
head is attached.
In the drawings forming part of this specification,-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a milling machine embodying my invention and
showing the main driving-shaft on the side of the sliding head of the machine,
and the bevel-gear connection with the shaft across the end of the said head,
and also showing a portion of the outline of the swiveled cutting-head in dotted
lines.
Figure 2 shows a front elevation of the swiveled cutter-head, and in dotted lines
the bevel-gear engaging with the bevel-gear on the cutter-shaft.
Figure 3 is an end view of the sliding head of the milling machine and driving
connections with the swiveled cutter-head swung to a horizontal position, said head
being shown in section.
Figure 4 is a plan view of the sliding head showing all the driving connections
attached thereto and showing the cutter-head in a horizontal position.
Figure 5 shows a modified construction of the driving mechanism.
Referring to the drawings, A represents the base of a milling machine of the
usual construction having the usual planer feeding devices for the vertically
adjustable bed B, to which the work is secured, and the usual horizontally adjustable
head C.
On the frame of the machine is cast the bracket E, having two arms which serve
as journal bearings for the shaft D.
On said shaft and between the arms of said bracket E, is the driving cone pulley F,
fitting loosely thereon and having a splined connection therewith whereby the
said shaft may have a sliding movement through said driving pulley and be driven
thereby.
On the head C, of the machine, is cast an arm G, having in the end thereof a
journal bearing for the shaft D.
On the end of the shaft D, next to the journal bearing G, is a bevel gear H,
fixed on said shaft, the hub of said gear having a bearing against one side of
the arm G, and a collar on the other side of the arm G, also fixed on said shaft,
provides means whereby the shaft D, is carried by the head C, when the latter is
moved horizontally; said shaft, when said movement takes place, sliding freely in
the bearings of the bracket E, and through the cone-pulley F.
Across the end of the head C, in suitable bearings E', is hung a shaft D', having
thereon, at one end, a bevel gear H', meshing with gear H, on the shaft D, and on
the other end thereof another bevel gear H2, both fixed on said shaft D'. One end
of said shaft D', with the gear H', thereon, projects through the side of the

page_text: head C, at a, Figure 3, and into chamber b, provided in the body of the swiveled
cutter-head K. While said swiveled head may not, in all cases, be applied directly
to the side of the longitudinally moving head.C, it is always secured to said head in
such a manner that its movement around its axis is in a plane parallel with the
movement of said longitudinally moving head, and at right angles to the movement
of the work holding table.
On said cutter-head K, two journal bearings L, are cast, in which the shaft d, runs.
Said shaft is provided with the usual tapered socket for the reception of the similarly
tapered shanks of the various tools used on the machine, a fluted cutter being shown
in position in Figures 2 and 4.
Between the bearings L, is the beveled gear H³, fixed on the shaft d, and adapted
to engage with the bevel gear H2, through an opening made from the front of
the head K, into said chamber b, said gear H, being, as before stated, fixed on
shaft D¹.
Thus, power is directly applied to the cutter through the medium of the
gears H, H, H2, H3, and shafts D and D¹.
Referring to Figure 3, it will be seen that on the back side of the cutter-head K,
is turned a ring T, projecting somewhat from the surface of the latter which is
designed for a trunnion on which the said head may turn, and an annular socket to
receive said projecting ring is turned in the face of the head C, both ring and socket
being concentric with the center of shaft D', carrying gear H2, which projects into
the chamber b, in said cutter-head.
In the side of the head C, to which the swiveled cutter-head K, is attached, are
the slots M and M', made concentric with center of shaft D', which is the center of
rotation of the head K.
Bolts f, passing through said slots and head serve to secure the latter in any
position to which it is desirable to adjust it.
It will be seen that as the center of gear H2, is coincident with the centre of the
trunnion T, on which the head K, turns, that in whatsoever position said head may
be turned to, the gears H and H³, are always connected and consequently the same
positive driving power is applied to the shaft d, carrying the cutter or milling tool,
whether said cutter-head occupies a vertical or horizontal position, or any point of
the circle therebetween, the gear H³, always revolving about the periphery of the
gear H, and receiving power therefrom.
The cutting tool on the end of shaft d, is capable of adjustment in line with
said shaft by means of the hand-wheel d², in the manner usually employed in such
constructions, as, for example, the adjustment of the spindles in a lathe.
The advantages of this construction and application to milling machines of the
class to which this invention belongs, of a positive driving mechanism for the
milling tool, are obvious. The tool-shaft in such machines having been heretofore
commonly driven by a belt, which, with each change of position of the swivel-head
relative to the frame necessitated the loosening or tightening of the driving-belt by
means of an idler, entailing thereby loss of time and a consequent diminution of
efficiency, and besides not affording the same powerful means of driving the
cutting-tool, as is obtained by the use of this invention.
It is obvious that where a machine is to be always employed on any class of
work which would not necessitate a great degree of movement of the horizontally
sliding head C, that the gear H', could be replaced by a driving pulley which
would be belted directly to a counter-shaft, and all of the parts carried by the
shaft D, could be dispensed with, as well as shaft D, also, without departing from
this invention, the most important feature of which is the construction of swivel-
head having the driving-gear for the tool-shaft therein, which gear is adapted to
rotate about a central point which is coincident with the center of the shaft from
which power is transmitted to said gear in the swiveled head.
The applicant does not confine himself to any special means of driving the
tool-spindle or shaft. The driving devices may be varied according to the nature
of the work to be performed or the fancy of the desiguer. Besides, the doing

page_text: away with the long fixed shaft D, by the method shown in Figure 5, of the
drawings, the bevel gears may be omitted altogether, and a worm-gear be secured
on the tool-shaft and a worm for engagement therewith hung in brackets on the
swivel-head K, in which construction the trunnion on which the swiveled head.
turns, is made centrally in line with the shaft carrying the worm-gear, and a
pulley fixed on said shaft for driving the tool-spindle direct.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
.1. In a milling machine, a main head horizontally adjustable on the machine,
an auxiliary head attached for rotatable adjustment to the side of said main head,
a tool-carrying spindle supported to rotate in said auxiliary head, a shaft supported
in said main head at right angles to said spindle, gear connections between said
spindle and shaft, combined with a driving-shaft moving horizontally with said
main head, and a driving-pulley on said shaft supported on the base of the
machine, substantially as set forth.
2. In a milling machine, a main head horizontally adjustable on the machine, an
auxiliary head attached for rotatable adjustment to the side of said main head, a
tool-carrying spindle supported to rotate in said auxiliary head, a shaft supported
in said main head at right angles to said spindle, gear connections between said
spindle and shaft, combined with a second driving shaft D, supported in bearings
fixed to the base A, of the machine, having geared connection with the shaft in
said main head, a driving pulley on said shaft D, having a spline and groove
connection therewith, and an arm on said main head engaging said driving-shaft D,
whereby the latter and said main head have coinciding horizontal movements,
substantially as set forth.
3. In a milling machine, a main head horizontally adjustable on the machine,
an auxiliary head attached for rotatable adjustment to the side of the main head
in a plane at right angles to the movement of the work-holding table and parallel
with the movement of the main head to which it is attached, a tool-carrying
spindle supported to rotate in said auxiliary head, a shaft supported in said main
head at right angles to said spindle and extending through the side wall on which
the auxiliary head is pivoted, gear connections between said shaft and spindle,
combined with driving mechanism for rotating said shaft, substantially as set forth.
4. A main horizontally adjustable head provided with a vertical wall upon one
side, and suitable bearings in or upon its front end for the driving-shaft for the
tool-spindle, combined with a rotatable head pivoted upon the said vertical wall,
means for securing the rotatable head in place, the driving-shaft for the tool-
spindle, journaled upon the front end of the main head and having one end
extended through both the vertical wall and the rotatable head, and provided
with a gear, and a tool-carrying spindle mounted upon the rotatable head and
provided with a gear to engage with the one on the end of the driving-shaft,
substantially as shown.
5. A milling machine provided with the main horizontally adjustable head
having a vertical wall on one side thereof, combined with a rotatable head pivoted
upon said wall for rotatable adjustment in a plane parallel with the movement of
the main head, and at right angles to the movement of the work-holding table of
the machine, a tool-carrying spindle supported to rotate in said auxiliary head,
and mechanism for rotating said tool-carrying spindle, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 16th day of July 1896.
CHARLES EDWARD VAN NORMAN.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.