IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING NAILS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING
NAILS." A communication from abroad by Worcester Haddock, of
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
Scaled the 16th October 1874, and dated the 21st April 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 21st April 1874.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of tho said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANU-
FACTURING NAILS," a communication, to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to cut nails from a metal plate as it is
moved forward to the cutting machine without the necessity of reversing
the said plate, as in the ordinary machines.

page_text: The nature of the said Invention consists in the combination of the
devices hercin described working in conjunction with the nail-cutting
machine, wherchy the plate from which the nails are cut is automatically
fed forward to the cutting mechanism of the machine, giving the
desired taper form to the nails and sufficient metal to form the head
1
fed forward to the cutting mechanism of the machine, giving the
desired taper form to the nails and sufficient metal to form the head
upon it.
The said Invention also consists in a method of holding the griping
dies in the vibrating head of the nail-cutting mechanism, and it further
consists in an improvement in the die box of the machine.
The said nail-cutting machine is provided with the driving gear
common in such machines when furnished with a plate feeding device.
The means for holding the griping dies in the vibrating head consist of
two hooks and keys, the latter passing through the former and causing
them to impinge upon the said griping dies holding them firmly in the
vibrating head. The heads of these keys are arranged to be at a point
distant from the axis of the said vibrating head whereby the operator
can drive the keys with facility without stopping the machine. The
substitution of hooks and keys for the ordinary set screws will be found
to be a great improvement. In the bottom of the dic box is placed an
adjustable stop having an upward projection fitted into a recess made in
the under side of the bed piece; by this arrangement the griping dies
in the said die box will be held firmly and in a fixed position, and will
not be liable to movement forward by the jarring action of the headers.
The said bed piece may be moved forward when necessary by cutting
away a portion of the forward end of the stop. The die box is furnished
with guards for controlling laterally the movements of tho nipper and
the plate from which the nails are cut.
The plate feeding device consists of a vibrator pivoted at its outer end,
the forward end resting upon the said die box, and 'the nippers for
holding the plate from which the nails are cut. The said vibrator is
furnished with holders for holding down the plate from which the nails
are cut; it is also furnished with a pivoted hook the prongs of which
project a little above the groove in the vibrator for the nipper and the
plate held by it. The said vibrator is also provided with an opening
through which the scrap drops. The points of the prongs of the said
hook are curved so that the plate from which the nails are cut will
readily pass over them. The nipper for holding and feeding forward

page_text: the said plate consists of an under jaw to which is pivoted an upper jaw
and of an adjustable slide to which is pivoted a lever connected with the
outer end of the jaw by a link, so that by moving the said lever towards
the cutting mechanism it will cause the jaw to close down and hold the
3 plate placed between it and the jaw. The grasp of the jaws is relaxed
by drawing back the lever and by the upward pressure of a spring. The
relation of the aforesaid lever and link to the jaw of the plate nipper
can be changed by means of the adjustable slide to which the said lever
is pivoted.
The handle of the plate nipper when arranged on the vibrator is
placed in a guide. To the outer end of this handle is secured a notched
pendant to which is connected a spring for moving the nipper and the
plate held by it toward the cutting mechanism. On the right-hand side
of the aforesaid vibrator is a plate held in position by rods which pass
through lugs on its under side and by spiral springs on the rods, and
arranged on cach side of the said lugs. By this arrangement of tho
said plate with relation to the vibrator and the driving gear all undue
action of the vibrator and driving gear will be compensated for, and
uniformity of the side motion of the nail plate and length of the cut
nails follows. The aforesaid vibrator is connected to the driving gear
through the medium of a rod provided with a hook which is placed in
the opening of the aforesaid plate. The third wheel of this gear drives
the fourth wheel which is provided with a wrist pin excentric to the
axis of the said fourth wheel, to this wrist pin is pivoted the outer end
of the said rod. The rotation of the fourth wheel imparts a reciprocating
motion to the said rod and thereby gives to the vibrator a vibrating
motion which is communicated to the nipper and nail plate resting in
the vibrator. By providing the said rod with a hook in connection with
the opening in the aforesaid plate the vibrator can be disconnected from
the driving gear with great facility.
When a plate from which the nails are cut has been fed forward to
the cutting mechanism of the machine, the nipper is drawn back
to receive another plate, and in the backward movement the scrap
remaining between the jaws of the nipper will catch against the
projecting prongs of the pivoted hook which will draw it from between
the jaws of the nipper and it will drop down through the opening and
pass from the machine.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 20th October 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, E
Southampton Buildings, London, send grecting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special licence
that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agreo 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 FOR MANUFACTURING NAILS," a communi-
cation to me from abroad by Worcester Haddock, of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Robert Lake, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner tho
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawing forming part of this Specification.
The object of this Invention is to cut nails from a metal plate as it is
moved forward to the cutting machine without the necessity of reversing
the said plate as in the ordinary machines.

page_text: The nature of the said Invention consists in the combination of the
devices herein described working in conjunction with the nail cutting
machine, whereby the plate from which the nails are cut is automatically
fed forward to the cutting mechanism of the machine, giving the
desired taper form to the nails and sufficient metal to form the head
upon it.
The said Invention also consists in a method of holding the griping
dies in the vibrating head of the nail-cutting mechanism, and it further
consists in an improvement in the die box of the machine.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a top view or plan of an ordinary nail-cutting machine.
furnished with the said improvements for automatically feeding the
plate from which the nails are cut forward to the cutting mechanism;
Figure 2 is a side clevation of the same.
Figure 3 is a section of the plate from which the nails are cut, and
represents the form of the cut nail prior to it being headed.
Figure 4 is a top view of the devices used in combination with the
nail-cutting mechanism for feeding forward the plate from which the
nails are cut; Figure 5 is a vertical section of the devices represented
in Figure 4; Figure 6 is a transverse and vertical section on the
line x, x, Figure 4; Figure 7 is a transverse section of the die box on
the line y, y, Figure 5; Figure 8 is a section of the vibrator on the line
z, z, Figure 6.
The nail-cutting machine represented in Figures 1 and 2 is of the
ordinary construction and is provided with driving gear 1, 2, 3, 4, common
in such machines when furnished with a plate feeding device. The most
important changes which are made in any of its parts are in the means
used for holding the griping dies e¹ in the vibrating head r, which
means consist of two hooks n and keys 8, the latter passing through the
former and causing them to impinge upon the griping dies e¹ holding
them firmly in the vibrating head r. The heads of the keys & are
arranged at a point distant from the axis of the vibrating head r,
whereby the operator can drive the keys with facility without stopping
the machine. The substitution of hooks and keys for the ordinary set
screws will be found a great improvement, the advantage of which can
only be appreciated by the operators of nail-cutting machines. The

page_text: next part changed is the die box a in the bottom of which is placed
what is termed an adjustable stop having an upward projection c¹
fitted into a recess made in the under side of the bed piece c. By this
arrangement the griping dies in the die box a will be held firmly
and in a fixed position, and will not be liable to movement forward
by the jarring action of the headers. The bed piece c may be moved
forward when necessary by cutting away a portion of the forward end
of the stop b. The die box a is furnished with guards 6' which are used
for the purpose of controlling laterally the movements of the nipper and
the plate from which the nails are cut.
20
The plate feeding device consists of the vibrator m pivoted at its
outer end as indicated at « in Figure 2, the forward end resting upon the
die box a, and the nippers for holding the plate from which the nails are
cut. The vibrator m is furnished with holders wo for holding down the
plate from which the nails are cut, it is also furnished with a pivoted
hook the prongs of which project a little above the groove in the
vibrator for the nipper and the plate held by it. The vibrator is
provided with an opening through which the scrap drops. The points
of the prongs of the hook are curved so that the plate from which the
nails are cut will readily pass over them. The nipper for holding and
feeding forward the plate from which the nails are cut consists of an
under jaw e to which is pivoted an upper jaw f and an adjustable
slide h to which is pivoted a lever j, connected with the outer end of
the jaw by a link i so that by moving the lever j toward the cutting
mechanism it will cause the jaw f to close down and hold the plate
placed between it and the jaw e. The grasp of the jaws f and e is
relaxed by drawing back the lever j and by the upward pressing of the
spring &¹.
The relation of the lever j' and the link i to the jaw föf the
plate nipper can be changed by means of the adjustable slide / to which
the said lever is pivoted.
The handle d of the plate nipper when arranged on the vibrator is
placed in a guide k, as shown in Figures 1, 2, 4, and 5. To the outer
end of this handle d of the plate nipper is secured a notched pendant h¹,
to which is connected a spring v for moving the nipper and the plate
held by it toward the cutting mechanism. On the right-hand side of
the vibrator m is a plate n¹ held in position by rods n³ which pass
through lugs on the under side of it, and by spiral springs f¹ on the
rods and arranged on each side of the lugs. By this arrangement of

page_text: the plate n in relation to the vibrator m and the driving gear 1, 2, 3, 4,
all undue action of the vibrator and driving gear will be compensated
and uniformity of the side motion of the nail plate and length of the
cut nails will be ensured. The vibrator is connected to the driving
gear 1, 2, 3, 4, through the medium of the rod o provided with a hook t
which is placed in the opening m¹ of the plate n'. The wheel 3 drives
the wheel 4 which is provided with a wrist pin 5 eccentric to the axis
of the wheel 4; to this wrist pin 5 is pivoted the outer end of the rod o.
The rotation of the wheel 4 imparts a reciprocating motion to the rod o,
and thereby gives to the vibrator ma vibrating motion which is com-
municated to the nipper and nail plate resting on the vibrator m. By
pivoting the rod o with the hook tin connection with the opening m¹
in the plate ¹ the vibrator can be disconnected from the driving
gear 1, 2, 3, 4, with great facility.
When a plate from which the nails are cut has been fed forward to
the cutting mechanism of the machine the nipper is drawn back to
receive another plate, and in the backward movement the scrap
remaining between the jaws of the nipper will catch against the
projecting prongs of the pivoted hook which will draw it from between
the jaws of the nipper and it will drop down through the opening k³ and
pass from the machine.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the
same, I wish it understood that I claim,-
First. The hooks n and keys & for holding the griping dies e¹ in the
vibrating head », as herein described.
Second. The die box a with a recess in its bottom for the reception of
the stop 6 furnished with a projection fitted to a recess in the under side
of the bed piece c, as herein described.
Third. The vibrator m furnished with a pivoted hook and opening k¹,
for the escape of the scrap of the nail plate as herein described.
Fourth. The vibrator m provided with holders wo for holding the
nail plate down while subjected to the cutting mechanism, as herein
described.
Fifth. The vibrator m furnished with the compensating plate n¹ in
combination with the rod o provided with a hook t, as herein described
and for the purpose set forth.

page_text: Sixth. The guards 61, 61, for regulating the lateral motion of the
nipper and the plate from which the nails are cut, as herein described.
Seventh. The plate nipper consisting of the slide h, jaw e, pivoted
jaw f, link i, and pivoted lever j, operating in relation to each other,
as herein described and for the purpose set forth.
Eighth. The plate nipper constructed substantially as herein described,
in combination with the vibrator m furnished with a pivoted hook
and opening k¹, as and for the purpose set forth.
Ninth. The connecting rod o furnished with a hook in com-
bination with the vibrator of a plate feeding device for nail-cutting
machines, as herein described and for the purpose set forth.
Tenth. The plate nipper hercin-before described, furnished with a
notched pendant l' in combination with a spring or equivalent dovice
for moving the nipper and nail plate toward the cutting mechanism of
a nail-cutting machine.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and scal, this Ninteenth day of October, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four.
Witness,
H. J. NOONE,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.
W. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)