Wire Net and Trellis Work.
Year: 1885

page_text: Wire Net and Trellis Work.
We, JAMES RIGG COLLIER, Metal Merchant, and DYER STEAD MUSGRAVE,
Wire-worker, both of Sharp street, Rochdale Road, Manchester in the County of
Lancaster do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-—
This invention relates to improvements upon an invention for which Letters
Patent N° 6651 were granted to us on the 22nd day of April 1884 and consists in
an arrangement and combination of improved mechanism whereby the manu-
facture of the diamond shaped wire net and trellis work now known in the market
as interlink wire work is facilitated and its production expediated. This is effected
by multiplying the number of twisting spindles employed and by working from
both sides of the machine i,e, from right and left and by the application of a series
of automatic cutters and closers which cut the zig-zag wire off at the desired length
and close and finish off the extremities of the adjoining wires the moment the
spindles have made the number of revolutions necessary to make up the width
desired the receiving table or rollers sliding to make up the half mesh ready for
starting again and so on continuously.
In performing our invention we employ a stationary head-stock at one side of
the machine bored out to receive the desired number of flat spindles which are
mounted side by side and all geared together so as to revolve simultaneously and
in the same direction. These spindles are surrounded by stationary tubes of the
required length and thickness and of the exact diameter to take in the flat spindles
and such stationary tubes are cut in a screw cutting latbe clean through in a spiral
direction the pitch of the mesh required.
Being now supported in the head stocks the keeps are screwed down and the
machine set in motion-The wire which is led to each of these tubes in a similar
manner to that described in our former specification is by passing through these
tubes formed into the desired zig-zag shape. At the end of each of the tubes and
at the required angle is arranged a pair of cutters which as soon as the desired
length of zig-zag wire has emerged close and so cut off such length.
The reels on which the wire is wound are constructed in such a manner that a
uniform tension can be kept on the wire say by back weighting or friction band
and as it proceeds to the machine the wire passes through a series of pegs or pulleys
;

page_text: which can be regulated with screws so as to straighten the wire perfectly previous
to its entering the machine.
Having thus described one side of the machine we will now explain the arrange-
ment on the opposite side. The machine bed is sufficiently long to allow of any
width of work being made on it, and the head stock or carriage on one side is
made loose and adjustable similar to the loose head stock of a lathe, a counterpart
of what we have already described, with the exception that the spindles must be
so placed as to fall in between the spaces occupied by the spindles on the opposite
side.
It will now be seen that by the use of the several spindles which work say from
left to right and leave say 6 zig-zag wires the width wanted and kept in position
by suitable guides that the spindles working from right to left and in the exact
intermediate spaces will link up into the wires which have been already laid by
the spindles working from left to right on the opposite side. On the cutters are
attached projecting pieces of tapered steel which can be worked independently of
the cutters and act as closers to finish the work by clinching the extremities of the
adjoining wires down on each other. We can also impart motion to the spindles
by the use of one large driving wheel the spindles being placed at intervals around
a section of the wheel in a suitable carriage and geared together the work being
thus made on the curve and which can be taken away by a roller.
A further improvement consists in the manufacture of interlink net work made
of strand or twisted wire by using a revolving table for carrying the bobbins or
reels of wire which table revolves and so lays up or twists the strands as the
machine works thus producing twisted net work suitable for Lawn Tennis nets
and for other analogous purposes.

page_text: Wire Net and Trellis Work.
We JAMES RIGG COLLIER, Metal Merchant, and DYER STEAD MUSGRAVE,
Wire Worker, both of Sharp Street, Rochdale Road, Manchester in the County
of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of our 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 improvements upon an invention for which Letters
Patent No 6651 were granted to us on the 22nd day of April 1884 and consists in
an arrangement and combination of improved mechanism whereby the manufacture
of our diamond shaped wire net and trellis work is facilitated and its production
expedited. This is effected by multiplying the number of twisting spindles
employed and by working from both sides of the machine i.e. from right and left
and by the application of a series of automatic cutters and closers which cut the
zig-zag wires off at the desired length and close and finish off the extremities of
the adjoining wires the moment the spindles have made the number of revolutions
necessary to make up the width desired, the receiving table or rollers sliding to
carry forward the mesh ready for starting again and so on continuously.
In performing our invention we employ at one side of the machine a stationary
head stock is illustrated by front view in Fig. 1, and by plan view Fig. 2. of the
accompanying drawing, this head stock a. being bored out to receive the desired
number of flat spindles b. (Five are shewn as being a convenient number but we
do not confine ourselves to five, as more or less may be used). These spindles are
mounted side by side in the same horizontal plane and all geared together by
pinions 6¹ so as to revolve simultaneously at the same speed and in the same
direction and are surrounded near their front extremities by stationary tubes c. (of
the required length and thickness and of the exact diameter to take in the flat
spindles b.) which are grooved or cut in a screw cutting lathe clean through in a
spiral direction the pitch of the individual wires for forming the mesh required.
Being now supported in their own head stocks d. and the keeps d' being screwed
down upon the tubes c. the machine may be set in motion. The wire e. which is
led to each of the tubes c. from the creela e¹ in a similar manner to that described
in our said former specification is, by passing through these spiral grooved tubes c.
formed into the desired zig-zag lengths f. and is received, as illustrated, upon the
travelling table g.
The creels e¹ on which the wire is wound are constructed in such a manner that
an uniform tension can be kept on the wire say by back weighting or friction band
and as it proceeds to the machine, the wire passes through or around a series of
pegs or pullies which can be regulated with screws so as to straighten the wire
perfectly previous to its entering the machine.
•
It will be observed that these zig-zag wires f. are not linked together but lie
parallel to each other upon the travelling table and are sufficiently separated
thereupon to receive an intermediate length of zig-zag wire between each of them.
The travelling table g consisting by preference of laths of wood hinged together as
an endless band similar to revolving shutters and mounted upon axes g¹.
Having thus described the operation at one side of the machine, we will now.
explain the arrangement. on the opposite side,
__!

page_text: The machine bed g² shewn broken off in the drawing is sufficiently long to allow
of any width of work being made on it and the head stock h, or carriage on the
opposite side is made loose and adjustable similar to the loose head stock of a lathe,
a counterpart of what we have already described, with the exception that the
spindles are in reverse directions to and must be placed so as to fall in between
the spaces occupied by the spindles b. on the opposite head stock a. By employing
a set of change wheel as in a screw cutting lathe it will be obvious that the length
of zig zag wires can be regulated to any desired extent.
It will now be seen that, by the use of the several spindles b. which work say
from right to left and leave say five zig-zag wires the width wanted, and kept in 1
position upon the travelling table 7. by suitable guides or pegs i., that the
spindles h¹ working from left to right and in the exact intermediate spaces, will
link up their zig-zag wires into the wires f. (which have been already laid by
the spindles b. working from right to left on the opposite side) and that thus a
continuous length of interlink wire work can be made on this our improved
multiple machine.
It now remains however to describe the automatic mechanism whereby the two
sets of spindles b. and h¹ are caused to work and stop alternately and which may
be described as follows:-In front of the bed g and parallel with the axes of both
sets of spindles, is mounted a shaft j. which practically is the driving shaft of the
machine and receives its revolving motion from any convenient motor say by an
endless strap passing round the pulley . Mounted loosely upon this shaft is the
she cone of a friction clutch . provided with a spur wheel m. which gears
through a corresponding spur wheel with a chain wheel m¹. This chain wheel in
turn serves by means of an endless chain m³ passing round the chain wheel m³ to
impart the required revolving motion to the spindles b. at that end of the machine
when the friction clutch appertaining to it is in gear.
The throwing in and out of gear of the she-cone k. of this friction clutch l. is
effected as follows:-Resting against the outer face of the she cone k. is the bent up
extremity of an arm p¹ the other end of which embraces an eccentric p. keyed upon
a spindle o³ capable of revolving.in stationary bearings as illustrated.
This spindle also carries a spur wheel q. gearing with a sliding toothed rack q
whilst a crank o' upon the same spindle is connected by its crank pin to one end of
a rod o¹.
The other end of this same rod o¹ in turn is linked to the upper arm of a
weighted lever o. and is thus held in contact with a cam n². To this cam n²
constant revolving motion is imparted from the driving shaft j. by means of the
worin n. and worm wheel n¹.
The cam n³ is so shaped (as illustrated upon an enlarged scale in Fig. 3.) that in
course of its revolution it presents a larger and smaller diameter to the rod o'
resting upon its periphery and thus by raising and lowering such rod imparts
through the crank o² a partial revolution to the spindle o³ and to the eccentric p.
mounted thereupon. The spur wheel q. and toothed rack y¹ serving by the weight
of the latter to give steadiness of motion to the clutch gearing.
In this manner the eccentric arm p¹ is operated for throwing the she-cone k. of
the clutch box l. into gear.
The spindles b. at that end of the machine are when the clutch box is in gear
thus caused to revolve and continue to do so until by the revolution of the cam n³
the largest diameter of such cam is presented to the weighted rod o' when the same
is raised and so withdraws the friction clutch and stops the spindles.
It will thus be apparent that it is only requisite to have both ends of the
machine fitted with a similar friction clutch box arrangement as illustrated and to
have them set at opposite positions upon their respective spindles to ensure the one
being in gear whilst the other is out and vice versa. The drawing illustrates the
position of the parts when the right hand spindles are in gear whilst the left hand
mechanism is shewn partially in section and with the clutch box out of gear,

page_text: At the end and opposite each of the twisting tubes, is arranged a pair of cutters
which, as soon as the desired length of zig zag wire has emerged are " timed" to
close and so cut off such length.
These cutters consisting of a pair of grooved steel plates r and 71 (as seen more
clearly in front view Fig. 3) between the grooves 8. of which the zig-zag wires pass
and the back one of which is capable of sliding under the action of a tappet or
cam geared to and driven by the driving shaft j. and timed" to come into
operation at the desired instant.
"
We also arrange that the length of interlink wire-work as it is completed shall
be carried along upon the table g. and be brought, with each of its extremities
beneath a pair of closing jaws as illustrated by perspective view in Fig. 4. the
lower jaw t. of which is suitably grooved to support the two extremities of the
adjoining wires (which are now only partially linked together as seen in Fig. 5.)
whilst the upper jaw u. descends under the action of a tappet or cam and thus
closes the one extremity over the other and links them together completely, as
illustrated in Fig. 6. Or this closing in operation may be performed by hand. In
some cases we apply an intermittent travelling motion to the table to carry
forward the length of work as it is completed and then to dwell until the next
length is ready.
We can also impart motion to the spindles by the use of one large driving wheel
the spindles being placed at intervals around a section of the wheel in a suitable
carriage and geared together, the work being thus made on the curve and which
can be taken away by a roller.
A further improvement consists in the manufacture of interlink net-work made
of strand or twisted wire by using a revolving table for carrying the bobbins or
reels of wire which table revolves and so lays up or twists the strands as the
machine works thus producing twisted net work suitable for lawn tennis nets and
for other analogous purposes.
Instead of mounting the spindles side by side in a stationary head stock as
herein before described and illustrated, they may be each mounted in separate
bearings, an arrangement which facilitates the adjustment of the spindles in their
distance from each other and in making various sizes of our improved interlink
wire work.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of our invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:-
1st-The general combination and arrangement of mechanism for the manufacture
of "interlink" wire work substantially as hereinbefore described.
2nd-The employment of multiple twisting spindles working alternately at
opposite sides of a table and in reverse directions whereby the zig zag wires are
produced and simultaneously linked into each other, in the production of a con-
tinuous length of "interlink" wire work together with the automatic mechanism
for driving the same substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated on
the accompanying drawing.
3rd The improved application of cutters and closers to the purpose of cutting
off and closing the adjoining extremities of the wires forming the improved
"interlink wire work substantially as herein before described.
"
JOHN G. WILSON,
Agent for the Applicants.