IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING FILES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING FILES." -A com-
munication from Milton D. Whipple, of the United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd January 1859.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING FILES," to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists, firstly, in the employment of a circular chisel, which
in lieu of being brought up to the blank and forced into its surface by pressure
or by the blow-of a hammer, is allowed to roll over it, the cutter being so
adjusted to the surface of the blank that it shall sink a given distance into it,
whether it be more or less wide, for it is obvious that the depth of the cut
made, or the height of burr raised by the tool, will not be influenced by the
varying width of surface that it is called to act upon. It is also evident that
if the blank be held rigidly and unyielding, the depth to which this cutter will

page_text: sink into the blank will not be influenced by the greater or less hardness of
the material at different points, if it be caused to traverse in a rigidly un-
yielding plane.
Secondly, the Invention consists in holding that face of the blank which is
being cut up against a face plate or rest, by pressure upon its opposite side,
whereby the position of the side that is being cut is determined with respect
to the cutter, and not that of the side opposite to the one being cut, as has
heretofore been the case. By this means uniformity of cut is ensured upon
each face of the blank, notwithstanding any difference of thickness that may
exist upon the opposite edges, or any varying thickness of the blank from end
to end.
The Invention consists, thirdly, in clamping the blank rigidly while a cut is
being made, and releasing it preparatory to its being fed, whereby the blank
may be held with any required degree of rigidity, and fed with the utmost
accuracy.
The Invention consists, fourthly, in a device or contrivance for holding the
blanks while a cut is being made. The machine is arranged to cut two files
at the same time, but as many blanks may be arranged in front of the cutter
as is found convenient, or the traverse of the carriage will admit of.
The essential features of novelty in the Invention are, 1st, the use of a
circular rolling cutter for cutting the teeth of the files; 2nd, holding the face
of the blank which is being cut up to a face plate or rest, by pressure upon its
opposite side; 3rd, clamping the blank rigidly while a cut is being made,
and releasing it preparatory to its being fed; 4th, the use of wedges for the
purpose of clamping the blanks; 5th, the use of a shield against which the
blank rests, and which is fed up with the blank.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 21st July 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of January, in the year of our
Lord 1859, in the twenty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself; Her
heirs and successors, give and grant unto. me, the said. William Edward

page_text: Newton, Her special license that I, the said William Edward Newton, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
5 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 of "IMPROVED MACHINERY
FOR CUTTING FILES," being a communication from Milton D. Whipple, of the
United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
Osaid William Edward Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal 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 Edward Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-.
Fig. 1 is a plan of the machine; Fig. 2, a side elevation; Fig. 3, an end
elevation of the same; Fig. 4, a vertical section through one of the clamping
wedges, the file blank and the chisel on the line x, x, of Fig. 1; Figs. 5 and 6,
details to be referred to hereafter.
Hand-cut files are liable to the objection that their teeth, which are forced
up out of the plane of the metal by the chisel, are rough and jagged, and it is
not found practical to give them that smooth or cutting edge so desirable in a
file designed to make smooth work; this will be better understood by an
inspection of Fig. 5, which is designed to illustrate the character of the teeth
of hand-cut files, and the manner in which they are formed. In the operation
of cutting the file, the operator after forming each cut draws back bis chisel
and rests it against the burr of the tooth just formed, which thus serves him
as a guide for the position of his chisel; the rough and jagged edge of the
tooth is thus left as it is originally formed, and the work made by the file is
correspondingly rough and imperfect. The files heretofore made by machinery
have been liable to the same objection, as the tooth is left in the state in which
it is first formed. To remedy this objection and to produce a file having teeth
with smooth sharp edges, it has been proposed to form files by clamping
together a number of thin smooth-edged cutters, but the great original cost of
such file, in connection with other objections to which it is liable, has prevented.

page_text: its introduction into use. There are also other difficulties which have thus far
proved insurmountable to the cutting of good files by machinery, amongst
which may be instanced the following:-
Firstly, the steel of which the files are manufactured is not of uniform
structure or hardness, and there occur soft and hard places in the blanks,
and when the chisel was operated by a uniform pressure or by uniform blows
of a hammer, it was not found possible to give a uniformly roughened.surface
to the file, as the indentations upon the soft places were much deeper than
those upon the hard spots, and a corresponding irregularity of tooth was, 'the
result.
2nd, a large class of files are wider from the tang to the centre than at
their extreme end, and it is obvious that a given force, whether of pressure or
impact, that will make the required indentation at the widest part of the file,
will sink the chisel too deep at the narrower part near the end. Efforts have
been made to counteract this difficulty, but thus far without success, by
causing the force of the blow to diminish by diminishing gradually the distance
through which the hammer falls as the work proceeds from the widest to the
narrowest part of the file.
3rd, most files taper in thickness as well as in width, and a further
allowance or adjustment is required to prevent the hammer from falling
through a greater distance when operating upon the thin than on the thick
part of the blank..
4th, as the workman, when cutting files by hand, adjusts his chisel prepar-
atory to each cut by drawing it back against the burr which constitutes the
last tooth made, the leather straps which he employs to hold the blank are
sufficient for the purpose. With machine work, however, it is different, for
while it is necessary that the file have a comparatively soft bed on which to
rest for the protection of the teeth whilst the 2nd side is being cut, it is
equally necessary that this bed be unyielding, otherwise the action of the
hammer and chisel upon its surface will vary at different points; and in
conjunction with the above requirements there is another still more rigid, that
the blank be held firmly and immovably, that it may be accurately fed 'between
the successive cuts; these conflicting exigencies have placed further difficulties
in the path of those who have attempted to cut files by machinery; in the
machines heretofore contrived, the side of the blank opposite to that being cut
has rested upon an unyielding bed, and as the chisel is held rigidly, if the
blank at any part of its length be thicker upon one edge than upon the other,
the file will be imperfect at this point, owing to its irregular depth of the cut,
and it is not found practical without too great an expenditure of labor to forge

page_text: the blanks so accurately that the opposite sides of their cross sections shall
always be parallel.
The above difficulties have all been removed by my present Invention,
which consists, firstly, in the employment of a circular chisel, which, in lieu
of being brought up to the blank, and forced into its surface by pressure or
by the blow of a hammer, is allowed to roll over it, it being so adjusted to
the surface of the blank that it shall sink a given distance into it, whether it
be more or less wide, for it is obvious that the depth of the cut made, or the
height of the burr raised by the tool, will not be influenced by the varying
width of the surface that it is called to act upon. It is also evident, if the
blank be held rigidly unyielding, that the depth to which this cutter will sink
into the blank will not be influenced by the greater or less hardness of the
material at different points, if it be caused to traverse in a rigidly unyielding
plane.
Secondly, this Invention consists in holding that face of the blank which
is being cut up against a face plate or rest, by pressure upon its opposite side,
whereby the position of the side being cut is determined with respect to the
cutter, and not that of the side opposite to the one being cut, as has here-
tofore been the case. I thus ensure uniformity of cut upon each face of the
blank, notwithstanding any difference of thickness that may exist upon the
opposite edges, or any varying thickness of the blank from end to end.
And this Invention consists, thirdly, in clamping the blank rigidly while a
cut is being made, and releasing it preparatory to its being fed, whereby I
am enabled to hold it with any required degree of rigidity, and to feed it with
the utmost accuracy.
And this Invention consists, fourthly, in a certain device for holding the
blanks while a cut is being made, which will be more particularly described
hereafter.
And this Invention consists, fifthly, in a machine for cutting files, con-
sisting essentially of the organization of the above features, and so constructed
and arranged as to cut files, as will now be more fully set forth and
described.
.
In the Drawings, A is a bed or table supported upon legs B, B²: In
suitable bearings at one end of this bed is carried a shaft C', to which are
attached the driving pulleys D, a cam E, and a disc F; to the latter is
pivoted at a the connecting rod G¹, the other end of which is pivoted at. 6
to a sliding carriage H. This carriage is supported on a way C, which lies
horizontally along the side of the bed A, and is secured thereto, the bevelled
edges 2, 3, of the way fitting into corresponding grooves in the carriage, as

page_text: shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The revolutions of the shaft C impart to the
carriage H a horizontal reciprocating motion. To the top of the carriage H.
is secured a block d, which serves to carry a short shaft e, inclined at an
angle of about 45 degrees to the face of the bed A. To this shaft upon its
inner end is secured the cutter f, which consists of a circular disc of tem-
pered steel having a bevelled edge, which disc is fastened excentrically upon
the end of the shaft by a screw 4, which passes through the disc into the end.
of the shaft. A plate g, attached to the block d by screws and slots 5, serves'
as the inner bearing of the shaft e; this plate is adjusted in position by means"
of the set screw 6, and thus the cutter is raised or lowered to vary the depth.
of the cut. To the outer end of the shaft e is secured a short arm h, con-
nected by a rod i to a lever k, pivoted at 7 to the side of the carriage H. A
rod l, supported in the legs B, B2, carries two adjustable collars or stops m, m2,
against which the lower end of the lever k strikes as the carriage H is traversed
back and forth, by which means the shafte is caused to make a partial revo-
lution, and the cutter f, which, as before stated, is hung without the centre of
the shaft e, is brought down to make the cut in the blank as the carriage
moves in one direction, and is raised up out of the way as the carriage returns,
that it may not mar the cut just made.
The manner in which the blank is held whilst the cut is being made, and
then released and fed up, will now be explained.
I may here state, that the machine which is represented in the accom-
panying Drawings is arranged to cut two files at the same time, but as many
may be arranged in front of the cutter f as is found convenient or the traverse
of the carriage H will admit of. A stout block I on top of the bed A has
secured to its front edge, next to the cutter f, a face plate n, back of which, in
a suitably inclined slot, is placed the file blank g, the face of the blank which
is to be cut being in contact with and being pressed against the face plate in
the following manner:-In a suitable slot, cut vertically down through the
block I and bed A, are placed two heavy wedges o, which, in addition to their
own weight, are held down by weights p suspended from them by rods r;
pins 8 in the back of the wedges prevent them from falling too low, or binding
in their sockets; these wedges are raised at proper intervals, to allow the
blank to be fed up, in the following manner :-A shaft K, carried in suitable
hangers from the under side of the bed A, has attached to it near one end a
lever S, connected with the levers t and u, upon a short shaft v, the lever u
resting in contact with the cam E on the driving shaft C', so that as the cam
is revolved, the shaft K is rocked, and a tappet w on this shaft strikes the
stops 9 on the rods 7, and raises the wedges o. A plate is secured to the

page_text: top of the block I in front of the wedges o; beneath this plate, in a suitable
slot, are inserted two small blocks 10 of metal, partly dotted in Figs. 1 and 3,1
and in section in Fig. 4, which bear one against the front edge of each
wedge o, and against a shield on the rear side of the file blank, so that the
face which is being cut is pressed against the face plate n. I use two blocks.
10, and two wedges o, to each blank, as when the blank is wide they press
more equally against both edges of it.
I will now describe the parts of the machine by which the file blank is fed:
up at intervals after each cut has been made. A frame L is secured in an
inclined position (to suit the inclination given to the cuts upon the blank)
beneath the bed A (Fig. 2); between the sides of this frame slides a block M,.
on the front of which is secured a nut y, in which turns a screw N, having its:
bearings in the lower cross piece 11 of the frame L. A bevelled gear O on
the end of this screw shaft engages with a gear P on a horizontal shaft Q,
which carries another bevelled gear R, that engages with a gear S on a vertical
shaft T (dotted in Fig. 2). The shafts Q and Tare supported in suitable.
bearings in the framework of the machine, the latter extends up through the
bed A, and carries on its upper end a ratchet wheel U, the teeth of which are:
of a proper size to give the required feed. A dog ², held in contact with the.
wheel U by the springs 12 and 13, is struck by the incline W, attached to the
carriage H, each time the carriage is drawn back in the direction of its arrow;
this moves the ratchet wheel U one notch in the direction of its arrow, and:
through the shafts T and Q, and their gears, turns the screw N, and forces up
the block M the required distance, the end of the file blank resting on top of.
this block, as shown in Fig. 2. It should be observed that the wedges o are
raised so as to free the blanks before the feed of the block M takes place. A:
handle X attached to the top of the shaft T serves to turn back the screw N...
and lower the block M when a fresh blank is to be placed in the machine, the
dog being held out of the way by the operator. The blocks 10 on the side:
which rests against the wedges o are rounded, as shown in Fig. 4, so that they:
may always have a proper bearing with the front or flat sides on the shield z.
behind the file blank (or a jointed block or shoe may be used). The shield or
guard is a strip of soft metal, or of steel plated with soft metal, which is
secured to the top of the block M-at 15 (Fig. 4), behind the blank q, and is:
fed up with the blank; it is placed in the same slot with the blank, and between
it and the blocks 10; this prevents the face of the file which has been cut,
from being bruised by the blocks 10, or adhering to them whilst the second
side of the file is being cut. The edge of the blank generally rests against the

page_text: side of the slot in which it is placed; if, however, it is desired to keep the
blank more exactly central in the slot as it is fed up, and thus prevent any
slight variation of the angle of the cuts made in it, the blank near its upper end.
may rest against a pin inserted in the shield z, or the edge of the shield may
be turned up a little for it to rest against. The face plate n is slightly bevelled
on the side next to the blank, so that its upper edge only is in contact with
the face of the blank immediately below the point at which the cut is made,.
thus holding the blank firmly in the immediate vicinity of the cut. The cutter
f, as before stated, is secured to the end of the short shaft e by a screw 4.
passing through the centre of the disc; this allows the disc or cutter to revolve
freely around its centre, and to roll along over the surface of the blank as it
makes each cut, a fresh portion of the edge of the cutter being brought into
use by the revolution of the disc. The face of the blank which is being cut
resting against the face plate n, the depth of the cut made by the revolving
disc or cutter may easily be regulated without reference to the width or
thickness of the blank. It is evident that with a machine constructed as
above, the cutter may be set so as to take off the rough or jagged edge of the
previous tooth, as represented in Fig. 6, and thus the teeth will all be sharp
and well defined, as at 1, 1, the dotted portion representing that part of the
tooth which is taken off by the rolling cutter.
The following is the operation of this machine:-The block M is lowered
and the blank q (with the shield behind it) is placed in its respective slot in
the front of the block I, with its lower end resting on the top of the block M,
and its face which is about to be cut bearing against the face plate n; the
wedges o having been previously raised to allow the introduction of the blank
are now dropped into place; this binds the blank firmly against the face plate.
As the shaft C is revolved the carriage H is traversed back and forth on its
ways. Starting from the position shown in the Drawings, the carriage H is
moved in the direction of its arrow; the cutter f is held up out of the way of
the blank; the incline W operates the dog and ratchet U, and revolves
the shafts T and Q and screw N, moving up the block M, and blanks resting
on it, the required distance. Immediately before this takes place the cam E,
through the levers u, t, and s, rocks the shaft K and raises the wedges o, so
that the blank is released to allow it to be fed up. When the carriage
reaches the end of its traverse in this direction, the lever k on the side of it
strikes the stop m³, and the short shaft e in the block d is revolved sufficiently
to bring the cutter f down, so that its lower edge will cut into the blank as
the carriage returns. Before the carriage commences to move in the opposite

page_text: direction to make the cut, the shaft K is rocked in the opposite direction, and
the wedges o are lowered into place to hold the blank. The operation is then
repeated until the cutting is complete.
Having now set forth the nature of this Invention, and explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under
the above recited Letters Patent, I claim,―
The circular rolling cutter f, operating in the manner substantially, as set
forth.
2nd, I claim holding the face of the blank which is being cut up to a face
plate or rest, by pressure upon its opposite side, for the purpose specified.
3rd, I claim clamping the blank rigidly while a cut is being made, and
releasing it preparatory to its being fed, as set forth.
4th, I claim the wedges o, operating as set forth, for the purpose of clamping
the blanks, as described.
5th, I claim the shield z against which the blank q rests, and which is
fed up with the blank, in the manner and for the purpose substantially as set
forth.
6th, I claim the within-described machine for cutting files, consisting
essentially of the combination of the elements above claimed, and operating in
the manner substantially as set forth.
7th, I claim the peculiar tooth herein described, having its burr or jagged
edge taken off as described, for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)