IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON- STRUCTION OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Brindle and Isaac Bradshaw, both of Preston, in
the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CON-
STRUCTION OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Brindle and Isaac
Bradshaw at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th June
1878.
THOMAS BRINDLE and ISAAC BRADSHAW, both of Preston, in the County of
Lancaster. IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
"
This Invention relates to the construction of that part of a loom for weaving
known as the "lathe" or "slay."
Hitherto the lathe or slay has always been made of wood, and however well the
wood may have been seasoned it has always been more or less liable to warp with
changes of temperature, the result of this warping being to curve or twist the
surface of the "shuttle race" in a greater or lesser degree, so that the shuttle in
passing from box to box is liable to fly out of the shed, and besides injuring the
work is a source of great danger to the weavers.
According to our Invention we make the lathe or slay of cast iron of an inverted
trough-like section with raised ends, and we bolt or screw the shuttle boxes, slay
swords, crank arm brackets, and other ordinary parts thereto.
"
"
In the upper surface of the lathe or slay between the shuttle boxes we cast or
form a longitudinal recess or rebate in which we fix a slip or slab of wood, so as to
form the гасе for the shuttle to run upon, and by these means we obtain ȧ
wooden surfaced shuttle race (which is preferable to metal), and at the same time
the lathe or slay being of metal is not liable to warp, and thus cause the shuttle to

page_text: "
fly out of the shed, at the same time that it is more durable and economical, and
the "shuttle race can be removed from time to time if required without the
necessity for a new "lathe" and without disturbing the other parts of the "slay."
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Thomas Brindle and Isaac Bradshaw in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 24th December 1878.
THOMAS BRINDLE and ISAAC BRADSHAW, both of Preston, in the County of
Lancaster. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTON OF LOOMS FOR WEAVING."
This Invention relates to the construction of that part of a loom for weaving
known as the "lathe" or "slay."
Hitherto the lathe or slay has always been made of wood, and however well tho
wood may have been seasoned, it has always been more or less liable to warp with
changes of temperature, the result of this warping being to curve or twist the
surface of the "shuttle race" in a greater or lesser degree, so that the shuttle in
passing from box to box is liable to fly out of the shed, and besides injuring the
work is a source of great danger to the weavers.
According to our Invention we make the lathe or slay of malleable or other cast
iron of an inverted trough-like section with raised ends, and we bolt the shuttle
boxes, slay swords, crank arın brackets, and other ordinary parts thereto.
"
In the upper surface of the lathe or slay between the shuttle boxes we sometimes
cast or formn a longitudinal recess or rebate, in which we fix a slip or slab of wood,
so as to form the "race" for the shuttle to run upon, and by these means we obtain
a wooden surfaced shuttle race (which is preferable to metal), and at the same time
the lathe or slay being of metal is not liable to warp, and thus cause the shuttle to
fly out of the shed, at the same time that it is more durable and economical, and
the shuttle race can be removed from time to time if required without the
necessity for a new "lathe," and without disturbing the other parts of the "slay."
In some cases however we prefer to cast the upper surface of the lathe level from
end to end, and fix the slab of wood which forms the "race upon the level surface.
On the surface of the ends which form the shuttle boxes we fix slabs or plates of
metal, and sometimes of wood, of a similar thickness, so as to form a continuation of
the "race" at each end.
"
In the annexed Drawing Fig. 1 is a front view of a "lathe"" or "slay" con-
structed according to our Invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the line
A, B, and Fig. 3 a similar section through the line C, D; Fig. 4 is an enlarged
section of the lathe or slay at A, B.
The central part a, a, of the cast-iron slay is of an inverted shaped section, and
the two ends b, b, of an inverted trough-like section, which we prefer as being more
convenient for attaching the different brackets, &c., as shown at Figs. 2 and 3;
c, c, is the slab of wood which forms the shuttle race, the plates of metal (and some-
times of wood) d, d, of corresponding thickness being fixed at each end.

page_text: The wood slab is screwed and bolted down to the iron lathe or slay, as shown in
Fig. 4, or nailed to wood plugs which are inserted in the iron lathe or slay, so that
when the shuttle race c, c, becomes worn, the wood slab can be raised by meansof
packing to the level of metal or wood plate d.
Having now described the nature and object of our said Invention togetherwith
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into
practical effect, we wish it to be understood that we claim as our Invention, the
construction of a cast-iron lathe or slay for looms with a wooden surfaced shuttle
race, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated by the Drawings
annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Isaac Bradshaw (on behalf of myself and tho
said Thomas Brindle), have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first
day of December, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-eight.
ISAAC BRADSHAW. (LS.)