AN IMPROVED MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING FURROWS IN THE SURFACE OF METALS, APPLICABLE ESPECIALLY FOR CUTTING FILES AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Pierre Hippolyte Limet, of Paris, France, Gentleman,
for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING
FURROWS IN THE SURFACE OF METALS, APPLICABLE ESPECIALLY FOR CUTTING
FILES AND OTHER PURPOSES."
Sealed the 11th December 1866, and dated the 12th June 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Pierre Hippolyte Limet
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th June 1866.
I, PIERRE HIPPOLYTE LIMET, of Paris, France, Gentleman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MEANS AND APPA-
RATUS FOR PROVIDING FURROWS IN THE SURFACE OF METALS, APPLICABLE ESPECIALLY
FOR CUTTING FILES AND OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
The Invention consists in an improved means or method and apparatus for
providing furrows, grooves, corrugations, or other regular depressions or
indentations in the surface of metals, the same relating more specially to the
cutting of files, but being applicable also for manufacturing screws, augers,
pinions, or other articles of metal, in the surface of which regular indentations
or corrugations are to be provided.
According to this Invention the furrows, grooves, or corrugations instead of
being produced, as was hitherto the case in file cutting by the percussion or

page_text: successive blows of a hammer on a cutting chisel, are obtained by being
impressed or sunk progressively without percussion, viz., by mere pressure,
into the surface of the blank by the bevilled edge of a disc of hardened steel,
which disc revolves freely on an arbor fixed to a tool holder or plate to which
a suitable reciprocating motion is imparted for causing the disc to travel to
and fro in an oblique direction over the blank, and thereby impress or sink in
the surface of this latter the successive furrows which constitute the file.
In the annexed Drawing, Fig. 1 represents a longitudinal side elevation
view of the principal working parts of the apparatus I make use of for file
cutting according to my method; Fig. 2 shows a front view of the tool holder
or plate which carries the impressing, sinking, or cutting disc; Fig. 3 shows
a blank to be cut into a file, and the angular positions to bo taken by the
same for forming two series of parallel furrows, one series at an angle with
the other. In these Figures the same letters refer to corresponding parts.
The apparatus consists of a of cast-iron or other suitable frame A, part of
which only is shown in Fig. 1, provided with a horizontal bed plate or slide
rest B for the blank a to be fixed on; a suitable step-by-step advancing or
receding motion is to be imparted to the rest B by a rack, a ratchet wheel,
and pawl, or other suitable gearing receiving motion from the main arbor C
of the apparatus. The impressing or sinking tool consists of a bevil-edged
disc D of hardened steel revolving freely on an arbor d, which may be fixed
in any suitable angular position in front of and to the plate or tool holder E,
the latter being fixed to a tail piece G, G', to which a longitudinal recipro-
cating motion may be imparted by means of coupling rods I connected to a
crank J of the main arbor C, which reciprocating motion takes place at right
angles with the direction of the advancing or receding motion of the slide
rest B carrying the blank a, against the upper surface of which latter the
disc D is pressed by a spring b, or other suitable means, and caused to enter
or sink into the required depth; at each stroke of the tool holder E the slide
rest will be caused either to advance or recede for one step, in consequence of
which the disc will impress or sink a series of parallel furrows in the blank.
The revolving disc might be replaced by a fixed suitably curved bevel-edged
impressing tool, and by suitably modifying the said mode of impressing or
sinking may be applied for manufacturing screws, augurs, or other similar
articles. Provision is made for allowing the rest B to be turned in any
required angular position in the horizontal plane.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Pierre Hippolyte Liuiet in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 12th December 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PIERRE
HIPPOLYTE LIMET, of Paris, France, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Pierre Hippolyte Limet, Her special licence that I, the said Pierre
Hippolyte Limet, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said Pierre Hippolyte Limet, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree 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
"AN IMPROVED MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING FURROWS IN THE SURFACE
OF METALS, APPLICABLE ESPECIALLY FOR CUTTING FILES AND OTHER PURPOSES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that 1, the said Pierre Hippolyte Limet, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their bands 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 Pierre Hippolyte Limet,. do hereby,
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to.
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
My Invention consists in an improved means or method and apparatus for
providing furrows, grooves, corrugations, or other regular depressions or
indentations in the surface of metals, the Invention, however, relates more
particularly and is especially applicable to the manufacture or cutting of files.
According to my Invention the furrows, grooves, or corrugations, instead of
being produced as was hitherto the case in file cutting, by the percussion or
successive blows of a hammer or other similar tool, on a cutting chisel acting.

page_text: on the blank, are obtained by being impressed or sunk progressively by mere
pressure, viz., without percussion, into the surface of the blank to be manu-
factured into a file, the said impressing of the furrows taking place by the
bevilled edge of a disc of hardened steel, which disc revolves freely on an
arbor fixed to a tool carrier and slide, to which a suitable reciprocating
motion is imparted for causing the said disc or impressing tool to travel to
and-fro in an oblique direction over the blank, and thereby impress or sink in
the surface of this latter the successive furrows which constitute the file,
whilst by means of a suitable step-by-step motion the blank is caused to
advance for the required distance after the impressing of each furrow.
In the Specification of my Provisional Protection and the Drawings thereto
annexed 1 gave an outline description of the principal parts of the apparatus
by which put the Invention into practical effect; in the present Complete
Specification I will describe more fully the various parts of the apparatus I
prefer to make use of, and I will thereby refer to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, in the various Figures of which the same letters show corresponding
parts.
In this Drawing Fig. 1 shows a longitudinal side elevation view of the
principal parts of the apparatus; Fig. 2 represents a front view of the tool
or disc carrier of the said revolving disc or impressing tool, and of the principal
parts connected thereto; Fig. 3 shows a plan view of the slide rest or carrier
for the blank which is to be manufactured into a file; the Figs. 4 & 5 re-
spectively show a longitudinal elevation and a front view of a revolving carrier
for the blanks, which carrier, if making use of it, is to be fixed on the top of
the just mentioned slide rest.
The revolving disc or tool D for impressing or sinking by pressure the
required furrows in the surface of the file blank is made of bardened steel
with a perfectly smooth surface, and in the shape of a truncated cone, viz.,
with a bevil edged; the said disc turns freely on its arbor E, which latter is
securely fixed to the carrier plate H, fixed to the head C¹ of the slide C; the
angle of the bevil edge of the disc D may vary according to the nature of the
furrows, whilst the angle E, K¹, O, or degree of obliquity of the disc in
respect to the blank underneath is to be suitably regulated, the plate II turning
freely on a pivot h, fixed in a projecting socket ', gliding in a slot hole h²,
provided in the side of the head C' of the slide C, so as to allow the socket h¹,
and consequently the plate or disc carrier H, of being set more or less bigh by
means of the set screw h³, at its opposite end the plate H is jointed to an
arm h, on the top of which the spring R, consisting of several spring blades

page_text: or leaves, is caused to press by means of the screw h, which latter allows of
suitably regulating the degree of pressure exerted by the spring R;
guides e&e keep the plate H in contact with the head C whilst they allow
the plate of moving freely in the vertical direction; the spindle or arbor E of
the disc D is fixed in suitable bearings or brackets f&f fixed against the
plate H, a set screw f' keeping the said arbor securely fixed in position.
I now will describe the general arrangement of the apparatus and its modo
of working. The apparatus consists of a suitable frame A, the upper part
only of which is shown in the Drawings, and which may be fixed in any
suitable manner on a foot, table, or bed plate, so as to give perfect steadiness.
when the apparatus is at work. In this frame the above-mentioned slide C
travels to and fro between two guides or side plates B by means of two rods I
viz., one on each side, connected to two cranks J' fixed on the main arbor J,
which latter receives a suitable revolving motion from any suitable prime
mover.
Instead of the arrangement described in the Specification of the Provisional
Protection for causing the disc D to impress the furrows in the blank I prefer
making use of the arrangement above described and represented in the
Figs. 1 & 2 of the here annexed Drawings, which arrangement allows the disc
of impressing the furrows in the direction of its diameter; M is a steel rule
resting on the upper surface of the blank K, on which rule is lowered the
projecting or lower part 9 of the plate or disc carrier H, which projecting
part is suitably round off in order of allowing the carrier H of gliding freely
over and in continuous contact with the rule M and prevent the disc from im-
pressing any deeper into the surface of the blank as is exactly required whatever
may be the width or size of this blank; the rule M is inserted in corresponding
slot holes provided in the upper end of the fixed standards m & m², so as to
prevent the rule from shifting position when applied on the blank K. P is a
slide rest or sliding bed for carrying the blank K, which latter is laid on a
piece of lead or zinc i, in the lower surface of which rest P is provided a
dovetail groove for allowing the rest to glide by means of the dovetails Q
over the bed plate Q' fixed by means of the screw bolts Y & Y', to a projecting
bracket A¹, forming part of the frame A; at the same time in order to allow
of setting the blank under any suitable angle in the horizontal plane the rest
may be turned horizontally round the vertical axial line Z, Z', by means of
the concentric circular slot holes X & X' provided in the bed plate Q', in
which holes are inserted the screw bolts Y & Y' for fixing the rest in the
required position. After the impressing of each furrow the blank is caused

page_text: to advance for the distance required for forming the next furrow, which
advancing takes place by the effect of the screw V provided underneath the
slide P, which screw P carries a bevil pinion S in gear with a similar pinion S¹
fixed on a small vertical arbor S3, which latter carries a pinion S' in gear with
the pinion S', fixed to the click wheel T, the click or pawl T of which is
jointed to the lever L acted on by the rod u; this latter is worked by a lever
u, jointed at u³ and ono end of which carries a friction roller u³ working in
the slot hole u of a cam or eccentric U fixed on the main arbor J. In order
to allow the rest P and the blank K of advancing after the impressing of a
furrow sufficiently far for allowing of impressing the next one, the rule M, the
disc carrier II, and the spring R must during that time cease to press on the
blank, for this purpose a friction roller v turning freely on the arm v² of the
disc carrier II travels in contact with the upper surface of a rail w provided
with two inclines n & n', which at the required moment causes the roller v
and consequently the disc carrier and the disc D of being lifted at the
required height for disengaging the disc from the blank, whereas during the
remainder of the stroke of the roller v this latter allows of the disc carrier II
being depressed by the spring R so as to cause the bevil edge of the disc of
sinking a furrow in the blank. After the blank has in this manner received
a series of furrows in one direction the rest is set in position for the blank to
receive a series of furrows at the required angle with the first series.
A revolving rest, as shown in Figs. 4 & 5, and the arrangement of which
will be readily understood by mere inspection of these Figures, might be made
use of.
I wish also to observe here that instead of the disc D turning freely
on its arbor E the same might be fixed thereon and the arbor allowed to
revolve in its bearings, or even be kept fixed therein, also that instead of an
entire disc only a segmental portion of it might be employed.
Having thus described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
Invention, and the manner in which the sanic is or may be put into effect, 1
wish it to be understood that I do not intend to restrict or limit myself to the
precise details of the above described apparatus, as many variations may be
made therefrom without deviating from the main principles of the same; but
what I consider to be novel and original, and consequently claim as the
Invention secured to me by the berein-before in part recited Letters Patent
is,―
ily, the mode of manufacturing files by forming the furrows or grooves in
the blank by mere impressing instead of by percussion, viz., by means of a
bevil-edged impressing tool of a disc or other suita' le sta; c, which siuks the
3

page_text: said grooves or furrows in the surface of the blank by steady progressive
impressing without percussion..
2ly, the general arrangement, combination of parts, and mode of working.
of the above-described.apparatus.
In witness whereof, I, the said Pierre Hippolyte Limet, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of December, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
DREYFOUS,
Ing. Civil.
P. H. LIMET. (L.S.)