Improvements in Machinery for Grinding and Polishing Swords. Sword Bayonets, Knives, Hollow Ground Razors, and o'her similar Articles.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Aug., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 4th June, 1891-Accepted, 11th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Grinding and Polishing Swords.
Sword Bayonets, Knives, Hollow Ground Razors, and o'her
similar Articles.
I, JOHN MCGREGOR of Tinsley near Sheffield in the County of York, Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
My improvements consist in an arrangement and combination of machinery for
grinding the blades of swords and other similar articles, to the exact shape and
thickness necessary for the various required purposes, and also when ground of
polishing the same.
I make a bed or table similar to the bed usually made for a slide lathe, or of any
other suitable form, and to this hed attach another shorter bed at right angles,
these beds are planed and fitted so that slides may move freely and correctly on
them as required, the slide on the long bed carries the article to be ground or
polished and the slide on the short bed carries the grinding or polishing block or
wheel. The slide on the long bed gets its motion along the bed, by a screw in the
bed working in a nut on the slide, the screw being driven by an open and a cross
strap or belt, from the driving power, the open strap moving the slide in one
direction, and the cross strap in the other, the length of stroke or movement
required can be regulated automatically by the slides shifting the straps, and the
attendant can readily shift the straps by hand if required to make the stroke shorter
than the full length of the automatic stroke-all in the manner well known in
working planing, and such like machines.
On this slide, which has a horizontal movement, I fix a vertical slide, which can
be moved up or down when required by means of a rack and pinion or, screw and
nut, and this vertical slide carries the article or blade to be operated on,-when
the article is of different widths fix it edgeways to a loose arm or bed
swivelling on an upright stud or centre fixed to the vertical slide, one side of
this bed or arm is so formed as to give the shape required to the blade, and it
is acted upon by a stud or projection fixed to the stationary bed and is kept
against this projection by a spring or weight. As the slide is moved horizontally
along the stationery bed by the action of the screw, the stud or projection acting
on the swivelling arm or shaper, presents the blade to the grindstone or block
and is thus ground to the exact shape required, different shapes requiring different
swivelling arms or shapers.
To grind the article to its proper thickness and the form required, I fix the
blade with its face to the grindstone, to a bed or bar swivelling on centres at each
end fixed to the vertical slide, a handle is fixed to this bar and is controlled by the
worker. If the blade to be ground is hollow, the diameter of the grinding
block is made to correspond or a little smaller, as, the hollow can be enlarged if
required, at any part of the blade by the attendant swivelling the bar with the
blade on it as the blade is travelling along the face of the grinding block, and if
two hollows are required in the face of the blade, by swivelling the bar, the
attendant can act in either of the hollows as required, and the part betwixt the
hollows can be equalized in the same manner.
When the article to be ground on the face is curved such as a cavalry sword,
the screw of the vertical slide is taken away and the slide-having an anti-
friction pulley in it-made to act on a template or shaper, the shape of the sword
or other article, fixed to the bed and as the horizontal slide moves along, the
vertical slide with the article on it, rises and falls according to the shape of the
template. The vertical slide may be kept on the template by means of a spring
or weight if required.

page_text: To the slide on the short bed, I attach a fixing to carry the grinding wheel shaft,
which shaft is driven by the motive power at the necessary speed-the slide is moved
to and from the article to he ground by a screw and nut-or by an eccentric on a
shaft in the bel having a handle worked by the attendant who can thus quickly
move the grinding wheel forward and backward, and correctly feel the weight or
pressure he puts on the thing being ground.
The grinding wheel can be fixed and driven either horizontally or vertically as
most convenient for grinding the article required and the fixing carrying the grinding
wheel shaft is made moveable on the slide, so that it can be shifted and set according
to the diameter or size of the grinding wheel.
The article whilst being ground is always in front of the attendant so that it can
be seen and the necessary work finished without it requiring to be taken out of its
place to be examined as in the old method of grinding.
When the grinding is completed the same operation as above described can
be repeated for polishing using a polishing block instead of a grinding wheel or
stone.
Dated this 16th day of August 1890.
PETER
MCGREGOR,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agent for Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Grinding and Polishing Swords,
Sword Bayonets, Knives, Hollow Ground Razors, and other
similar Articles.
1 JOHN MCGREGOR of Tinsley near Sheffield in the County of York Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
C
In the accompanying sheets of drawings, the same letters refer to similar parts
as shewn in the different figures. Figure 1 represents a front elevation and Figure 2
an end view of my machine a is a bed on which works the slide that carries the
article to be ground or polished and is a shorter bed attached at right angles to
the bed a and which carries the grinding block or wheel d the slide in the long
bed a gets its motion along the bed by the screw e in the bed working in the nut
fixed to the slide. This screw is driven by two straps or belts from a counter
shaft, or direct from the main shaft, one being a crass strap, and the other open,
working on the pulleys and which are loose on the screw shaft, the pulley is
i
fast on the screw shaft and the slide is moved in one direction or the other according
as the open or cross strap is made to work on the fast pulley, the length of
stroke or movement required can be regulated automatically by the slides shifting
the straps, and the attendant can readily shift the straps by hand if required to
make the stroke shorter than the full length of the automatic stroke, all in the
manner well known in working planing and such like machines.
!!
On the slide fix the upright bed carrying the slide which can be moved
up or down when required by the screw working in a nut in the slide k. To this
slide I attach the block or bed m to which the article to be operated on is fixed in
any convenient manner, this bed may be fixed or moveable on the slide according
to the article to be ground, and the face of the bed is made to correspond to the
article so that it may lie solid on the bed. To grind the article to its proper
thickness and the form required I fix it to the bed as shown at Fig. 1 with its
face to the grind stone or block d, n is the article to be ground and represents a
bayonet, to grind which the bed is made to swivel or move round a centre in
bearings at each end of the slide the handle is attached to one end of the bed,
and is controlled by the worker. If the article is hollow like the one shewn in the
drawing the diameter of the grinding block d is made to correspond to the hollow

page_text: required or a little smaller, as the hollow can be enlarged if required at any part of
the blade by the attendant swivelling the bed by the handle o as the article is
travelling along the face of the grinding block and if two hollows are required as
in the case of the article shown in the drawing the height of the bed on the slide
is so placed that its centre is opposite to the centre of the grinding block and the
worker can act on either of the hollows required by swivelling the bed. The part
betwixt the hollows can be equalized in the same manner.
When the article is to be ground and shaped on the edge and is of varying
widths like a bayonet I fix it to the loose bed or bar m as shewn at Fig. 3 with its
edge to the grinding block, this loose bed swivels in a horizontal direction on the
centre or stud p fixed in an arm of the slide k. The other end resting on another
arm of the slide and is kept in its position against a projection on this arm by the
spiral spring g, the inside of this bed at r is so formed as to give the shape required
to the article and it is acted upon by the projection on the fixings which is extended
downwards and fixed in any convenient manner to the bed a. As the slide / is
moved horizontally along the bed by the action of the screw e the projection in
the fixings acts on the shaped part of the swivelling bed, brings up the article to
the grinding block and is thus ground to the exact shape required, the spring 7
always bringing the bed back to its position, different shapes of articles requiring
different shapers or beds.
When the article to be ground on the face is a sword like that shewn in the
drawings at Figs. 4, 5 and 6 I take away the screw of the slide k which thus
rests by its own weight (having an anti-friction pulley attached to it) on a tem-
plate or shaper u fixed to the bed a the shape of the article to be ground. A weight
may be used as shewn in the drawings to diminish the friction on the anti-friction
pulley and shaper if required. In grinding such an article I prefer to place the
grinding shaft and block in a vertical position as shewn at Fig. 4.
If the article to be ground on the face has a hollow like the bayonet, but is not
straight, the swivelling bed should be swivelled automatically, which I do by the
means shewn at Figs. 7 and 8. The handle o of the swivelling bed m containing
the article to be ground I carry downwards and make to rest by an anti-friction
pulley on a template w fixed to the bed a the shape lengthways of the hollow to
be ground in the article, the handle o being kept against the template by the spiral
spring .
To the slide on the short bed I attach bearings y y to carry the grinding
wheel and shaft which shaft is driven by the motive power through the pulley z
on the shaft. The slide with the grinding wheel is moved to and from the
article to be ground by an excentric el on a shaft working in bearings attached to
the bed with the handle e² attached to the shaft and worked by the attendant who
can thus quickly move the grinding wheel forwards and backwards and correctly
feel the weight or pressure he puts on the article being ground.
The grinding wheel shaft may be fixed horizontally as shewn at Fig. 1 or vertically
as shewn at Fig. 4-as most convenient for grinding the article required and the
shaft fixings yy for carrying the grinding wheel shaft are made moveable on the
slide so that the shaft can be shifted and set according to the diameter or size of
the grinding block.
The article whilst being ground is always in front of the attendant so that it can
be seen and the necessary work finished without requiring to take it out of its place
to be examined.
When the grinding is completed the same operation as above can be repeated
for polishing using a polishing block instead of a grinding wheel or block.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1st. The revolving or swivelling block m on which the article to be ground is
placed so that either automatically as shewn at Figs. 7 and 8, or, at the will of the

page_text: attendant by moving the handle as shewn at Figs. 1 and 2 a simultaneous revolving
and horizontal motion can be given to the article ground at the same time.
י
2nd. The method as shewn and described at Figs. 2 and 4 of bringing the
grinding wheel into contact, and detaching it quickly from the article ground whilst
at the same time the amount of pressure required can be regulated correctly at the
will of the attendant.
3rd. The combination of the various parts as, and for the purpose herein described,
as calculated to effect the required processes quickly and correctly whilst under the
observation of the attendant and without requiring the stoppage of the machine, for
the purpose of examination.
Dated this 3rd day of June 1891.
PETER
MCGREGOR,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agent for Applicant.