AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF SCREWS FOR WOOD IN IRON, BRASS, COPPER, OR ANY MIXED METALS, COMMONLY KNOWN AS 'WOOD SCREWS
Year: 1839

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
HENRY RYLAND, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Screw Manu-
facturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS, Her most Excellent Majesty, Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,
the Eighteenth day of March, in the second year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas
Henry Ryland, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Thomas Henry Ryland, my exors, admors, and assigns, or
such others, as I, the said Thomas Henry Ryland, my exors, adññors, and
assigns, shall at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, his Invention of "AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF
SCREWS FOR WOOD IN IRON, BRASS, COPPER, OR ANY MIXED METALS, COMMONLY KNOWN
AS 'WOOD SCREWS'; " in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso,
that I, the said Thomas Henry Ryland, shall cause a particular description
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery, within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters
Patent, as in and by the sanie, reference being thereunto had, shall moré fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Henry Ryland, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention
consists, first, in the manufacture of an improved form of wood screws, in the

page_text: practical application of which about one half of the usual labour is saved;
and, second, in the construction of certain improved machinery for the manu-
facture of wood screws.
The threads or worms of ordinary "wood screws" (as screws for wood are
technically distinguished from other kinds) have heretofore been made of one
continuous thread or worm wound helically or spirally round a cylinder or a
frustrum of a cone. In consequence of their possessing but a single worm
when they are turned into wood (or other substance into which the worm
penetrates in its passage) they advence into it only the space between each
successive coil at each revolution, thus requiring to be turned as many times
round as there are coils in the screw. In the building of houses, in carpentry
and cabinet work, in the laying down of railways, and in an almost infinite
variety of mechanics' work from the vast number of screws used, the operation
of screwing is excessively tedious and laborious. To avoid this labour and
save the time, nails, pins, and other less tenacious means of connection are
often improperly resorted to. In the generality of cases, especially in work
of an inferior kind, wherein the employment of screws is presumed to be an
essential condition, it is a notorious practice of carpenters, cabinet makers,
and other mechanics, to slight their work either by boring too large holes
for the screws to have their proper hold, or to drive them in nearly or quite
home with a hammer, instead of turning them in wholly with a screw-
driver.
To provide an efficient remedy for the various inconveniences and evils that
are consequent both upon the use and abuse of the ordinary wood screws, is
the object of my improved manufacture, by which I construct wood screws
with two or more worms instead of one only to each. Thus, those which I
make with two worms, or double, may be turned into the work with nearly.
double the ordinary speed, because every revolution which they make advances
them a space equal to that of two coils of the worm and two intermediate
spaces, and those which I make with treble worms advance with nearly treble
speed. An example of each of these screws is given in the Drawings here:
unto annexed; Fig. 1 shewing the single thread; Fig. 2 the double thread,
and Fig. 3 the treble thread, the dotted lines shewing the continuation of
the threads to a comple revolution and hence the space they respectively pass
through. The underneath Figures 4, 5, and 6 are transverse sections of the
screws, shewing that whatever number of threads or worms they may have,
they proceed from equidistant parts of the circumference. It is unnecessary
to explain these points at greater length, as the same principle of construction
are observed in ordinary metalic threaded screws, with two or more worms;.

page_text: the essential difference between the latter and mine consisting in my con-
structing them with wood threads, and so adapting them to the general uses
of carpenters and mechanics for holding in wood. The machinery necessary
for making them is the same as that in common use for making die-cut wood
screws, with the exception that the dies are formed with two or more threads,
instead of a single one. I have, however, succeeding in constructing some
improved mechanism for some of the purposes which I will now describe.
In the manufacture of the countersunk heads of screws by the force of a
press there results the well-known defect of a projecting bow of metal, to get
rid of which a turning lathe is usually resorted to. To avoid this tedious
operation I have designed a machine by which the bur is reduced by a rolling
process; a plan of the machine is given in Fig. 7, and an elevation of the same
in Fig. 8. At A is a loose pully, and at b a fast pulley for communicating
power and motion to a pinion C; this pinion actuates a wheel d, on the axis of
which is keyed a massive cast-iron revolving plate . In the circumferential
edge of this plate is formed a rebate, as shown in Fig. 9 at f, into which is
fitted and made fast by screws an annulus of steel g, shewn separately edge-
ways at Fig. 10, and in plan in Fig. 11. In this annulus is cut a concentric
groove, h, h, the angular figure of which is shewn at h, h, in the section, Fig. 12,
and its action is demonstrated by the screw blank i having a part of its head
in the groove. The opposite side of the head of the screw blank fits into and
rolls around a similar formed groove in the opposite cast-iron plate &, shown
in Figure 7 and 8, and separately in plan at Figure 13. This plate does not
revolve, but is firmly connected centrally to a strong sliding bolt k, and the
distance between the two plates and is adjusted by stout set screws, j,j,
which distance must always be equal to the thickness of the stems of the screws,
and as their heads are confined between the two opposing coincident grooves
their stems roll round in a radial position between the. perepheral planes. For
the purpose of supplying the screw blanks to this machine pieces of the steel
facing are cut away, a shewn at 1, 1, in the stationary plate, into which
are puts the heads of the screws, when they are immediately pinched by the
angular grooves, and made to roll round between them as far as the next
aperture, where being relieved from the gripe they fall out of the machine.
The next improvement which I have devised is, a mode of communicating
motion to the spindles that carry the screws whilst being wormed.
At m, m,
Fig. 14, are the ends of two spindles, in which are mounted pins n, n, to
which an alternating rotary motion is imparted by two quadrantal racks o, o,
connected together by a beam p, which is made to vibrate on its axis q, by the
reciprocation of a rod » connected to a rotative crank s. -

page_text: My next improvement consists in substituting for the cutters in general use.
for worming ordinary wood screws, an improved tool. For the better com-
prehension of this matter I have given a sketch at Fig. 15 of an ordinary
screw tapping apparatus, which I shall describe very briefly as, my improve..
ment relates to only one small part of it. At a is a handle, by which a double
system of levers b, c, d, and e, f, g, are put into action, the quantity of motion
in d and g being regulated by adjusting screws at, h, i. At j, k, are two instru-
ments denominated fencers, their object being to keep the screw 7 from flying
out of its true central position, whilst the worm of it, is being cut by the
cutters m, n. These cutters are provided with only a single tooth, and being
subjected to severe work soon require, a renewal of their edges. My improve-
ment consists in substituting for these cutters a more effective tool, represented
in Fig. 16. It consists of a chasing tool, having several teeth o, p, q,.r, one of
which teeth p. is not made solid with the rest, but slides in a groove, made
thereon, as shewn at S in the transverse section, and is fixable therein at any
required point by the pressure of screws at t, t. This sliding tooth pis
projected beyond the others, in order that it may take the lead and cut away
the principal portion of the metal, the other teeth then come into, action to
perfect the shape and finish the form of the worm of the screw, especially
its exterior edges. The tooth is made movable, that it may be readily
removed by grinding.
My last improvement, which is the subject of this Patent, is a method of
supplying and presenting the beads of the screws to be polished; by: emery,,
commonly called "bobbing." At a, Fig. 17, is a stationary tube, into. which,
are successively put, by an attendant, the screws head foremost, and are thence,
pushed forward into. another tube b, b, which is put into rotation by a strap on
the pulley cat a high velocity. When the tube is, full, every succeeding screw
Fut in pushes the head of the. farthest one past three holding springs, d, d.
which seize it round the neck as. shewn, the attendant, then pressing on the
ştirrup e draws, forward by means, of a cord f a "bob" (charged as usual with
emery, &c.) against the head of the screw, which revolving in contact with, the.
bob at a high speed is immediately brightened or cleared off, then, the, pressure.
is taken off the stirrup and the bob retires by the action of a spring, allowing
space for the screw to drop after, it has been pushed forward, by the fresh screw
entering.
Having now explained my several improvements, I wish it to, be understood
that what I claim as my Invention, and intend to maintain an exclusive privilege,
for, by virtue of my Letters, Patent, are, first, my improved manufacture of
wood screws" having two or more threads, and with heads of any. kind;

page_text: second my apparatus for rubbing down the burs that occur on the heads of
screws, and all modifications of the same; third, my new movement delineated
at Figure 14; fourth, my improved chasing tool, with a sliding tooth; fifth,
the apparatus delineated at Figure 17, applicable to the process called
bobbing."
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Henry Ryland, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of September, in the
year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.
THOMAS HENRY (L.s.) RYLAND.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixteenth day of September,
in the year of our Lord 1839, the aforesaid Thomas Henry Ryland came
before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and
specified, in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was
stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Eighteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.