Dri
Year: 1886

page_text: We, THADDEUS FOWLER, mechanic, residing at Corner of Canal & Maple Streets,
Shelton, in the County of Fairfield, in the State of Connecticut, and THOMAS
BURLOCK DE FOREST, manufacturer, residing at No. 6, Elizabeth Street, Bir-
mingham, in the County of New Haven, in the State of Connecticut, all in the
United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement :-
Our invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in Automatic
Nail Driving Machines & has for its object to provide a device for containing
feeding & driving a string of nails, and with these ends in view the invention
consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter
fully explained and then recited in the claims. In order that those skilled in the
art to which the invention appertains may fully understand its construction
& operation we will describe the same in detail referring by letter to the accom-
panying drawings forming a part of this specification & in which.-
Figure, 1, is a central vertical section through a driver showing the parts
thereof in their normal position and a short length of nails properly adjusted for
driving.
Figure, 2, a perspective.
Figure, 3, a transverse section at the line, x-x, of figure, 1.
Fig. 4, a vertical section showing the position of the parts after the nail has
been driven and cut off, and,―
Figure, 5, a modification in which the operative parts are mounted within a
head and secured to a handle for use after the manner of an ordinary hammer.
A, is a hollow case provided with a suitable cover, B, & serves both as a handle
for the operation of the machine & also to hold a coil of the nails herein before
referred to & a short length of which is shown at figures, 1, &, 4. The case at its
lower end terminates in a rigid tubular projection, C. D, is a slotted guide tube
extending upward within the case & rigidly attached to one wall thereof. It forms
a continuation of the tubular projection, C, & is of the same internal diameter.
Within this slotted tube is arranged & adapted to slide a hollow nose piece E,

page_text: which is shouldered for the abutment of the spiral spring, F, whose upper end is
confined by the pin, G, & which actuates the nose. The nose piece is slotted as to
one side thereof & its opening is tapered toward the bottom, see figures, 1 &, 4.
H, is a yoke bridging the slot in the nose piece; it serves as a guide way for the
nails into the hollow nose & also as a stop to limit the downward movement of the
latter. I, is the feed spring secured to the yoke & whose action will be presently
explained. J, is the driver which is secured at its top by the pin, G.
It extends downward within the spiral spring & the sliding nose piece, & its
lower extremity, which is in the same horizontal plane with the end of the tubular
projection, C, terminates in a wedge shaped toe point, K. It has no vertical
movement relative to the case. In figure, 5, the case, A, is mounted upon the rear
end of handle, A¹. The nails are led over the handle & the nose piece, E, is
arranged within the head after the manner of the preceding figures. The driver
is similarly secured within the head as has been herein before set forth.
In the modification we prefer to substitute for the spiral spring as a means for
ejecting the nose piece, a feed lever, L, pivoted to the handle and whose forward
extremity engages with the nose piece through a slot in the head. It is operated
by a push bar, M, extending upward through the handle.
The operation of the improvement is as follows:-
A suitable length of nails is coiled about the hub within the case and its forward
end led downward into the nose piece so that the position of the nails relative to
the mechanism of the driver is as shown at figure, 1, that is the driver toe is in
engagement with the head of the lowest nail & the extremity of the feed spring
is also resting upon the head opposite to the driver toe.. To drive the nail the
extremity of the nose piece is placed upon the spot where it is desired to set
the nail & a smart blow struck upon the top of the case. This forces the nose
piece backward against the action of the spring until the parts are in the position
shown at figure, 4, viz. the nose piece entirely within the tubular projection & the
nail solidly driven. In the downward course of driver & nail the tapered interior
of the nose piece sets the nail toward the wedge shaped toe piece whose point
severs it from the spring as seen at figure, 4. The upward motion of the nose
piece relative to the case carries the yoke & spring with it & the extremity of the
spring engages with the head of the nail next above that just driven. Then as the
spiral spring returns the nose piece downward to its normal position the string of
nails is drawn down by the feed spring to its original position as shown at figure, 1.
The operation of the modified construction shown at figure, 5, is precisely similar
to that just described save that the handle permits the driver to be used after the
manner of an ordinary hammer and that the nose piece is returned outward from
the head by the hand instead of by the spiral spring shown at figures, 1, and, 4.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1
1st. The combination in a device of the character described of the case within
which the coil of nails is contained, the wedge pointed driver secured therein, the
spring actuated vertically sliding nose piece arranged around the driver and the
feed spring secured to the nose piece & whereby the nails are successively brought
within the field of the driver, substantially as set forth.
2. In a nail driving machine the combination with the driver of the spring
controled & vertically sliding nose piece arranged around the same & the feed
spring secured to the said nose piece & adapted to reciprocate therewith, substan-
tially as specified.
3rd. In a nail driving machine as described the combination with the case for
containing the nails of the slotted guide tube secured therein, the hollow slotted
and internally tapered nose-piece within the guide tube, the spring whereby the
nose piece is actuated in its downward movement, the stationary toe pointed driver

page_text: arranged within the nose piece and the feed spring secured to and adapted to
reciprocate with the nose piece, substantially as described.
4th. In a nail driving machine the combination with the handle & a suitable
case for containing the nails of the hollow & internally tapered nose piece, the
head within which the latter slides, the wedge pointed driver arranged within said
nose piece means as described for ejecting the latter from the head & further
means for bringing the nails seriation within the field of the driver substantially
as set forth.