Improvements in Tackers or Hand Nailing Machines.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Apr., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Jan., 1896-Accepted, 22nd Apr., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tackers or Hand Nailing Machines.
I, FREDERICK CUTLAN of Castle Hill Wellingborough in the County of
Northampton, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to tackers or hand-nailing machines chiefly used in con-
nection with the lasting of boots and shoes, the object of the instrument being to
carry a supply of the tacks or nails and to drive them into the work as required.
The general arrangement and construction of the instrument may vary without
departing from the spirit of this invention or I may apply this invention to existing
instruments which may be adapted to receive it. However, the general form of
instrument which I prefer to employ and to which the present invention is
particularly applicable is set forth in my prior Patent No. 22000.
The tacks or nails are carried in the instrument and propelled forward and
driven into the work by means of a plunger, the present invention relating to the
selecting portion by which each individual tack is selected or separated from the
rest, turned into the proper direction so as to be driven point first and forced
forward by the plunger. The tacks are preferably carried in a groove wide enough
and deep enough to hold them and to allow them to freely fall down of their own
weight towards the point or driving end of the apparatus the groove being
preferably formed by two plates or pieces of metal joined together so as to form
a T-groove, the cross portion for the head and the main portion for the body or
shank of the tack. These tacks lie in a plane at a wide angle to that in which they
have to be driven, and it is therefore necessary to turn each tack round that its
head as the centre so as to get it into the axial line of the plunger before it is
driven; this may be effected in the following manner :-
The T-groove which carries the tacks effects a junction with the groove or
channel in which the plunger reciprocates at a point at a convenient distance say
for example about an inch above the point of the instrument at which the tacks
are discharged and at about the point of junction the T-groove is provided with a
stop or equivalent projecting sufficiently far to catch the head of the tack in
consequence of which the head is prevented from continuing to move in the same
line, while the shank or body does continue, the result being that the tack turns.
more or less radially about its head as a centre until it lies approximately parallel
with the axial line of the plunger when it either is in the plunger-groove or is in a
position to automatically fall into that groove. The stop at the termination of the
tack groove may be merely a projection formed in the metal or it may be a separate
piece of metal and may be adjustable and if desired may be interchangeable. The
tack having arrived in the plunger groove can fall to approximately the bottom of
that groove where it is held by one or more spring nippers or equivalent from
which it is released and driven into the work by the plunger when pushed forward
by the operator.
"
To prevent any of the tacks, excepting the selected one, in this case the leading
one, from falling into the plunger groove I provide a point or stop so arranged
that when the plunger is retracted by its spring after a tack has been driven it
enters the tack groove and stops the downward movement of all the tacks except
the selected one, but when the plunger passes the end of the tack groove this stop
or point is withdrawn, the plunger itself then blocking the tack groove and

page_text: preventing any other of the tacks falling down until the plunger returns under the
influence of its spring to its normal position, when the point again comes forward.
The movement of this point may be effected in many ways, a convenient one being
to secure it preferably adjustably in the end of a spring arm secured to the side of
the instrument and provided with a portion projecting into the path of the plunger
which is preferably of larger diameter than the portion which drives the tack so
that as the plunger comes down to drive the tack it forces back the spring arm and
withdraws the point and returns again as soon as the plunger is out of its way.. To
reduce friction I employ a friction roller or equivalent in connection with these or
any other parts of the instrument.
As above described the movement of the tack in passing from the tack groove to
the plunger groove is approximately radial with the head as a centre and it will be
appreciated that instead of allowing this movement to be effected by the combined
action of gravity and the stop it may be positively caused by employing what
I may terma a turntable consisting of a plate, jaws or equivalent, turning about a
centre and carrying the tack with it so as to turn it from the plane of the tack
groove into the plane of the plunger groove; this "turn-table" may be operated
by or from the plunger.
Dated this 22nd day of April 1895.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION..
Improvements in Tackers or Hand Nailing Machines.
1, FREDERICK CUTLAN of Castle Hill, Wellingborough in the County of
Northampton, 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 :-
This invention relates to tackers or hand-nailing machines chiefly used in con-
nection with the lasting of boots and shoes, the object of the instrument being to
carry a supply of the tacks or nails and to drive them into the work. as required.
The general arrangement and construction of the instrument may vary without
departing from the spirit of this invention or I may apply this invention to existing
instruments which may be adapted to receive it. However, the general form of
instrument which I prefer to employ and to which the present invention is
particularly applicable is set forth in my prior Patent No. 220 of 1890.
The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings
in which
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a hand nailing machine constructed according to
this invention.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is an elevation of the lower portion of the apparatus showing the side
opposite that represented in Figure 1 and with one of the halves or cheeks removed
and
Figure 4 is a transverse section on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
The tacks or nails A, of which only a few are shown in Figure 3 and one in
Figure 4, are carried in the instrument and propelled forward and driven into the
work by means of a plunger B, the present invention relating to the selecting
portion by which each individual tack is selected or separated from the rest, turned
into the proper direction so. as to be driven point first and forced forward by the
plunger. The tacks A are preferably carried in a groove C C₁ wide enough and
deep enough to hold them and to allow them to freely fall down of their own

page_text: weight towards the point or driving end of the apparatus the groove being
preferably formed by two plates or pieces of metal C joined together so as to form
a T-groove, the cross portion C¹ for the head and the main portion C for the body
or shank of the tack. These tacks lie in a plane at a wide angle to that in which
they have to be driven, and it is therefore necessary to turn each tack round with
its head as the centre so as to get it into the axial line of the plunger before it
is driven; this may be effected in the following manner:-
The T-groove C C₁ which carries the tacks effects a junction with the groove or
channel D in which the plunger reciprocates at a point at a convenient distance
say for example about an inch above the point of the instrument at which the
tacks are discharged and at about the point of junction the T-groove is provided
with a stop or equivalent E projecting sufficiently far to catch the head of the tack
in consequence of which the head is prevented from continuing to move in the same
line, while, the shank or body does continue, the result being that the tack turns
through part of a circle about its head as a centre until it lies approximately
parallel with the axial line of the plunger B when it either is in the plunger-
groove D or is in a position to automatically fall into that groove. The stop E at
the termination of the tack groove CC¹ may be merely a projection formed in the
metal or it may be a separate piece of metal and may be adjustable and if desired
may be interchangeable. The tack having arrived in the plunger groove D can
fall to approximately the bottom of that groove where it is held by one or more
spring nippers or equivalent from which it is released and driven into the work by
the plunger B when pushed forward by the operator.
To prevent any of the tacks, excepting the selected one, in this case the leading
one, from falling into the plunger groove D I provide a point or stop G so arranged
that when the plunger B is retracted by its spring B₁ after a tack has been driven, it
enters the tack groove CC and stops the downward movement of all the tacks
except the selected one, but when the plunger B in its downward movement passes
the end of the tack groove C C¹ this stop or point G is withdrawn, the plunger B
itself then blocking the tack groove and preventing any other of the tacks falling
down until the plunger returns under the influence of its spring to its normal
position, when the point again comes forward. The movement of this point may
be effected in many ways, a convenient one being to secure it preferably adjustably
to the end of a spring arm G' secured to the side of the instrument and provided
with a portion G³ projecting into the path of the plunger B which at its upper
part is preferably of larger diameter than the lower part which drives the tack so
that as the plunger comes down to drive the tack it forces back the spring arm G¹
and withdraws the point G and returns again as soon as the plunger is out of its
way. To reduce friction I may employ an anti-friction roller or equivalent in
connection with these or any other parts of the instrument.
If desired the stop G
may be integral with the spring arm G¹.
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 :-.
1. In a tacker or hand nailing machine the employment of a nail-selecting
device operating substantially as and for the purpose described.
2. In a tacker or band nailing machine the combination with a frame having
connecting grooves such C C¹ D and a plunger reciprocating in one of the grooves
of a stop or point such as G operating substantially as and for the purpose described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
3. In a tacker or hand nailing machine the combination with a frame having
connecting grooves such as C C¹D and a plunger reciprocating in one of the
grooves of a stop or point such as G and spring arm such as G G constructed
and operating substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
4. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete tacker or

page_text: hand nailing machine substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 22nd day of January 1896.
FREDERICK CUTLAN.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.