AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING NAILS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING NAILS."
_ A communication.
Sealed the 10th September 1858, and dated the 28th June 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th June 1858.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING
NAILS," to be as follows:-
This Invention may be said to relate to that class of nail machines in which
a rotary disc cutter and vibrating anvil are used.
I am aware that a rotating disc cutter and vibrating anvil have long been
known in nail machinery, but from many defects in their construction and
operation they have not been generally introduced; these defects it is pro-
posed to obviate by means of the present improvements. The improved
machine, by a simple change of cutters, is capable of making nails of different
sizes and forms, inasmuch as it is not necessary to use a heading apparatus,
and a nail having a head on all four of its sides can be made therein, which
so far as I know or can learn has never heretofore been accomplished.

page_text: I am aware that nails have been cut by machinery with a head or shoulder
on one of its sides, by means of the improved system and machinery; a nail
that will have a head or shoulder on two, three, or four of its sides may be
cut from a plate, and thus a perfect nail is formed without a heading tool.
This is effected by rolling the nail plate with flanges on both sides or edges,
and forming a groove or grooves in the anvil cutter to receive the flange or
flanges on the nail plates.
Another point of novelty consists of (in combination with a vibrating anvil
or anvil cutter) the placing of the cutting edge of said cutter at or near the
centre of motion of vibration.
By means of moveable rims or adjustable sections on the perimeter of the
rotating cutter wheel, the size of the nail to be cut from the nail plate may be
regulated.
In combination with a rotating cutter wheel and a vibrating anvil, another
novel feature consists in placing the anvil and its cutter at an inclination
downwards as it recedes from the cutting point, so that as the nail plate is fed
up it will lie upon the cutter fairly in order that the rotating cutters may
readily sever the nail therefrom.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 24th December 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William Edward
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said William Edward Newton, 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 MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING NAILS," being a communi-

page_text: cation from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Edward Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
:-
The improved nail making machine which forms the subject of the present
Invention is shewn in several views in the accompanying Drawing, wherein
Fig. 1 shews a side elevation of the machine; Fig. 2, a plan view; Fig. 3, an
end elevation shewing the rolls for rolling the nail plate; Fig. 4 represents in
plan view the anvil block and its cutter, and the dotted lines shew the extent
of oscillation of the anvil block; Fig. 5 shews the cutter in front view; Fig. 6
represents one of the nail plates with the shape of the nails to be cut from it,
indicated in dotted lines; and Fig. 7 is an end view of the same; Fig 8 is a
modification of the mode of feeding up the plates. Similar letters where they
occur in the several Figures denote like parts.
I am aware that a rotating disc cutter and vibrating anvil have long been
known in machinery, but which, from many defects in their construction
and operation, have not been generally introduced. These defects I propose
and believe I have entirely obviated; the machine, by a simple change of
cutters, being capable of making nails of different sizes and forms, inasmuch as
I need not use a heading apparatus, whilst I can cut a nail having a shoulder
at all four of its sides, which, so far as I know or can learn, has never hereto-
fore been accomplished.
The Invention may be said to relate to that class of nail machines in which
a rotary disc cutter and vibrating anvil are used, the special points of novelty
in which, and its product, I shall hereafter explain.
To enable others skilled in the art to make and use this Invention, I will
proceed to describe its construction and operation..
A, represents a substantial frame, on which is hung a shaft B, that is rotated
by any first moving power by belt or gearing. On this shaft is permanently fixed
a disc or wheel C, to which are affixed the cutter stocks or blocks D for holding
the adjustable and removable cutters 1, 2, 3, (there being two sets,) placed at
opposite inclinations to each other on the said disc, for cutting the nail "head

page_text: and point," as it is termed. On opposite sides of the perimeter of the disc or
wheel C there are gauge plates or segments E, E, which are adjustable by
slots and set screws, as seen at a, a. The object of these plates is to gauge
the feed of the nail plate, and consequently the width of the nail to be cut
from it. In a suitable pillow block F on the bed G of the machine is sup-
ported the shank or journal H of an anvil I, so that the anvil may freely
vibrate in its bearings. That side of the anvil block next the disc or wheel C
is cut away, as shewn in Fig. 13; so that the cutting edge 6 of its cutter J
shall have its centre of vibration at or near the vertical line of motion of the
journal or shank of said anvil. The object of so hanging the anvil cutter is
to prevent any wear or looseness in the anvil connections from multiplying its
error, as it will do when connected to and vibrating upon a point in its rear,
or anywhere not immediately underneath the cutting edge, the motion at the
centre of vibration being less than at any other point in its vibration, and all
irregular motions at the centre increasing in an exceeding great ratio from
that point to the circumference. Besides this advantage, I still have the
journal bearing of the anvil far enough from its face to prevent the heat from
affecting its lubrication, and it is also effectually protected from the dropping
scales which would otherwise cut and wear its bearings. These are important
features, because if the anvil does not vibrate on true points, there will be no
uniformity in the shape of the nails. The vibratory motion of the anvil is
obtained by a cam K on the shaft B working within the forks of an oscillating
arm, which is connected by a rod M with an arm N on the journal
anvil. As, therefore, the shaft B rotates, the anvil will be rocked from one
side to the other, so as to present the cutter J at an oblique angle to the edge
of the cutters 1, 2, 3. The anvil and its cutter must also incline downward
as it recedes from the cutting point, so that as the nail plate is fed up, it will
lie upon the cutter fairly, that the rotating cutters may readily sever the nail
therefrom. In the cutter J, which is set in the anvil I, there must be
grooves 5, to receive the flanges on the nail plate, as represented at Figures 6
and 7. If there be two flanges on the lower and upper sides of the plate, as.
shown in said Figures 6 and 7, then there must be two grooves in the cutter J,
but there need not be any grooves to receive the flanges on the upper side of
the nail plate. If there be but one set of flanges, then one groove will answer.
If the flanges on the nail plate only project on one of its sides, there need be
no grooves in the cutter, as the flat side of the plate may come next the cutter;
or, if found desirable, the groove may, in some cases, be in the feed or nail
plate holder. O is the trough through which the nail plate is fed up to the
cutters by a cross head P moving on a rod d and on ways e, e, said cross head
of the

page_text: being forced towards the cutters (and carrying with it the nail plate) by the
uncoiling of the spring f from its drum g, or it may be done by a falling
weight, or other known mechanism for this purpose. h is a bent rod, by
which the cross head or nail plate feeder is drawn back behind the fresh nail
plate, when the previous one is fed up. And to prevent the feeder from
dragging back the plate with it, two springs (o, Fig. 1,) rise up in the bed of
the trough, behind the plate, which prevent it from slipping back, whilst the
feeder may slip back for the next plate. In the cross head P there is a
pivoted arm or lever i, Fig. 1, the point of which catches behind the nail plate,
to force it up. I have represented the rolls for rolling out the nail plates
connected and combined with the nail cutting machinery, and driven from the
shaft B that operates the nail machinery. But I do not confine myself to this
special combination of parts, because the rolling devices shewn in Fig. 3 for
rolling the plates may be used separate from the machine wherein they are to
be cut, or they may be connected or disconnected, as the user prefers. The
rollers R, S, T, U, for forming the nail plate, do not differ from those
ordinarily used for rolling similar forms, except, perhaps, in size, and are well
known to mechanics. Of course, other forms of rolls may be used that will
produce the particular form of plate desired. In cutting nails with the head
projecting beyond all four sides of the shank, there is no loss of material, as
will be seen at Fig. 6, when the cutters are properly adjusted for it, and from
the plate of other forms, the head may project one, two, or three sides only
of the nail. There may be other methods devised besides that above described
for feeding up the nail plates.
One arrangement which I have found to answer is shewn in Fig. 8, wherein
is a roller turning in plummer blocks on the guideways e, and bearing
upon the surface of the nail plate. On the axle of this roller a pulley is
keyed, which receives a slow rotary motion from a pulley m on the cutter
axle B.
I am aware that nails have been cut by machinery with a head or shoulder
on one of their sides. This I do not claim, but what I do claim under the
above in part recited Letters Patent is, cutting a nail from a plate that will
have a head or shoulder on two, three, or four of its sides, and thus form a
perfect nail without a heading tool, substantially as described.
I also claim forming a groove or grooves in the anvil cutter to receive the
flange or flanges on the nail plates, as set forth.
I also claim in combination with a vibrating anvil or anvil cutter, the
placing of the cutting edge of said cutter at or near the centre of motion of
said vibration, in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

page_text: I also claim the rims or adjustable sections E on the perimeter of the
rotating cutter wheel C, for regulating the size of the nail to be cut, as
set forth.
I also claim, in combination with a rotating cutter wheel and a vibrating
anvil, the inclination given to the said anvil and its cutter, for the purpose
herein stated.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-third day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)