CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING NAILS OF VARIOUS KINDS
Year: 1814

page_text: DYER'S SPECIFICATION.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
C+
DYER, formerly of Boston; State of Massachusetts,
one of the United States, now of Manchester, and late residing in the
Adelphi, in the. City of Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, Merchant,
send greeting.
C
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the First day of
April, in the fifty-fourth year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the
said Joseph
Dyer, my exors, admors, and assigns, His
especial licence, full power and authority, that I, the said Joseph
.C.
Dyer, my exors, adñiors; and assigns, should and lawfully
might, during the term of years therein mentioned, make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, the Invention communicated to me by a certain Foreigner residing
abroad of: "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING NAILS
OF VARIOUS KINDS;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a
proviso that if I, the said Joseph C Cthe * Dyer, shall
not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner-the-same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing

page_text: under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be enrolled in His Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent,
and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted, shall utterly cease,
determine, and become void, as in and by the same, relation being thereunto
had, may more fully and at large appear.
C.*
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joseph
Dyer, do hereby declare that the nature of the
said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are
particularly described and ascertained as follows, that is to say:-
Whereas an Invention of certain machinery for manufacturing nails from
plates of metal, the sole use of which hath been secured to me by His
Majesty's Letters Patent, bearing date at Westminster, the Fourth day of
March, in the fifty-second year of His reign, and the same was duly specified
and inrolled, and doth, among other things, contain certain constructions of
machinery, as described under the head of No. 1 in the said Specification, and
which is delineated and shewn in Tab. 1, Fig. 1, of the Drawings thereto
annexed, and also a variation of the same machinery, as described under the
Figures 2 and 3, Table 2, of the said Drawings, and the operative parts of
which are further elucidated and shewn in Table 3, Figure 1, therein referred
to; and whereas the said Invention now hereafter described doth consist of a
certain other construction of machinery wherein are employed instruments
of the nature of those described in the Specification above referred to for
cutting, griping, and heading of nails, and the said construction of machinery
herein described doth also contain many parts and properties in common with
the said machinery so secured to me as aforesaid: I do therefore, in the first
place, especially declare that the machinery herein described is considered as
improvements in various respects in and upon the said heretofore described
Invention; and I do hereby refer to the said Specification so inrolled in order
that such parts hereof as form part of the Invention so secured may be clearly
seen and distinguished from the improvement in machinery for manufacturing
nails from plates of metal according to the said Invention now herein specified
(that is to say)-—
In the Drawings hereunto annexed Fig. 1 represents a plan in outline of the
machine; Fig. 2 is an elevation as seen from the side where the nails are
headed; Fig. 3, a section or cut through the center of the main shaft and
connecting rods, as seen from the back end of the machine; Fig. 4 shews a
cut through the treading lever with the fixed cutter, dies, &c., in their places;

page_text: and Fig. 5 is a view of the nature of perspective exhibiting the relative situa-
tion of the several parts with respect to each other as employed in the
formation of the nails, and in all of which Drawings the same letters and
characters denote the same things. A, A, is the main shaft or axis to be
carried round by any first mover, and supported and secured in its place by the
steps and caps in the main frame at a, a. B is a crank which moves the con-
necting arm F and gives motion to the main beam beneath, which it is con-
nected by the joint or center at G. L, L, L, is the main beam or moving
jaw, which is hung to move only on the interior parts Q, Q, in the brasses
or steps secured in the principal framework, as shewn in Figures 1 and 2,
whence the motions of the said beam or jaw will be performed in cir-
cular arcs having the axis through the descending branches in the line Q, Q.
H is the moving cutter held firmly in its place by the adjustable screws, as
seen in the forward end of the jaw or beam, and which, by the action of the
crank B and connecting arm F, is made to rise and descend and to pass close
to the stationary cutter I, upon which the plate of metal is held and urged
forward against the stop or guage i, i.
Fig. 2 and 5.-K is a side stop or guage for regulating the size of the
head of the nail. 0, 0, 0, is an horizontal sliding piece called the main
slider, which serves as the carriage for the moving die R, for griping or holding
the nails, and P is a curved arm or connecting piece made so as to spring or
yield a little to prevent accidents, and which is secured to the back ends of the
beam L, L, and the principal slider O, O, by the strong joints M and N, by which
means the said slider is urged forward in the direction N (signified by the
arrow) whenever the back end of the main beam is forced down by the descent
of the crank B and connecting arm E, and the said slider then brings up the
sliding die R, and the same is afterwards withdrawn by the ascending or return
motion of the crank B, &c., as shewn in Fig. 1 & 3. C is a short arm, crank,
or radius proceeding from the end of the main axis A (outside of the frame),
and by means of the connecting rod S, S, and the joint T, the horizontal lever
U, U, is moved up and down upon its center or pin, as seen in the principal
frame at U, Fig. 1 and 2; and in Fig. 4 is shown a section through the center
of the two branches of the heading lever, which is hung to move upon the bolt
or pin at J. The screw which serves for the heading die, or upon which a
5 separate die may be fixed at W, passes through the upright branch of this
lever at J. 1, and the horizontal arm being connected at J 2 with the afore-
said lever U, U, which crosses it at right angles, the said arm will rise and fall
therewith, and consequently give motion to the upright branch, and cause the
heading die to approach to and recede from the griping dies, to form the heads

page_text: of the nails by a powerful pressure of the heading die against the same. D
and E.are upright levers moveable upon the centres or studs at h and k, and
are moved by means of recesses properly formed in the main shaft, to act as
camms for eccentric wedge faces against their upper extremities; and the said
levers are connected at their lower ends with, and give motion to, the hori-
zontal arms, levers, and sliding pieces as follows; that is, the lever. D is con-
nected with and gives motion to the arm Y, Y, and this last moves the lever Z
on its center or stud Z 1, and which, by its connection at Z 2 with the slider
Y 2, causes this last to slide or move backwards and forward through the cell
or groove in the main slider, where it is fitted to slide independently just
behind the griping die; and the lever E, being, connected with the arm or
slider X by the joint X 1, causes the said slider to move backward and forward
with its opposite end fitted to slide in the groove or cell at X 2, wherein its
motion is regulated by the adjusting screw, as seen at X 3, Fig. 2; and the
upright bearing piece 4 is fixed in. the said slider,..and fitted to move close
against the side of the stationary griping die, and when the sliding-X is thrown
back by the lever E the adjusting screw X3 is set so as to allow the said slider
to move, and bring up the face of the bearer 4 (with its groove for the nail) just
even with that of the stationary griping die, and so as to form a uniform face
with the same, in order that when a nail is cut, and carried down it may be
held in the groove by the spring guage i, i, which (by means of the spring f)
will press against the thick end of the nail and hold it firmly in the said groove
against the face of the said bearing piece 4; and when the cutter rises a little
and leaves the nail the slider Y 2 is urged immediately forward so as to bring its
end at 3 (upon the opposite side of the moving die) to press against the nail or
tack towards the point end thereof, and to hold it firmly against the end of the.
stationary die before the spring guage has risen so as to quit its hold of the
head end, and the moment the guage has to quit its hold of the nail, the
bearing piece 4 is thrown back, whilst the moving die comes up and gripes or
holds the nails to be headed, and the said bearer 4 is thrown back as follows:
namely, n represents an arm or cross piece which is fixed into the slider at X2,
and is made with an inclined or wedge-shaped face, against which the end, of
the screw (in the heading lever) acts so as to force back the said slider and
carry the said bearer out of the way when the die W.advances to head the
nails, and the spring m serves to press endwise against the arm n, and
thereby keep the bearer 4. hard against the stationary die, in order that when
the said bearer is again drawn forward to receive the next nail in succession,.
its face will be brought in contact with the headed nail in the dies, and scrape
or face the same out. d is the stationary griping die, as seen bedded in its

page_text: place, and fitted and secured against the bearing piece d 2. This piece may be
varied in width to admit dies of different thicknesses, according to the length
of hold required in griping the nails; and the upper surfaces of the said die
and bearing piece are shaped to form a bed for the cutter I to rest on, as seen
in Fig. 4; and the said stationary griping die d, bearing piece d 2, and cutter I,
and bearer 4, when in their places, must have their advanced faces in an
uniform surface, corresponding with the curved line shewn at e, d.
Figure 2.-p is a screw with a large strong head, which clasps the griping
die R, and holds it in its place as bedded in the main slides; and and r, r, are
keys which set forward and support the same. g is anadjustable piece, against
which the spring guage is stopped when the plate is pressed against it in the
act of feeding, and which determines the sizes of the pieces to be cut off from
the end of the plate to form the nails. e shews the edge of the stationary
cutter, where that of the moving cutter passes and cuts of the nail, and when
cut of the nail is forced onwards by the advancing edge of the moving cutter
until it arrives at the groove in the dies, as represented red in the Drawings,
where the nail is headed. B 2 and B 3 represent various sections and views
of the cast-iron bed or table, which with the upright side supports A-2, A 2,
and the die and cutter holders at C 2 and C 3, form the principal frame work
or supports of the machine, and which should be all cast together, and may be
placed with the machine on any solid base of proper height, and having a
hole or space underneath to admit the nails to fall down into any receiver.
D 2 is a strong piece of cast iron key'd down on the table, and, being faced
near the top with brass, serves as a slide bearer for the forward end of the
main slider to rest against for resisting the pressure in heading the nails; and
D 3 is an opposite side bearer which is fitted with adjusting screws, and
serves also to keep the said slider down in its place on the bed or table (see
Figure 3); and D 4 is a bridge which serves to hold down and steady the back
or tail end of said slider. The main beam is hung in its place by passing the
pivot directly through a hole in the side frame, and the opposite pivot Q2
through a boss, secured (in a place cast to receive it) in the other side frame
by the iron bands or pieces, as shewn at E 2 and E 3, Figure 2 and 3. A
section of the fly wheel is seen at F 2, and G 2 shews the pulley which, by
means of a band, puts the machine into operation, and G 3 is the loose pulley
for stopping the same; and the operation or effect of the said machinery is
as follows: (1), the plate of iron or metal being pressed endwise against the
face of the spring guage (Figure 2 and 5), the cutter II descends and cuts of
a thin piece or nail,, which, because the cutting edge declines a little from
making a right angle with the left line of the plate, is tapered to a point at the

page_text: end farthest from W, and the said piece or nail will be prevented from falling
down by the spring action of the guage i, i, upon the thick or head end of the
nail, which is thereby kept hard against the face of the cutter I, over which
it is polished by the cutter H, and as the bearing face 4 is situated against the
die d, just under the head of the cutter I, with its face opposite the head end
of the nail (which projects out beyond the griping dies, so as to leave metal
to form the head), and opposite the face of the spring guage, and the said
bearer 4, having its face previously brought up even with that of the die d,
the nail will be carried down (as the cutter II continues to descend) over the
faces of the die d and bearer 4, and the spring guage will hold the head end
of the nail against the said bearer after it leaves the face of the cutter I, and
thereby prevent it from falling until it arrives at the groove in the die d,
shewn red in the Drawings. (2), the crank B, having now reached its greatest
elevation, begins to reverse the motion of the beam and causes the cutter H to
ascend, and leave the nail in the groove of the die, and the moment it has so
left it, the slide Y 2 (by means of the levers D, &c., as before described) is
immediately thrown forward so as to bring its advanced end at 3 against the
nail towards the point, and which it holds firmly in its place against the die d,
whilst the spring guage ascending with the cutter quits its hold of the head
end. (3), the ascent of the cutter is accompanied with a descent of the back
end of the beam, which, by the connecting joints M and N, causes the slider
O, O, to advance, and bring forward the griping die R, which takes hold of
the nail and secures it firmly in the groove against the die d, in its place to be
headed, the slider Y 2 is then moved back and quits the nail. (4), the
arm C, by the connecting rod S, S, the horizontal lever U, U, and the
heading leaver J 1, 2, & 3, causes the heading die W to come forward and
press the thick end of the nail into the shape of an head, and the shape of the
said head may be flat or otherwise varied according to the figure which may
be made in the face of the heading die; and in bringing up the said die to
head the nail, the heading, lever also brings forward the cross screw or
arm, which coming in contact with the wedge-piece or arm n, proceeding
from the slider x, forces back the said slider, and carries the bearer 4 out of
the way of the die W, when it approaches the griping dies to head the nails.
(5), the attendant reverses the plate so as to bring the other side up, in order
that the slope of the cut may point the next nail; and H beginning again to
descend, the actions at C and M, N, become contrary in direction, and the
griping and heading dies are withdrawn. (6), the nail, being finished
and at liberty, would in most cases fall down, but it may possibly stick
against the groove in the stationary die; but the bearing-piece 4 being

page_text: immediately restored to its place for receiving and holding the next nail,
comes in contact with the head of the finished nail, and scrapes or forces
it out of the die, and thereby disengages and allows it to fall down. (7),
the repetition of the said several and successive operations produce a second
nail, and in like manner any required numbers may be made.
The Drawings hereto annexed are upon a scale for a machine of a suitable
size to make small nails or tacks of about half an inch long; but the same
may be varied, as to size and strength, so as to make and manufacture nails
with the said machinery of any given or required size, but which may be left
to the judgment of any competent workmen in building the said machine.
It may, however, be observed, that this improved construction of nail machinery
is more particularly calculated for making tacks or small nails.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph
C *
Dyer,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of
September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and fourteen.