IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR MAKING. TWINES AND CORDAGE
Year: 1885

page_text: I, GEORGE LOOMIS BROWNELL of Worcester in the county of Worcester and
State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR MAKING. TWINES
AND CORDAGE to be as follows:-
My improvements relate to machines for making twine or cordage, in which the
separate strands forming the cord are twisted by "flyers" and are gathered together
and conducted to a revolving "head" by which they are twisted together into a
single cord, the revolving "head" carrying appropriate mechanism for compressing,
stretching and winding or "reeling" the cord.
1. My first improvement relates to the mode of driving the flyer spindles which
are now usually driven by bands. I arrange them vertically around a large central
driving gear each flyer spindle having a pinion meshing into the central driving
gear, and I drive the central gear by attaching to its hub a small beveled pinion to
which power is imparted by a similar beveled pinion, on a short intermediate shaft
at right angles to the axis of the central driving gear, which in turn is driven from
the main driving shaft of the machine. 1 thus secure a positive motion to the
flyer spindles and am able to run the driving parts at a comparatively low rate of
speed, effecting the necessary rapid speed of the flyer spindles by the difference in
diameter of the central driving gear and the beveled pinion attached thereto.
2. My second improvement relates to the flyer spindles themselves which I form
in two sections, the lower section consisting of a short spindle which runs in a
socket or lower bolster and has a collar or spool support attached at its upper end
on which the spcol stands, while the upper section passes through the spool and
carries the "flyer." A short concentric spur on the lower end of the upper section
enters a similar concentric socket in the upper end of the lower section holding the
axes of the two sections coincident and a stud, or spline, suitably arranged between
the two ends thus brought in contact causes the rotary motion imparted to either
section to be conveyed to the other section.
The upper end of the upper section is held in a bearing which permits a vertical
sliding motion, so the upper section of the spindle may be raised and the spool
removed without removing either the flyer or the spool supporting collar.
3. My third improvement relates to the upper bearing of the flyer spindle made
in sections, and consists in cutting away the bearing on one side so it will only
.

page_text: inclose the upper bolster for a little over one half of its circumference and forming
that part of the spindle immediately below the bolster slightly smaller than the
diameter of the "opening" made on one side of the bearing, and I construct the
bolster so it may be raised vertically in its bearing employing a hook, latch, or
suitable device to hold it down while the spindle is in operation allowing the upper
section of the spindle to be raised and be withdrawn entirely for the purpose of
removing or inserting a spool.
4. My fourth improvement refers to a detachable block for "laying" the cord,
consisting of a "block" having grooves as usual for the passage of the several
strands and held in a tube through which the strands are conducted to the block;
but instead of making the block and tube substantially in one piece by driving the
block snugly into the tube, I make it readily detachable from the tube, so it can
be changed as the number of strands are varied without disconnecting the several
strands.
5. My fifth improvement relates to the compressor, and consists in passing the
cord through oval or elliptical openings between bars or jaws to which a pressure
is applied so as to compress the cord immediately subsequent to twisting the
strands together; the oval form permitting each opening to be employed for
several sizes of cord instead of carrying the cord between bars or jaws with round
openings, which requires an opening of the exact size of the cord and consequently
as many openings as there are sizes.
6. My sixth improvement relates to the use of a swivelled guide pulley over
which the cord is conveyed from the compressor to a series of scored stretching
drums or pulleys of varying diameters, said guiding pulley being swivelled similar
to a caster by which the direction of the cord may be changed from one side to the
other of the scored stretching drums or pulleys as a right or left hand twist is to be
given to the cord.
7. My seventh improvement refers to the winding reel, in which I employ
forked arms held in radial sockets attached to the revolving head, each arm not
only being capable of sliding in the radial sockets toward the center so the diameter
of the reel may be decreased, but also allowing each arm to be turned on its own
axis, so the prongs of the outer and forked end of the arm may be brought into a
horizontal plane to allow the skein to be readily removed.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Making Twines and Cordage.
I, GEORGE LOOMIS BROWNELL, of Worcester, in the county of Worcester, and
State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR
MAKING TWINES AND CORDAGE" and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement accompanied by drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine embodying my invention.
Figure 2 is a top view of the flyer spindles and their driving mechanism, the
upper portion of the machine having been removed.
Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of one of the flyer spindles.
Figure 4 is a detached and top view of one of the bearings which carry the
upper ends of the spindles.
Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of the revolving head, showing
the construction of the reeling or winding mechanism, the swivelled guide. pulley
and the detachable laying block.
Figure 6 is a diagram showing the several positions of the guide pulley relative
to the stretching drums.
Figures 7 and 8 are respectively top and side views of the laying block, and
Figure 9, is a top view of the "compressor.".
Like letters of reference indicating similar parts in the several views.
In the machine for making twines or cordage, to which my invention relates,
two or more strands, forming the cord, are taken from spools and each strand
separately twisted by means of a flyer spindle; the strands are then passed
through the grooves of a "laying block" and conducted to a revolving head by
which they are twisted together into a single cord.
The revolving head carries a pair of jaws forming the " compressor," to which
pressure is applied and between whose opposing faces the twisted cord is carried;
a guide pulley over which the cord is carried from the " compressor" to the
stretching drums; a pair of conical drums having grooves to receive the cord and
around which the twisted cord is carried from the smaller to the larger ends of the
drums, by which it is stretched; and a winding reel for winding the twisted cord
into a skein; the action of the winding reel serves to draw the separate strands
from the spools and to move the twisted cord through the mechanism contained
in the revolving head.
That portion of my improvements relating to the mode of driving the flyer
spindles as set forth in my provisional specification as my first improvement I do
not now claim as I am aware that substantially the same method has been in use.
My improvements relate to the flyer spindles which I form in two sections the
lower section consisting of a short spindle which runs in a socket or lower bolster
and has a collar or spool support attached at its upper end on which the spool
stands while the upper section passes through the spool and carries the flyer the
two sections being connected as hereinafter described.
My improvement also relates to the upper bearing of the flyer spindle made
in sections as described and consists in cutting away the bearing at one side so
it will enclose the upper bolster for a little over one half of its circumference

page_text: and forming a groove around the outside of the bolster in which a sliding latch
enters to prevent the bolster from rising.
My improvement also consists in a detachable "laying block" allowing the
number of strands to be readily varied.
That portion of my improvement as set forth in my provisional specification
relating to a compressor" having a series of elliptical openings I do not now
claim as new.
But my improvement further consists in a swivelled guide pulley for conducting
the cord from the "laying block" to the conical stretching drum and also in the
construction of the reel arms and in order that my invention may be fully
understood and put into operation by those conversant with the art of twine
making I will proceed to describe the construction and operation of a machine
embodying my several improvements as illustrated in the accompanying drawings
reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
A, A, denotes the frame of the machine. B, the lower rail carrying the spindles
and their connected operating mechanism. C, the upper rail supporting the
revolving head, which consists of a frame with two compartments, its lower com-
partment D, containing the "compressor " E, the guide pulley M, and the grooved
stretching drums F, F; and its upper compartment D¹, containing the reel or
winding mechanism. The spools G, carrying the individual strands forming the
cord, are held on the spindles C¹, each having a flyer G².
I make these spindles in two sections divided at a; the lower section of the
spindle is held in the socket or step bearing G³, and has a pinion a¹, preferably of
raw hide, and a spool support or collar a².
A central spur a³, on the upper section enters a corresponding socket in the
lower section, and a driving pin a, attached to the lower section and entering a
hole in the upper section, effects the rotation of the flyer.
The upper end of the spindle runs in a bolster G, held in the fork b, and kept
from rising by a sliding latch or bolt 61, whose end enters a groove or neck b³, and
is beld by a spring 3; the opening between the points 64, 6, of the fork, is large
enough to allow the spindle at 65, to pass.
By withdrawing the sliding bolt b¹, by means of the knob 66, the upper section
of the spindle may be raised and removed.
The spindles G¹, are arranged concentrically around and driven by a central
driving gear H2, which is driven by the beveled pinion H, attached to gear H³,
beveled pinion E, on the shaft c, to which motion is imparted by beveled gears c¹,
and 2, on the main shaft c³.
The several strands pass from the spools G, through a fork, or eye, at the end of
the flyers, around the flyer to produce a friction and give tension to the strand
thence through the hollow ends d, of the spindles G₁, and are collected in the
tube I, carrying at its upper end the laying block I, with grooves e, to receive
the strands forming the cord.
The tube I, is held-in the rail C, and the laying block fits in its upper end so it
may be removed when the number of strands are varied. I fasten the laying block
in the tube by means of a pin f, projecting a short distance in the interior of the
tube and entering a longitudinal groove f¹, as the block is placed in the tube, and
when the shoulder f2, rests upon the end of the tube the block is turned the end of
the pin f, entering the transverse groove f³, securely locking the block in the tube.
The transverse groove f³, extends on both sides of the groove f¹, so the block
may be turned to the right or left as a right or left twist is to be given to the
cord, otherwise the strain of the strands upon the side of the grooves e, would
turn the block and release it from the tube.
I do not wish however to confine myself to the specific arrangement described
for locking the block in the tube as the essential feature of my improvement
consists in the detachable block and tube.
The upright post J, with arms J, and J2, supporting the spindles G¹, is attached
at its lower end to the rail B, and at its upper end, by means of the brace J³, to

page_text: the rail C, at the rear of the tube I, allowing the tube to be withdrawn and the
laying block to be exchanged without severing the strands already in the machine,
The central driving gear H2, and its attached beveled pinion H', turn loosely
around the post J.
Upon the tubo I, is a tube 12, driven by the grooved pulley I³, from the
horizontal shaft c, and carrying the pinion I, meshing with the gears 15, 16, on
the spindles carrying the grooved conoidal stretching drums F, and F.
The compressor is shown in Fig. 1 and a detached view in Fig. 9.
It consists of two bars of spring steel g, g, supported on studs attached to the
revolving head and held together by the thumb screws g¹, gl, by which the desired
pressure is given to the cord.
Spaces g², g, with curved sides are formed for the passage of the cord, the sides
being arcs of circles whose diameter equals that of the largest cord to be made, and
the transverse diameter of the spaces when the bars g, g, are brought together,
being equal to the diameter of the smallest cord to be made thereby causing a
single space to fit within certain limits several sizes of cord.
As the cord leaves the compressor it passes over a guide pulley M, changing its
direction on to the grooved stretching drums F, F. In my present improvement,
I hang the pulley M, by a bolt h, forming a swivel, the bolt h, being coincident
with the center of the laying block, and the frame h', extending laterally so the
inner edge of the guide. pulley will be brought in position to receive the cord
direct from the laying block and "compressor."
This guide pulley has heretofore been attached rigidly, but the use of a swivelled
guide pulley will allow the cord to be conducted to either side of either one of the
drums F, F, or carried in the direction of the broken lines 1, 2, 3, or 4, Fig. 6
which is of great advantage when the direction of the twist is changed from right
to left or vice versa, as in such cases the rotation of the entire head and its
operating parts is reversed.
The cord is carried from the stretching drums over guiding pulleys i, i, to the
winding reel in the upper compartment D¹.
.
The reel is driven by pinions N, N', on the spindles of the stretching drums
meshing with gears N2, on the drums N³, attached to the stud j, which is journaled
in the frame and provided at its upper end with a screw thread j', and nuts
Upon the drum N³,. is a circular plate O, with an interposed friction washer O',
upon which the plate O, is held by the nuts, with sufficient pressure to effect the
winding of the cord upon the reel. The reel arms K, are held in the radial
sockets K', in which they slide so the diameter of the reel may be increased
or decreased; the arms being held from sliding when the machine is in operation
by the nuts K, resting against the outer ends of the sockets K¹.
The pin K³, extending from the reel arm K, and entering a slot K+, prevents the
arm from turning in the sockets and maintains the forked ends K5, of the arms in
a vertical position. When it is desired to remove the coil of cord or twine from the
reel the nuts K2, are screwed outward allowing the arms K, to slide in until the
pins K³, are released from the slots and allowing the forks K, to be turned to a
horizontal position releasing the coil.
The head consisting of the compartments D, and D', is rotated by means of the
grooved drum P, attached to the head which revolves about the tube 12, and a
pivot held in bearings l, at the top of the frame.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and the manner in which the same is or may be performed I desire it
to be understood that I do not claim as of my invention all the detailed parte as
set forth and described in the accompanying drawings but what I do consider novel
and of my invention is
1. The flyer spindle G, made in two sections as described when the lower section
of said spindle carries a spool support a², attached to and revolving with the lower

page_text: section and the upper section having a flyer attached thereto as shown and
described.
2. The forked holder b, holding a bolster G*, having a groove 62, a sliding bolt b¹,
entering the groove b³, and actuating spring b³, all combined and operating as
shown and described.
3. The combination with tube I, of a detachable laying block I', as shown and
described.
4. The combination with laying block and stretching drums substantially as
described of a swivelled guide pulley M, between the laying block and stretching
drums as shown and described.
5. The construction of the winding reel having radial sockets K¹, with slots K',
screw threaded arms K, having pins K³, entering the sockets K, and retaining
nuts K, as shown and described.