IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND POLISHING METALS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Thompson, of Ardwick, in the City of Man-
chester, Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR CUTTING AND POLISHING METALS."
Sealed the 26th July 1867, and dated the 14th February 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Thompson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th February 1867.***
..I, JOHN THOMPSON, of Ardwick, in the City of Manchester, Machinist,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND POLISHING METALS," to be as follows:-
The first part of my Invention consists in an improved combination of
machinery for, cutting the sides of screw nuts and other articles.
. In performing my Invention I make use of a chuck or face plate similar to
that described in the Provisional Specification of Letters Patent applied for
by me on the Eighteenth day of September, One thousand eight bundred and
sixty-six, No. 2392; to this chuck are attached eight or other convenient
number of headstocks, each supporting a spindle driven by a bevel pinion

page_text: on which the nuts or other articles are fixed. The cutting tools, to which
to-and-fro motion is given by eccentrics and connecting rods, or other suitabl
gearing, are mounted on slides above the mandrils. A slow motion is giver
to the headstocks for traversing the nuts under the cutting tools by a worn
and wheel combined with a ratchet wheel and catches, and an intermitten
motion for passing the nuts from one set of cutting tools to the other is giver
by a catch box and other parts, as described in reference to the wheel cutting
engine in the Specification of Letters Patent granted to me in conjunction
with Edward Gerrard Fitton and Frederick Alexander Fitton on the Nineteenth
day of October, One thousand eight hundred and sixty, No. 2552.
The mandrils are turned partly round. in passing from one set of cutting
tools to the other by means of a lever actuated by a crank pin driven from the
intermittent change shaft or otherwise. The nuts. pass from one set of cutting
tools to another in succession, each set of cutting tools finishing the sides on
which they operate, and one revolution of the chuck finishes the six sides of a
set of hexagon nuts, and allows time to take away the finished nuts and replace
them by other nuts to be operated upon.
The second part of my Invention consists in an improved machine for facing
up the heads of bolts, screw nuts, and other articles. When nuts are to be
faced they are screwed on spindles, which are turned round by bevel wheels
or other gearing; above the nuts are a corresponding number of cutting tools,
mounted in a slide, which is moved to and fro by screw or otherwise. When
a set of nuts has been faced a locking instrument is brought into contact with
each nut, as described in the Provisional Specification No. 2392, A.D. 1866,
above referred to, and the spindles are turned round in the contrary direction
to unscrew the nuts.
The third part of my Invention consists in a self-acting machine for polishing
the grooves of the winding-on scrolls used in mules for spinning and for other
articles; this machine consists of a shaft revolving in a headstock; to each
end of this shaft a scroll is fixed, and a slow longitudinal to-and-fro motion is
given to the shaft by a screw and nut; the shaft is turned slowly round at
variable speeds, so as to give an equal surface speed to the scrolls at the
parts where they are acted upon by the polishing bands by means of chains
passing from the driving drums to other scrolls similar to those that are to be
polished.
The polishing bands are pressed against the scrolls by weights acting on
levers, on which the guide pulleys for the bands are mounted. When the
grooves have been once acted upon by the polishing bands the direction of

page_text: gearing into a wheel on a centre spindle; these headstocks support the mandrils
motion of the scrolls is reversed, and the grooves are acted upon a second time.
The reverse motion may be quicker than the first motion by driving the chain
drums by double gearing; I also apply a second polishing band to each scroll
for acting on the edges or flanges of the grooves.
The last part of my Invention is an improvement upon the Patent above
referred to, No. 2552, A.D. 1860, and it consists in an apparatus for polishing
the grooves and circumference of pulleys. One or more polishing bands are
guided over pulleys supported in a swing frame placed above the pulley to be
polished, which is turned slowly round; after the grooves of the pulley are
polished by pressing on the swing frame the lateral position thereof is changed
by rack and pinion or otherwise to bring another polishing band in contact
with the circumference and sides of the pulley to finish the operation; or the
lateral motion may be given to the pulley instead of to the swing frame, as
above described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Thompson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
18th August 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
THOMPSON, of Ardwick, in the City of Manchester, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give aud grant unto me,
the said John Thompson, Her special license that I, the, said John
Thompson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said John Thompson, 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 "IMPROVE-.
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND POLISHING METALS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Thompson, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the

page_text: 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 John Thompson, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement (that is to say):-
The first part of my Invention consists in an improved combination of
machinery for cutting the sides of screw nuts and other articles.
The second part of my Invention consists in an improved machine for
facing up the heads of bolts, screw nuts, and other articles. A modification
of the machine patented by me on the Eighteenth of September, One'
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in which the articles were placed in
á circular chuck or face plate, whereas in my present arrangement they are
placed in a line, which enables me to have a larger number of cutting tools.
The third part of my Invention consists in a self-acting machine for
polishing the grooves of the winding-on scrolls used in mules for spinning and
for other articles.
And the last part of my Invention consists in an apparatus for polishing the
grooves and circumference of pulleys, being an improvement upon the Patent
granted to me in conjunction with Edward Gerrard Fitton and Frederick
Alexander Fitton, on the Nineteenth day of October, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty, Number 2552.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried
into operation I will proceed to describe the three accompanying Sheets of
Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked thereon.
On Sheet 1, Figure 1 is a plan of my improved machine for cutting and
polishing the sides of screw nuts and other articles; Figure 2 is an elevation
of the same; and Figure 3 is a detached view of part of the machine.
•
a is the chuck or face plate similar to that described in the Specification of
Letters Patent granted to me on the Eighteenth day of September, One'
thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, No. 2392. To this chuck are attached
eight or other convenient number of headstocks b, each supporting a spindle c
driven by a bevel pinion gearing into the wheel d¹ on the centre spindle d;
these beadstocks support the mandrils c³, on which the nuts or other articles.
to be operated upon are fixed. One end of the mandril is square or six-sided,"
and fits in a recess in the spindle c, while the other end is countersunk and is'
held by the tail pin c³. I prefer to screw the nuts on the-mandril in two sets:
separated by a hoop or bush in the centre of the length, which hoop or bush

page_text: In
can run in a bearing to stay the mandril. The cutting tools 6, e, are fixed in
the tool holders e'; which can be moved upon and down in the slides & fitting
on the angle brackets f which are fastened to the framing of the machine. A
to-and-fro, motion is given to the slides in the following or any other con-
venient manner. Each angle bracket f is provided with two bearings for the
vertical shaft f¹, to the lower portion of which is keyed a bevel pinion f³
driven by a similar pinion fixed to the pulley f³, which is mounted on a stud
fixed in the angle bracket f. All these pulleys are driven by bands or straps
from the counter or other driving shaft; at the upper end of each shaft f¹ is
fixed a bevel pinion gearing into the wheels h, in the back of each of which is
a crank pin for communicating motion to the slide 3 by the connecting rod h¹.
The requisite slow motion is given to the chuck or face plate a and to the
headstocks 6 for traversing the nuts slowly under the cutting tools in the
following manner :-To the main driving shaft i is fixed the worm gearing
into the wheel j fixed on the shaft j, to which is also fixed the worm,
gearing into the wheel a', which is loose on the boss of the face plate a.
the upper part of the wheel a¹ are studs for the catches k taking into the
ratchet wheel a² which is fast to the boss of the face plate a. The inter-
mittent motion for passing the nuts from one set of cutting tools to the other
is given to the face plate a by the worm 2 fixed on the socket, which is
loose on the shaft i; to the socket is fixed one-half of the catch box
which is brought into gear by means of the escapement wheel as fixed on to the
boss of the face plate a; this escapement wheel acts upon the lever which
raises the vertical rod with inclines . The worm gears into the wheel at
loose on the boss of the face plate a; in the lower face of this wheel are studs
for the catches ke taking into the ratchet wheel a³ fixed to the boss of the face
plate a. Every time the lever 7 is raised is raised by the escapement wheel «³
the halves of the catch box i are brought into gear to give the intermittent
motion to the face plate a, in the manner described in the Specification of former
Letters Patent granted to me in conjunction with Edward Gerrard Fitton and
Frederick Alexander Fitton on the Nineteenth day of October, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty, Number 2552. During the intermittent motion of the
face plate a the teeth of the ratchet wheel a² overrun the catches k, and when
the intermittent motion ceases the catches k acting on the ratchet wheel a
gives the slow motion to the face plate a for the cutting operation. The
mandrills are turned partly round in passing from one set of cutting tools to
the other by means of the lever m, shewn best in Figure 3, which is actuated
in the following manner :-To a prolongation of the socket is fixed the
i

page_text: pinion to gearing into the wheel m', to which is fixed a crank pin, on this
crank pin is jointed the end of the connecting link m², the lower end of which
is connected to the slotted piece m³, in which is an adjustable stud acting on
the lever m which is held in contact with the stud by a spring. To the
lever m is cast or fixed the bevel toothed segment m* gearing into the wheel d³
fixed to the centre shaft d, on the upper end of which is the bevel wheel d¹
gearing into the pinions c¹, as above described. To the top of the shaft dis
fixed the lever d³, to which is jointed the catch d taking into the ratchet
wheel d³ fixed to the boss of the wheel d³, by this means when the shaft d is
turned partly round by the action of the pinion on the lever m, sufficient
motion is given to the wheel d¹ for turning the mandrils round one-sixth or
other part of a revolution to bring another face of the nuts into position for
being operated upon by the cutting tools.
...
⚫ I wish to observe that instead of using steel cutting tools as shewn in the
Drawing, the machine may be modified so as to employ emery grinders or
other polishing instruments. The nuts pass from one set of cutting tools or
poli-hing instruments to another in succession, each set of cutting tools or
polishing instruments finishing the sides on which they operate, and one
revolution of the face plate or chuck finishes the six sides of a set of hexagon
nuts, and allows time to take away the finished nuts and replace them by
other nuts to be operated upon.
On Sheet 2, Figure 4 is an elevation of my improved machine for facing
up the heads of bolts, screw nuts, and other articles; Figure 5 is a detached
view of part of the same. In Figure 4 one-half of the machine is arranged
for facing up nuts, and the other half for bolt heads. The spindles n to which
the articles to be faced up are fixed are supported in the footsteps n², and in
the conical bearings n³, all of which are secured to the main framing; above
the spindles'n are the cutting tools o fixed in ordinary adjustable tool holders o¹
connected 'to the slides o"; the spindles n are driven by screw wheels n³ gearing
into similar wheels on the shafts p; both the shafts p are driven from the
cross shaft q in the following manner: To each end of the shaft q is fixed a
bevel wheel g¹ gearing into the wheels on the vertical shafts r; near the
upper ends of the shafts are the bevel wheels 7 loose on the shafts, but
connected thereto alternately when required by the sliding catch boxes; the
wheels' 7-8 gear. into the bevel wheels p¹ fixed on the shafts p; by means of
the catch boxes the spindles may be turned round in contrary directions;
the slides o² are traversed slowly to and fro so as to move the cutters over the
articles to be faced in the following mauner :-To one of the shafts r is fixed

page_text: a bevel wheel gearing into the wheels fixed on a side shaft s', to which is
fixed the worms, see Figure 5, gearing into the wheel s³, on the face of which
is an eccentric groove; in this groove is a bowl projecting from the lever s
which is connected by the link to the vertical rack so gearing into the wheel o³
fixed to the screw of passing through nuts in the slides o*; by this means the
requisite traverse motion is given to the cutting tools o. When a set of nuts
has been faced the motion of the spindles is reversed by the attendant moving
the catch bar, a locking instrument similar to that described in reference to
Figures and 4 of the Specification of former Letters Patent granted to
me on the Eighteenth day of September, One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-six, Number 2392, is then brought into contact with each nut to unscrew
them off the spindles; the motion of the spindles is then--again reversed,
fresh nuts are screwed on, and the operations are repeated as before described.
In facing up rounded bolt heads the cutting tools, must be guided by templates.
⚫ On Sheet 3, Figure 6 represents a front view, and Figure 7 a side view
of a machine for polishing the grooves of the winding-on scrolls of mules for
spinning and other articles. This machine consists of the shaft t, revolving in
the double headstock t', to each end of this shaft one of the scrolls to be
polished is fixed, and a slow longitudinal to-and-fro motion is given to the
shaft t by a screw on the shaft taking into the nut t* let into the headstock ;
the shaft t is turned slowly round at variable speeds so as to give an equal
surface speed to the scrolls at the parts where they are acted upon by the
polishing bands; by means of the chains u passing from the driving drums u¹
to the scrolls u³, which are similar to those fixed on the shaft t that are to
be polished, the drums u¹ are loose on the shaft ³, but connected to it when
required by the sliding catch box u; the scrolls u³ are both fixed to the shaft u
which drives the shaft t through the intermediate wheel u; the polishing
bands are pressed against the scrolls by weights v₁ acting on the levers v³,
on which the guide pulleys for the bands v are mounted, a rapid motion is
given to the polishing bands v by pulleys on the countershaft v, to which is
fixed a pulley for driving the shaft u³ in the following manner-The strap
from the pulley vs drives the pulleys w and w', the pulley w gives a slow
motion to the shaft by the pinion w gearing into the wheel w³; to this
wheel is fixed the bevel pinion w* gearing into the wheel a on the side shaft a¹,
to which is fixed a worm gearing into the wheel u fixed on the shaft u³; a
quicker motion is given to this shaft by the pulley w¹, and the wheel w³, and
pinion w. When the grooves have been once acted upon by the polishing bands
the direction of motion of the scrolls on the shaft is reversed by the attendant

page_text: moving the catch box ut, and the grooves are or may be then acted upon a
second time.
"
Figures 8 and 9 are two elevations of my improved apparatus for polishing
the grooves, circumference, and face of pulleys, being an improvement upon
.the Patent granted to me in conjunction with Edward Gerrard Fitton and
Frederick Alexander Fitton, on the Nineteenth day of October, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty, Number 2552. One or more polishing bands y are
guided over the pulleys y¹ and y³, the former being mounted on the fulcrum
shaft ys, and the latter supported in the swing frame which is placed above
the pulley to be: polished, marked A, this pulley is fixed on the horizontal
shaft which is turned slowly round by the upright shaft, and wheels and
driving pulley,shewn in the Drawing, or in any other convenient manner;
after the grooves of the pulley are polished by the attendant pressing on the
swing frame the lateral position thereof is changed by the rack and
pinion actuated by the hand wheel 25, or otherwise, to bring another
polishing band passing over the pulley y' in contact with the circumference
of the pulley to polish it. In polishing the sides the edge of the polishing band
is employed, or the lateral motion may be given to the pulley instead of to the
swing frame as above described. When the face of the pulley is to be polished
the pulley is fixed to the upper end of the shaft 2³, as shewn at B, the flat
polishing band passing around the pulley y' is then traversed by the rack and
pinion to and fro over the face of the pulley B.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, I declare that I claim,-
First, the general combination and arrangement of the parts of the
machine for cutting and polishing metals, as shewn and described in reference
to Sheet 1.
"
Secondly, the machinery described in reference to Sheet 1 for imparting at
variable speeds motion to the chuck or face plate of machines used in cutting
and polishing metals.
Thirdly, the machinery described in reference to Sheet 1 for turning the
articles under operation partly round in passing from one set of cutting or
polishing tools to the other.
Fourthly, the machine described in reference to Sheet 2 for facing up the
heads of bolts, screws, nuts, and other articles.
Fifthly, the self-acting machinery described in reference to Figures 6 and 7
of Sheet 3 for polishing by means of polishing bands the grooves of scrolls
used in mules.for spinning and other articles.

page_text: Sixthly, the application of polishing bands for polishing the grooves of
scrolls.
And lastly, the improved machinery shewn in Figures 8 and 9 of Sheet 3
for polishing the grooves, circumference, and face of wheels and pulleys, by one
or more polishing bands passing around pulleys in a swing frame.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Thompson, have hereto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of August, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-seven.
JOHN THOMPSON. (L.S.)