IMPROVE MENTS IN NAIL-CUTTING MACHINES. AND MECHANISMS FOR GRINDING THE MOVEABLE, CUTTER AND DIES USED THEREIN
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Bush, of Boston, of the State of Massa-
.chusetts, of the United States of America, for the Invention of "IMPROVE
MENTS IN NAIL-CUTTING MACHINES. AND MECHANISMS FOR GRINDING THE
MOVEABLE, CUTTER AND DIES USED THEREIN."-A communication by George
Burley Wiggin and John Waldron Hoard, residing at Providence, in
the State of Rhode Island, of the said United States.
Sealed the 16th August 1864, and dated the 26th April 1864.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Francis Bush at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Declaration,
on the 26th April 1864, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent Law
Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, BE IT
KNOWN, that I, FRANCIS BUSH, of Boston, of the State of Massachusetts,
of the United States of America, am in possession of an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN NAIL-CUTTING MACHINES AND MECHANISMS FOR GRINDING THE
MOVEABLE CUTTER AND DIES USED THEREIN," (the same having been communi-
cated to me by George Burley Wiggin and John Waldron Hoard, persons resident
at Providence, in the State of Rhode Island, of the said United States, and I
do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, to be fully described in the following Specifi-

page_text: cation, and represented in the accompanying Drawings which make a part
thereof.
The nature of my said Invention or improvements consists as follows:-In
the combination of two heading die levers, two stirrups, and two toggles with
the oscillating cutter bead in the manner herein-after specified.
And the nature of my Invention further consists in so applying the heading
dies, in the form of plungers, that they may be free to turn on their axes,
substantially as and for the purpose herein-after described.
5
And the nature of my Invention further consists in the employment for
drawing back the heading dies of two hooks attached to the heading levers, 1
and arranged to operate as described upon two flanges disposed on the said
dies for the purpose of turning them.
And the nature of my said Invention further consists in the arrangement of
a single pair of nippers to operate in combination with the two sets of holding
dies, substantially as herein-after specified.
And the nature of my Invention further consists in supporting the whole of
the carriage in a carriage composed of a transversely moving slide, and a
standard pivotted to the said slide, substantially as herein-after described.
And the nature of my Invention further consists in opening the tongs by
means of two pins arranged to operate as herein-after set forth.
And the nature of my Invention further consists in so combining certain
guides in combination with the carriage of the feeder ás to permit them to be
raised up high enough to allow the feeder to be turned away from the cutters,
in manner and for the purposes herein-after specified.
And the nature of my Invention further consists in the combination and
arrangement of two grinding wheels with a movable carriage, the same being
for the purpose of grinding the dies which are used in the nail machine for
holding the nail while it is being headed.
And the nature of my Invention further consists in the combination and
arrangement of a grinding wheel with the carriagé for grinding the movable
cutter of the nail machine.
Sheets 1 and 2 of the Drawings herewith presented represent my Invention
or improvements.
Of Sheet 1, Figure 1 is a central longitudinal and vertical section of a nail-
cutting machine containing my improvements thereon; Figure 2 is a transverse
vertical section of the same directly in front of the upper cutter, and of the
heading apparatus; Figure 3 is a plan of the same with the cutters and the
rocking frame, which supports the upper one, removed to expose the parts
below them; Figure 4 is a front view of the feeder with the lower part of its
1
Я

page_text: carriage in section. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in the several Figures of said Sheet 1.
The improvements shown in said Sheet are more especially applicable, in con-
nection with the use of a double set of cutters and heading devices, and of a
feeder, which operates in combination therewith to provide for the cutting of the
nails with a proper degree of taper without turning over the plate, but some of
them are or may be applicable with equal advantage in machines which have
but a single set of cutting and heading apparatus, and which turn over the
plate between the successive cutting operations. The said improvements
relate to the heading apparatus and to the feeder.
To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my Invention I will
proceed to describe its construction and operation. In the said Sheet 1, A is
the horizontal main framing of the machine supported on standards A¹, A¹,
and supporting all the working parts of the machine; B is the bed, in which
are secured the lower fixed cutter C, the fixed jaw D of the nippers, and the
fixed jaws E, E*,.of the two pairs of holding dies, which hold the nails during
the heading. The holding jaws E, E*, and the nipper jaw D are arranged
below the cutter C in the same manner as when a single pair of holding jaws
is used, and secured in the usual manner by set screws a, a, and packing
pieces b, b. The holding jaws E, E*, are arranged on opposite sides of the
nipper jaw. The cutter C is of a greater width than that commonly used, in
order that it may present a cutting edge of a length about equal to double
that of the longest nails to be cut in the machine. F is an oscillating cutter
head carrying the upper or movable cutter C³, and the two guages C, C*.
This head is arranged to oscillate in the usual manner in fixed bearings A³, A².
The cutter C¹ is of the same width as C, and applied in the usual manner.
The guages are of the same kind commonly used singly, and attached in the
usual way to a small rocker G, and they are arranged at equal distances from
the centre of the cutter C¹ on opposite sides thereof. The oscillation of the
cutter head and movement of the cutter C¹ is effected by a crank wrist d ạt
one end of the main shaft H of the machine, the said wrist being connected
by a rod e with an arm F' rigidly attached to the cutter head F. I is a
powerful lever carrying the movable jaws E¹, E*, of the holding dies attached
to a rock shaft I, which works in fixed bearings I³, I³. This lever is operated.
in the usual manner to close the holding jaws for griping the nails during the
heading operation by means of a cam I' on the main shaft H of the machine.
The heading jaws are opened by the weight of the lever when permitted to do
so by the cam. The movable jaw D' of the nippers, by which the nail blanks,
after being cut from the plate and before being griped by the holling dies, is

page_text: formed by the end of a plunger J, which works through the lever I, and
through a fixed guide D³, and it is operated by means of a cam D³ on an
upright shaft K arranged below the horizontal main shaft, and a spiral spring f
the said cam operating to drive the said plunger forward to make the jaw D
turn the nail blank, and the spring, which is coiled around the said plunger,
operating to draw it back again. The shaft K derives motion from the main
shaft through a pair of mitre gears L, M. The one pair of nippers D, D',
being made wide enough, and arranged in the centre of the machine, serve
to operate in combination with both pair of holding dies. N, N*, are the
heading dies made in the form of cylindrical plungers with Banged heads n, n*,
and fitted to work through guides 9, 9*, formed on or secured to opposite sides
of the bed B; 0,0*, are the levers by which the necessary pressure is given to
the said plungers to produce the heading operation. These levers are attached
to rock shafts P, P*, arranged on opposite sides of the bed B in fixed bear-
ings h, h, such arrangement being the same as in the single machines. in
common use, except that only one heading die and lever are used in those
machines, and that the heading die is usually attached rigidly to the lever
instead of being a separate plunger. The levers 0, 0, are fitted with
hardened steel plugs i, i, at the points where they come in contact with
the heading dies. The said levers derive their movement from the oscillating
cutter head F, which carries the upper cutter, being connected with the said
head by means of stirrups j, j*, and single toggle levers k, k*, so as to be operated
substantially in the usual manner. The drawing back of the heading dies is
affected by means of hooks 1, 1, rigidly attached to the levers 0, 0*, and
operating on the inner faces of the flanges n, n*.
By constructing the heading dies in the form of plungers two important
results are obtained, viz., 1st., they are made to operate rectilinearly and so
as to upset the heads evenly, and, 2nd, they are allowed to turn between
the successive heading operations, so that every portion of their faces may be
brought into action, and hence they are made to wear evenly all round
instead of all in one place as when they are rigidly connected with the levers.
The turning of the said dies is effected by the peculiar action of the hooks
1, 1*, upon their flanges n, n*, which is as follows:-The hooks moving in
circles described from the axes of the rock shafts P, P*, have a slight upward
movement in drawing back the dies, and as they are arranged to act on the
flanges n; n*, at the sides of the plungers, they are caused to turn the latter
slightly in their guides g, g*.
The feeder consists of a pair of spring tongs m, m, firmly secured to the
end of a cylindrical rod Q, fitted to slide longitudinally and turn in a carriage

page_text: R, S, and a pair of elastic guidés T, T, also secured to the said carriage. The
carriage is composed of two principal parts, viz., a slide R arranged to slide in
a direction at right angles to the feed movement in fixed guides p, p, secured
to the framing A, A, and a standard S'secured to the said slide by an upright
pivot q, on which it is free to turn. The slide R has prior to each cutting
operation a movement to the right or left in the guides p, p, such movement
being produced to the right and left alternately by means of two cams V, V*,
on a horizontal shaft U, arranged in suitable fixed bearings under the
framing A, the said shaft deriving motion from the upright shaft K. at the
rate of one revolution for every two of the latter shaft and of the main shaft
through two bevel gears K², U. The rod Q carrying the tongs m, m, works
in guides r,, in the standard S, and has a downward inclination towards the
cutters, and the said rod is kept continually pressing forward toward the
cutters by means of a weight u suspended by a cord u¹ which is attached to
the rear end of said rod, and which passes over a pulley u³, turning on an axle
secured in the standard S. The jaws of the tongs m, m, are made narrower
at the back than at their extremities, and by this means they are enabled to
be opened for the reception of the plate by the action of two fixed pins v, v,.
secured within the standard S in such positions on opposite sides of the
rod Qand tongs, as shown in Figures 1 and 3 (of said Sheet 1), that by
drawing back the tongs by hand by means of the lever Q' attached to their
rod Q by the pin w, the said pins are caused to enter between the jaws on
both sides thereof, and by continuing to draw back the rod the tongs aro
caused to be opened by the said pins to liberate the fag end of the plate and
prepare for the reception of a new one. The lever Q' in drawing back the
tongs serves as a mere handle, but it serves also another purpose in which the
function of the lever is developed, viz., that of starting the tongs forward from
the pins v, v, when the plate has been placed within them, which is effected
by pushing the handle of the lever towards the cutters, and so causing its
point to press against the lower guider. The guides T, T, which are elastic
in a lateral direction, are attached to the sides of the standard S in such a
manner as to permit them to press sufficiently against the side edges of the
nail plate, and so steady it in the tongs and cause it to be properly presented
to the cutters, but not sufficiently to interfere with the movement of the plate
between the said guides toward the cutters. The said guides have at their
extremities projecting lips t, t, to lap over the plate and press it down upon
the lower cutter C, 'such pressure being produced very near to the lower end of
the plate, and consequently to where the cutting takes place. Opposite to theso
guides T, T, there are screwed into suitable lugs standing up from the sides

page_text: of the bed B two screws x, x*, one on each side, which serve to regulate the
lateral vibration of the standard S, the tongs, and the guides T, T, 'upon the
pivot q, such vibration serving to present the plate obliquely in opposite
directions alternately to the edges of the cutters to produce the taper of the
nails and to cut the points from opposite edges of the plate alternately. These
oblique positions of the plate are produced by the guides T, T, being
brought into contact with first one and then the other of the screws as the
standard, tongs, and guides are carried back and forth across the machine with
the slide R, the friction between the standard and the slide being sufficient to
enable the latter to carry the former back and forth across the machine
without any movement taking place on the pivot q until the guides come in
contact with the screws a, a, when the continued movement of the standard
with the slide produces a slight turning of the standard S on the said pivot.
The movement of the feeder across the cutter c places the nail platè alter-
nately opposite to each half of the length of the edges of the cutters and in
position to deliver the nails one after the other to one and the other of the
two pairs of holding dies E, E', and E*, E, to have their heads produced by
one and the other of the heading dies N and N* alternately. The movement
of the plate towards the cutter C¹ is produced by the weight u, and regulated
by the gauges c, c, which, as before stated, operate in the usual manner. The
operation of the cutters, the nippers, the holding dies, and the heading dies
are essentially the same as in other cut-nail machines, both holding dies
open and close together and both heading dies move together, but only one
pair of the said dies and one heading die and one half the length of the cutters
operate at a time, because the nail plate is only presented to oue at a time.
In Figure 3 (of said Sheet 1) the header N on the right side of the
machine is represented as in the act of heading a nail blank held by the
dies E*, E*, but the plate has been moved by the feeder across to the
other side of the machine preparatory to the next descent of the cutter C¹ to'
cut off a blank to be taken hold of by the dies E, E¹, and headed by the die 'N
on the left side. The next cutting operation will be on the right side, and so
the operation will proceed until the plate is all cut up, the plate being moved
from one side to the other of the machine, and the nails being produced on
one side and the other alternately. When the plate has been cut up as close to
the tongs as possible the attendant draws back the rod Q and the tongs till
the lever Q¹ comes in contact with the lowest guide r, and the tongs are
opened by the pins v, v, upon which they will remain fast while a new plate
is put in. When the new plate is put in the tongs they are started from the
pins v, v, by means of the lever Q as before described, and so permitted to

page_text: grasp the plate,, which on the machine being set in operation is fed forward
to the cutters as, before described. The taper of the nails may be varied by
giving a greater or less movement to the slide R, and so causing the nail
plate to be presented to the cutters in a more or less oblique direction. To
increase the taper, a greater length of stroke is given to the slide, and vice
versa. The thickness of the heads is regulated by means of the screws,
By screwing back the said screws to permit the plate to move further to the
right and left a greater portion of the blank is caused to be presented beyond
the outer ends of the holding dies to the action of the heading dies, and con-
sequently a thicker head is produced, and by screwing in the said screws an
opposite effect is produced. In order to permit the cutters and dies to be
taken out of the machine for re-grinding or repair without entirely removing
the feeder, the elastic guides T, T, are each attached to the sides of the
standard S by means of two screw bolts y, y¹, of which y passes through a
hole in the guide just large enough to fit it, and the other one y¹ has
provided for it in the guide a slot z, which is open at the top, as shown
in dotted outline in Figure 3. By unscrewing the bolts y, y¹, slightly
the front ends of the guides T, T, are permitted to be raised up high
enough to enable them to be swung aside over either of the screws x, x.
When the guides T, T, are thus swung aside, the cutter and dies can be
removed on the screws or other contrivances which hold them in place being
slackened. In the operation of the machine the rod Q carrying the tongs
being cylindrical is free to turn in its guides r, r, and hence accommodate
itself to any twist or winding of the nail plate, the lower part of which is kept
flat upon the under cutter by the pressure of the tips t, t, of the elastic
guides T, T, which in their operation of guiding the plate and assisting to
carry it across from one side of the machine to the other accommodate them-
selves to any variation in the width of the plate. By cutting and heading
at opposite sides of the machine alternately, the feeder, not being required to
turn the plate over as is done in machines with a single set of cutters and dies,
is made very much simpler than the automatic feeders heretofore used, and a
machine having double cutters and dies can run more than twice as long or
make more than twice as many nails without the sharpening of the cutters as
a machine with a single set, as not only is each cutter subjected to but one
half the amount of work, but each one is capable of doing more, as the
repetition of its use not being as quick it does not get so hot.
The next part of my Invention, which I shall now describe, is the mechanism'
for grinding the dies used for grasping the nail while it is being headed in
the said machine, 'such mechanism being shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4;
:

page_text: (Sheet 2), of which Figure 1 is a front view of the said mechanism; Figure 2
shows the position of the dies with reference to each other when adjusted in
the nail machine; Figures 3 and 4 are portions of the grinding wheels.
a, a, Figure 1, represent a pair of dies used in the said nail machine.
These dies are placed in the machine at the same angle as shown in the
grinding machine, and are also placed on an angle of inclination, as respects
each other, as shown in Figure 2; the face of each die has a groove or score
in it, as shown at b, Figure 1, for the purpose of receiving the nail. After
the nail has been cut from the plate it is griped between dies of the character
shown, placed opposite to each other, and held between them while it is
heated. It is material that the faces as well as the groove should be truly and
accurately ground, and that the dies should stand at an angle with reference
to each other, as otherwise the gripe of the dies would indent the nail blank,
which is wider at the head end than at the point, and injure the appearance
of the nail. In order to effect the result which I have in view I arrange two
upright grinding wheels, A and B, in a frame with suitable bearings, and
communicate motion to each of them by means of a driving belt running
around pulleys on the shaft of the wheels, one of which is shown at C. The
wheel A has a broad face for grinding the faces of the dies, while the wheel B
has a bead around its periphery in form the reverse. of the score to be cut.
In front of the shafts of the wheels, and parallel to a line drawn through their
centres, is placed a pair of guides, one of which is shown at D. The carriage E
is fitted to slide upon these guides and to be controlled by them. The carriage
itself is made in two parts, the upper portion being fitted to slide upon the
lower portion by means of a dovetailed slide and tongue c and d, so that the
upper portion of the carriage can be moved towards or away from the grinding
wheels, and is controlled in this movement by means of a feed screw, the
handle of which is seen at e, and which runs through the dovetail c and works
into a nut fixed in the upper portion of the carriage. The dies are placed, as
shown, upon the platform of the carriage, which is inclined upon the same
angle as that at which the dies will stand when fixed in the nail machine, and
are secured thereto by a clamp f. It is obvious that when motion has been
communicated to the grinding wheels, that if the carriage E is moved from
right to left the faces of the dies will be brought in contact with the grinding
faces of each wheel in succession, and thus the score or groove b, as well as
the faces of the dies, will be accurately ground. In order that the position of
the score may be changed, if desired, a means of adjusting the wheel B is
shown in Figure 1, consisting of a screw g placed at the foot of the shaft, by
means of which the height of the wheel may be adjusted at pleasure.

page_text: The last part of my Invention is the mechanism for grinding the upper or
movable cutter used in the aforesaid nail-making machine for severing the
nail blanks from the sheet of metal, the said mechanism being exhibited in
Figure 5 (of said Sheet 2). It will be observed that the cutters used in the
said nail-making, machine are not plain or straight-edged cutters, but re-
present arcs of circles, the object of making them of such peculiar form being
to remedy an evil incident to such plain-edged cutters, viz., the tendency of
the metal which is to constitute the nail to curve in an opposite direction
from the plate while it is being sheared or cut therefrom. This curvature of
the cutters compensates for such tendency, and completely remedies the defect.
As the movable cutter of a nail machine vibrates in the arc of a circle, and as
its face in its path of travel passes by the edge of the lower cutter, and as
close to it as possible without striking it, it follows that if the edge of the
stationary cutter is ground upon a circle whose radius is fifteen feet, the face
of the movable cutter must be ground upon the same circle. In the said
Figure 5 (Sheet 2) A (shown in red lines) is the cutter placed in the machine,
ready for grinding, at the same angle at which it stands when fixed in the
nail machine; it is secured in the upright.clamp B by means of set screws
a, a, a, or other convenient means. C is an upright wheel, composed of emery.
on vulcanized rubber, or of any other proper material, of about 6 inches. in
diameter and 1 inch in thickness. This wheel is keyed upon an upright
shaft D which runs in suitable bearings attached to the frame of the machine,
and is driven by the pulley E. The clamp B forms a part of the carriage F,
and is connected therewith by means of the dovetailed slide and tongue b, b',
and can be moved toward or away from the grinding wheel by means of a feed
screw, the handle of which is shown at c, and works in a fixed nut in the
lower portion of the carriage F. The carriage F is mounted upon a pair of
guides G, G, which are of the curvature of a true circle described with a
radius which, when produced to the grinding wheel, will be fifteen feet-in
length, or of any other curvature which it is desired to grind the cutter. It
will be apparent that these guides are curved in the opposite direction from.
the guides which would be used to control the carriage attached to a machine
for grinding the stationary cutter, so that when motion is communicated to
the grinding wheel, and the carriage is moved from right to left during the
grinding operation, the face of the cutter will be ground upon a curve the
reverse of the curve upon which the edge of the stationary cutter may have
been ground.
Having thus described my improvements having reference to nail-cutting
machines and mechanism for grinding the dies and the movable cutter used

page_text: in such machines, what I claim is as follows, that is to say, of the mechanism
shown in Sheet 1, I claim the combination of the heading die levers O, 0*,
stirrups j,j*, and toggles k, k*, with the oscillating cutter head F, in the
manner therein shown and described.
2nd, so applying the heading dies N, N*, in the form of plungers that they
may be free to turn on their axes, substantially as and for the purpose herein
specified.
.
3rd, the employment, for drawing back the heading dies N, N°, of hooks
1,1*, attached to the heading levers O, O*, and arranged to operate, substan-
tially as described, upon flanges n, n*, disposed on the said dies for the
purpose of turning them.
-
4th, the arrangement of the single pair of nippers D, D¹, to operate in
combination with the two sets of holding dies, substantially as herein
specified.
5th, supporting the whole of the feeder in a carriage R, S, composed of a
transversely-moving slide R and a standard S pivotted to the said slide,
substantially as herein specified.
6th, the opening of the tongs by means of two pins v, v, arranged to operate
substantially as herein set forth.
7th, so applying the guides T, T, in combination with the carriage of the
feeder as to permit them to be raised up high enough to allow the feeder to
be turned away from the cutters, substantially as and for the purpose herein
specified.
And of the mechanism represented in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 of Sheet 2,
what I claim is,-
The combination and arrangement of the two grinding wheels A and B
with the movable carriage E, substantially as described, for the purposes
specified.
And of the mechanism represented in Figure 5 of said Sheet 2, I claim the
arrangement of the grinding wheel C and the carriage F for grinding the
movable cutter of a nail machine, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Bush, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this 22nd day of March 1864.