IMPROVEMENTS IN SPEED CHANGING MECHANISM
Year: 1885

page_text: I, BENJAMIN B. POWELL, of Petoskey, in the County of Emmet, and State of
Michigan, in the United States of America, Inventor, do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN SPEED CHANGING MECHANISM and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
This invention contemplates improvements in Speed Changing Mechanism,
having for their object to promote cheapness, simplicity, effectiveness, durability
and compactness, and to secure greater convenience in the adjustment or manipu-
lation of the machine in effecting the change of speed and to move said mechanism
to or away from the lathe-screw or driven shaft, in substituting or exchanging a
pinion or wheel of one size for that of another size according to the rate of speed
required.
A further object is to allow the pinions upon the side of the disk or blind wheel
to be put into gear with a wheel or gearing upon the opposite side of said disk or
blind wheel, and still further objects are to provide an extended bearing surface
for the driving shaft and the disk or blind wheel, and to support or dispose the
driving shaft contiguously to the point of application of the driving power of said
mechanism; to insure certainty of engagement of the speed transmitting wheels or
pinions with those upon the side of the disk or blind wheel; and to effect the
suspension of the mechanism independently of the lathe.
The invention consists therefore of the sundry combinations of parts and their
construction, substantially as hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.
In the accompanying drawings :–
Figures 1 and 2 are opposite side elevations of my improved speed changing
mechanism; Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section thereof, on the line y-y,
Figure 1 and Figure 4 is a horizontal section, on the line 2-2, Figure 1.
In the embodiment of these my improvements, I employ, a disk or blind wheel A,
which is reduced diametrically at certain points, being cut away or having a
segment of its surface removed as at a, whereby the pinions or gearing (hereinafter
described) are enabled to be disposed much nearer, than formerly, to the plane of
its centre or in much less compass or space-more compactly. Furthermore this
disk is cast or formed with a central hub or sleeve b, whose bore is in alignment
with an aperture in said disk or wheel, and through which aperture and sleeve or
hub passes the centre pin or axis d and upon which hub or sleeve is mounted the
spur wheel B, instead of upon said pin, as heretofore. Also disposed upon a pin or
stud projecting from the disk at one side of the pin d, is the eccentric, toothed

page_text: wheel D, being suitably secured thereon as clearly shown in the vertical sectional
view, the function of which wheel will appear further on. The hub or sleeve d,
while adding solidity and strength to the disk, provides an extended bearing for
said disk upon the centre pin or axis d and forms, itself, an axis for the spur
wheel B, whereby the wear is distributed and the said parts freed from oscillation
making the same reliable and certain in action. The outer (or one) end of the said
pin d, is supported, in the lower end of a separate bracket or arm E (instead of in
the lathe head) thus supporting or suspending the entire mechanism or contrivance
independently of the lathe, while the said arm or bracket, itself, may be connected
or supported directly thereon or from other convenient point or support according
to the service to which the said mechanism may be appropriated. This independent
arm or bracket E in addition to having holes in its upper end, as it has, to receive
bolts or other suitable fastenings to secure it in a substantial upright position, is
also provided at said end, upon its inner side, with a box or sleeve e, cast with, or
otherwise rigidly connected to, said arm, and whose bore is in a coincident plane
with an aperture in said arm or bracket, through which aperture and sleeve or
boxing passes the driving shaft f, the latter being thus provided with an extended
bearing to render it stable or steady in its action. This arm or bracket will also
(forming in itself a pivot or fulcrum for the central pin) permit of moving or
swinging the mechanism away from the driven shaft or lathe screw, or rather from
the pinion of the latter to exchange said pinion or wheel for one of a different size
or diameter as may be required in securing the speed desired, after which the said
mechanism can, by slowly relaxing the pressure thereon exerted to move or swing
it away from said shaft, be returned to its normal position, bringing its coincident
pinion into engagement with the pinion of said shaft again ready for action. The
shaft sleeve or boxing e has affixed or connected to it (it may be) by holding
screws, an arm or support g, which overhangs the periphery of the wheel A and
supports the spring bolt F, which is adapted to engage or enter the opposite one of
a number of notches h in said periphery of disk and thus effect the holding, firmly
or steadily, of the contrivance or mechanism either when in use or when the same
is moved or swung away from the driven shaft as above recited. To permit the
passage through it, the arm or support g is, of course, provided with an aperture,
while cast or formed with said support, around the upper edge of said opening, is a
shouldered sleeve or open-top cap i which contains the spring acting upon the
bolt F and through which cap also the bolt passes. Upon the inner end of the
driving shaft f, which, is, by reason of its aforesaid arrangement, brought into
the closest possible contiguity with the differential pinions (presently described) is
secured a pinion j, which is thereby permitted to bo made of the smallest possible
diameter whereby great compactness in disposition and reduction in size of the
parts are obtained.
The disk or blind wheel A, is provided with short fixed studs or axes k at one
side, upon which axes are supported the differential pinions G, G', the same being
of sundry sizes or diameters--one set of which pinions G¹, is adapted to gear with
the eccentric wheel D, while the other set G, as the blind-wheel or disk A, is
turned, is adapted to successively gear with the driving pinion j, to produce the
desired change of speed, as will be explained further on.
H is a lever which is pivoted upon the central hub or sleeve b and reaches out
and projects beyond the periphery or edge of the disk or blind wheel A, said lever
having a lateral arm extending past the reduced peripheral edge of said disk. This
arm has, upon its inner surface, a groove or recess to receive the said edge of the
disk or wheel A, to prevent the lateral displacement or shifting of the lever with
its pinions, presently described. This lever-arm carries two transmitting pinions
or wheels I, I, supported upon a short shaft bearing in the said arm, one of which
pinions (1) gears, as the arm or lever is turned, successively with any one of the
set G2, of a second series of differential pinions, while the other pinion I¹ is adapted
to continuously gear with the spur wheel B, upon the opposite side of the device.
The series of differential pinions G2, G3, are also supported upon fixed studs or axes

page_text: upon and at one side of the disk or blind wheel and the other set G³, gears with
the eccentric wheel D. J is a spring-bolt passing through the lever arm and an
open-ended cap or sleeve m cast or formed upon said arm, around the upper edge
of the opening therein through which said bolt passes, said bolt being projected
and held in the coincident one of a number of notches in the reduced peripheral
edge of the disk or blind wheel A, by the action of a spring o enclosed within said
cap or sleeve m, to permit of the adjustment and retention of said lever with its
pinions in gear with any one of the pinions of the differential gearing G.
Supported in a projection or extension of the blind wheel or disk A, at its lower,
front edge, is a short shaft K carrying two pinions p, p, of different diameters, one
of which pinions p is adapted to gear with one of the series of pinions G, of
different diameters while the other pinion which is arranged upon that end of the
shaft projecting beyond the opposite side of the disk or blind wheel A, is adapted,
by moving into engagement therewith the pinion I of the lever H, to be put into
gear with the wheel B, whereby, it is obvious, that additional combinations of
pinions, involving still other rates of speed can be had that could not be obtained
with the pinions or wheels arranged only upon one side of the disk or blind wheel,
because of the lack of space upon one side of the said wheel to accomodate to such.
In operation, it will be seen that motion is communicated or transmitted by that
one of the series of wheels or pinions G which has been put into gear with the
driving pinion j, whose shaft f being, or answering to, the lathe-spindle is thus
put in motion by the action of the lathe, said shaft having a fixed number of
revolutions. The motion thus secured through the aforesaid pinions is communi-
cated to the eccentric wheel D, through the pinions G¹, fixed to the rear wheels or
pinions G, and is thence transferred from the wheel D, through the pinions G²
and G³ in gear with said wheel D and the lever pinion I to the lever pinion 1¹ and
from the latter to the spur wheel B, from whence it is transmitted to the driven
pinion of the lathe-screw (not shown) which pinion gears with the wheel B at one
side of a plane with which the latter is engaged by the pinion 1. The speed of
said screw or shaft relatively to that of the shaft f will depend upon the particular
pinions of the series of differential pinions G G¹ put into gear with the pinion j and
eccentric wheel D by the shifting of the blind wheel A through the lever H and
the spring-bolt J, and upon the particular pinions of the series G² and G³ put by
the movement of the lever H in gear with the eccentric wheel D and pinion I.
The lever H is so adapted that when thrown up or adjusted it will put said wheel
and its pinions in gear, after which said lever is locked in position by the action of
the spring-bolt J. Thus the lever is adapted to adjust or turn the blind wheel or
disk to set any one pair of the series of pinions G, G in working gear or position.
I have extended one of the spindles of the pinions as at q to be grasped when it is
inconvenient to reach the lever H, to turn the disk or blind wheel. The pinion 1',
as before intimated, is always in gear with the spur wheel B, and when set in
motion by the engagement of the pinion I with any one of the pinions G² of one
set of the series of pinions G2 G³ motion is transmitted as required to the screw
spindle or shaft with the requisite speed relatively to the said spindle or shaft, the
particular pinions of the series of differential gear G G necessary to produce a
given velocity to the screw or shaft having been adjusted by the turning of the
blind wheel or disk A to engage with the pinion j and wheel D, as hereinbefore
described.
The spur wheel B may have either a straight faced or beveled periphery,
the latter, or beveled surfaced periphery, enabling it to gear with a right angularly
disposed shaft.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, declare what
I claim is
1. In a speed changing mechanism, the blind wheel or disk, together with
actuating mechanism, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

page_text: 2. In a speed changing mechanism, the disk or blind wheel supporting arm
bracket provided with a support having a spring retaining-bolt to engage and
hold the said disk, the latter being notched to receive the lower end of said
bolt, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
3. In a speed changing mechanism, the blind wheel or disk having a segment of
its surface removed along its periphery, substantially as shown and for the purpose
described.
4. In a speed changing mechanism, the disk or blind wheel having a notch along
or in its periphery, in combination with the shifting or adjusting lever with its
pinions engaging or gearing pinions of said disk, substantially as shown and for
the purpose described.
5. In a speed changing mechanism, the shifting or adjusting lever having a
lateral extension or arm provided upon its surface with a groove or recess to
receive the edge of periphery of the disk or blind wheel, substantially as and for
the purpose set forth.
6. In a speed changing mechanism, the combination with the blind wheel or
disk, of the shifting or adjusting lever having a lateral extension or arm provided
with a spring catch or bolt with its inner end bearing on notches in the periphery
of said disk or wheel, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.
7. In a speed changing mechanism, the bracket or arm E having the central pin
or axis d, in combination with the blind disk or wheel A, having a sleeve or hub
through which said pin passes and the spur wheel B mounted loosely upon said
disk sleeve or hub, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.
8. In a speed changing mechanism, the disk or blind wheel having fixed pro-
jecting studs or spindles carrying gearing, substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
9. In a speed changing mechanism, the disk or blind wheel having a hub
projecting therefrom and itself serving as a support or axis, substantially as
described and for the purpose set forth.
10. In a speed changing mechanism, the disk or blind wheel having at or near
its edge an arm or projection supporting a spindle bearing pinions, disposed upon
each end of said spindle, one of said pinions gearing with a pinion of said disk and
the other pinion adapted to engage with a pinion or wheel upon the opposite side
of the disk, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.
11. In a speed changing mechanism, disk or blind wheel supporting arm or
bracket having a tubular bearing or boxing to receive and provide an extended
bearing for the driving shaft, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
12. In a speed changing mechanism, the combination with the disk or blind
wheel and its concentrically supporting pin or axis, together with its differential
gearing, of the eccentric wheel disposed alongside of said disk or wheel to expose a
large area of the latter to provide for the disposition thereon of additional gearing,
substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 13th day of December A.D. 1885.