IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING NAILS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING NAILS." A communi-
cation from abroad by Isaac Briggs, of Middleborough, Massachusetts, United
States of America, Mechanic.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th September 1877.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANU-
FACTURING NAILS." [A communication from abroad by Isaac Briggs, of Middle-
borough, Massachusetts, United States of America, Mechanic.]
This Invention relates to that class of nail-making machines which are provided
with means for feeding the plate or rod to the cutters automatically, and consists in
a novel construction and arrangement of the parts, as herein-after more fully set
forth, by which a simpler, cheaper, and more effective device of this character may
be produced than is now in ordinary use.
In practising the said Invention I construct the machine with a main bed and a
bracket or auxiliary bed on which the principal working parts of the feed mechanism
are mounted.
Projecting upwardly from the main bed are two standards carrying a horizontal
shaft provided with a wheel. On the said shaft is a switch cam, and immediately
below this shaft, and in parallelism therewith, is a rocker shaft provided with a
lever. Pivotted to the aforesaid bracket is a plate or vibratory bed provided with a
vertically arranged headstock.
A lever is pivoted to the said plate, and is connected by the rod to a lever which
is pivoted to the standard, and carries at the end opposite the said rod a short bar
or cam shoe which is grooved on its upper side to receive the thread or screw of the cam.
This bar has a downwardly projecting stud which is fitted to work in a hole in the
end of the aforesaid lever which carries the bar or cam shoę.

page_text: Attached to the rear end of the aforesaid plate is a U shaped plate opening
upwardly, and carrying shafts which are arranged to slide horizontally in their
bearings. A pair of levers are arranged vertically on a shaft, being arranged to form
a shear, having the shaft as a common fulcrum.
A plate secured in a horizontal position to one of the shafts is provided with
diagonal twin slots, which converge near that side of the plate farthest from the plate
that carries the U shaped plate.
There are levers whose lower or long arms are fitted to work in said slots in such
a manner that when the said shaft and its horizontal plate are moved back and forth
horizontally the short or upper arms of the said levers will be opened or closed to
grasp or release the nail plate holder.
The horizontal plate is kept in its horizontal position by a downwardly projecting
stud which works in an elongated slot in the lower part of the U shaped plate or
bar, and is actuated by means of the rod connecting the shaft with the lower end of
the lever.
A barrel is fitted to be partially rotated in a headstock, the said barrel being
provided with an adjustable mouth-piece formed in two parts, the sections being
hinged, and each section being provided with an adjusting screw, and constructed to
hold the nail plate with a yielding pressure.
A cord is wrapped partially around the said barrel and secured thereto, one of its
ends being secured to the outer edge of another plate. A corresponding cord is
wrapped partially around the barrel in an opposite direction, and secured to the
opposite side of the said plate.
The formation of the switch can is as follows:-The threads are arranged in such
a manner as to be widely separated at one point, and to converge on the opposite side
of the shaft. These threads do not cross, but spaces are left at suitable positions,
and between the ends of the threads there is a lozenge-shaped stud.
The said spaces permit a grooved bar to cross from one thread to the other of the
cam as the said shaft revolves, a stud serving to ensure the passage of the bar across
the spaces in a proper direction.
Projecting downwardly from the bracket there is an arm, to the lower end of
which a toggle lever is pivoted. This lever is jointed to a companion lever
and to a bent rod, which connects with the lever which carries the aforesaid cam
shoe.
The upper end of the said companion lever works in a groove or socket in the
lower side of the plate that carries the U shaped plate; and as the bent rod is moved
back and forth horizontally, the toggle levers act, to alternately raise and depress the
plate to which the cord is attached and the barrel.
A cam tooth projects from one of the aforesaid shafts and acts upon the upper
arm of a lever as the said shaft revolves to force the lower arm of the said lever
against a spring, and thus through the connecting rod to slide the horizontal plate
towards the plate that carries the U shaped plate by which the slot levers are caused
to grasp the nail plate holder, the said spring forcing the said horizontal plate
in the opposite direction, and releasing the rod as the said shaft continues to
revolve.

page_text: WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANU-
FACTURING NAILS." A communication from abroad by Isaac Briggs, of Middle-
borough, Massachusetts, United States of America, Mechanic.
This Invention relates to that class of nail-making machines which are provided
with means for feeding the plate or rod to the cutters automatically, and consists in
a novel construction and arrangement of the parts, as herein-after more fully set
forth, by which a more simple, cheap, and effective device of this character may be
produced than is now in ordinary use.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is an isometrical projection or perspective view of a machine constructed
according to this Invention.
Figure 2 is a sectional view of elevating mechanism forming part of the said
machine.
And Figure 3 shews two views drawn to an enlarged scale of a switch cam, herein-
after described.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the Drawing.
A represents the main bed of the machine, and 5 the bracket or auxiliary bed on
which the principal working parts of the said feed mechanism are mounted.
Projecting upwardly from the bed A are two standards 6, 7, carrying the horizontal
shafts B provided with the wheel 8. On the shaft B is a switch cam C, and
immediately below this shaft and parallel therewith is a rocker shaft k provided with
the lever 9. Pivoted at h to the bracket 5 is a plate or vibratory bed H provided
with the vertically arranged headstock H*.
A lever or plate D₁ is pivoted at d to the plate H, and is connected by the rod 10
to the lever C¹. This lever which is pivoted at c to the standard 11 carries at the
end opposite the rod 10 a short bar or cam shoe 12, which is grooved on its upper
side to receive the thread or screw of the cam C, as seen in Figure 3. This bar has
a downwardly projecting stud 13, which is fitted to work in a corresponding hole in
the end of the lever C¹.
Attached to the rear end of the plate H there is a U shaped plate 14 opening
upwardly, and carrying the shafts K³ and 15, which are arranged to slide horizontally
in their bearings. A pair of levers M, M², are arranged vertically on the shaft 15 to
form shears, having the shaft as a common fulcrum.
A plate K is secured in a horizontal position to the shaft K³, and provided with
diagonal twin slots L, which converge near that side of the plate K* farthest from the
plate H.
The lower or long arms of the levers M, M2, are fitted to work in these slots in such
a manner that when the shaft K³ and plate K* are moved back and forth horizontally,
the short or uppermost arms of the levers M, M%, will be closed or opened to grasp
or release the nail plate holder N.
The plate K is kept in its horizontal position by the downwardly projecting stud
16 which works in an elongated slot in the lower part of the bar 14, and
is actuated by means of the rod K¹ connecting the shaft K³ with the lower end of
the lever 9.
A barrel D³ is fitted to be partially rotated in the headstock H*; the said barrel
being provided with an adjustable mouth-piece P¹ formed in two parts, the sections
being respectively hinged, as shown at l, each section being provided with an
adjusting screw 17, and constructed to hold the plate N' with a yielding pressure.
A cord E is wrapped partially around the barrel D and secured thereto, one of

page_text: its ends being also secured to the outer edge of the plate D¹ at 18. A corresponding
cord (not shown) is also wrapped partially around the barrel in an opposite
direction, and secured to that side of the plate D¹ opposite the part 18.
The formation of the aforesaid switch cam C is clearly shewn in Figure 3, which
shows opposite sides of the same; the threads m, m³, are arranged in such a
manner as to be widely separated at x, z, and to converge on the opposite side of the
shaft B. These threads do not cross, but spaces are left, as seen at a, a, and
between the ends of the threads there is a lozenge-shaped stud 19 arranged as
shown.
The said spaces a, a, permit the grooved bar 12 to cross from one to the other
thread of the cam as the shaft B revolves, the stud 19 serving to ensure the passage
of the bar across the spaces in the proper direction.
Projecting downward from the bracket 5 there is an arm 20 to whose lower
end the lever H2 is pivoted. This lever is also jointed to a companion lever H' and
to a bent rod H³, which connects with the lever C¹.
The upper end of the lever H' works in a groove or socket in the lower side of the
plate H; and as the rod H³ is moved back and forth horizontally the toggle levers
H¹, H, act to alternately raise and depress the plate D¹ and barrel D2 in a manner
which will be obvious without more explicit description.
In the use of this Invention power is applied to the wheel 8, causing the cam C
to rotate and act to vibrate the lever C, and through it the plate D¹. The barrel
D² being attached to the plate by the cords E will be caused to rotate partially on
its axis, its rotary movement being reversed to correspond with the reciprocating
lateral movements of the plate D³.
A cam tooth K projects from the shaft B, and acts upon the upper arm of the
lever 9 as the shaft revolves to force the lower arm of the lever against the spring
21, and thus through the rod K' to slide the plate K towards the plate H by which
the levers M, M², are caused to grasp the nail plate holder N, the spring 21 forcing
the plate K* in the opposite direction, and releasing the rod as the shaft B continues
to revolve.
The nail plate N' is inserted by means of the holder N in the barrel D², being
held by the yielding jaws P'; the advancement of the plate to the cutters and its
semi-rotary reverse movements being accomplished substantially as follows, that is
to say, the toggle levers H1, H2, first raise the barrel D and with it the nail plato
N¹ from contact with the bed cutter, while simultaneously the holder N is grasped
by the levers M, M2, and advanced a sufficient distance for one nail. The connecting
joint of the levers H1, H2, having now passed the centre the plate N¹ falls upon the
cutter where the nail is cut, after which the said plate is again raised by the toggle
levers. In the mean time the action of the lever C on the plate D rotates the
plate N¹, and the levers M, M², are caused to feed the same again to the cutters.
It will be understood that all parts of the above-described mechanism must be so
constructed and arranged or "timed" that the nail plate N¹ will be raised,
partially rotated, advanced, and lowered upon the cutter in a proper manner,
all of which movements may be readily accomplished by the means above
described.
As the plate K is advanced towards the plate H, when it arrives at that point
where the short arms of the levers M, M², are caused to firmly grasp the holder N,
the same being unyielding, the plate K4 will cause the shaft 15 to slide, thus forcing
the plate N¹ forward, and consummating the feed, the levers M, M2, being kept from
sliding on the shaft by stay pins on either side.
The cam C has its screw threads so formed and arranged as to act in the proper
manner to control and manipulate the plate N¹, as above described.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,—
First. In a feeding device for a nail machine the cam, the bar, and the lever

page_text: constructed and arranged to operate as above set forth and for the purpose
specified.
Second. In the feeding mechanism of a nail machine the plate K*, the levers
M, M2, the shafts, the rod, the lever 9, and the cam, combined and arranged to operate
as above specified.
Third. In the feeding mechanism of a nail machine the barrel, the plates D' and
H, the cords, the rod H³, the levers H1, H2, and the lever C', combined and arranged
to operate as above set forth and for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
WILLIAM ROB³. LAKE. (L.S.)