IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR MAKING SCREWS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Frederick Stansbury, of the firm of Nourse &
Co., American and General Patent Agents, of No. 17, Cornhill, London,
for the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR MAKING SCREWS."-A
communication.
Sealed the 2nd March 1855, and dated the 14th September 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Frederick Staus-
bury at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 14th September 1854.
1, CHARLES FREDERICK STANSBURY, of the firm of Nourse & Co., American
and General Patent Agents, of 17, Cornhill, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR MAKING SCREWS,"
(the same being a communication,) to be as follows:-
The framework of the machine resembles in its general construction that of
an ordinary lath, and motion is given to the spindle which holds the rod or
wire from which the screws are to be cut by a band wheel or other suitable
driving apparatus. The rod from which the screws are to be cut passes
through the axis of the pulley or band wheel, in which an adjustable holder is
placed, which can be made to hold a rod of any required size. From this
holder the rod is passed to the moveable head, which contains the contrivances
for regulating the feed, turning the blank, cutting the thread, and cutting off

page_text: the completed screw. This head is moved on the frame or bed of the lathe by
means of palls and ratchet, the action of which is regulated by a lever under
the control of the workmen. The pall is made in several divisions, of unequal
length, so as to regulate the feed to any desired fraction of a tooth of the
ratchet. The range of motion of the lever is adjusted by suitable adjustable
stops. The distance advanced by the head towards the feed end of the
machine at each stroke of the feeding lever regulates the length of the screw
to be cut.
At the feed end of the head is a guide or holder, through which the rod to
be cut passes, but so loosely as to allow it to turn freely. Below this guide or
holder is a slide passing at right angles to the length of the machine, the
motion of which is regulated by a bent lever passing over the work, and
controlled by the workmen. This slide carries two cutter stocks or rests, the
one in front, and the other back of the rod holder. The front stock holds
the tool which turns the blank; the back one holds the tool which cuts off the
finished screw from the rod. Either tool is brought into contact with the rod
at the will of the workman, by raising or depressing the bent lever, which
moves the slide back and forth. The turning tool is of peculiar form, and will
be described and illustrated in my Complete Specification, and the Drawings
which will accompany it.
After passing the rod holder or guide, the screw-cutting dio is brought
against the rod, which is made in two parts or jaws, which, when unconfined,
are made to fly apart by means of springs. The length of the thread to be cut
will regulate the time that these jaws are held together and in contact with
the rod. This is controlled by an adjustable apparatus above the die, which
confines and releases the jaws at any desired point.
By this machine screws are made with unexampled rapidity and by a con-
tinuous action, the releasing of the die when the thread is cut obviating the
necessity of a return motion. The operation is effected by the movements of
the workman.
First, the bent lever is raised to bring the turning tool in contact with the
rod to turn the shank of the screw; second, the feed lever brings the thread-
cutting die in contact with the shank thus turned; and, third, the bent lever
is depressed to cut off the perfect screw.
The detailed description of the parts is reserved for my Complete Speci-
fication

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Frederick Stansbury in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 18th March 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
FREDERICK STANSBURY, of the firm of Nourse & Co., American and General
Patent Agents, of No. 17, Cornhill, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Charles Frederick Stansbury, Her special licence that I, the said Charles
Frederick Stansbury, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Charles Frederick Stansbury, 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
"IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR MAKING SCREWS," a communication, upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Charles Frederick Stansbury, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the 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 Charles Frederick Stansbury, 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 fol-
lowing statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the machine; Figure 2 is a vertical
transverse section through the line a, a, of Figure 1; Figure 8 is a central
longitudinal vertical section through the moveable head E, E, E, E; Figure 4
is a transverse vertical section through the head E, E, &c.; Figure 5 is a
perspective view and transverse section of the tool for turning the blank.
The same letters of reference are used in all the Figures to indicate the
same parts of the machine.
The framework A of the machine resembles in its general construction that
of an ordinary lathe. The spindle B, through which the screw rod C passes,
receives motion from a band wheel D, or other similar driving apparatus.

page_text: The screw rod C, from which the screws are to be cut, passes through the axis
of wheel D, in which is placed a holder so adjustable as to hold a rod of any
required size. The rod is held fast by a set screw S in the spindle B, and
turns with the spindle. That part of the machine which turns the blank,
cuts the thread, and severs the finished screw from the rod, I denominate the
"moveable head." It is indicated in the Drawings by the letters E, E, E, E.
Its bed slides back and forth on the lathe frame, being advanced towards
the feed end of the machine by means of palls F and a ratchet G, G, worked
by a lever II, under control of the workman. The palls are made of several
plates or divisions of unequal lengths, so as to regulate the motion of the
head to any desired fraction of a tooth of the ratchet. The amount of
motion of the lever 1 is controlled by adjustable stops (a, a,) Figure 8.
The distance advanced by the head E, E, &c., towards the feed end of the
machine at cach stroke of lever H regulates the length of the screw to be cut.
At the feed end of the moveable head is a guide or holder I, through which
the screw rod C passes, but so loosely as to turn freely. Below the holder I
is a slide J, passing at right angles to the length of the machine. Motion is
given to this slide by a bent lever K, passing over the work, and controlled by
the workman. The slide J carries two cutter stocks L and M, the one M in
front, and the other L back of the rod holder I. The front stock M holds.
the tool N, which turns the blank; the back one I holds the tool O, which
cuts off the screw when finished. Either tool may, at the will of the workman,
be brought into contact with the rod by raising or depressing the bent lever K,
which moves the slide J back and forth. The amount of the motion of the
slide J is governed by the adjustable stops Z, Z. The tool for turning the
blank is of peculiar form, and is seen at Figure 5 in the Drawings. where A
represents a transverse section of the tool, full size, and B a perspective view
of the same.
After passing the holder I, the screw rod C is subjected to the action of the
tool N, which, as the head advances, turns a blank of proper length. The
die P, for cutting the screw thread, is then brought up to the rod by means of
the lever Y. The die P is made in two parts or jaws, each jaw being attached
to a slide V, which works in the frame U. The slides V have springs R, R,
attached, which, when free, hold them and the jaws of the die apart. When
a thread is to be cut, the jaws are brought together by depressing the lever X.
Guide pieces on the slides V then pass between the guides S, S, which keeps
the jaws of the die together, until the guide pieces have passed beyond the
guides S, S, when the slides and jaws fly apart by reason of the release
of the springs R, R; the position of the guides S, S, is adjustable by means

page_text: of the slots in them, in connection with the upright pins and nuts T, T. The
slide head U is attached to a slide U, and its forward motion is controlled
by the adjustable screw stop W, which prevents its going too far towards
the feed end of the machine. The slide head U, with its slides V and die P,
is noved back and forth by means of the lever Y.
I have contemplated placing a slide rest between the holder I and the
spindle B to carry a tool, for the purpose of turning the screw rod C perfectly
true before it passes through the holder I.
By this machine screws of the most perfect description are made with
unexampled rapidity and by a continuous feed, the releasing of the die P
when the thread is completed obviating the necessity of a return motion, either
of the head or of the rod after each cut. When the head E, E, &c., has
advanced till the holder I is in contact with the spindle B, the palls F are
raised out of the teeth of the ratchets G, G, and the head is slid back to its
starting position. A fresh length of the rod G is then fed in through the
spindle B and holder I, and the whole operation, as before described, repeated.
Having now fully described my Invention of "Improved Machinery for
Making Screws," what I claim under the above in part recited Letters Patent
is as follows:-
I claim the general arrangement and construction of the moveable head
E, E, E, E, &c., and its mode of operation, as described, and particularly I
claim the slide J with its lever K, and cutter stocks L, M, made and operating
as set forth. I claim the peculiar form of tool represented in Figure 5 of the
Drawings. I further claim the divided die P, and the manner in which its
jaws are closed and opened, substantially as described.
Finally, I claim the general arrangement and construction of a machine for
making screws, made and operating substantially in the manner herein-before
set forth, and illustrated by the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Frederick Stansbury, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
CHARLES FREDERICK STANSBURY. (L.B.)