IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND MECHANISM FOR FEEDING STRIPS OR PLATES OF IRON OR OTHER METAL TO THE CUTTERS OF CUT NAIL OR TACK MACHINES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Phipps, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Warehouseman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND
MECHANISM FOR FEEDING STRIPS OR PLATES OF IRON OR OTHER METAL TO THE
CUTTERS OF CUT NAIL OR TACK MACHINES."
Scaled the 15th September 1877, and dated the 24th July 1877.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION left by the said John Phipps at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 24th July 1877.
{{
JOHN PHIPPS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Warehouseman.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND MECHANISM FOR FEEDING STRIPS OR
PLATES OF IRON OR OTHER METAL TO THE CUTTERS OF CUT NAIL OR TACK
MACHINES."
My Invention consists of improvements in the method of feeding strips or plates
of iron or other metal to the cutters of cut nail or tack machines, to be cut into
nails or tacks, and in withdrawing the plate or strip while it is being turned over
after a nail or tack has been cut off to be again urged forward by the feeding
mechanism, which I now proceed to describe and illustrate by means of a sectional
drawing herewith, Figure 1.
a, a, is a bed plate supported in forked arms b, b, adjusting set pins c, c, the
forks being supported in adjusting sockets d, a. On this bed, and in suitable
bearings, I place two rods parallel to each other, one of which is shewn at e, e, and
which I call slide rods; the ends of these rods are jointed into the supports at the
back end of the bed and rest in a slotted bearing on the front end, the object being
to allow them free vertical motion; the ends of these rods project over the front of
the bed to allow of their being jointed to a parallel motion f. On these rods I
place a cross head y and a carriage h, h, h; both the cross head and the carriage
have projecting side arms bored out to fit and slide freely along the slide rods.
The carriage is grooved out lengthwise on its upper face, the cross head is bored in
a line with the groove of the carriage, so that a tube laying in the groove of this
carriage shall directly enter the bore of the cross head when required.
For the purpose of this description I assume that the tube I require is one inch
and a quarter in diameter, is two feet and six inches long, and has a central square
Pine C1

page_text: or other shaped hole of any desired size or form through its whole length; I also
assume that the cross head, minus the projecting arms, is a piece of iron two inches
wide, three inches long, and one inch and a half thick from front to back, through
which I bore a hole one inch in diameter, and recess the face to a depth of a quarter
of an inch and to the diameter of the tube, or an inch and a quarter. I then turn
the back face to the cutters, and recess that side to the depth of one inch and a
quarter and to the diameter of the tube aforesaid; this will leave a collar in the
inside of the cross head of one quarter of an inch in thickness, and a quarter of an
inch less in internal diameter than the tube is externally. I now turn down the
end of the tube to one inch diameter for two inches from the end; it will then pass
through the internal collar in the cross head up to a shoulder and project beyond
the face of the other side of this cross head. Ôn to this part of the tube I fit a
socket a¹, a¹, Figs. 2 and 3 being enlarged views of this socket, that is, of the
same diameter as the tube and of sufficient length to reach within three-sixteenths
of an inch of the internal collar aforesaid, thus forming a shoulder on this side of
the collar as the tube does on the other, so that there will be a play of three-
sixteenths of an inch between the two shoulders. There is a flange on the socket
or bush, say two inches in diameter; on the inner surface of this flange there is a
projection or "rise" of three-sixteenths of an inch, and for nearly one-half of its
circumference. Over the hole into which this bush or socket enters I make a drift-
way, into which I insert a small antifriction roller, the periphery of which projects
three-sixteenths of an inch beyond the back face of the cross head. If I now turn
the tube so as to bring the flat or retired part of the socket flange to press on the
antifriction roller in the cross head, then the shoulder formed by this bush or socket
will press against the internal collar in the cross head, and as far towards the front
of the machine as that will allow; if I continue to turn the tube till the projection
or rise presses on the roller, then the tube will be drawn back from the front of
the machine.
The parts now described in connection with this cross head, and a compound
lever i, i, attached thereto, constitute the withdrawing and propelling or recipro-
cating action of my Invention. This compound lever i, i, is attached to the cross
head by a double joint j, and is made to press against the outer surface of the socket
flange aforesaid by a spring K attached to the cross head and to a projection on
this lever at k. The tube herein frequently mentioned forms the clam-stock of
my Invention; and if I now attach the clams or strip holder to the front end of
this tube and place it in position on the carriage h, h, as shown at 7, l, it will be
ready to be actuated by the necessary semi-rotary or rocking motion, which I
communicate as follows:
On the back end of the bed of this machine I fix a suitable bearing m, m, and in
this bearing I put a hollow mandril n, n, having a toothed pinion and flange on
one end and a collar on the other. I bore the mandril out conically and in a line
with the bore of the clamstock and cross head. Into this mandril I fit a bush y
having a grooved collar on the outer end, and a square or other shaped bar
coincident in form and size with the bore of the clam-stock tube fixed into the inner
end, which projects beyond the mandril aforesaid. I pass this bar through the
mandril and into the clam-stock tube (along which it is made to move freely) until
the coned surfaces of the bush and mandril come together, when there will be
sufficient contact of the surfaces to cause the clam-stock to move simultaneously
with the hollow mandril spoken of; or this mandril and bush may be bored and
turned parallel and made to engage by means of a feather and keyway. Beneath
the bed of the machine I now fix two brackets o, o; these brackets are slotted in
the upper part to receive a square or flat bar p, p, or rack, and bored at the lower
end to receive a driving shaft q, q'. The bar or rack is fitted easy into and
through the slots in the brackets, and has lateral shoulders close to the inside of
cach bracket to keep it in its longitudinal position. The front end is jointed into
the parallel motion f, and thus connected with the slide rods e, c, the weight of
which and the carriage resting entirely upon the bar keeps it down in its place-

page_text: when at rest in the front end, and the set pin and spring at r accomplishes the
same object at the back end. This bar, which I call a friction bar, must be placed
at such an elevation in its bearings as to allow the foot or presser of the lever i, i,
to rest freely thereon, so as to come in as close contact as may be when required.
By preference I make the surfaces of both bar and presser flat, but, if necessary,
these surfaces may be grooved crossways or lengthways, thereby increasing the
area of the surfaces and the "bite" between them.
Immediately beneath this friction bar, and supported in the bored out ends of
the brackets o, o, I place the before-mentioned driving shaft q, q, which, by preference,
I make of strong tube. On the back end of this shaft I fix a gear wheel t, t, which
I prefer to be of the proportion of four to one of the pinion on the hollow mandril n, n,
and the teeth of which shall engage with and into the teeth of the pinion aforesaid.
On any convenient part of this shaft I place a cam or cams as at 8.
These cams are
so "timed." in their action on the under surface of the friction bar as to raise it,
together with the slide rods, carriage, clam-stock, and nail plate, while the latter is
turned over by the usual semi-rotary or rocking motion, which I communicate direct
to the clam-stock as described, and which I do by connecting the gear wheel t and
the cam or driving shaft q.q, with the ordinary eccentric motions of nail machines
by means of the connecting rods and crank v, v, v.
Having now described the various parts and combinations of my Invention, and
arranged them in working order, I proceed to show how their operations may be
performed.
"
As the "rise" on the flange of the clam-stock socket is coming in contact with
the antifriction roller in the cross head, the lever i, i, is forced downward and
towards the front of the machine. At the same time the cam on the driving shaft
is rising the friction bar till it comes in close contact with the foot or presser of the
lever i, i, and so steadying the cross head. Simultaneously with this action, the
plate or strip is turned over by the semi-rotary motion aforesaid. The "rise on
the flange aforesaid continues to travel over the antifriction roller in the cross head,
and in doing so, and having the pressure of the foot or presser on the friction bar to
assist, forces the cross head, clam-stock, and strip or plate forward to the cutters now
ready to receive it. While the cutter is closing down, and the nail or tack cut off,
the cam on the driving shaft has passed from under the friction bar, the presser is
liberated, the lever is drawn back by the action of the spring k, and by this action
the clam-stock and strip or plate are withdrawn from the cutters, while the semi-
rotary motion brings the cam and other motions into play, to repeat the turning
over, propelling, and cutting off motions as described. From the foregoing, it will
be seen that the whole of the motions are nearly simultaneous.
For the purpose of stoping the action of the feeder while a fresh strip or plate is
being applied to it, I arrange as follows:-In any convenient place on the driving
shaft q, q
I cut a slot of the required size; over this slot I place a barrel or socket
that will move freely along the shaft. To this barrel or socket v I attach a lever w,
the fulcrum of which is attached to the bed of the machine; I then pass a rod
through the shaft, long enough over the end at the back of the machine to secure a
forked lever x, that shall engage into the groove in the flange of the bush y. I now
connect the rod in the inside of the driving shaft q, q, to the barrel or socket on
the outside, and to the lever w by a set pin or peg, so that by moving this lever in
the desired direction, I force the bush y out of connection with semi-rotary motion,
and thus bring the whole of the feeding, reciprocating, and propelling mechanism to
a state of rest. The carriage, clam-stock, and cross head will then be drawn back
to the starting point by means of the weight and pulley z, or may be readily and
rapidly drawn back by hand.
Having now described the nature and mechanism of my Invention, and the
way in which its operations are to be performed, I claim as my Invention,-
Firstly. The construction of a feeding apparatus for the purposes aforesaid that
can be fixed apart from the nail cutting machines, and require no fastening or
attachment to such machines, and connected only by the motive connecting rods or

page_text: levers v, v, v, as described, and can therefore be applied to feedany existing machines
without altering or deranging them.
Secondly. The clam-stock tube actuating central bar and withdrawing bush, as
described.
Thirdly. The cross head and reciprocating mechanism in connection therewith as
described.
Fourthly. The slide rods, carriage, parallel motion, and friction bar, as described..
Fifthly. The arrangement of the hollow driving shaft, internal rod, barrel, and
lever for bringing the feeder to rest as described.
I wish it to be understood that the dimensions herein given are supplied simply
as guides to construction, and not as definitions of sizes, which must be varied
according to requirements; nor do I confine myself to the exact details of form and
arrangement herein set forth, but claim any mechanical equivalent for producing
the motions berein described by means of the mechanism herein described and
illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Phipps, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-third day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
Witness,
FREDERICK WARREN, junr.,
Clerk to Mr. Warren,
Mechanical Engineer,
294, Broad Street.
JOHN PHIPPS. (L.S.)