IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SHEARING, PUNCHING, AND RIVETING METALS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hugh Donald, of the Firm of Craig and Donald, of
Johnstone, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SHEARING, PUNCHING, AND
RIVETING METALS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hugh Donald at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 11th
February 1863.
I, HUGH DONALD, of the Firm of Craig and Donald, of Johnstone, in the
County of Renfrew, North Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SHEARING, PUNCHING,
AND RIVETING METALS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to an improved arrangement and construction of
machinery used for shearing, punching, and riveting metals.
According to one modification or system of arrangement, an ordinary
punching and shearing machine is combined with a machine for cutting or
shearing angle iron, and for punching or riveting metal plates, the machines
being so arranged that they may be worked either jointly or separately as
required. On the sole plate of the ordinary punching and shearing machine
is arranged the vertical framing of the machine, and the steam engine which
gives motion to the moving parts. On the overhead crank shaft, which is driven
from the engine, is fitted a pinion which gives motion to an intermediate wheel
on a horizontal shaft arranged parallel to the crank shaft. On this second shaft
is a pinion which drives a spur wheel fitted on a shaft which extends across
the centre of the machine and operates the main lever of the angle-iron machine.
This machine is carried upon a suitable sole plate arranged at right angles to

page_text: the punching and shearing machine; extending up from the sole plate are two
strong standards which support the main lever carrying the shears; these
standards extend each way in a lateral direction, and are recessed on each
side to receive the lower cutters or blades of the shears. Below these recesses
openings are formed, in which horizontal punches traverse to and fro. The
main lever has cast on it a short transverse shaft, which is carried in bearings
arranged in the standards, its outer end extends over the contiguous shear
cutter, and a corresponding cutter is fitted to the lever over the inner recess.
These shear blades or cutters are of an angular form at the lower edges, so
that they do not come down flat on the plate to be cut, but divide it from the
outer edge first, and gradually advance, similar to the action of a pair of
scissors. The inner end of the lever extends towards the contiguous punching
machine, and is connected to a strap encircling an eccentric, which moves to
and fro upon a feather formed on the main driving shaft of the punching
machine. The eccentric is made with a segmental opening in it, so that when
moved slightly along the shaft by means of a hand lever, a crank pin fixed in
the face of the contiguous spur wheel takes into the segmental opening, and
communicates motion to the lever. Below the bearing portion of the lever
there is a prolongation, in which is fitted the pads that act on the rams of the
punches, and cause them to operate alternately. This portion of the machinery
may, if desired, be fitted with a hand lever, so that the punches may be readily
thrown out of operation when not required.
The machinery may also be arranged with a second angle-iron and punching
machine arranged on the opposite side of the ordinary punching machine, and
driven from the same engine. With these arrangements no excavation of the
ground beneath the machine is required; the machines may be wrought
separately or conjointly, and at the same time afford ample space for the
workmen to operate without impeding each other. In lieu of the horizontal
lever for the angle-iron machine, a bell-crank lever may, if preferred, be
substituted for it, and arranged so as to receive its motion from the primary
punching and shearing machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Hugh Donald in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th
August 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HUGH 3
DONALD, of the Firm of Craig and Donald, of Johnstone, in the County of
Renfrew, North Britain, Engineer, send greeting..

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Hugh Donald, Her special license that I, the said Hugh Donald,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Hugh Donald, my executors, administrators, or 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SHEARING, PUNCHING, AND RIVETING
METALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Hugh Donald,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of them, 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 Hugh Donald, 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
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to an improved arrangement and construction of
machinery used for shearing, punching, and riveting metals.
According to one modification or system of arrangement, an ordinary
punching and shearing machine is combined with a machine for cutting or
shearing angle iron, and for punching or riveting metal plates, the machines
being so arranged that they may be worked either jointly or separately
as required. On the sole plate of the ordinary punching and shearing
machine is arranged the vertical framing of the machine and the steam engine
which gives motion to the moving parts. On the overhead crank shaft, which
is driven from the engine, is fitted a pinion which gives motion to an inter-
mediate wheel on a horizontal shaft arranged parallel to the crank shaft. On
this second shaft is a pinion which drives a spur wheel fitted on a shaft which
extends across the centre of the machine and operates the main lever of the
angle-iron machine. This machine is carried upon a suitable sole plate
arranged at right angles to the punching and shearing machine. Extending

page_text: up from the sole plate are two strong standards, which support the main lever
carrying the shears; these standards extend each way in a lateral direction,
and are recessed on each side to receive the lower cutters or blades of the
shears. Below these recesses openings are formed, in which horizontal
punches traverse to and fro. The main lever has cast on it a short transverse
shaft, which is carried in bearings arranged in the standards, its outer end
extends over the contiguous shear cutter, and a corresponding cutter is fitted
to the lever over the inner recess; these shear blades or cutters are of an
angular form at the lower edges, so that they do not come down flat on the
plate to be cut, but divide it from the outer edge first, and gradually advance,
similar to the action of a pair of scissors. The inner end of the lever extends
towards the contiguous punching machine, and is connected to a strap encircling
an eccentric, which moves to and fro upon a feather formed on the main
driving shaft of the punching machine. The eccentric is made with a
segmental opening in it, so that when moved slightly along the shaft by means
of a hand lever, a crank pin fixed in the face of the contiguous spur wheel
takes into the segmental opening, and communicates motion to the lever.
Below the bearing portion of the lever there is a prolongation, in which is
fitted the pads that act on the rams of the punches, and cause them to operate
alternately. This portion of the machinery, may, if desired, be fitted with a
hand lever, so that the punches may be readily thrown out of operation when
not required.
The machinery may also be arranged with a second angle-iron and punching
machine arranged on the opposite side of the ordinary punching machine, and
driven from the same engine. With these arrangements no excavation of the
ground beneath the machine is required; the machines may be wrought
separately or conjointly, and at the same time afford ample space for the work-
men to operate without impeding each other. In lieu of the horizontal lever
for the angle-iron machine, a bell-crank lever may, if preferred, be substituted
for it, and arranged so as to receive its motion from the primary punching and
shearing machine.
And in order that my said Invention of improvements in machinery for
shearing, punching, and riveting metals may be properly understood, I shall
now proceed to describe the several Figures on the explanatory Sheet of
Drawings, which I have hereunto appended for the purpose of showing certain
modifications under which my Invention may be judiciously carried out in
practice, that is to say :-
Figure 1 on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings is an elevation or front
view of one modification of my improvements; Figure 2 is an end view taken

page_text: at right angles to Figure 1, showing the principal portion of the shearing,
punching, and riveting machine; and Figure 3 is a plan of the more important
portion of the machine as delineated in Figure 1.
The arrangement shown in the Drawings consists of a combination of an
ordinary punching and shearing machine, with my improved angle-iron and
punching or riveting machine. The general arrangement of the punching
and shearing machine does not differ in so far as its operations are concerned
from those in ordinary use, it is therefore unnecessary to describe the whole of
its parts in detail. From the sole plate A of the machine spring the two end
standards B, which form the framing, and these are united overhead by a
transverse tie rod. The inwardly projecting parts of the standards B are
formed with a recessed part, within which the principal moving portion of the
machinery is arranged. These parts are actuated by the engine C, which is
arranged on the sole plate A; the engine gives motion to the crank shaft D,
which is carried in laterally projecting brackets on the standards B. On the
shaft D is a pinion E, which gives motion to the wheel F on the shaft G. The
bearings of this second shaft are arranged in the centre of the standards B,
and the shaft has keyed upon it the pinion H, which gears with the spur
wheel I, keyed on the beavy horizontal shaft J. On this shaft J is fitted an
eccentric K, the strap of which is connected to the end of the main lever
of the improved angle-iron shearing, punching, and riveting machine; the
eccentric K is fitted loosely on the shaft J, and it is put into and out of gear
with the wheel I, by means of the hand lever L. This lever is fixed to the
end of a short horizontal shaft M, carrying the two bent levers N, the ends of
which enter the groove of the coupling piece O. The downward movement of
the hand lever L causes the coupling to be moved towards the face of the
wheel I, in which is an opening to receive the pin P of the coupling O, and
this pin passes through a segmental opening formed for the purpose in the
eccentric K; the form of this aperture is indicated by the dotted lines at Q in
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings. In this way a vertical reciprocatory
movement is imparted to the lever of the angle-iron machine, but which may
be instantly thrown out of gear when required.
The angle-iron shearing machine, and with which is combined a horizontal
punching and riveting arrangement, is constructed so that it may be simply
placed upon the ground without requiring any excavation, as in the case of
those machines arranged with a vertical lever.
The improved machine consists of a rectangular sole plate R, cast by
preference with deep flanges, as shown in Figure 1. Extending up from this
sole plate are the two standards S, in which is carried the short horizontal

page_text: shaft T, and on this shaft is fitted the main lever U; the standards S are
prolonged outwards in a lateral direction on each side, and in a step-like recess
formed at the upper part of each of these prolongations is fitted the lower
cutter V of the shears. The lever U, at the parts which extend over the
cutters V, are fitted with the upper cutters W; these are made with their
cutting edges inclined and extending in an upward direction, as shown in
Figure 1. With this arrangement, when the cutters descend on to the plate
of angle iron, they cut from the outer edge inwards, similar to the action of a
pair of scissors, and so effect a cleaner cut with less expenditure of power than
if the cutter descended with its cutting edge flat on to the iron. The necessary
reciprocatory movement of the lever U is obtained by means of its connection
with the eccentric K, as herein-before described, this movement causing the
cutters to be brought into operation alternately. The iron to be cut is intro-
duced between the shears whilst the cutter on the lever U is in an elevated
position, and the cut is made on the descent of the lever, or if required the
motion of the lever U may be stopped whilst the iron is properly adjusted.
The lever U also serves to actuate the punching and riveting apparatus, so
that the several operations of cutting angle iron as well as punching and
riveting metal plates may be carried on simultaneously if required. The lever U
is made with a prolongation which extends down between the standards S;
this prolongation is shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, and in the sides of it
are made dovetail recesses to receive the "pads "X; these pads are steel
blocks of an L-shaped figure in their transverse section, as shown by the
dotted lines in Figure 3. Each of these pads is connected by a link Y, which
passes through an opening in the standards S to the bell-crank levers Z, that
are centred on studs carried in brackets bolted to the standard. By means of
these hand levers Z, either of the pads may be withdrawn, and the action of
the lever U does not affect the ram of the contiguous tool. The rams a to
which the rivet die 6 and the punch c are fixed, slide to and fro in recesses
made for the purpose in the central part of the standards S, and into the outer
ends of the rams is keyed a block which receives the rivet die b or the punch c.
The rams are operated by the rocking motion of the lever U, acting through
the pads X on the ends of the rams a. The rams are brought back to their
normal position by means of the links d, which are attached to the prolongation
of the lever U, and to the rams; these links are made with slots, so that when
the pads X are withdrawn the motion of the lever U no longer affects the con-
tiguous ram. And in this way the riveting and punching tools may be worked
in conjunction with the shearing, or either may be thrown out of action, as
required, by a simple movement of the hand lever Z. The stationary rivet die b¹

page_text: bas fitted at the back of it one or more blocks of wood e, the bolts of the rivet
die pass through these blocks of wood which act as a species of cushion to the
die b', so that when a rivet that may be a trifle larger than the ordinary
average, is interposed between the dies, the slight elasticity of the wood allows
for this extra thickness of the metal. The punching tool is provided with two
curved stops f, against which the metal plate comes in contact when the punch
is drawn back, and thus allow of the withdrawal of the punch from the metal
plate. On the crank shaft D a fast and loose pulley 9 is shown, which
arrangement admits of a portion of the power of the engine being applied to
any other suitable purpose.
The arrangement of the details of the angle-iron machine and its connected
parts admits of various modifications without departing from the essential or
characteristic features of the Invention. The machine may also be arranged
to be used by itself, and without the vertical shearing and punching machine,
and be driven by means of a horizontal steam engine, or in any other con-
venient manner.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion, that what I consider novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the arrangement, construction, and combination of parts forming the
machine for cutting or shearing angle iron; also the combination of the said
machine with suitable tools for riveting and punching metals, as herein-before
described and shown in the accompanying Drawings, or any mere modification
of or equivalent for the said arrangement.
Second, the combination of the herein-before described machine for cutting
angle iron with a vertical shearing and riveting machine, so as to admit of a
set or series of these operations being carried on simultaneously, as herein-
before described and shown in the accompanying Drawings, or any mere
modification of the said arrangement or arrangements.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hugh Donald, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of August, One thousand eight hundred
and sixty-three.
HUGH DONALD. (L.S.)