IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING RAILROAD AND OTHER PICKS, ADZES, SHOVELS, HOES, AND SIMILAR TOOLS
Year: 1873

page_text: .
LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical
Draughtsman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE
OF AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING RAILROAD AND OTHER PICKS, ADZES,
SHOVELS, HOES, AND SIMILAR TOOLS."-A communication from abroad by
Harvey Lester Lowman, of Antwerp, in the Kingdom of Belgium.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 27th March 1873.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE
OF AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING RAILROAD AND OTHER PICKS, ADZES,
SHOVELS, HOES, AND SIMILAR TOOLS," to be as follows:-
the

page_text: the employment of skilled labour to a great extent unnecessary. To this
end novel arrangements of apparatus are employed for heating and
shaping the metal in an efficient and expeditious manner. The apparatus
in which the bar iron is heated consists of an oblong metal fire chamber,
provided at its opposite ends with doors for feeding in the fuel on to
sloping hearths. The chamber is provided with a central grate for
receiving the incandescent fuel as it is pushed forward off the sloping
hearths, and air under pressure is conducted to an air chamber below the
grate for supplying air to the fire. Above the grate an arch or roof is
built, which serves to concentrate the heat and deflect it on the bar iron,
which is admitted to the fire chamber through an opening or holes made
in the front thereof. A jacketed door closes the heater in front, and
cold water is supplied thereto. From this hollow door rises a pipe,
which discharges into a cistern, which cistern is provided with an over-
flow pipe for carrying off the water. Through this cistern rises the
chimney, to which the heated gases find their way by passing round the
arch or roof of the fire chamber. In this heater the metal is rapidly
raised to the required temperature for undergoing the various operations
of punching, shearing, and shaping in the apparatus to be now explained.
I will first describe the means for effecting these operations in con-
nection with the manufacture of axes:-The punching and shaping
machine employed consists of a sliding block or frame mounted in
adjustable vertical guides carried by standards, and operated by means of
excentrics, which give to the sliding frame the requisite downward
pressure. This frame I fit on its under side with steel blocks, which are
held in place by strap pieces or yokes made fast by nuts that fit on to
their screwed ends. The steel blocks each carry a pair of die holders in
sockets, so shaped as to receive the holders endwise, and allow of their
swinging therein, as if hinged thereto. Fitted to the adjacent sides of
these die holders are the dies for compressing the heated metal and
bringing the axe head to shape. On the bed plate of the machinė are
fitted inclined guides, against which the die holders in their descent
strike, and the dies are thus caused to close upon the heated metal
which is submitted to their action. Immediately below the dies the bed
plate is fitted with punches, which are intended to form the eye of the
The dies are so formed as to present an open end for the insertion
of the metal, and a closed end, against which this metal is to abut. An
opening is made. in the side of the dies for the admission of a punch
axe.
I

page_text: which is to form the eye of the axe. The open end of the die is con-
tracted, so that when closed it will nip the metal more closely at this
part. The object of this arrangement is to ensure against the punch
when inserted in the die forcing the metal outwards, and to compel the
metal in receding from the punch to fill the closed end of the die, and
thereby form a finished head.
In making axes it is preferred to employ a bar of metal of sufficient
length to make two axes, as this facilitates the handling of the same, the
opposite ends of the bar being alternately presented to the action of the
punching and shaping machine. In general the axe will require to be
submitted to two pairs of dies or two punches only to shape the head
and complete the eye. The forms of the dies and punches will of course
be modified to suit the progress of the work. Thus at the first punching
the hole will not be made completely through the metal, but at the
second or last punching the punch will be required to pass through the
metal, and for this purpose it must be lengthened and an opening
must be made through the dies for the passage of the punch. When
the axe heads are formed at the opposite ends of the bar the middle of
the bar will have to be expanded to form the blades, and the bar being
divided in the middle the axes may be finished as heretofore. To the
inclined guides and the die holders I apply steel facings, giving the steel
by preference a dovetail fitting to allow of its being readily removed and
replaced when worn.
For starting and stopping the shaping and punching machine a treadle
arrangement is employed.
Rotary motion is transmitted to the excentric shaft through a spur
wheel, which is mounted loosely on that shaft, but is made fast to a
collar keyed on the shaft by means of a sliding bolt. This bolt is carried
by the collar, and receives a tendency to engage with the wheel when
brought opposite a lever hinged to the framing of the machine, and
pressed forward by a spring. The bolt carries a bowle on its under side,
to which is presented a vertically sliding T piece, the head of which is
wedge shaped. When the bowle comes in contact with this T piece in
the revolution of the bolt the bolt is drawn back, and the spur gear
released. This occurs when the T piece being in its raised position
stands in the path of the bowle. Pivotted to the tail of the T piece is a
rock lever, weighted at one end, and connected at the other to a treadle.

page_text: position, and thereby to keep the machine quiescent.. When however
the treadle is depressed the bolt will be free to yield to the impulse of
its pressure spring, and thereby lock the spur gear and set the machine
- in action. To prevent the bolt from slipping out of action a cam piece
is fitted to the standard to serve as a support to the rear end of the bolt
during its rotation.
In manufacturing tamping and other picks rolling dies are employed,
instead therefore of a vertical sliding frame for setting the dies in action
a pair of horizontal rolls is used. These rolls are mounted in standards,
and the upper roll is made adjustable by gearing and pressure screws.
These rolls carry at about the middle of their length dies which are
arranged in progressive steps, and are intended to roll out the pick, the
-сус
the pick having been previously formed in the manner described
with reference to axe heads. To an extension of the rolls beyond the
framing other rolling dies are fitted for forming the steel points which
are to be welded to the picks, and on an extension of the rolls in an
opposite direction spur gearing, which connects them together is.
´mounted.
On the upper roll between the spur gear and the standard is a cam for
working shears which are used for squaring the ends of the tamping and
chisel-edged pick, and for slitting the opposite end to receive the steel
point. The fixed blade of the shears is carried by the standard; and the
moveable blade by a rock lever, the fulcrum of which is on the standard
and near the moveable blade. The tail of this lever is acted upon by the.
cam, and thus a long leverage is obtained.
The dies in rolling down the metal to form the tamping head of a
pick commence their action near the eye of the pick, and move the
work towards the attendant. These dies are segment shaped, and room
is thereby allowed for placing the heated metal between the rolls pre-
paratory to the advance of the dies to the gripping position. This mode
of working facilitates the forming of shoulders or other enlargements
of the tool, as the tendency of the dies is to draw forward the metal so as
to fill any recesses that may be made in the dies.
In forming the tamping pick, which is broad at its end, it will be
desirable after each rolling of the sides of the pick to give it a taper top
rolling, and thus gradually to reduce the thickness of the metal as the

page_text: :
shaping breadth wise is being effected. These remarks apply equally to
the manufacture of the chisel-edged pick, the form of the rolling dies
being modified to suit the work required to be produced.. The rolling dies
for forming the pick points or welds are also segment shaped, and a
heated bar being thrust between the rolls and up to a stop will have a
portion of its length equal to the surface length of the dies moulded into
pick points, which will be discharged into a receptacle in front of the
rolls. The dies are so fitted to the rolls that they will admit of being
readily disengaged therefrom, to be replaced by other dies arranged in
progressive steps to suit the work in hand. The picks, when they leave
the rolling machine (and the same remark applies to shovels, hoes, and
other like articles) require to be brought to shape. It is necessary also
to taper the eyes of picks, hoes, and axes. These operations are effected
in a shaping machine somewhat like that first described. This machine
is furnished with profile stamping dies, which will give the proper curve
to the pick, one limb at a time, or to the shovel at one operation, and it
is also provided with taper punches and dies for shaping the eye in a
suitable manner for receiving the wooden handle and the key for holding
the handle in place. The moving dies and punches are fitted to a vertical
sliding frame or block, which receives an up-and-down motion from
rotating excentrics.
In forming spades, shovels, and hoe blades a stamping die of peculiar
construction is used. This die is arched on its cutting face, so that as it
descends upon the sheet metal its opposite ends will first come into
action and act somewhat like shears, holding at the same time the metal
at tension, and preventing it from buckling. The back and front straps
are formed in similar dies, and they are cut out in groups from ono
piece of metal, the patterns being so arranged that a piece of metal but
slightly larger than that which would suffice for a back strap will form
also two front straps.
:
For punching holes in the straps a peculiar construction of punch is
used, the object being to facilitate the repair of the same when any pin
is broken or damaged, and to punch all the holes simultaneously. The
moving face plate of the punch is pierced with conical or countersunk
holes corresponding in position with the holes to be punched, and steel
pins with conical heads are dropped into these holes. The backing plate
is then screwed on to the pierced plate, and the punch is completed. If
one of these pins becomes damaged in the act of punching it is only

page_text: necessary to remove the pierced plate from its backing plate, and the pin
'may be readily replaced by a new pin. The bed on which the article to
be punched is laid will be provided with stop pins, and also with trans-
verse straps for preventing the article when punched from rising with
the raised punch.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 22nd September 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date, the Twenty-seventh day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special
licence that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton,
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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING RAILROAD
AND OTHER PICKS, ADZES, SHOVELS, HOES, AND SIMILAR TOOLS," being à com-
munication to me from abroad by Harvey Lester Lowman, of Antwerp,
in the Kingdom of Belgium, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing, under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, 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

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 Drawings here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :-
The object of this Invention is to improve the manufacture of tamping
and other picks, of adzes, shovels, hoes, and other like tools, and render
the employment of skilled labor to a great extent unnecessary. To this
end novel arrangements of apparatus are employed for heating and
shaping the metal in an efficient and expeditious manner.
In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings I have shewn the improved
heater used for heating the bar and sheet metal of which the tools are
to be formed prior to subjecting the same to the action of the stamping,
rolling, and shaping dies.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of the heater; Fig. 2 is a
sectional plan of the same taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3
is a transverse vertical section taken in the line 3, 4, of Fig. 1.
The heater consists of an oblong metal fire-chamber A lined with fire-
brick, and divided at its upper part into three compartments by
transverse walls A¹. The fire-chamber A is provided at its opposite ends
with doors a, a, for feeding in the fuel on to inclined hearths b, b, which
slope towards a central sunken grate B on to which the incandescent
fuel falls as it is pushed forward off the hearths. Air, under pressure, is
conducted to an air chamber C below the grates by means of pipes c for
supplying air to the fire. Above the grate an arch or roof D is built
extending across the space confined by the transverse walls A². This
roof serves to concentrate the heat and deflect it on to the bar iron d or
other metal to be heated, which is admitted to the fire chamber through
an opening E made in the front thereof. A jacketed hinged. door F
closes the heater in front, and cold water is supplied thereto by a pipe ƒ
from any suitable reservoir to protect the door from the injurious action
of the fire. A pipe f¹ rising from this hollow door discharges into a
cistern G on the top of the heater, which cistern is provided with an.
overflow pipe 7 for carrying off he water. Through this cistern rises the
chimney H, to which the heated gases find their way by passing round
the arch or roof D of the fire chamber, a space e being left for that

page_text: purpose between it and the door F, as shewn at Fig. 3. The bottom of
the air chamber C is hinged to allow of its being dropped from time to
time for the purpose of discharging the ashes that fall from the grate B."
In this heater the metal is rapidly raised to the required temperature for
undergoing the operations of punching, shearing, or shaping, as the case
may be, in the machinery or apparatus to be now explained.
I will first describe the apparatus employed in the manufacture of
adzes. The punching and shaping machine consists of a sliding block or
frame mounted in adjustable vertical guides carried by standards, and
operated by means of excentrics which give to the sliding frame the
requisite downward pressure. This frame is fitted on its under side
with steel blocks, which are held in place by strap pieces or yokes made
fast by nuts that fit on to their screwed ends. These steel blocks each
carry a pair of die holders in sockets so shaped as to receive the holders
endwise, and allow of their swinging therein as if hinged thereto. Fitted
to the adjacent sides of these die holders are the dies for compressing
the heated metal, and bringing the adze head to shape. On the bed.
plate of the machine are fitted inclined guides, against which the die
holders in their descent strike, and the dies are thus caused to close
upon the heated metal which is submitted to their action. Immediately
below the dies the bed plate is fitted with punches which are intended
to form the eye of the adze.
In Sheet II. of the Drawings the improved punching and shaping
machine is shewn in front elevation at Fig. 1, and Fig. 2 is a transverse
section of the same taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1.
A, A, are the main standards of the machine made fast to a cast-iron
bed B. These standards are fitted with vertical guides A¹ (see the
detached sectional view, Fig. 1*), in which works a sliding frame C that
embraces a set of excentrics D keyed to the driving shaft E. Secured
to the under side of the frame C are the steel blocks F, which are
embraced by the strap pieces or yokes G pendent from lugs on the
sliding frame. This mode of connecting the blocks to the sliding frame
is shewn on an enlarged scale at Figures 3 and 4, Fig. 3 representing in
transverse section one of these blocks with its attachments, and Fig. 4, a
face view of the same, with its die holders and dies in section.
.H are the pairs of die holders, the mode of fitting which to their blocks.
is clearly shewn at Fig. 4. These die holders are slipped endwise into
.

page_text: the segmental sockets formed for their reception in the blocks F, and
when so inserted they are secured in place by end plates which are made
fast to the blocks by screws, as shewn at Fig. 1.
I, I, in the same Figure represent three pairs of dies suitable for
forming an adze head. These dies (see Figures 3 and 4) are made fast
to their respective die holders by screws, and they are held apart when
not in action by means of curved springs K. The dies are so formed as
to present an open end for the insertion of the heated metal, and a closed-
end against which this metal is to abut. This will be readily under-
stood by reference to Fig. 3. and also to Figures 5 and 6, Fig. 5 being
a section of a pair of dies and die holders closed upon the work, the
section being taken at the line 3, 4, of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a face view of
one of the dies containing the metal for forming an adze head.
An opening is made in one side of the first pair of the series of dies
employed (see Fig. 3) for the admission of a punch L, which is to
commence the formation of the eye of the adze, and the open end of the
dies is contracted, so that when closed the metal will be nipped more
closely at this part, as indicated by the adze blank shewn at Fig. 3*.
The object of this arrangement is to provide against the escape of the.
metal endwise from the dies when the punch is inserted, and to compel
the metal in receding from the punch to fill the closed end of the dies,
and thereby form a finished head.
In making adzes it is preferred to employ a bar of metal of sufficient
length to make two adzes, as this facilitates the handling of the same,
the opposite ends of the bar being alternately presented to the action of.
the punching and shaping machine. In general the adze will require to
be submitted to two pairs of dies or two punches only to shape the head
and complete the eye. The forms of the dies and punches will of course
be modified to suit the progress of the work; thus at the first punching
the hole will be made partially through the metal, as shewn at Fig. 3,
but at the second or last punching the punch will be required to pass
through the metal, and for this purpose it must be lengthened, and an
opening must be made through the dies for the passage of the punch,
as shewn at Fig. 6 and also at Fig. 7, which is a transverse section
taken in the line 5, 6, of Fig. 6. When the adze heads have been
formed at the opposite ends of the bar, the middle of the bar will have
to be expanded to form the blades, and the bar being divided in the
middle the adzes may be finished as heretofore..
. (+

page_text: I will now explain the manner of carrying out, the shaping and
punching operations with the aid of the dies constructed and mounted as
above described. The bed B of the machine. (see Fig. 1) is fitted with
guides M, M, the upper ends of which incline outwards and serve as the
sliding frame C, descends under the depressing action of the excentrics D,
to close the dies and cause them to nip tightly upon the heated metal
as it is presented to them by the attendant, and thereby mould it to the
required shape. Intermediate of these guides stand up the punches L
which are intended to pierce the metal enclosed in the dies as the latter.
descend and perform the operations above described with reference to
Figures 3 and 6. To the inclined portions of the guides M. and also to
the die holders at the parts where they come in contact with the guides,
steel facings are applied to prevent the rapid wear of those parts, and to
these steel facings is given by preference a dovetail fitting to allow of
their being readily removed and replaced when worn.
In order to maintain the efficient working of the machine which can
only be ensured by the position of the dies and punches, relatively to
each other being preserved notwithstanding the wearing of the parts
subjected to friction the standards are provided with the adjustable
guides A¹, Fig. 1, which guides can readily be set up by means of their a
backing screws a as the guides and the inclined surfaces of the frame
wear away.
For starting and stopping the shaping and punching machine a treadle.
arrangement is employed. Rotary motion is transmitted to the shaft E
through a spur wheel N which is mounted loosely on that shaft, but
is made fast thereto when desired by means of a bolt N2 which slides in
a collar N¹ keyed on the shaft. This bolt receives a tendency to engage.
with the wheel by entering one of a series of recesses made in the boss
of the wheel when brought opposite a pressing lever O. This lever O
is hinged to the standard A of the machine and pressed outwards by
means of a coiled spring O¹ bearing against a stud on a sliding rod.con-
nected to the lever. The bolt N2 carries a bowle n on its under side to
which is presented a vertically sliding T piece P. This T picce slides in
guides P¹ made fast to the standard A (see Fig. 2) and at its lower end
the piece is jointed to a rock lever Q which has its fulcrum on the
standard A at q. This lever Q is connected by a link rod to the
treadle R which is mounted at the front of the machine, and at its
opposite end the lever Q is provided with a counterweight which. serves.

page_text: to keep the T piece P in a raised position. The head of this T piece is
wedge-shaped, as shewn in the detached view, Fig. 2*: Thus when the
bowle n comes in contact in the revolution of the bolt with the T piece.
the bolt will be forced back and the spur gear N released. S is a pinion
on the driving shaft S¹ in gear with the spur wheel N and serving to
give a constant rotary motion thereto, which motion is transmitted to the
shaft E only when the bolt N² is in action. The tendency of the counter-
weight on the lever Q is to maintain the T piece in a raised position
as shewn in the Drawing, and thereby to keep the machine quiescent.
When however the treadle R is depressed the T piece P will be drawn
down out of contact with the bowle n. The bolt will be free to yield to
the impulse of its pressure spring, and thereby lock the spur gear and set
the machine in action. To prevent the bolt from slipping out of action
a cam piecé T is fitted to the standard to serve as a support to the rear
end of the bolt during its rotation.. So long therefore as the bolt is
engaged with the spur wheel N the rotation of the shaft E will be con
tinued, and the cams D by reason of their connection with the sliding
frame C will continue alternately to depress and raise the dies I, I, the
pairs of which being fed in succession with the heated metal first in the
form of bar iron, and then in its partially moulded state will complete
the formation of the adze head.
In manufacturing tamping picks and other picks rolling dies are
employed, as illustrated at Sheet III. of the Drawings. Instead, there-
fore, of using a vertical sliding frame, as described with reference to
Sheet II., for setting the dies in action a pair of horizontal rolls arc
provided for carrying these dies.
Fig. 1, Sheet III., shews in front elevation a machine for shaping
tamping and other picks, and Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same
taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1;. Figures 3, 4, and 5 are end elevations
of three pairs of dies which are used in succession for forming the broad
or laterally expanded head of the tamping pick. These dies may be
conveniently combined so as to form three steps of one and the same
pairs of dies, as shewn in plan and edge view at Figs. 6. The dies.
may fit into wedge-shaped recesses made to receive. them in the rolls,
and as the rolls are rotated they will close upon the heated metal
presented to their action, and reduce it gradually to the required form.
A, A, are the rolls mounted in standards B, B. The upper roll is made
adjustable by overhead gearing C and pressure screws D, which latter
"
-

page_text: bear upon the blocks D' that carry the axle of the upper roll. These rolls
carry at about the middle of their length the segment-shaped dies E,
Fig. 6, which being arranged in progressive steps as before mentioned,
will by a series of operations roll out the tamping end of the pick to
shape, the eye of the pick having been previously formed in the manner
described with reference to adze heads. To an extension of the rolls
beyond the framing other rolling dies F, F, are fitted for forming the
steel points which are to be welded to the picks. These dies are shewn
in side elevation as applied to the rolls at Fig. 7. On an extension of
the rolls in an opposite direction spur gearing G which connects the
rolls together is mounted. On the upper roll, between the spur gear G
and the standard B, is a cam H for working the shears, which are used
for squaring the ends of the tamping and chisel-edged pick, and for
slitting the opposite end to receive the steel point. The fixed blade /
of the shears is carried by the standard, and the moveable blade ¹ by a
rock lever H¹, the fulcrum of which is on the standard and near the
moveable blade. The tail of this lever is acted upon by the cam H, and
thus a long leverage is obtained for actuating the shears. The dies in
rolling down the metal to form the tamping head of a pick commence
their action near the eye of the pick, and move the work towards the
attendant (who supports the metal which is being operated upon), as
indicated by the arrows in the diagram Figures. As these dies are
segment shaped room is allowed for placing the heated metal between
the rolls preparatory to the advance of the dies to the gripping position."
This mode of working facilitates the forming of shoulders and other
abrupt enlargements of the tool, as the tendency of the dies is to draw
forward the metal, so as to fill any recesses that may be made in the
dies.
c
In forming the tamping pick which is broad at its end, it will be
desirable after cach rolling of the sides of the pick to give it a taper top
rolling, and thus gradually to reduce the thickness of the metal as the
shaping breadthwise is being effected. These remarks apply equally to
the manufacture of the chisel-edged picks, the form of the rolling dies
being modified to suit the work required to be produced.
:
Figures 8 and 9 shew the form of dies employed for producing the
chisel-edged pick, those represented at Fig. 8 being used to give the.
increasing lateral taper to the tool, and those shewn at Fig. 9 for giving
the decreasing taper in its thickness from the eye to the extremity.,

page_text: Dies of this kind are also used for giving the taper to the tamping pick,
as above mentioned. The rolling dies for forming the pick points or
welds are also segment shaped, as shewn at Fig. 7, and a heated bar
being thrust between the rolls and up to a fixed stop at the back of the
machine; will have a portion of its length equal to the surface length of
the dies moulded into pick points, which will be discharged into a
receptacle in front of the rolls. The dies are so fitted to the rolls that
they will admit of being readily disengaged therefrom to be replaced by
other dies arranged in progressive steps to suit the work in hand. The
picks when they leave the rolling machine (and the same remark applies
to shovels, hoes, and other like articles), require to be brought to shape.
It is necessary also to taper the eyes of picks, hoes, and axes. These
operations are effected in a shaping machine somewhat like that first
described. This machine is shewn in Sheet IV., Fig. 1 being a front
elevation, and Fig, 2 a vertical section of the same taken in the line 1, 2,
of Fig. 1. This machine is furnished with profile stamping dies which
will give the proper curve to the pick, one limb at a time, or to the
shovel at one operation, and it is also provided with a taper punch and
die for shaping the eye in a suitable manner for receiving the wooden
handle, and the key for holding the handle in place. The moving punch
and dies are fitted to a frame or block A which slides in guides formed in
the standard B, B; this block receives an up-and-down motion from
rotating excentrics C, C, keyed to the horizontal shaft D. This shaft D
receives its motion from the driving shaft E which is fitted at one end
with band pulleys, and a fly wheel. The shaft E carries at its other end
a pinion in gear with a spur wheel D', which is loose on the shaft D.
Fitted on this shaft is a sliding clutch D³ which has a tendency to
engage with a stud on the boss of the wheel D¹. This tendency the
clutch receives from a coiled spring d placed within the shaft D, and
acting upon a rod which connects by a cross pin with the interior of the
clutch, the shaft being slotted to allow of the sliding of the pin. When
the clutch engages with the spur wheel D¹, rotary motion from that
wheel will be transmitted through the clutch to the shaft D, and
consequently to the excentrics C which will raise and depress the
block A with its dies and punches. The clutch D³ is grooved on its
periphery to receive a sliding bolt F which moves in bracket guides F
attached to the framing B. This bolt F is held up in contact with the
clutch by a spring f, and it is connected by a rod fi to the counter-
balance, lever G of a treadle G₁. When therefore the treadle is depressed

page_text: .
the cluten win engage with the spur wheel D, and the machine will be
'set in action. On the attendant removing his foot from the treadle the
sliding bolt. F. will rise, and so soon as the broad part of the groove of the
clutch is presented to the bolt the latter will enter the groove, and as the
contracted part of the groove presents itself, the bolt will force.back the.
clutch and stop the action of the machine..
Fig. 2 shews a punch a about to act upon the eye of a pick H which
rests upon a stationary die a¹³, suitably shaped to receive and support the
pick. This punch a is made taper both breadthwise and transversely, and
it is intended to open out the eye, the sides of which would be parallel
on leaving the dies shewn at Fig. 6, Sheet II. This die a¹ with its
punch a, and also the dies b, bi, and c, c¹, may be readily changed to
adapt the machine to various kinds of work. For this purpose it is
preferred to secure them respectively to the block A, and to the bed of
the machine by dovetails.
C. Figs. 3, Sheet IV., shew a pair of dies for giving the arms of the
pick the proper curvature, and Figs. 4 shew a pair of dies for shaping
the sides of the chisel-edged arm of the pick.
A
In forming spades, shovels, and hoe blades a stamping die of peculiar
construction is used. This die is arched on its cutting face, so that as it
descends upon the sheet metal its opposite ends will first come into
.contact therewith and act somewhat like shears, holding at the same time
.the metal at tension, and preventing it from buckling. This part of the
.Invention is illustrated in Sheet V., where Fig. 1 is a side view of a pair of
dies for stamping out the back strap of a spade or shovel, and Fig. 2 is a
plan view of the bottom die. The cutting part a of the top die A is
arched, so that the opposite ends thereof will first come into contact
with the metal c which lies upon the hollow die B, and is to be stamped
out to the shape shewn at Fig. 2. It will thus be understood that the
shearing action of the dies will commence at the opposite extremities of
the article that is being stamped out, and will be completed at about the
middle of its length. The back and front straps are formed in similar
dies, and they are by preference cut out in groups from one piece of
metal, the patterns being so arranged that a piece of metal but slightly
larger than that which would suffice for a back strap will form also two
front straps. Fig. 3 shews a bottom die constructed after this manner;
the upper die will be made with an arched face, as shewn at Fig. 1.

page_text: of picks, adzes, and other like articles, and for bringing to shape the
orged tools as described, with reference to Sheet IV. of the Drawings.
Sixthly. The construction of shearing dies and punches as described,
with reference to Sheet V: of the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Nineteenth day of August, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three