CERTAIN IMPROVE- MENTS IN TURNING, CUTTING, AND SHAPING WOOD AND OTHER MATERIALS
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME GREETING, I,
THOMAS COATS, of Ferguslie, in the Town of Paisley, and County of Renfrew,
in that part of Great Britain called Scotland, Thread Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Sixteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord One thou-
sand eight hundred and fifty, in the fourteenth year of Her reign, did give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas Coats, my exors; adñors, and assigns,
Her special licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
Thomas Coats, my exors, adñors, and assigns, and every of them, by myself
and themselves; or by my and their deputy or deputies, servants.or agents, or
such others as I, the said Thomas Coats, my exors, admors, or assigns, should
at any time agree with; and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend my Invention, being "CERTAIN IMPROVE-
MENTS IN TURNING, CUTTING, AND SHAPING WOOD AND OTHER MATERIALS," within
that part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called
England, the Dominion of Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also
in all the Colonies and Plantations abroad; in which said Letters' Patent
there is contained a proviso, that I, the said Thomas Coats; shall particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and

page_text: seal, to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and
at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Coats, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described and
ascertained by the following description and the Drawings hereunto annexed,
reference being had to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:
My Invention consists in Certain Improvements in Turning, Cutting, and
Shaping Wood and other Materials, which are intended to render the
machinery used capable of performing its work with less attention and mani-
pulation from the workman than has hitherto been required, and are designed
to be principally applied to the manufacture of bobbins used for thread.
The annexed Drawing, Fig. 1, represents a side elevation of the turning
lath heads and tool rests commonly used in turning bobbins, and shews them
with my improvements attached.
Fig. 2 represents a plan of the same, also with my improvements attached.
The Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 shew these improvements more
in detail, and which will be hereafter described. .
In order that my Invention may be more easily explained and understood,
I shall describe separately and in the following order the different parts of my
improvements.
First, the method by which I work the rests or beds on which the cutting
tools are fixed so as to bring them in contact with the blocks, to be turned
in the proper time and position.
Second, the method by which I press the blocks upon and withdraw the
bobbins from the revolving arbour on which they are turned..
Third, the method by which I feed or deliver the bobbins to or upon the
revolving arbour.
A, Fig. 1 and 2, is the headstock, with revolving spindle and arbour; B,
the headstock, with sliding spindle K; C, C, beds for carrying the cutting
tools which rock on the axis D, but may also be worked by means of slides.
J is a pulley revolving at a determined speed, and upon the axis of this pulley
is fixed a cylinder P. The circumference of this cylinder is grooved in an
angular and paralel direction to its edge, as shewn in the Drawing. Fig. 8
represents the whole surface of cylinder P. Into this groove is introduced a
stud or pin projecting from the lever L, which lever works in the axis W on

page_text: headstock A. This lever L is connected, by means of rods and studs, to the
tool bed C, C, as shewn in the Drawings, Figs. 1, 2, and 3.
Fig. 3 represents an end elevation of the tool beds, shewing the rods con-
necting them to the lever L.
It
Fig. 7 is a section of the pulley J and cylinder P, shewing the groove in
the circumference, and the pin a in the lever L working into the groove.
will be seen from the foregoing description and Drawings annexed that as the
pulley J revolves the lever L must move on its axis in a transverse. direction
to the axis of the headstock, and by its connection with the cutting tool beds
cause them to move towards and from the revolving arbour, or to remain at
rest in the required time and position; and this motion admits of any required
variation by changing the form of the groove in the cylinder P, as shewn in
Fig. 17, where the groove is represented to give this tool bed only one motion
instead of two, the tools being all fixed on one side of the bed.
Another method of working the rests or beds on which the cutting tools
are fixed is represented by Figs. 13 and 14; here the lever L is represented
placed to work under the cylinder P, and connected direct to the tool bed, by
which all the intermediate connections shewn connecting the slotted end of the
lever L to the tool bed can be dispensed with.
I shall now describe the method by which I press the blocks up to and
withdraw the bobbins from the arbour of headstock A. Upon the pulley J,
Figs. 1, 2, and 7, which is fixed on the same axis as the cylinder P, already
described, are fixed two projecting studs or centres a' and b¹, which admit of
being adjusted to their proper position on the pulley J. To these centres are
attached the rods I i. Upon these rods are fixed the stops or tappets H h.
which stops are adjustable and act on the lever R in the required time and
position. This lever R is attached to the headstock B, moving on a centre
or pivot, and passing through or attached to the sliding spindle K, so that the
motion of the lever R may cause the sliding spindle K of the headstock B to
move towards or from the revolving arbour. O is a bar on which the outer
guide or spring guard is fixed, which, when the lever R draws the spindle
forward on the block to be turned, catches and holds it till finished and
simultaneous with the stop Q fixed on the sliding spindle K of the headstock
B. To the point of this spindle is fitted a centre for pressing up the blocks
to the revolving arbour, and steadying them when being turned; and there is
also thereto fixed the guard E, for drawing off the finished bobbins when the
spindle K is made to recede from the revolving arbour.
It will now be seen, from the foregoing description and annexed Drawings,
that, as the pully J revolves, it will cause the rods I i to move so as alter-

page_text: nately to push the sliding spindle K of the headstock B towards and withdraw
it from the revolving arbour of the headstock A; and as the cylinder P, for
working the cutting tools, is fixed on the same axis as the pulley J, the
motion of the sliding spindle for pressing up the blocks to the revolving arbour
can be adjusted in any. required degree to suit the motion or action of the
cutting tools.
.
Another method of pressing the blocks up and withdrawing the bobbins
from the revolving arbour of headstock A, is represented in Figs. 13 and 14.
Upon the end or disc of cylinder P is cut a groove (9) in the form repre-
sented in the Drawing. Into this groove works a pin or stud projecting from
the lever (b). This lever moves on its axis which is fixed on the lath bed,
headstock, or other convenient part of the machine. On another convenient
part of the machine (here represented on the outer end of the sliding head-
stock) is placed the lever (c), moving on its axis, corresponding to the lever (6).
These levers are connected to each other by means of the adjustable rod (d).
The upper end of the lever (c) passes through or is connected to the sliding
spindle K. It will now be seen that whatever motion is communicated by
the slit or groove in the disc of the pulley P to the lever (b), a correspond-
ing motion is communicated to the spindle K, and by altering the form of
the slit, this 'motion admits of any requisite amount of adaptation to the
requirements of the machine, and the blocks are pressed up to the revolving
arbour, and the bobbins withdrawn from it, as formerly described.
I shall now describe the method by which I feed or deliver the blocks to
or upon the revolving arbour on which they are to be turned. Figs. 1, 4, 5, 6,
and 9 represent different views of the feeding apparatus. F is the feeding
box made of such size that the blocks previously prepared may slip easily
into it, and of such depth as to contain any number of blocks determined
on. Fig. 6 shews the box, which has a door opening a little on one or both
sides, and pressed shut by a spring; the bottom of the box is open, but made
slightly curved so as to retain the blocks until it is fixed to the arbour and
the box withdrawn. T, Fig. 5, is a stop which brings the box to rest in the
required position of the block entering the arbour. The feeding box is fitted
into a vertical slide in front of the headstock B, and when left at liberty will
come to rest on the stop T, so that the block to be turned may be entered on
the arbour. Upon the headstock B, Fig. 1, is fixed on a centre the bell
crank U. The horizontal arm is connected to the feeding box F by means of
the slotted link M, and the vertical arm is connected to the sliding spindle
of thic headstock B. To the point of the spindle is attached the guard E,
already described, and to this guard is attached the catch V (Fig. 5) by means

page_text: :
of the slotted link N, the catch V is kept forward by means of a spring. It
will now be seen that the sliding spindle K being drawn back from the head
stock A, the catch V will be withdrawn from the stop S, and allows the feeding
box to slide down and rest on the stop T, the sliding spindle is pressed forward
and presses the block upon the arbour of headstock A, and at the same time
the motion of the spindle, acting on the bell crank U, lifts the feeding box
and withdraws it from the block, which is now fixed on the arbour ready 'for
turning the front of the feeding box opening, as already described. The
feeding box now comes to rest on the stop S, and when the bobbin is finished
the operation is repeated as before, the operator continuing to fill the feeding
box with blocks as required.
Another method of working the feeding box is represented by Figures
10, 11, 12, and 13. Fig. 10 represents a back elevation of part of the
headstock B and revolving spindle of headstock A, shewing the feeding box
with the apparatus for working it attached; Fig. 11 represents a plan of the
same; Fig. 12 is an end elevation of the feeding box shewing the stops and
catches. On the headstock B (Fig. 10) is attached the bracket Z, the front
part of this bracket carries the slide in which the feeding box works. To this
bracket is fitted the bell crank X, the vertical end of which is attached to the
slot fixed on the point of the sliding spindle. The horizontal leg of the bell
crank is brought in contact with the pin y in the side of the feeding box, so
that when the notion of the sliding spindle acts on the vertical leg of the bell
crank, the horizontal leg will raise the feeding box and allow it to drop at
the required time; thus the feeding box is represented as having just delivered'
the block on the point of the spindle, and the sliding spindle is just pressing
the block up to the running spindle. It will be seen that at the same time"
the horizontal leg of the bell crank acting on the pin y in the side of the
feeding box must lift it up, when it will be retained in the catch V. When
the sliding spindle is drawn back, the horizontal arm of the bell crank acts on
a pin in the side of the catch V, and presses it back so as to allow the feeding
box to drop until it is retained by the stop (T). The sliding spindle moves
by the means already described.
Having now described the construction and operation of my improvements
separately, I shall proceed to describe their operation when combined. The
operator having been provided with blocks drilled and roughed to the proper
size, he puts the requisite number into the feeding box, and 'sets the lath in
motion. It will be seen from the previous description and Drawings that
when the pin on the end of the lever L is on that part of the groove in
cylinder P paralel to the edge, that the operation of feeding and delivering'

page_text: the blocks on and withdrawing the bobbins from the arbour takes place, and
at the same time the cutting tool beds are brought to rest about equidistant
from the revolving arbour. The block having been delivered and fixed on
the arbour, as already described, the motion of the cylinder P brings the
angular part of the groove to act on the lever L, which causes the tool beds
to which the cutting tools are fixed and properly adjusted to move alternately
to and from the arbour. The bobbin is now finished, and the motion of the
cylinder P brings the paralel part of the groove in action and the cutting
tools at rest. At the same time the motion of the pulley J causes the rod i
to withdraw the sliding spindle from the revolving arbour, and with it the
finished bobbin by means of the guard E attached to the spindle. The catch
V is now withdrawn from the stop S, and the feeding box is allowed to slide
down to the stop T, Fig. 5, or stop T, Fig. 10, and deliver the block on the
point of the arbour. The motion of the pulley J now brings the tappet II
in contact with the lever R, and presses up the block on the arbour, and holds
it up. till the bobbin is finished. At the same time the motion of the bell
crank X, Fig. 10, or U, Fig. 1, lifts the feeding box and withdraws it from the
block to be turned, and brings it to rest on the catch S. The cutting tools
are now brought into action, the bobbin finished, and the operation con-
tinued as before, the attendant taking care to supply the feeding box with
blocks.
Having now described the nature of my improvements, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed or carried into effect, I would have it
understood that I lay no claim to the various parts of machinery for turning
wood and other substances which have hitherto been used and generally under-
stood, or the methods of working the same. But what I do claim as my
Invention is,―
First, the methods of working the tool beds, as already described.
Second, the methods of working the sliding spindle so as to press the blocks
up and withdraw the bobbins from the revolving arbour.
:
Third, the methods of delivering the blocks on the revolving arbour on
which they are to be turned. And I would have it understood that I do not
limit myself to the precise mode or manner of carrying out my improvements,
thus, for example, at Fig. 9 is shewn a plan for working the feeding box by
means of a cord attached to and passing over a pulley fixed on the headstock B
and connected to the guard E. This may be used in raising and lowering
the feeding box instead of a bell crank V and slotted link M.
And such my Invention being, to the
entirely new and never before used within
best of my knowledge and belief,.
that part of Her Majesty's United

page_text: Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, the Dominion of
Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in the Islands of Jersey,
Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all the Colonies and Plan-
tations abroad; and I hereby declare this to be my Specification of the same,
and I verily believe this my said Specification doth comply in all respects fully
and without reserve or disguise in the said herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent, wherefore I do hereby claim exclusive right and privilege to my said
Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Coats, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.
Enrolled the Thirteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-one.