An Improved Tool or Appliance for Bending Metallic Tubes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Feb., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 16th Nov., 1896-Accepted, 6th Feb., 1897 *
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Tool or Appliance for Bending Metallic Tubes.
We, STEPHEN WILKES, of The Atlas Bedstead Works, Bilston, in the County
of Stafford, Bedstead and Nail Manufacturer, and JAMES CASWELL, of Sedgley,
in the said county, Builder's Foreman, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists of the hereindescribed improved tool or appliance for
bending metallic tubes and particularly those open jointed tubes which are used in
the manufacture of metallic bedsteads and which have to be bent to a curve which
is not part of one circle but which is a combination of two or more radial curves or
is a curve of any other shape.
In carrying out this invention we provide a bending block which has at one part
or edge the same curved shape which the tube is required to have, say for instance
a curve which is a combination of two radial curves as would be required for one
of the main tubes for forming a bedstead end. This curved part of the bending
block has a groove (preferably semicircular in cross section) all along in which the
tube will fit. Outside the said curved part of the bending block there is a
bending roller grooved on its periphery to correspond with the tube and the groove
in the bending block. This bending roller can turn on an axis which is carried by
a forked or double lever which turns on a fulcrum pin in a convenient position on
the bending block within the curved part. The bending block and bending roller.
are thus situated between the two levers which form the forked or double lever;
and as this lever is turned about its fulcrum the bending roller rolls along the
curved part of the bending block. The bending roller is constrained to follow the
curve of the bending block by the following means. The bending block has
a curved slot in which is situated another roller mounted on a cross axis and carried
by said lever which axis is by side links connected to the axis of the bending
roller. The said curved slot is made of such a shape that when the lever is turned
about its fulcrum the second roller in rolling along the curved slot constrains the
bending roller to follow the curve of the bending block.
In using the tool or appliance above described the tube to be bent is placed in
the groove in the bending block and under the bending roller one end of the tube
being against an adjustable stop and held to the bending block by a hooked piece
fixed thereto. The bending lever is then turned about its fulcrum causing the
bending roller to roll along and bend the tube to the shape of the bending block,
said bending roller being constrained to follow the curve of the bending block by
the said second roller rolling along the curved slot as above described. The said
lever is slotted longitudinally where the axles of the two rollers are thus allowing
of the rollers moving nearer to or farther from the fulcrum of the lever as may be
required by the curve of the bending block.
1000
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicants.

page_text: "
An Improved Tool or Appliance for Bending Metallic Tubes.
We, STEPHEN WILKES, of The Atlas Bedstead Works, Bilston, in the County
of Stafford, Bedstead and Nail Manufacturer, and JAMES CASWELL, of Sedgley,
in the said county, Builders' Foreman, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention consists of the hereindescribed improved tool or appliance for
bending metallic tubes and particularly those open jointed tubes which are used in
the manufacture of metallic bedsteads and which have to be bent to a curve which
is not part of one circle but which is a combination of two or more radial curves or
is a curve of any other shape.
We will describe this invention by referring to the accompanying drawings on
which
Fig. 1 is a plan of our improved metallic tube bending tool or appliance shewing
a straight tube in position ready to be beat; Fig. 2 shews the same tube when
bent by our invention;
Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the tube bending tool or appliance shewn in Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 shews a part of the same separately; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a part of
the same; Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation of the same on an enlarged scale and
Fig. 7 is a plan of one of the side links of the said machine.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
In carrying out this invention we provide a bending block A firmly fixed as to
the base A so as to remain stationary. This bending block has at one side or
edge a¹ the same curved shape (see Fig. 1) which the tube B is required to have,
say for instance the shape shewn by Fig. 2 which is a combination of two radial
curves as would be required for one of the main tubes for forming a bedstead end.
This curved edge al of the bending block A has a groove a¹ all along it (see
Figs. 1, 2 and 3) this groove being by preference of semicircular cross section and
of a shape and size in which the tube B will fit. Outside the grooved part a¹ of the
bending block A there is a bending roller C grooved on its periphery to correspond
with the cross sectional shape of the tube B. This bending roller A can turn on
its axis d' which is carried by the forked or double lever marked E el e² which
turns on the fulcrum pin F located in a convenient position on the bending block A
within the groove part a'. The bending block A and bending roller C are situated
between the two arms el e2 which form the forked part of the lever E; and as this
lever E is turned about its fulcrum F the bending roller C rolls along the grooved
edge a¹ of the bending block A. The bending roller C is constrained to follow the
grooved edge a¹ of the bending block A by the following means. The bending
block A has a curved slot G in which is situated another roller H mounted on a
cross axis which is carried by the forked part el e² of the lever E, which axis I is
by two side links J1 J connected to the axis d' of the bending roller C. The
curved slot G is made of a shape to correspond with the grooved edge a' so that
when the lever Eee is turned about its fulcrum pin F the second roller H in
rolling along the cross slot G constrains the bending roller to follow the curved
part a' of the bending block A.
In using the tool or appliance above described the tube B to be bent is placed in
the groove a¹ of the bending block and under the bending roller Cone end 6 of
the tube B being against the adjustable stop K and held to the bending block A
by the hooked piece L fixed thereto (see Figs. 1 and 5). The bending lever E el e
is then turned about its fulcrum F causing the bending roller C to roll along and
bend the tube B to the shape of the bending block A said roller C being
constrained to follow the groove a' of the bending block A by the said second

page_text: roller H rolling along the curved slot G as above described. The said arms e¹ e
of the lever E are slotted longitudinally at m' m² where the respective axles d
and I of the rollers C and H pass through so as to allow the rollers C and H
moving nearer to or farther from the fulcrum F as may be required by the curved
edge a¹ of the bending block.
The curved plate N shewn separately by Fig. 4 is fixed to the underside of the
bending block A by the studs n' n² for the side e of the bending lever to rest upon
and thus take the weight of the same and keep the lever and bending roller C true
with the central plane of the bending block A.
The side links J1 J' are by preference constructed as shewn and as we will now
describe so as to enable the distance between the centres of the rollers H and C to
be adjusted to suit larger or smaller tubes. Our preferred construction of the side
links JJ will be rendered clear by an examination of Figures 6 and 7 where it
will be seen that each link consists of two end bearing blocks forming
bearings for the axle d' I respectively and connected together by the two screwed
bolts passing through the same and provided with lock nuts je by which the
blocks and axles d' I can be adjusted as may be required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a tool or appliance for bending metallic tubes, the combination of a bending
block having a curved edge corresponding with the required shape of the tube, a
bending lever jointed to said bending block so as to turn about the same, a bending
roller carried by said lever and adapted to roll along the curved edge of the
bending block, a second roller situated between the said hending roller and the
fulcrum of the bending lever and adapted to roll along a curved slot in the bending
block corresponding with the shape of the said curved edge, and side links
connecting the axis of the bending roller to the axis of the second roller, these
parts being so arranged that when the bending lever is turned about the bending
block the bending roller will be constrained to follow the curved edge of the
bending block and bend the tube to the shape of the same substantially as herein
set forth.
2. In a tool or appliance for bending metallic tubes in which the tube is bent
round the curved edge of a bending block by means of a bending roller carried
by a lever and moving along the said curved edge, the employment of means
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the accompanying
drawings for constraining the bending roller to follow the particular shape of the
curved edge of the bending block as it rolls along the same.
3. The improved tool or appliance for bending metallic tubes, consisting
essentially of the bending block A having a curved edge al corresponding with the
required shape of the tube, the forked bending lever Eee jointed to said bending
block so as to turn about the same, the bending roller C carried by the bending
lever and adapted to roll along the curved edge of the bending block A, the second
roller H engaging in the slot G corresponding with the curved edge a', and the side
links J J connecting the axes of the two rollers C and H together, these parts
being arranged and operating substantially as herein before described and illustrated
by the accompanying drawings.
4. The combination of parts forming the improved tool or appliance for bending
metallic tubes, constructed arranged and operating substantially as hereiubefore
described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 14th day of November 1896.
CHARLES BOSWORTH KETLEY,
Agent for the Applicants.