IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TWISTING AND LAYING CORDS AND ROPE
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Russell Taber, of Fairhaven, Massachusetts,
United States of America, but now temporally residing at No. 5,
Devonshire Square, in the City of London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TWISTING AND LAYING CORDS AND ROPE."
-A communication from abroad by Howard Perkins, of Mansfield,
Massachusetts, United States of America.
Sealed the 11th January 1871, and dated the 27th September 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Russell Taber at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 27th September -1870.
I, JOHN RUSSELL TABER, of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, United States
of America, but now temporally residing at No. 5, Devonshire Square,
in the City of London, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TWISTING AND LAYING CORDS
AND ROPE," a communication, to be as follows:-
The general construction of my machine consists of a horizontal
shaft mounted in suitable bearings for revolving by manual or other
power, to which shaft is attached two plates or discs for carrying the

page_text: spool frames or flyes, and on which they are revolved, together with
suitable mechanism for receiving and winding the cord or rope around
a reel after it is twisted and laid. The machine is intended more
particularly for making the smaller kinds of cords and ropes.
Firstly. A part of my improvement consists in the means employed
for revolving the spool frames or flyes, two or more of them for twisting
the strand by which the use of gearing is dispensed with, and which
admits of working the machine at a greater velocity, at the same time
the twist of the strand or velocity of the spool frame or fly can be
increased or diminished at pleasure. This is done by the use of bands or
belts, by preference india-rubber, or any other elastic bands are used,
which are placed and worked around stationary drums or cylinders
through which the main shaft of the machine passes and revolves.
These belts when the main shaft is worked revolves the spool frames
through the medium of pullies attached to the axis of the frames.
These pullies are made so that they may be increased or dimished in
diameter to suit the required velocity of the spool frame or twist of the
strand. This is done by slipping a series of rings or collars over each
other on the axis of the pullies made of any suitable material, by pre-
ference leather is used, which prevents the belts from slipping for
revolving the spool frames. The pulley, rings, or collars will be firmly
clamped by plates acting on their edges or by any other suitable device
to prevent them slipping.
Secondly. Another portion of my improvement relates to the means
of regulating the tension on the spool to prevent it working too loose
or tight on the spindle. The spools are made to revolve on stationary
spindles held in their frames by means of springs attached to the sides
of the frames, and between the ends of the spools and insides of their
frames there are springs attached with holes made in the springs for the
passage of the spool spindles; to these springs are attached rings of
india-rubber around where the spindle passes through them, which are
pressed with greater or less force against the end of the spools by means
of screw bolts passing through the sides of the spool frames or other-
wise, and acting on the springs to which the rubber rings are attached,
and thereby regulating the tension the spools to suit the required
resistance in unwinding the strands from them. In connection with this
other plate springs are applied to the circumferences of the spools or
thread wound on them for assisting in regulating the tension of the

page_text: strands in laying the cord or rope; the resistance of these springs
will be regulated by spiral springs and adjusting screws attached to the
spool frames.
Another portion of my improvement consists in regulating the
tension of the strands after they are unwound from the spools in the
flyes and frames, and between where they are laid to form the cord or
rope by passing the strands through transverse openings in shafts
vibrating on centres, which shafts are furnished with spiral springs to give
a rotating resistance, and the strands in passing through the openings
are drawn so as to act against the force of the said spiral springs, and
thereby produce a tension on the strands which is regulated by increasing
or diminishing the resistance of the spiral spring.
Another portion of my improvement is the use of a clamp for
smoothing, finishing, and pressing the cord or rope to a uniform size
after it is laid. This clamp is placed at the end of the main shaft of the
machine just beyond where the strand of the cord or rope are laid together.
This clamp is made by hinging one end of the two jaw pieces together
and holding their other ends together by means of a link of india-
rubber or other material. This clamping apparatus is held by a stationary
frame piece just beyond the end of the-horizontal or main shaft.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Russell Taber in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 11th February 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
RUSSELL TABER, of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, United States of America,
but now temporarily residing at No. 5, Devonshire Square, in the City of
London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of September, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the
thirty-fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said John Russell Taber, Her
special licence that I, the said John Russell Taber, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Russell
Taber, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time

page_text: 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 TWISTING AND LAYING CORDS AND ROPE," a
communication to me from abroad by Howard Perkins, of Mansfield,
Massachusetts, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Russell Taber, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Russell Taber, 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:-
The general construction of my machine consists of a horizontal shaft
mounted in suitable bearings, and revolved by manual or other power,
to which shaft is attached two plates or discs for carrying the spool
frames or flyes on which they are revolved, and also suitable mechanism
for receiving and winding the cord or rope around a reel after it is laid
and twisted. The machine is intended more particularly for making the
smaller kinds of cords and ropes.
Firstly. A part of my improvement consists in the means employed for
revolving the spool frames or flyes in a machine for twisting the threads
by which the use of gearing is dispensed with, which admits of working
the machine at a greater comparative velocity, at the same time the
twist of the thread can be increased or diminished at pleasure. This is
done by the use of bands or belts, by preference india-rubber, or any
other elastic bands, which are placed and worked around stationary
drums or cylinders, through which the main shaft of the machine passes
and revolves. These belts when the main shaft is worked revolves the
spool frames, through the medium of pullies attached to the axis of the
spool frames. The pullies are made so that they can be increased or
diminished in diameter to suit the required velocity or twist of the thread.
This is done by slipping a series of rings or collars over each other on

page_text: the axis of the pullies made of any suitable material, by preference leather
is used, which prevents the belts from slipping. The pullies, rings, or
collars will be firmly clamped by plates acting on their edges, or by any
other suitable device to prevent them from slipping.
Secondly. Another part of my improvement relates to the means of
regulating the tension on the spool to prevent it revolving too loose or
too tight on the spindle. The spools are made to revolve on stationary
spindles held in their frames by means of springs attached to the sides
of the frames, and between the ends of the spools and insides of their
frames there are springs attached with holes made in the springs for the
passage of the spool spindles; to these springs are attached rings of
india-rubber around where the spindle passes through them, which are
pressed with greater or less force against the end of the spools by means
of screw bolts passing through the sides of the spool frames, and acting
on the springs to which the rubber rings are attached, and thereby
regulating the tension on the spools to suit the required resistance in
unwinding the threads from them. In connection with the springs at the
ends of the spool other plate springs are applied to the circumferences of
the spools or thread wound on them for assisting in regulating the.
tension of the thread in twisting the cord or rope; the pressure of these
springs will be regulated by spiral springs and adjusting screws attached
to the spool frames.
Another portion of my improvement consists in regulating the tension
of the threads after they are unwound from the spools in the frames and
between where they are laid to form the cord or rope by passing the
threads through openings in transverse shafts vibrating on centres in the
frames, which shafts are furnished with spiral springs to give a rotating
resistance, and the strands in passing through the openings are drawn so
as to act against the face of the said spiral springs and thereby produce a
tension on the threads, which is regulated by increasing or diminishing
the resistance of the spiral spring.
Another portion of my improvement is the use of a clamp for
smoothing, finishing, and pressing the cord or rope to a uniform size
after twisting it. This clamp is placed at the end of the main shaft of the
machine just beyond where the threads of the cord are laid and twisted
together. The clamp is made by hinging two jaw pieces together,
similar to a pair of tongs, and holding the other ends of the jaw pieces
together by a link of india-rubber or other material.

page_text: In order to give a fuller understanding of the said Invention reference
is here made to the accompanying Drawings hereunto annexed, and to
the letters of reference marked thereon and made to form part of this
Specification.
Fig. 1 is a top view of the machine, Fig. 2 is a side elevation, and
Fig. 3 is an end view of the same.
A, A, is a horizontal shaft revolved in suitable bearings as represented
by the pulley wheel W; to this shaft two plates or discs B, `B, are
permanently attached for carrying the spool frames or flyes C, C, usually
there are three flyes attached to a machine; E, E, E, are spools for
carrying the threads J to be laid and twisted into the cord S; the
threads J are made to pass through openings in the cross pieces h, h,
attached to the inside of the flyes C by centre screws, as represented in
Fig. 2. The cross pieces are provided with spiral .springs i, i, and so
connected with them to give a certain amount of resistance to the
passage of the threads J from the spool to produce a proper tension on
the threads before they are laid and twisted at the end of the shaft A, as
represented in Figs. 1 and 2, for the purpose of insuring a uniform size
and compact cord or rope. The spools E are likewise provided with
means for regulating the tension or revolving on their spindles by the
combined use of the springs k, k, and b, b; the springs k, k, are made
to act between the ends of the spool E and inside of the flyes C by
pressing the springs against the ends of the spool by the set screws d, d,
as represented. It will be seen there are two spiral springs k at the end
of each spool, between which are placed rings of india-rubber or other
elastic material around the spool spindles to permit a yielding resistance
in the springs for accommodating themselves to any irregularity of
form in the spools; the other springs & act on the surface of the thread
on the spools E, and their pressure is regulated by the spiral springs e, e,
fully represented in Fig. 1. The spindles of the spools are held to their
place by the spring a attached to the sides of the spool frames, which may
be sprung up and drawn out at the side of the frames for removing and
replacing the spools. The spool frames C, C, receive their rotating
motion by the bands D, D, D, working in the pullies f. f, f, more
fully represented in Fig. 3. There is a stationary pulley or cylinder
attached to the bearing piece X, around which the bands D pass, and by
revolving the shaft A the bands are made to revolve the spool frames C, C,
through the medium of the pullies attached to the axis of the

page_text: frames on the outside of the disc; by thus revolving the frames by bands
the machine can be worked at an increased velocity without any
objectional noise compared with a machine in which geared wheels are
used. In practice the bands D, D, D, are made of india-rubber capable
of stretching to suit different sized pullies ff, in order to increase or
diminish the velocity of the frame, and consequently the twist of the
threads J. After the threads J, J, are laid and twisted the cord or rope
S is passed through the clamp M for smoothing and giving a finished
appearance to the cord; this clamp is composed of two pieces of metal,
and hinged together similar to a pair of tongs. The clamping is effected
by a strong link of india-rubber V slipped over the ends of the clamp
picces M, as represented in Figs. 1 and 2. When the cord S is finally
finished by passing it through the clamp M it is wound on the reel H;
this reel receives its motion from the shaft A through the medium of the
gearing wheels N, O, shafts P, R, and cord F, as represented in Figs. 1
and 2. The reel H is connected to its axis, so that it can be readily
attached and detached for removing the reel when full, and replacing
it with another for receiving the cord.
Having now described the nature of my improvement and manner of
constructing and working the same, what I claim is,-
Firstly. Revolving the spool frames C, C, by means of belts for the
purposes and in the manner stated in the foregoing Specification.
Secondly. The arrangement of the springs k and to each spool frame
for regulating the tension of the spools on their spindles, in the manner
and for the purposes stated in the foregoing Specification.
Thirdly. The tension shafts h in each spool frame, constructed and pro-
vided with spiral springs i, as represented in the accompanying Drawings,
for regulating the tension of the threads as they are taken from the spools,
laid, and twisted into cords, as stated in the foregoing Specification.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Russell Taber, have hereunto
.
set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.