IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR POINTING NAILS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for
Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR POINTING
NAILS." -A communication from abroad by Lawrence Barnes, of
Burlington, in the State of Vermont, United States of America.
Sealed the 25th April 1871, and dated the 3rd November 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 3rd November 1870.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR POINTING
NAILS," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved machine for pointing the ends
of nails used for horse-shoes and other purposes.
The Invention consists, first, in the use of a spiral feeding apparatus
for conveying the nail blanks to the pointing mechanism; and secondly,

page_text: A
in an arrangement of gauging clamp and pointing mechanism.
suitable frame serves to sustain a recessed annular guide to receive a
circular rotary frame which is rotated by a horizontal driving shaft
connected by bevel or other gearing with the frame so that it will revolve
the same. By other gear wheels the driving shaft is connected with
the feeding cylinder which extends horizontally across the framework
and has a spiral groove cut into it from one end to the other, and which
groove terminates above the centre of the rotating frame in an enlarge-
ment. A stationary bar is secured alongside the feeding cylinder so as
to form by the grooves vertical receptacles for the nails to be pointed.
The nail blanks are fitted through the several windings of the grooves
close to the stationary bar and rest with their heads on the bar. As the
feeding cylinder is revolved it will gradually convey the nail blanks
towards the centre of the frame into the enlargement of the groove
where they drop into the pointing mechanism into proper succession.
There is a gauge for supporting the nail blanks that drop from the
feeder; this gauge is secured to a rock shaft which is actuated by
There is a clamp
projecting cams on the rotary frame and by a spring.
for retaining the blank against a fixed holder of the annular frame after
the gauge has been withdrawn; this clamp is by a pin pivotted to the
fixed holder, and is held closed by a spring while cams on the rotary
frame serve to throw it open whenever the pointed nail is to be dropped
and a new blank to be received by the gauge. Four or more hammers
are used, and are attached to arms that project from a rock shaft hung
in the lower part of the frame. The hammers all radiate from the
centre of the rotary frame and are thrown together by V shaped arms
which project from the inner circumference of the rotating frame and
drop apart by their own weight. The nail blanks put into the spiral
feeder are dropped by the same successively upon the gauge whenever it
is thrown forward by the spring. While thus held on the gauge the
blank is secured on the fixed arm by the clamp. The gauge is next
withdrawn from under the nail, but the same is held by the clamp and
then pointed by the hammers.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 3rd May 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of November, 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 successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special
licence that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Edward
Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR POINTING NAILS," being a communication
to me from abroad by Lawrence Barnes, of Burlington, in the State of
Vermont, United States of America, upon the condition (amongst others).
that I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors or adminis
trators, by an instrument in writing under the, 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 William Edward 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 Drawing here-
unto annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say)
This Invention relates to an improved machine for pointing the ends

page_text: The Invention consists, first, in the use of a spiral feeding apparatus
for conveying the nail blanks to the pointing mechanism; and secondly,
in an arrangement of guaging clamp and pointing mechanism as
herein-after more fully described.
and
In the Drawing Fig. 1 is a plan or top view of the machine;
Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same. A is the frame of
the machine, and serves to sustain a recessed annular guide B to receive
a circular rotary frame C which is rotated by the horizontal driving
shaft D hung in the frame A and connected by bevel or other gearing a
with the frame C so that it will rotate the same. By other gear
wheels b, b, the driving shaft D is connected with the feeding cylinder E
which extends horizontally across the framework, and has a spiral groove.
cut into it from one end to the other; this groove terminates above.
the centre of the rotating frame C in an enlargement as in Fig. 2. A
stationary bar d is secured alongside the feeding cylinder E so as to
form by the grooves vertical receptacles for the nails to be pointed. The-
nail blanks are fitted through the several windings of the grooves close
to the bar d and rest with their heads on this bar. As the feeding
cylinder is rotated it will gradually convey the nail blanks towards the
centre of the frame into the enlargement of the groove where they drop
into the pointing mechanism in proper succession. F is a guage for
supporting the nail blanks that drop from the feeder; this guage is
secured to a rock shaft G which is actuated by projecting cams e on the
rotary frame C and by a spring f. H is a clamp for retaining the blank
against a fixed holder I of the annular frame B after the guage has been
withdrawn. This clamp is (by a pin g) pivotted to the fixed holder I
and is held closed by a spring / while cams i, i, on the rotary frame C
serve to throw it open whenever the pointed nail is to be dropped and a
new blank is to be received by the guage. Four or more hammers J, J,
are used, and are attached to arms j, j, that project from a rocking
shaft L hung in the lower part of the frame A. The hammers all
radiate from the centre of the rotating frame C, and are thrown together
by V shaped cams 1, 1, which project from the inner circumference of
the rotating frame C and drop apart by their own weight. The nail
blanks put into the spiral feeder are dropped by the same successively
upon the guage
F whenever it is thrown forward by the spring f. While
thus held on the guage the blank is secured on the arm I by the
clamp H. The guage is next withdrawn from under the nail, but the
latter is held by the clamp and then pointed by the hammers which are

page_text: thrown forward by the cams and immediately drop back. The
pointed nail is then dropped by the clamp, another being deposited upon
the guage.
Having now described the Invention which has been communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent, I claim as the Invention secured to
me by Letters Patent as aforesaid,-
First. The combination of the bar d with the feeding cylinder E
provided with a spiral groove for simultaneously conveying a series of
blanks to the operating mechanism as set forth.
Second. The rotary frame O provided with cams e, e, i, i, and 1, 1, for
operating the guage clamp and hammers as herein shewn and described.
Third. The guage F secured to a rocking shaft G and combined with
the cams e, e, and the spring fas herein shewn and described.
Fourth. The hammers J, J, pivotted in such manner that they will
swing apart by their own weight, also the cams 1, 1, on the rotary
frame C for forcing the hammers L together as set forth.
Fifth. The clamp H on the arm I combined with the guage F and
hammers J as and for the purposes herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, the Third day of May, in
the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.
•