Improvements in Ball Turning Machines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Ball Turning Machines.
We, EDWARD RIVETT, Manufacturer, of Brighton, and DAVID HUNT, Physician,
of 131, Newbury Street, Boston, both of Massachusetts, United States of America,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object to improve the construction of ball-turning
machines, whereby the balls may be turned more truly spherical, and may be cut
or separated from the stock without forming or providing flat or other irregular
or non-spherical faces or fins at such point of severance.
In carrying out this invention a blank, such for instance as a rod, is presented
by a suitable rotatable chuck to a stationary cutting-tool, which is formed with
a semi-circular cutting face or edge, and said cutting-tool is borne by a tool-
holder having a pivot-pin mounted to turn freely or oscillate in a sliding carriage.
The semi-circular cutting edge of said tool is arranged concentric to the axis
upon which said tool-holder oscillates.
The carriage supporting said oscillating tool-holder is moved in and out in a
plane at right angles to the axis of the rotating rod, and the tool carried by it is
consequently fed to and from said rotating rod, and means are provided for limiting
the inward movement of said carriage at a point where the axis of the tool-holder
is brought into coincidence with the axis of the ball being turned, at which
point the semi-circular cutting edge of the tool will be concentric to the axis cf
the ball being turned, and means are provided which will be brought into opera-
tion when the carriage has been thus moved inward, for swinging the tool-holder
on its axis in a direction to sever the partially formed ball from the rod or blank.
When the carriage has been moved inward far enough to bring the axis of the
tool-holder coincident with the centre or axis of the ball being formed, the semi-
circular cutting edge of the tool will have cut its way into the rod to a point
concentric with the axis of the ball being formed, and by then oscillating the tool-
holder or turning it on its axis, the inner edge of the tool will be caused to travel
inward and around the ball being formed, in continuation of the concentric arc
described by the cutting edge of the tool, such oscillating movement continuing
until the ball has been severed from the rod or blank.
As the cutting tool is frequently removed from the machine to be ground or
otherwise repaired, to obviate any difficulty which may be encountered in replacing
or resetting it, a gage is provided which enables said tool to be replaced or reset
in the tool-holder with its semi-circular cutting edge concentric to the axis thereof,
and with its cutting-edge at a predetermined elevation to properly perform the
work that it is intended for it to do.
Our invention also comprehends means for operating the chuck to momentarily
disengage or release the rod or blank at the completion of each ball, and feeding
mechanism for automatically feeding said rod or blank along a short distance
when it is thus released.

page_text: The automatic feeding mechanism is constructed and arranged to very accurately
feed forward the rod or blank a sufficient distance for the formation of the next
ball, and it is made adjustable.
In carrying out our said invention the main frame is constructed and adapted to
support the operating pants, and affords bearings for a hollow shaft which contains
the chuck which carries the rod or blank to be turned, said shaft being rotated
continuously by a belt-pulley secured to it.
At one side of the main frame a carriage is located, having a horizontal dove
tailed projection on one side which enters and slides in a horizontal dove-tailed
recess formed in the side of the main frame, thus adapting the carriage to be moved
in and out in a horizontal plane, and at right angles to a vertical line passing through
the axis of the rod which is carried by the rotating chuck.
As a means of moving said carriage in and out, or sliding it in a horizontal
plane, we provide a lever pivoted to the main frame, which extends downward
and into engagement with a cam secured to a shaft having its bearings in the
main frame, and said cam acts to operate said lever to and fro on its pivot, and said
lever also extends upwardly above its pivot and projects up into a vertical hole
or recess formed in the bottom of said carriage, and the upper end of said lever
enters a circumferential groove or recess formed in the shank of a horizontally
adjustable pin which is contained within or inserted into a hole in the carriage,
said pin by its construction serving as a connection between the pivoted lever and
carriage, whereby said carriage will be moved to and fro by said pivoted lever.
The aforesaid pin enters a hole drilled horizontally into one end of the carriage,
and said hole opens into and preferably crosses the vertical hole in the bottom of
the carriage up through which the before mentioned lever projects, and said pin
has a circumferential groove opposite said vertical hole which receives the upper
end of the said lever the pin being made of a size to substantially fit said hole to
prevent rocking therein, and provided with a screw-threaded portion which engages
an interior screw-thread portion formed within the hole, thereby adjustably con-
necting it with the carriage, said pin having a square end which projects a suitable
distance to receive a wrench or other tool by which it may be turned for purposes
of adjustment.
By turning said pin in one or the other direction the position of the carriage
relative to the work may be varied.
In lieu of this particular form or construction of parts for moving the carriage,
any other form or construction may be used.
To the main frame, and adjacent to one end of the carriage a strong leaf spring
is secured which bears against an adjustable stud screwed into that end of the
carriage opposite to its connection with the pivoted lever above mentioned, and
said spring acts at all times upon the carriage with a tendency to move it away
from the work, and to press the pivoted lever into firm engagement with the cam.
As the cam operates the pivoted lever to move the carriage inward, it will be
moved against the stress of said spring, and said spring upon recovery returns
the carriage when permitted to do so by the cam.
Thus it will be understood that the carriage is moved inwards positively by the
cam against the action of the return-spring, and that the spring returns the
carriage as the cam continues to revolve.
The carriage has moreover a vertical hole through it from top to bottom which
receives a pivot-pin, bearing a tool-holder which rests upon the top of and is
supported by said carriage.
The lower end of said pivot-pin is screw threaded and receives upon it a nut or
nuts to hold the tool-holder in position in the carriage, and to the lower end of
said pivot-pin an arm is secured by a set screw or otherwise which projects
laterally and passes through a slot in the main frame, and its outer end is more
or less bent and adapted to bear upon a cam which is secured to the cam shaft.
The cam is so shaped as to operate the arm and turn the pivot-pin and tool-
holder borne by it, through a short arc and to then return it, thereby oscillating

page_text: the pivot-pin and tool-holder on its axis, and to thus oscillate the tool-holder at
a predetermined time.
A spring is attached at one end to the main frame and at the other end to said
arm to move it in opposition to the movement given to it by the cam.
The tool-holder has formed upon its upper face or has erected upon it two
standards or uprights, located a short distance apart, or it may be a single
standard or upright formed with a vertical slot, and a cutting-tool is fixed to one
end of a pin which is contained in and passes through said slot, and said pin has a
screw-threaded end which receives upon it a nut which when turned up tightly
against the standard serves to clamp the cutting-tool in different elevations.
To further assist in holding the tool rigidly in place, and to provide for lateral
adjustment, adjusting screws, pass through the uprights and impinge upon the
shank of the tool-holding pin.
The cutting-tool consists of a circular disk formed with a grooved periphery
semi-circular in cross section, and said disk has a segment or portion removed to
present a flat face radial to the axis of the disk.
The semi-circular cutting edge of the cutting-tool is so proportioned and the
tool is so set in the tool-holder that said semi-circular cutting edge is concentric
to the axis of said tool-holder.
At one side of the peripheral groove, the edge of the disk projects a short
distance beyond the opposite side, so that the outside edge projects beyond the
inside edge, making the outside radius of the cutter greater than the inside radius,
and when the tool is-set the outside edge will project to a point, say ninety degrees
from the bottom of the groove, or from the deepest part of the groove, while
the opposite edge will project a less distance, and by such formation on the cutting
edge of the tool it will be understood that a complete quarter circle is formed by
the outside edge which enables or permits the completion of the outer end of the
ball as the tool cuts its way into the rotating rod.
The operation of this part of my invention is as follows:
The cutting-tool having this particular form of cutting edge is set fixedly in
the tool-holder on the carriage and with the carriage removed farthest from the
work, said cutting-tool will occupy a position at one side of the rotating rod which
is to be turned and operated upon in forming the ball.
The carriage is then moved inwards by means of the cam, and the cutting-tool
caused to cut its way 'into the rotating rod, and the parts are so proportioned and
adjusted that when the actuating-lever rests upon the highest part of the cam,
said carriage will be moved so far inward as to bring the semi-circular cutting
edge of the tool concentric to the axis of the ball being formed, and consequently
the tool-holder is brought into position with its axis coincident with the axis of
the ball being formed, and at such time the outer edge of the cutting-tool will
have formed, truly spherical, the outer end of the ball on the rod, while the inner
edge of said cutting-tool which projects a lesser distance, will not have severed
the ball from the rod.
The inward movement of the carriage is thus limited accurately to this point,
and when it has arrived at this point the cam will act upon the arm and turn
the pivot-pin and tool-holder borne by it, to thereby swing the cutting-tool on a
vertical axis to sever the ball from the rod the line of severance being on an arc
concentric to the axis of the tool-holder and in continuation of the concentric arc
of the cutting-edge of the tool.
.The ball having been thus severed from the rod the tool-holder is returned to its
normal position and the carriage also returned.
Thus it will be understood that the carriage moves in and out in a horizontal
plane and that the tool-holder borne by it is adapted to oscillate on a vertical axis,
and that the tool borne by said tool-holder has a semi-circular cutting edge con-
centric to the axis of the oscillating tool-holder, and that by means of the cams
and connecting mechanism, the operations are repeatedly and automatically carried
on to successively form the balls.

page_text: The cutting-tool must be frequently removed for the purpose of grinding it,
and to enable the operator to accurately and quickly re-set it, we have provided a
gage which consists of a vertical rod contained in a hole formed in the centre
of the tool-holder, said rod having its upper end formed truly circular to serve as
a curved rest against which the semi-circular cutting edge of the tool may be
pressed in re-setting it, and said pin is adapted to be moved up and down, by a
lever pivoted to the uprights and connected with it, depression of said lever
raising the pin into proper position for use, which when said lever is released will
fall into a position where it will not interfere with the operation of the machine.
The elevation of said pin is adjusted so that the radial face of the cutting-tool
may be set on a plane flush with the top of said pin when elevated, thus to re-set
the cutting-tool the lever will be depressed, raising the pin, then the cutting-tool
will be placed in the tool-holder and brought to bear against the upper end of said
pin, and in such relation thereto that its radial face is flush with the top of
said pin and then the pin is allowed to drop out of the way.
It is obvious that this gage may be omitted but its employment saves a great
deal of time of the operator in re-setting the cutting tool.
The mandrel or shaft is hollow from end to end for the passing through it of
the rod to be turned, and for containing many of the cooperative parts or members
of the rod holding and feeding mechanism.
At the right hand end of said hollow shaft, and projecting into it, is a split
chuck of any usual or suitable construction, adapted to grip and hold the rod, and
said split rod-holding chuck is screwed into or otherwise connected to a sleeve,
which is contained within and extends the entire length of said hollow-shaft,
and projects some little distance beyond the opposite or rear end thereof.
The sleeve is adapted to be moved longitudinally or axially in the hollow-shaft,
to thereby move the split-chuck in and out, and such movements of the chuck cause
it to engage and disengage the rod by contracting and expanding its split end
or head.
For the purpose of thus moving the split-chuck in and out of the hollow-shaft,
the sleeve to which it is attached has fixed to its rear end by a set screw, or other-
wise, a disk on one side of which lugs or ears are formed or provided to which are
pivotted short arms or dogs which extend in a direction substantially in parallelism
with the sleeve, but which project over the rear end of the hollow-shaft, and into
engagement with a cone which is mounted loosely upon said shaft, and which is
adapted to be moved along on said shaft toward and from the disk, said cone
acting, when thus moved toward said disk to separate the short arms, and when
moved in the opposite direction to permit said short arms to approach each other.
The pivotal ends of said arms are formed or provided with laterally projecting
toes, which enter slots or recesses formed in the rear end of the hollow-shaft, and
also engage or bear against the rear end of said shaft, and when said short arms
are separated, said toes, by bearing against the rear end of said shaft, which latter
acts as an abutment, will act to move said sleeve rearwardly in the direction of its
axis, and thereby draw in the split-chuck and cause it to grasp the rod, and when
said short arms are permitted to approach each other the sleeve will be permitted
to move in the opposite direction by means to be described to project outwardly the
split-chuck and thereby cause it to disengage the rod.
Thus it will be seen that the sleeve will be moved longitudinally or axially in
opposite ways to operate the split-chuck to engage and release the rod.
It will also be understood that the hollow shaft rotates continuously, and by
the continuous engagement of the toes in the slots or recesses formed at the rear
end of said shaft, the sleeve carrying the rod-holding chuck will likewise be con-
tinuously rotated.
The cone has a circumferential groove, and the upper forked end of a lever en-
gages said circumferentially grooved cone, said lever being pivoted to the frame-
work and said lever extends down and into engagement with a cam which is
secured to the cam-shaft of the machine.

page_text: The said cam is so formed and timed that it will operate the cone to withdraw
the rod-holding chuck and engage and hold the rod while the cutting-tool is
operating to form the ball, and to then project said chuck and disengage the rod
while the feeding-mechanism operates to advance it.
For the purpose of feeding along the rod immediately after the completion of
the balls and at a time when the rod-holding chuck has disengaged said rod, we
provide within the sleeve at its rear or left hand end a tube, the inner end of
which is supported by and is free to turn in a block or bearing, which is secured
within the sleeve at a point substantially midway its length, the opposite or rear
end of said tube projecting beyond the rear end of the sleeve for a short distance
and having an exteriorly screw-threaded end, which is contained within and
supported by an interiorly screw-threaded nut, which is secured within, and to
the outer or rear end of the sleeve, by means of a set-screw or otherwise, so that
said nut will be rotated continuously and in union with the sleeve and shaft.
The tube serves as a carrier or holder for the rod and hence will be referred to as
a tube or carrier.
The tube or carrier has secured upon it a collar which bears against the inner
end of a nut when said tube is in its rearmost position, and with the tube in such
position and unrestrained from rotation, it will rotate in unison with the sleeve
by means of its connection with the rotating nut.
The tube or carrier has an internal diameter sufficient to receive the rod or
blank from which, the ball is to be formed and said tube or carrier is supported
within the sleeve coincident with the axis of said sleeve, so that the rod which
passes through it is in a line with a central hole through the rod-holding chuck.
The rearmost end of the tube or carrier, beyond the screw-threaded portion is
slit longitudinally, and when said slitted end is contracted the rod which passes
through it will be gripped tightly, and at the same time the tube will be restrained
from rotation with the sleeve, and a clamping device is provided for thus restrain-
ing the tube or carrier from rotation with the sleeve for a short interval of time
and at the same time causing the tube to grip the rod and when so gripping the
rod and restrained from rotation, it will be automatically fed forward by reason
of its screw-threaded portion engaging the rotating nut.
The clamping device, by means of which the slitted end of the tube or carrier
is caused to engage the rod, consists of two members, pivoted together one member
being pivoted to a bracket projecting from the frame, and the other member being
pivoted or formed with a spring-acting arm or portion bearing at its lower end
a roll, which engages a cani mounted upon the cam shaft.
The pivoted clamping device is held in its outermost position by means of a
spring attached at one end to the frame and at the other end to the lower end of
the first mentioned member, and. such outermost position of the clamping device
is adjusted by an adjusting pin or stop projecting laterally from a cross-bar on
the bracket.
By means of a cam the members or claws of the clamping device are operated
to grip the split-end of the tube or carrier to thereby grip the rod and to also
restrain said tube from rotation, and when the clamping device is thus operated
and while in engagement with the tube or carrier, said tube or carrier will be
moved axially in a direction toward the right for a short distance, and the clamping-
device, by reason of its engagement with the split-end of the tube or carrier, will
be turned on its pivot and moved with said tube or carrier in opposition to the
stross of the spring, but such movement of the clamping device is limited by the
adjusting pin or screw, projecting laterally from the cress-bar.
As soon as the tube or carrier has been moved axially in a direction toward the
right for a short distance, for the purpose of advancing the rod, and is stopped
by the adjusting-screw, the clamping device will be operated to disengage and
release said tube or carrier, whereupon the tube will be restrained no longer.
A long spiral spring encircles said tube or carrier one end of which is attached
to a block or bearing, and the opposite end of which is attached to the collar, or

page_text: to the tube, and said spring is wound up by the continued rotation of the sleeve
and block or bearing to which one end is attached during the time that the tube
or carrier is restrained from rotation, and as soon as it is disengaged and released,
said spring upon recovering will, by its torsional action, act to rotate the tube,
and by reason of its screw-threaded portion in engagement with the rotating-nut,
it will be at such time and by such means returned to its normal position, with
its collar bearing against the inner end of the nut.
4
Normally the rod passes freely through the tube or carrier, and is held by the
rod-holding chuck firmly to be presented to the cutting tool, and at such time it is
not engaged by said tube or carrier, but when it is desired to feed along the rod
the clamping-device first operates to engage the split end of the tube, which it will
be understood causes said tube or carrier to engage the rod as well as restrain said
tube or carrier from rotation, and the tube being thus restrained from
rotation, the revolving nut will immediately advance said tube a short
distance, carrying with it the clamping-device, and also winding up the
spring and when said tube or carrier has been moved a distance that it is
intended it shall move, the clamping-device releases the tube or carrier, returning
to its normal position by the action of the spring, while the tube or carrier returns
to its normal position by the torsional action of the spring, and when said tube is
thus released and caused to return to its normal position, the rod contained within
it will be disengaged by said tube or carrier and will remain in the position to
which it has been advanced by said tube, and the co-operating parts of the feeding-
mechanism.
J
:
It is designed and intended that the feeding mechanism and the rod-holding
chuck, shall so operate, one with relation to the other, that just as the rod-holding
chuck releases the rod, the feeding mechanism will engage it, and just as the
feeding mechanism releases the rod, the chuck will engage it, so that the rod will
be positively held by one or the other devices all the time, and will be positively
fed along at the required time.' While we have herein shewn the automatic
feeding mechanism as having a tube or carrier for receiving and holding the rod
to be fed we do not desire to limit our invention to this particular form or construc-
tion of carrier for the rod, and hence we desire it to be understood that we include
within the spirit and scope of this invention any other form or construction of
carrier.
The cam shaft has secured to it a worm wheel which is engaged by a worm,
secured to any power-driven shaft.
TY
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001
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100X
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.
Improvements in Ball Turning Machines.
We, EDWARD RIVETT, Manufacturer, of Brighton, and DAVID HUNT, Physician,
of 131, Newbury Street, Boston, both of Massachusetts, United States of America,
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 has for its object to improve the construction of ball-turning
machines, whereby the balls may be turned more truly spherical, and may be cut
or separated from the stock without forming or providing flat or other irregular
or non-spherical faces or fins at such point of severance.

page_text: In carrying out our invention a blank; such for instance as a rod, is presented
by a suitable rotatable chuck to a stationary cutting tool, which is formed with
a nearly semi-circular cutting face or edge, hereinafter termed semi-circular, and
said cutting-tool is carried by a tool-holder having a pivot-pin mounted to turn
freely or oscillate in a sliding carriage.
The semi-circular cutting edge of said tool is arranged concentric to the axis
upon which said tool-holder oscillates. .
The carriage supporting said oscillating tool-holder is moved in and out in a
plane at right angles to the axis of the rotating rod, and the tool carried by it is
consequently fed to and from said rotating rod, and means are provided for limiting
the inward movement of said carriage at a point where the axis of the tool-holder
is brought into coincidence with the axis of the ball that is being turned, at which
point the semi-circular cutting edge of the tool will be concentric to the axis of
the ball being turned, and means are provided, which will be brought into opera-
tion when the carriage has been thus moved inward, for swinging the tool-holder
on its axis in a direction to sever the partially formed ball from the rod or blank.
When the carriage has been moved inward far enough to bring the axis of the
tool-holder coincident with the centre or axis of the ball being formed, the semi-
circular cutting edge of the tool will have cut its way into the rod to a point
concentric with the axis of the ball being formed, and by then oscillating the tool-
holder or turning it on its axis, the inner edge of the tool will be caused to travel
inward and around the ball being formed, in continuation of the concentric arc
described by the cutting edge of the tool, such oscillating movement continuing
until the ball has been severed from the rod or blank.
As the cutting-tool is frequently removed from the machine to be ground or
otherwise repaired, to obviate any difficulty which may be encountered in replacing
or resetting it, a gage is provided which enables said tool to be replaced or reset
in the tool-holder with its semi-circular cutting edge concentric to the axis thereof,
and with its cutting-edge at a predetermined elevation to properly perform the
work that it is intended to do.
Our invention also comprehends means for operating the chuck to momentarily
disengage or release the rod or blank at the completion of each ball, and feeding
mechanism for automatically feeding said rod or blank along a short distance
when it is thus released.
The automatic feeding mechanism is constructed and arranged to very accurately
feed forward the rod or blank a sufficient distance for the formation of the next
ball, and it is made adjustable.
In order that our invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into
effect we will describe the same more fully with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which:
Figure 1 shows in plan view a ball-turning machine embodying this invention.
Figure 2 a right hand end elevation of the same, partly in section:
Figure 3, a central vertical section taken on the line 3-3 Figure 1.
Figure 4 a detail of the tool-holder, which is turned on a vertical axis to com-
plete and sever the ball from the rod. This figure also shows the gage by which
the cutting tool is set and adjusted to the work, and,
Figure 5, is an enlarged detail of the cutting tool.
The main frame A is constructed and adapted to support the operating parts,
and affords bearings for a hollow shaft B which contains the chuck which carries
the rod or blank to be turned, said shaft being rotated continuously by a belt-
pulley B secured to it.
At one side of the main frame A a carriage a is located, having a horizontal
dove tailed projection a¹ on one side. which enters and slides in a horizontal dove-
tailed recess formed in the side of the main frame, thus adapting the carriage to
be moved in and out in a horizontal plane, and at right angles to a vertical line
passing through the axis of the rod which is carried by the rotating chuck
(see Figure 3).

page_text: As a means of moving said carriage a in and out, or sliding it in a horizontal
plane, we provide a lever 6 pivoted at 62 to the main frame A, which extends
downward and into engagement with a cam b' secured to a shaft C having its bear-
ings in the main frame, and said cam acts to operate said lever to and fro on its
pivot, and said lever also extends upwardly above its pivot and projects up into
à vertical hole or recess 63 formed in the bottom of said carriage a, and the upper
end of said lever enters a circumferential groove or recess formed in the shank
of a horizontally adjustable pin a³, which is contained within or inserted into a hole
in the carriage, said pin by its construction serving as a connection between the
pivoted lever and carriage, whereby said carriage will be moved to and fro by said
pivoted lever (Figure 2): The aforesaid pin a³ enters a hole a drilled horizontally
into one end of the carriage a, and said hole a² opens into and preferably crosses
the vertical hole 63 in the bottom of the carriage up through which the lever b
projects, and said pin has a circumferential groove opposite said vertical hole 63
which receives the upper end of the said lever b, the pin a³ being made of a size to
substantially fit said hole a² to prevent rocking therein, and provided with a screw-
thread portion which engages an interior screw-threaded portion formed within
the hole a², thereby adjustably connecting it with the carriage, said pin a³ having
a squared end which projects a suitable distance to receive a wrench or other tool
by which it may be turned for purposes of adjustment.
By turning said pin in one or the other direction the position of the carriage
relative to the work may be varied.
In lieu of this particular form or construction of parts for moving the carriage a,
any other form or construction may be used.
To the main frame A, and adjacent to one end of the carriage, a strong leaf
spring a is secured which bears against an adjustable stud a screwed into that
end of the carriage a, opposite to its connection with the pivoted lever b, and said
spring a acts at all times upon the carriage with a tendency to move it away from
the work, and to press the pivoted lever b into firm engagement with the cam b¹.
As the cam operates the pivoted lever b to move the carriage a inward, it will
be moved against the stress of said spring, and said spring, upon recovery, returns
the carriage when permitted to do so by the cam.
Thus it will be seen that the carriage is moved inwards positively by the cam
against the action of the return-spring, and that the spring returns the carriage
as the cam continues to revolve.
The carriage a has moreover a vertical hole a (Figure 3) through it from top to
bottom which receives a pivot-pin e, bearing a tool-holder c¹ which rests upon the
top of, and is supported by, said carriage.
The lower end of said pivot-pin c is screw threaded as at c² and receives upon
it a nut or nuts to hold the tool-holder in position in the carriage, and to the
lower end of said pivot-pin c an arm 4 is secured by a set screw or otherwise which
projects laterally and passes through a slot in the main frame, and its outer end is
more or less bent and adapted to bear upon a cam c5 which is secured to the cam
shaft C. This cam c5 is so shaped as to operate the arm c¹ and turn the pivot-
pin c and tool-holder carried by it, through a short arc and to then return it,
thereby oscillating the pivot-pin and tool holder on its axis, and to thus oscillate
the tool-holder at a predetermined time.
A spring c is attached at one end to the main-frame and at the other end to
said arm to move it in opposition to the movement given to it by the cam.
The tool-holder c¹ has formed upon its upper face or has erected upon it, two
standards or uprights c, located a short distance apart, or it may be a single
standard or upright formed with a vertical slot, and a cutting-tool c is fixed to one
end of a pin c which is contained in and passes through said slot, and said pin has
a screw-threaded end which receives upon it a nut 10, which, when turned up
tightly against the standard, serves to clamp the cutting-tool in different
elevations.
To further assist in holding the tool rigidly in place, and to provide for lateral

page_text: adjustment, adjusting screws c¹, cs, pass through the uprights c and impinge
upon the shank of the tool-holding pin c.
The cutting-tool 8 consists of a circular disc formed with a grooved periphery
semi-circular in cross section as shown in Figure 5, and said disc has a segment
or portion removed to present a flat face radial to the axis of the disc.
The semi-circular cutting edge of the cutting-tool is so proportioned and the
tool is so set in the tool-holder that said semi-circular cutting edge is concentric to
the axis of said tool-holder.
At one side of the peripheral groove, the edge of the disc projects a short distance
beyond the opposite side, as best shown in Figure 1, wherein it will be seen that
the outside edge projects beyond the inside edge, making the outside radius of the
cutter greater than the inside radius, and when the tool is set the outside edge will
project to a point, say ninety degrees from the bottom of the groove, or from the
deepest part of the groove, while the opposite edge will project a less distance,
and by such formation of the cutting edge of the tool it will be seen that a completo
quarter circle is formed by the outside edge which enables or permits the
completion of the outer end of the ball as the tool cuts its way into the rotating
rod.
The operation of this part of our invention is as follows: The cutting-tool having
this particular form of cutting edge is set fixedly in the tool-holder c¹ on the
carriage a, and with the carriage removed farthest from the work, as shown in
Figure 2, said cutting-tool will occupy a position at one side of the rotating rod
which is to be turned and operated upon in forming the ball.
The carriage a is then moved inward by means of the cam 6¹, and the cutting-
tool caused to cut its way into the rotating rod, and the parts are so proportioned
and adjusted that when the actuating-lever b rests upon the highest part of the
cam b¹, said carriage will be moved so far inward as to bring the semi-circular
cutting edge of the tool concentric to the axis of the ball being formed, and conse-
quently the tool-holder is brought into position with its axis coincident with the
axis of the ball being formed, and at such time the outer edge of the cutting-tool
will have formed, truly spherical, the outer end of the ball on the rod, while the
inner edge of said cutting-tool which projects a lesser distance, will not have
severed the ball from the rod.
The inward movement of the carriage a is thus limited accurately to this point,
and when it has arrived at this point the cam c5 will act upon the arm and turn
the pivot-pin c and tool-holder c¹ borne by it, in the direction of the arrow, Figure 1,
to thereby swing the cutting-tool on a vertical axis to sever the ball from the
rod, the line of severance being of an arc concentric to the axis of the tool-holder
and in continuation of the concentric are of the cutting edge of the tool.
The ball having been thus severed from the rod the tool-holder is returned to its
normal position and the carriage also returned.
Thus it will be seen that the carriage a moves in and out in a horizontal plane
and that the tool-holder carried by it is adapted to oscillate on a vertical axis, and
that the tool borne by said tool-holder has a semi-circular cutting edge concentric
to the axis of the oscillating tool-holder, and that by means of the cams and c
and connecting mechanism, the operations are repeatedly and automatically carried
on to successively form the balls.
The cutting-tool & must be frequently removed for the purpose of grinding it,
and to enable the operator to accurately and quickly re-set it. We have provided
a gage, which as herein shown, see Figure 4, consists of a vertical rod contained in
a hole formed. in the centre of the tool-holder, said rod having its upper end
formed truly circular to serve as a curved rest against which the semi-circular cutting
edge of the tool may be pressed in re-setting it, and said pin is adapted to be
moved up and down, by a lever d¹ for instance, pivoted at and connected with
it, depression of said lever raising the pin into proper position for use, which when
said lever is released, will fall into a position where it will not interfere with the
operation of the machine.

page_text: The elevation of said pin is adjusted so that the radial face of the cutting-tool
may be set on a plane flush with the top of said pin when elevated, thus to re-set
the cutting-tool the lever will be depressed, raising the pin d, then the cutting-
tool will be placed in the tool-holder and brought to bear against the upper end of
said pin, and in such relation thereto that its radial face is flush with the top of
said pin and then the pin is allowed to drop out of the way.
It is obvious that this gage may be omitted but its employment saves a great
deal of time of the operator in re-setting the cutting tool.
The mandrel or shaft B is hollow from end to end for the passing through it
of the rod to be turned, and for containing many of the co-operative parts or
members of the rod-holding and feeding mechanism.
At the right hand end of said hollow-shaft B, and projecting into it, is a split-
chuck e of any usual or suitable construction, adapted to grip and hold the rod, and
said split rod-holding chuck is screwed into or otherwise connected to a sleeve el,
which is contained within and extends the entire length of said hollow-shaft,
and projects some little distance beyond the opposite or rear end thereof.
The sleeve el is adapted to be moved longitudinally or axially in the hollow-
shaft, to thereby move the split-chuck in and out, and such movements of the chuck
cause it to engage and disengage the rod by contracting and expanding its split
end or head.
For the purpose of thus moving the split-chuck e in and out of the hollow-shaft,
the sleeve to which it is attached has fixed to its rear end, by a set screw, or other-
wise, a disk e² on one side of which are formed or provided lugs or ears to which are
pivotted short arms or dogs 3, which extend in a direction substantially in
parallelism with the sleeve e', but which project over the rear end of the hoflow-
shaft B, and into engagement with a cone f which is mounted loosely upon said
shaft B, and which is adapted to be moved along on said shaft toward and from the
disk e³, said cone acting, when thus moved toward said disk e to separate the short
arms, and when moved in the opposite direction to permit said short arms to
approach each other.
The pivotal ends of said arms e³ are formed or provided with laterally projecting
toes e, which enter slots or recesses e formed in the rear end of the hollow-shaft B,
and also engage or bear against the rear end of said shaft, and when said short
arms are separated, said toes, by bearing against the rear end of said shaft, which
latter acts as an abutment, will act to move said sleeve e¹ rearwardly in the direction
of its axis, and thereby draw in the split-chuck and cause it to grasp the rod,
and when said short arms are permitted to approach each other the sleeve will be
permitted to move in the opposite direction, by means hereinafter described, to
project outwardly the split-chuck and thereby cause it to disengage the rod.
Thus it will be seen that the sleeve will be moved longitudinally or axially in
opposite ways to operate the split-chuck to engage and release the rod.
It will also be understood that the hollow-shaft B rotates continuously, and by
the continuous engagement of the toes in the slots or recesses formed at the rear
end of said shaft, the sleeve carrying the rod-holding chuck will likewise be
continuously rotated.
The cone has a circumferential groove f¹, and the upper forked-end f2 of a
lever engages said circumferentially grooved cone f, said lever being pivoted at f4
to the frame-work, and said lever f³ extends down and into engagement with a
cam f, which is secured to the cam-shaft C of the machine. The said cam f5
is so formed and timed that it will operate the cone to withdraw the rod-holding
chuck and engage and hold the rod while the cutting-tool is operating to form the
ball, and to then project said chuck and disengage the rod while the feeding-
mechanism operates to advance it.
For the purpose of feeding the rod along immediately after the completion of
the balls and at a time when the rod-holding chuck has disengaged said rod, we
provide within the sleeve e¹ at its rear or left hand end a tube g, the inner end of
which is supported by and is free to turn in a block or bearing g' which is secured

page_text: within the sleeve e¹ at a point substantially midway its length, the opposite or rear
end of said tube projecting beyond the rear end of the sleeve e¹ for a short distance
and having an exteriorly screw-threaded end 2, which is contained within and
supported by an interiorly screw-threaded nut ³, which is secured within, and to
the outer or rear end of the sleeve e, by means of a set-screw or otherwise, so
that said nut g³ will be rotated continuously and in union with the sleeve el
and shaft B.
The tube g serves as a carrier or holder for the rod and hence will be referred
to as a tube or carrier.
The tube or carrier g has secured upon it a collar g which bears against the
inner end of a nut g³ when said tube is in its rearmost position, and with the tube
in such position and unrestrained from rotation, it will rotate in unison with the
sleeve e by means of its connection with the rotating nut g³.
The tube or carrier g has an internal diameter sufficient to receive the rod or
blank from which the ball is to be formed and said tube or carrier is supported
within the sleeve e' coincident with the axis of said sleeve, so that the rod which
passes through it is in a line with a central hole through the rod-holding chuck.
The rearmost end of the tube or carrier g, beyond the screw threaded portion g³,
is slit longitudinally, and when said end is contracted the rod which passes through
it will be gripped tightly, and at the same time the tube will be restrained from
rotation with the sleeve e¹, and a clamping-device is provided for thus restraining
the tube or carrier from rotation with the sleeve for a short interval of time and at
the same time causing the tube to grip the rod, and when so gripping the rod and
restrained from rotation, it will be automatically fed forward by reason of its screw-
threaded portion g² engaging the rotating nut g³.
The clamping device herein shown, by means of which the slitted end of the tube or
carrier g is caused to engage the rod, consists of two members h, h¹, pivoted together
at h², the member h being pivoted at h³ to a bracket h projecting from the frame,
and the member h¹ being provided or formed with a spring-acting arm or portion h
bearing at its lower end a roll h³, which engages a cam h³ mounted upon the cam
shaft C.
The pivoted clamping-device h, h¹, is held in its outermost position by means of
a spring o, attached at one end to the frame and at the other end to the lower end of
the member h, and such outermost position of the clamping-device is adjusted by an
adjusting pin or stop o¹ projecting laterally from a cross-bar o on the bracket .
By means of the cam 7 the members or claws h, h', of the clamping device are
operated to grip the split-end of the tube to thereby grip the rod and to also
restrain said tube from rotation, and when the clamping-device is thus operated
and while in engagement with the tube or carrier g, said tube or carrier will be
moved axially in a direction toward the right for a short distance, and the clamp-
ing-device, by reason of its engagement with the split-end of the tube or carrier g,
will be turned on its pivot h³ and moved with said tube or carrier g in opposition
to the stress of the spring o, but such movement of the clamping-device h, h¹ is
limited by the adjusting pin or screw o³, projecting laterally from the cross-bar o.
As soon as the tube or carrier 9 has been moved axially in a direction toward
the right for a short distance, for the purpose of advancing the rod, and is stopped
by the adjusting-screw o³, the clamping-device will be operated to disengage and
release said tube or carrier, whereupon the tube will be restrained no longer.
A long spiral-spring encircles said tube or carrier 9 one end of which
is attached to the block or bearing g', and the opposite end of which is attached
to the collar g, or to the tube, and said spring is wound up by the continued
rotation of the sleeve e¹ and block or bearing g' to which one end is attached,
during the time that the tube or carrier is restrained from rotation, and as soon
as it is disengaged and released, said spring upon recovering will, by its torsional
action, act to rotate the tube g, and by reason of its screw threaded portion 92 in
engagement with the rotating nut g³, it will be at such time and by such means

page_text: returned to its normal position, with its collar g' bearing against the inner end of
the nut g³.
Normally the rod passes freely through the tube or carrier g and is held firmly.
by the rod holding chuck to be presented to the cutting tool, and at such time it is
not engaged by said tube or carrier, but when it is desired to feed along the rod
the clamping-device first operates to engage the split end of the tube g which, it
will be understood, causes said tube or carrier to engage the rod as well as restrain
said tube or carrier from rotation, and the tube being thus restrained from rotation,
the revolving nut will immediately advance said tube a short distance, carrying
with it the clamping-device, and also winding up the spring n and when said
tube or carrier has been moved a distance that it is intended it shall move, the
clamping-device releases the tube or carrier, returning to its normal position by
the action of the spring o, while the tube or carrier g returns to its normal position
by the torsional action of the spring n, and when said tube is thus released and
caused to return to its normal position, the rod contained within it will be dis-
engaged by said tube or carrier and will remain in the position to which it has
been advanced by said tube, and the co-operating parts of the feeding mechanism.
It is designed and intended that the feeding mechanism and the rod holding
chuck, shall so operate, one with relation to the other, that just as the rod-holding
chuck releases the rod, the feeding mechanism will engage it, and just as the feed-
ing mechanism releases the rod, the chuck will engage it, so that the rod will be
positively held by one or
the other devices all the time, and will be
positively fed along at the required time. While we have herein shown the
automatic feeding mechanism as having a tube or carrier g for receiving and
holding the rod to be fed we do not desire to limit our invention to this particular form
or construction of carrier for the rod, and hence we desire it to be understood that
we include within the spirit and scope of this invention any other form or
construction of carrier.
The cam shaft C has secured to it a worm wheel C' which is engaged by a
worm C², secured to any power-driven shaft.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. A rotating chuck carrying the rod to be turned, combined with a reciprocating
carriage, an oscillating tool-holder mounted thereon and a cutting-tool borne by
said oscillating tool-holder having a semi-circular cutting edge concentric to the
axis upon which said tool-holder oscillates, substantially as described.
2. A rotating chuck carrying the rod to be turned, a tool-holding carriage, means
for moving it in and out, an oscillating tool-holder mounted on said reciprocating
carriage, and a tool carried by said tool-holder having a semi-circular cutting
edge concentric to the axis upon which said tool-holder oscillates, and automatic
means for oscillating said tool-holder, substantially as described.
3. A rotating chuck carrying the rod to be turned, a tool-holding carriage,
automatic means for moving it in and out, an oscillating tool-holder mounted on
said reciprocating carriage, and a tool carried by said tool-holder having a semi-
circular cutting edge concentric to the axis upon which said tool-holder oscillates,
and automatic means for oscillating said tool-holder, substantially as described.
4. A rotating chuck carrying the rod to be turned, combined with a reciprocating
carriage, and oscillating tool-holder mounted thereon, means for moving the
carriage inward to bring the axis of the tool-holder coincident with the axis of
the ball being turned, and means for then turning the tool-holder on its axis to
sever the ball from the rod, substantially as described.
5. A rotating chuck carrying the rod to be turned, a cutting-tool having a semi-
circular cutting edge, for forming the ball, an oscillating tool-holder carrying
it, and means for oscillating said tool-holder to cause the cutting-tool to sever the

page_text: ball from the rod on an arc concentric to the axis of the tool-holder, substantially
as described.
6. A rotating chuck carrying the rod to be turned, a sliding carriage, an oscillat-
ing tool-holder borne by it, and a cutting-tool having a semi-circular cutting edge
concentric to the axis of said tool-holder, a pivoted lever adjustably connected with
said sliding carriage, and a cam for actuating said lever, substantially as described.
7. A tool-holder, a sliding carriage bearing it, an adjustable pin a³ screwed into
one end of said carriage and having a circumferential groove, an opening at
the bottom of the carriage beneath the circumferential groove of said pin, a pivoted
lever b, one end of which projects up through said opening and enters the circum-
ferential groove of said pin, and the opposite end of which bears upon a cam by
which it is operated, substantially as described.
8. The cutting-tool having a semi-circular cutting-edge, an oscillating tool-holder
bearing it, and a gage for setting said tool concentric to the axis of said tool-holder,
substantially as described.
9. The cutting-tool having a semi-circular cutting edge, an oscillating tool-holder
bearing it, and a gage for setting said tool concentric to the axis of said tool holder,
and at a predetermined elevation, substantially as described.
10. An oscillating tool-holder, a cutting-tool carried by it having a semi-
circular cutting edge, a gage for setting said tool concentric to the axis of said
tool-holder and at a predetermined elevation said gage consisting of a circular
pin movable vertically in a recess provided for it at the centre of the oscillating
tool-holder, substantially as described.
11. Feeding mechanism consisting of the tube or carrier 9 means for causing
it to engage a rod and for thereafter releasing it, means for moving said tube or
carrier axially while the rod is engaged by it, and a torsional spring for returning
it to its normal position after it has released the rod, substantially as described.
12. Feeding mechanism consisting of the tube or carrier 9 having a screw-
threaded portion g², a rotating nut g³, a clamping device for engaging said tube or
carrier to restrain it from rotation causing the nut to move it axially, means for
operating said clamping-device, and means for thereafter returning said tube or
carrier to its normal position, substantially as described.
13. Feeding mechanism consisting of the tube or carrier g having a screw-threaded
portion g², a rotating nut g³, means for restraining rotation of the tube or carrier,
causing said nut to move it axially, and a torsional spring for thereafter returning
said tube or carrier to its normal position, substantially as described.
14. Feeding mechanism consisting of the tube or carrier 9 having a screw-
threaded portion g², a rotating nut g³, means for restraining rotation of the tube or
carrier causing the nut to move it axially, and an adjustable stop for limiting such
axial movement, and means for thereafter returning it to its normal position,
substantially as described.
15. Feeding mechanism consisting of the tube or carrier g, having a split end
and a screw-threaded portion g², a rotating nut g³, a clamping device for engaging
said split end of the tube causing it to grip the rod and restraining it from rotation
while the nut moves it axially, and means for thereafter returning said tube or
carrier to its normal position, substantially as described.
16. Feeding mechanism consisting of the tube or carrier 9 having a split end,
and a screw-threaded portion, the rotating nut g³, a clamping device for engag-
ing said split-end of the tube causing it to grip the rod and restraining it from
rotation while the nut moves it axially, and a torsional spring for thereafter
returning said tube or carrier to its normal position, substantially as described.
Dated this 19th day of April 1898.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.