Improvements in Nailing and Riveting Machines.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Dec., 1899-Accepted, 10th Feb., 1900
+150.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.“ ·
").
Improvements in Nailing and Riveting Machines.
We, JAMES HENRY SOUTHCOTT, of 196, Gilles Street, and JoHANN HEINRICII
THEODORE BRÜGGEMANN, of South Terrace, both of Adelaide, in the Province of
South Australia, Machinists, 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:
Our invention relates to certain improvements in machines used in the manu-
facture of boots and shoes, and more particularly to machines for driving nails
rivets, or tucks into the soles of such boots and shoes. Our invention is, appli-
cable either for driving the small rivets or tacks for fixing the soles to the
uppers, or may be also adapted for driving nails having projecting heads into
the outside of the soles of boots and shoes.
In this specification our invention will be described as applied to nails, but it
will be well understood that it is equally applicable to rivets and tacks and the
term nails" may be held to include rivets, tacks, and the like.
Hitherto these two operations of nailing, and riveting have been performed by
entirely different machines. It has been found that the machines used for driv-
ing small tacks or rivets, are not suitable for nails having projecting. heads.
These nails are usually irregular in shape and size and their heads being.top-
heavy they are liable to turn over before coming under the driver by which they
are driven into the boots or shoes.
In the machines at present in use the nails or rivets when separated fall by.
their own weight into position underneath the driver by which they are driven
into the boot or shoe. The speed of the machine or the rate at which the nails
or rivets may be driven is thus limited to the. rate at which the nails or rivets
will fall when released.
'
J. 1
:
The object of our invention is to provide. a machine by which nails- may be
driven at a greatly increased speed thereby effecting a great saving in time
power and labor.
We accomplish this object by constructing a machine having an improved dis-
tributor by which the nails are separated as delivered from the supply shoot,
and automatically forced forward one at a time to the driver channel. This
distributor reciprocates backwards and forwards as the driver rises and falls and
mechanically forces the next nail into position beneath the driver as it rises
for a fresh blow. Each nail being thus forced into position at each motion of
the distributor, the speed at which the machine is driven is not limited to the
rate at which the nails will fall by their own weight.
For the purposes of our invention we construct a machine having a recipro-
cating distributor working at right angles to the nail delivery shoot. This, lis-
tributor is provided with a transverse slot arranged at an angle through which
each nail passes and is forced into the driver channel.
In order to prevent the nails engaging this slot as the latter comes into posi-
upon the backward stroke. we provide a sliding shutter which alterrately
closes the opening. This sliding shutter is worked backwards and
.

page_text: forwards by the reciprocating motion of the distributor, and is so arranged as to
keep the outlet of the slot open during the forward motion, and closed during
the backward motion of the distributor. As the driver is raised the nail is forced
into position beneath the same, and is then driven into the boot or shoe by the
downward motion of the said driver.
In order that our invention may be the better understood, we will now proceed
to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Fig. 1 is a plan of the nose or casing of a machine embodying our improve-
ments.
Fig. 2, is an end elevation of the same.
Fig. 3, is a side view of our improved distributor.
Fig. 4, is a plan of the same.
Fig. 5, a cross section of the same on the line - Fig. 3.
Fig. 6 is a back view of the same shewing the sliding shutter.
Fig. 7, is a detail view of the sliding shutter.
A is the nose or casing of the machine constructed of steel or other suitable
material. This nose or casing A is fitted to the machine as may be required, and
may be adapted to any suitable device or driving gear for actuating the driver
and awl bar, all of which being well known and not forming part of this inven-
tion, we do not propose to describe.
The nails are fed down by a shoot B from a supply hopper in the usual way,
and pass into a narrow channel or slot A' cut in the casing A. This channel A¹
is of sufficient width to receive the bodies of the nails but their heads bear upon
the top of the casing as shewn in Fig. 2. The channel A¹ leads direct to the
driver channel C in such manner that as each nail is fed in by the distributor it
passes immediately beneath the driver by the downward stroke of which it is
driven into the boot or shoe.
When our machine is adapted for use with tacks or rivets the heads of which
are shaped underneath as an inverse cone, we curve the shoot downwards at its
lower end in such manner that the heads are thrown forwards and the points
backwards. Thus the weight of these rivets bearing upon the inverted-cone-
shaped head of the bottom or last rivet forces its point forward. The two last
rivets thus slope in diverging directions as they enter the channel or slot A¹ and
a space is thus left between them into which the point of the distributor is
inserted. By this means bent rivets and others of defective shape are fed in
without stoppage of the machine.
The nose or casing A is further provided with an adjustable awl-guide D
having a channel D₁ through which the awl passes. This awl-guide D is
recessed to fit the casing A and is held in place by a set screw 12 passing through
longitudinal slot D³. The awl guide may thus be adjusted to any suitable posi-
tion and the distance between the nails as driven into the boot or shoe regulated
as required.
.
In order to separate the nails as delivered from the shoot B as they pass into
the channel or slot A¹ and distribute them one at a time to the driver channel C
the casing A is provided with a recess A2 arranged at right angles to the supply
shoot B and channel A. This recess A2 extends right through the casing A and
is provided with a cover or bridge A3 forming a part of the casing as shewn in
the drawings. The recess is further provided with a guide pin A4 engaging a
slot in the distributor as hereinafter described.
Within the distributor recess A2 works the distributor E as shewn more parti-
cularly in Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 by which the nails are separated and delivered one
at a time to the driver channel. This distributor E is driven forwards and
backwards within the recess A² in correspondence with the rising and falling
motion of the driver within the driver channel C For this purpose it is provided
with a pin or stud E by which it is given a reciprocating motion from suitable
mechanism operated in the same manner as the driver and awl bar.
The distributor E is provided with a longitudinal slot E2 extending right

page_text: through the same and engaging the cover or bridge A³ of the recess A³ within
the casing A. It is thus held rigidly in position and affords a suitable guide for
the same.
As an additional guide the distributor E is provided with a further
slot E3 engaging the pin A' arranged within the recess A³ as shewn in Fig. 2.
The reciprocating distributor E is further cut away longitudinally for the
greater portion of its length as shewn at E in Figs. 3, 4, and 5 for the recep-
tion of the bodies of the nails as it moves backwards and forwards.
In order to separate the nails and deliver them one at a time, and force
them into position in the driver channel C the distributor E is provided with a
transverse slot E5 arranged at an angle and in such manner that the projecting
point E engages the last nail on the forward motion, of the distributor. This
slot E5 is enlarged at its upper portion as at E7 (Figs. 5 and 6) for the reception
of the heads of the nails as they pass through. As the distributor E moves for-
ward the slot E5 being set at an angle to the same engages the body of the nail
and forces it across the channel A¹ in the casing A into the driver channel C.
The nails are thus delivered to the driver channel C upon the forward motion of
the distributor E.
In order to prevent the nails engaging the inclined slot E as the latter comes
back into position upon the backward stroke we provide a sliding shutter which
closes the outlet of the slot upon the backward stroke of the distributor E.
For this purpose the distributor E is recessed at the back for the greater por-
tion of its length as at 8 having shoulders E and E10 respectively at each end.
Within this recess E8 works a sliding shutter F having an opening F¹ correspond-
ing with the outlet of the slot E, which delivers the nails. This sliding
shutter F is made shorter than the recess E8 and upon the forward motion of the
distributor the end F2 engages the shoulder E at the back, and the shutter is
carried forward with it. Upon this forward motion the opening F¹ coincides
with the outlet of the slot E arranged at an angle and a nail is allowed to pass
through. When the reciprocating distributor stops to come on the backward
stroke the sliding shutter F being shorter than the recess Es remains stationary
until the shoulder E10 engages the end 13 of the shutter F. During the period
while this shutter F remains stationary. the outlet of the slot E moves back past
the corresponding opening F¹ in the shutter F and is thus effectually closed
during the backward motion of the distributor and nails are thus prevented from
working back into the same. Upon the next forward motion of the distributor E
the shutter again remains stationary until the shoulder E again engages the
end F of the shutter F and the opening F again coincides with the outlet of
the slot F5 thereby allowing another nail to pass through as delivered by the
forward motion of the distributor E.
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:
Firstly. In nailing and riveting machines, a reciprocating distributor having
a slot set at an angle through which the nails or rivets are forcibly delivered to
the driver channel one at a time.
Second, In nailing and riveting machines. a reciprocating distributor having
a slot set at an angle and working at right angles to the delivery channel, for the
purpose of delivering the nails or rivets one at a time to the driver channel.
Third, In nailing and riveting machines, a reciprocating distributor working
at right angles to the delivery channel and having a slot set at an angle for
the delivery of the nails or rivets one at a time to the driver channel said dis-
tributor reciprocating in correspondence with the upward and downward motion
of the driver.
Fourth, In nailing and riveting machines, a reciprocating distributor work-
ing at right angles to a delivery channel having a transverse slot set at an angle
whereby the nails or rivets are delivered to the driver channel such distributor

page_text: being recessed longitudinally for the reception of the bodies of the nails or rivets,
substantially as described.
927
Fifth, In nailing and riveting machines, a reciprocating distributor working
at right angles to the delivery channel within a recess in the casing and having
a transverse slot set at an angle for the delivery of the nails or rivets one at a
time, to the driver channel such distributor being recessed longitudinally for the
reception of the bodies of the nails or rivets and having suitable guide slots
engaging the casing substantially as described.
Sixth, In nailing and riveting machines, the combination with a reciprocat-
ing distributor having a transverse slot set at an angle for the deliver of the
nails or rivets one at a time to the driver channel, of a sliding shutter adapted
to open and close the outlet of the said slot.
:
-
Seventh, In nailing and riveting machines, the combination with a recipro-
cating distributor having a transverse slot set at an angle for the delivery of
the nails or rivets one at a time to the driver channel of a sliding shutter work-
ing in a recess in such manner that the exit to the said slot is open on the for-
ward motion and closed on the backward motion of the distributor.
Eighth, In nailing and riveting machines, the combination with a recipro-
cating distributor. having a slot set at an angle for the delivery of the nails
or rivets one at a time to the driver channel of a sliding shutter having an open-
ing corresponding to the exit of the slot through which the nails or rivets are
delivered and working within a recess at the back of the distributor in such
manner that the shutter closes the outlet of the slot upon the backward move-
ment and leaves it open on the forward movement of the distributor substantially
as described.
Ninth, In nailing and riveting machines, the combination with a recipro-
cating distributor having a slot set at at angle for the delivery of the nails or
rivets one at a time to the driver channel of an adjustable awl bar guide sub-
stantially as described.
Dated thin 08th dor of Desombon 1000