330,562. Pollak, J. E., (Bek, E. G.)À March 7, 1929. Making chains; bending-formers ; shearing- adjuncts.-In a machine for making wire chains with unequal links, the cutter and two or more sets of movable link forming tools for the different sized links are laterally movable on a slide so that the desired length of wire may be cut and the desired set of forming tools brought opposite the fixed forming tools. A single drive may thus be employed for all sizes of links and the chain may remain stationary at the working point. The wire 1, Fig. 6, is fed by a reciprocating gripper comprising two sets of jaws 6, 7 carried by a slide 23 which is pressed by a spring 23b against an adjustable stop 24 and against a lever 20 operated by a cam on the main shaft. The jaws 7 during the feed stroke are pressed together by a roller 8 on a lever 9 pressed down by a screw 26 on a lever 25 operated by an eccentric on the main shaft. During the return stroke the wire is held in a clamp 13 under pressure of a bolt 15 forced down by a lever 25<a> operated by another eccentric. In older to vary the length of feed in the base of chains in which the links are not alternately long and short, the backward motion of the slide 23 may be limited by a roller 30 thereon engaging a bell-crank lever 32, which is operated by a rod 34 through a lever 37, Fig. 16. The lever 37 engages a removable cam 35 on a shaft 39 rotated by ratchet mechanism 41, 40 from a lever 43 which engages a cam 45 on the main shaft. The wire passes from the clamp 13 through a guide 47 and then through a groove in an abutment 51, either end of which serves for co-operafing with a movable cutter to sever the desired length of wire. The wire then passes through a two part guide, the front part 52<b> of which is movable vertically by a camoperated lever 54 so as to lower it to allow the wire to be drawn through the slot in the fixed part 52<a> of the guide to bend the wire to U form. The wire is held between a member 61, Fig. 4, and the forming needle 53 as it is drawn back into the guide 52<a>. The needle 53 is carried by a cam-operated rod 67 on which rests a slide-bar 65 in which is pivoted at 64 the holder 63 of the member 61. The holder is provided with a pawl 72, which is pressed by a spring 69 into a notch 67<c> in the rod 67. When during the forward motion of the rod the slide-bar 65 engages the stop 66, the rod swings the holder upwardly out of the way of the needle 53, which transfers the link through the slotted guide 52b now in raised position to the chain so as to thread one limb through the uppermost link which is suspended by a needle 117, Fig. 18, on a carrier 122, Fig. 13, reciprocated vertically by a cam-operated lever and striker. The tools 74, 75, Fig. 8, which respectively close the small and large links are mounted on a broad slide 76 in a laterally movable head 46<b> which also supports the slide-bar 85 of the cutter 87. The slide 76 is operated by a lever and cam-operated rod against the action of a spring 79 and the slide bar 85 is retracted by a spring 86 and moved forward by an angle bar 95 on an eccentrically operated draw bar 91 engaging a groove in the slide bar. The head 46b is moved laterally into required position against the action of a spring by ai cam 105, Fig. 16, on the shaft 39, which is operated as previously described, the cam engaging a lever which actuates a striker co-operating with a bell crank lever 101. The throw is adjusted by a set-screw 108 co-operating with a set screw 109 on the framing. Pivoted at 111 on the head 46<b> is a lever 112, which carries mandrels 114, 116 on which the links are closed. The lever is moved to bring the mandrel into position by clamping it at 123 to an arm 124 loosely mounted on a pin 122<a> projecting from the needle carrier 122. The carrier is formed with a groove 126, Fig. 13, to guide the chain and the needle is bent so that the chain bears in an oblique position at the point 128 of the groove so as to constrain the chain to turn into correct position for interlinking. The needle is curved at 129 so that the upper end of the chain hangs freely between the point of the needle and the point 128. In making chains in which the long and short links alternate the lateral movement of the tools and cutter only is necessary, the length of feed being the same. for each successive link.