US1989285A - Spindle shaper - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 29, 1935. w J. MERRIGAN ISPINDLE SHAPER Filed July 12, 1953 2 Sheets-Shee t 1- lTTUJQNEYi Jan. 29, 1935. w, MERRlGAN 1,989,285

SPINDLE SHAPER Filed July 12, 1953 2 sheets-sheet 2 JVVENTUJL EZZPHIEZZN' ZJZTUENEX'JI Patented Jan. 29, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,989,285 SPINDLE SHAPER.

Application July 12, 1933, Serial No. 680,087

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in spindle shapers.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved spindle shaper wherein there is a novel,

simple and advantageous construction enabling vertical adjustment of the spindle with respect to the table so that the positions of the cutters relatively to the table may be varied.

More specifically an object of the invention is to provide an improved spindle shaper wherein there is a body providing'a table and a hollow standard supporting the same. This standard has an opening in its side for the passage of a drive belt, and top and bottom bearings for the spindle. A sleeve fits between the bearings pro viding a pulley for the drive belt and an advantageous construction is provided for adjustably but rigidly fastening the spindle to the sleeve.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved fence for spindle shapers which is so designed as to operate not only as a fence but also as a guard, effectively preventing the operator from becoming injured through inadvertence or accident. The conventional fence for spindle shapers as now constructed consists merely of a casting of general U shaped form, the ends of the legs being widened to form two surfaces.

These two surfaces, which are disposed at opposite sides of the spindle, are intended to be in the same plane so that the work may slide smoothly against them. However, in making the fence of a single casting, as is the conventional practice, certain difiiculties are encountered. The outer surface of the casting, as is true in most castings, is formed of metal which has been quickly chilled by contact with the interior of the mold. Consequently on machining the scale or outer skin to form the surfaces, which are intended to be in the same plane, certain shrinkage or cooling strains in the casting itself are relieved. Consequently by the time the casting is completely machined across the surfaces, the relieved strains have so warped the 45 casting that the two surfaces are no longer in the same plane. To overcome this the conventional practice" has been to apply separate shims or facing plates to the legs of the U shaped casting to build out their faces -so that the surfaces 50 formed by these shimsor facing plates will be actually in the same plane. The improved design is' such as to enable the formation of a spindle shaper fence of a single integral casting which will enable the machining of these faces without causing the casting to warp or become same plane.

distorted so as to move the two faces out of the At the same time the improved construction provides a suitable guard protecting the operator from becoming injured.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be made manifest in the following detailed description, and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for an illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the improved spindle shaper, illustrating the improved fence and guard in applied position thereon.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken substantially upon the line 22 upon'Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken substantially upon the line 3-3 upon Figure 2.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout, the improved spindle shaper consists of a body which may be and preferably is formed of a single large casting providing a table 10, a hollow standard 11, and a hollow base 12. In the standard 11 there is formed an'opening 13 for the passage of a drive belt 14. The center of the table is recessed, as indicated at 15, and internal flanges 16 and 17 are formed on the interior of the standard. Within these flanges there are preferably mounted antifriction bearings, shown at 18 and 19. The lower bearing is held in the flanges by means of a plate or ring 20 and the upper bearing is confined in its flange 16 by two rings or plates 21 between which there is a layer of felt or the equivalent indicated at 22 which closely fits around the spindle so as to prevent shavings and cut-- tings dropping into the bearings. A sleeve 23 fits snugly between the inner races of the two bearings 18 and 19. This sleeve has a groove 24 at about its center so that it provides a pulley for the drive belt 14. The spindle 25 is disposed within the sleeve and extends through the inner races of bearings 18 and 19. It carries a cutting means indicated at 26 disposed 'above the table top.

A feature of the invention resides in a novel, simple and advantageous construction for adjustably mounting the spindle 25 in sleeve 23 so that the position of cutter 26"with respect to the table top can be varied. To this end the spindle has a non-circular side, this side being shown as being a fiat side indicated at 27, see Figure 3. In the sleeve 23 there is formed a drilled and tapped hole 28, which is approximately even with the bottom of opening 13. Opposite this tapped hole there is formed in the opposite side of the sleeve 23 a drilled hole 29 which is of larger diameter than hole 28 so that the inner end of hole 28 which communicates with hole 29 is enlarged as indicated at 30. In this enlarged inner end of hole28 there is disposed a shoe 31 which can be tightened firmly against the fiat side of spindle 25. On loosening screw 34, the head of which is accessible through opening 13, it is possible to raise or lower spindle 25 with respect to sleeve 23 and thus fasten the spindle in any adjusted position. Upward movement of the spindle may be limited by a diametrical pin 32 at the bottom of the spindle.

From the above described construction it will be appreciated that on driving the belt 14 the sleeve 23 wil1 be rotated and the spindle 25 can likewise be rotated. To vary the position of cutter 26 with respect to the table top, it is merely necessary to turn the spindle into a position wherein the head of screw 34 is exposed through opening 13, insert a screwdriver, loosen the screw, and change the position of the spindle with respect to sleeve 23, after which the screw is tightened up again. A cover plate 33 may be recessed in the top of the table about the spindle.

The fence, illustrated as being mounted on top of the table, consists of a single casting forming two upright portions 35 and 36, the faces of which, 37 and 38, are intended to be and are in the same plane so as to form a guide against which material to be shaped may be caused to slide in feeding it past the cutter. These upright portions are connected by a connecting portion 39 in which is formed a semi-circular recess 40 in which the upper end of the spindle and the cutter that it carries may rotate. Integral with the casting there is formed a partial dome 41, the forward side of which is open as indicated at 42, see Figure 2. This dome may be apertured as indicated at 43 and the rear side is preferably open as indicated at 44 permitting the escape of shavings or cuttings through the back of the dome. As above explained, Where shaper fences have been constructed of a single casting without the presence of the dome, on machining the surfaces 37 and 38 and removing the scale or outer skin of chilled metal, the shrinkage stresses which are present in the connecting portion 39 are relieved on machining faces 3'7 and 38. These stresses become effective to warp the casting sufficiently so that it is very difificult to machine the two faces exactly in the same plane. Continued machining merely removes more metal from the upright portions 35 and 36 and gives the shrinkage stresses in connecting portion 39 a greater opportunity to warp the casting. By forming a dome 41 integral with the casting, an effective brace is formed so bracing the casting that on machining surfaces 3'7 and 38 the casting will not warp or become distorted so as to throw the two surfaces out of alignment. In this way and by means of this design it is possible to make the shaper of a single casting and machine the faces and produce a resulting construction wherein the faces 37 and 38 are in perfect alignment after having been machined. The dome 41 also forms a type of guard over the semi-circular recess 40 so that the operator cannot through inadvertence or accident drag his fingers across the rear side of the spindle in the path of the cutter. The opening 44 is of sufficient height to enable the shavings and cuttings to be discharged therethrough by the rotating cutter but it is not high enough to allow the operator's fingers to be inadvertently passed therethrough in the path of the cutter.

The shaper is fastened to the top of table 10 by means of bolts 45 extending through elongated slots 46 in the casting, enabling adjustment of surfaces 37 and 38 with respect to the cutter on the spindle.

From the construction as above described it will be appreciated that the novel design overcomes an important problem in attempting to make shaper fences of single castings with machined faces.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A fence and guard for spindle shapers comprising means providing two co-planar surfaces which are separated by an intervening recess in which the cutter of a shaper may rotate, and a partial dome extending rearwardly from said coplanar surfaces over the recess having an opening in the bottom of its back for the escape of shavings.

2. A fence and guard for spindle shapers comprising a single casting providing two coplanar surfaces spaced by a recess in which the cutter of'the shaper may rotate, said casting providing also a partial dome extending outwardly from said coplanar surfaces over the recess, which dome constitutes a guard.

3. A fence and guard for spindle shapers comprising a single casting providing two coplanar surfaces spaced by a recess in which the cutter of the shaper may rotate, said casting providing also a' partial dome extending outwardly from said coplanar surfaces over the recess, which dome constitutes a guard, said dome having an opening in the bottom of its back for the escape of cuttings.

4. A fence and guard for spindle shapers comprising a single casting providing two spaced, aligned arms which provide'coplanar surfaces, and means providing a partial dome connecting the arms, said dome extending rearwardly from the surfaces.

5. A fence and guard for spindle shapers comprising a single casting providing two spaced, aligned arms which provide coplanar surfaces, and means providing a partial dome connecting the arms, said dome extending rearwardly from the surfaces, and forming a top connection connecting the arms in a substantially vertical plane and also forming a back connection connecting the arms in a substantially horizontal plane.

6. A fence and guard for spindle shapers comprising a single casting providing two spaced, aligned arms which provide coplanar surfaces, and means providing a partial dome connecting the arms, said dome extending rearwardly from the surfaces, and forming a top connection connecting the arms in a substantially vertical plane and also forming a back connection connecting the arms in a substantially horizontal plane, the bottom of the back of the dome being cut away to provide for the escape of shavings.

WM. J. MERRIGAN.

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