US2755470A - Nailing machine - Google Patents

Description

July 24, 1956 w. s. JOHNSON NAILING MACHINE Filed Jan. 20, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR WILBERT .S. JOHNSON WW 6 ATTORNEYS July 24, 1956 w. s. JOHNSON NAILING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 20, 1955 IHI INVENTOR JOHNSON WILBERT 5.

ATTORNEYS July 24, 1956 w. s. JOHNSON NAILING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 20, 1955 INVENTOR WILBERT S. J'oHNsoN ATTORNEY? United States Patent NAILING MACHINE Wilbert S. Johnson, Horseheads, N. Y., assignor to National Homes Corporation, Lafayette, Ind, a corporation of Indiana Application January 20, 1955, Serial No. 482,963

3 Claims. (Cl. 1-1) This invention relates to nailing machines, and particularly to nailing machines having means for supporting an assembly of work pieces to be nailed together. The invention, however, may readily be incorporated in a portable nailing machine.

In general, the present invention comprises a nailing machine having one or more nail chucks adapted to sequentially receive nails from a conventional nail picker and feeder and hold each nail in position to be driven into the work pieces. A hammer device is mounted on the machine so that a nail driving rod thereof can be moved into and through the nail chuck to drive a nail therefrom and into the work. The hammer device includes an adjustable stop means movable with the nail driving rod until it engages a portion of the chuck and thus stops nail driving movement of the rod. The nail chuck and hammer device are so related that the chuck is spring urged away from the hammer device but can be forcibly pushed toward the hammer device. In operation the nail chuck and hammer device assembly is moved as a unit to the work pieces sufliciently to engage the nail chuck with the work piece and at least partially compress the spring. Thus, the spring acts through the chuck to firmly clamp the work pieces together preparatory to nailing. Upon actuation of the hammer its stop means predetermines the depth to which the nail is driven and that depth is always determined relative to the surface of the Work piece since the movement of the hammer is stopped by the chuck which, in turn, is positioned by the work piece. Thus the adjustable stop can be set to drive a nail head flush with the work surface, embedded below the surface or projecting above the surface and all sequentially driven nails will be driven to the same depth regardless of variations in the work pieces. Preferably the means for driving the hammer comprises a pneumatic piston, which requires no adjustment of its stroke upon changing the position of the stop means on the hammer rod.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a nailing machine wherein the depth of penetration of nails driven thereby may be positively controlled independently of work piece dimensions.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a single simple adjustment to effect the control set forth above.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a nailing machine for nailing assembled work pieces together and which includes, as part of the nailing mechanism, means for firmly clamping the work pieces together prior to and during nailing.

It is another object of this invention to provide a nailing machine having tiltable nailing devices to enable nails to be driven into a stationary work piece at different angles.

A general object of this invention is to provide a nail ing machine of novel and economical construction.

Further and additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as the detailed description proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away, of a nailing machine embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the machine of Fig. 1, as viewed from the left end thereof, with parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken substantially along the line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view, on a further enlarged scale, taken substantially along the line 6-6 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Referring first more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the invention comprises a tablestructure consisting of legs 2 and transverse horizontal brace members 4. The legs support an open work table 6 consisting of longitudinal and transverse hollow square tubular members welded together. Transverse rail supports 8 are welded or otherwise fixed below the table members 6 and extend transversely of the machine to project outwardly of the lateral edges of the table structure. Longitudinal rails in are securely mounted at the ends of the transverse supports 8, such as. by welding or the like, and extend longitudinally of the machine outwardly of but parallel to the side edges of the table structure 6. Each of the rails 10 has a longitudinally extending rack bar 12 fixedly secured to its upper surface along one edge thereof, leaving the outer edge portion of the rails 16 exposed.

A carriage comprising longitudinal side members 14 at each side of the table, is mounted for longitudinal movement over the table 6. Each of the side members 14 is provided with spaced rollers 16 riding on the exposed surface portions of the rails 19 to support the carriage thereon. Each of the side members 14 is further provided with a pair of fixed upstanding post members 18 rigidly secured thereto in longitudinally spaced relation. A transverse carriage member 20 is fixed to the upper ends of the posts 18 and extends across the table 6 at a substantial elevation thereabove. The transverse member 20 serves as a brace or reinforcement to hold the upright members 18 in upright position and the required distance apart.

Each of the side members 14 of the carriage has a gear 22 journalled thereon in position to mesh with the teeth of corresponding rack bar 12. Bearings 24 on the carriage side members 14 rotatably support a transverse shaft 26, journalled at its ends in the bearings 24. Adjacent each of its ends the shaft 26 has a pinion 28 fixed thereon and meshing with the corresponding gear 22. Both gears 22 are of the same pitch diameter, as are both pinions 28. By this structure it will be evident that the carriage may be advanced along the rails 10 and the interconnected gears 22 will function to insure equal movement to both sides of the carriage, thus eliminating bulky and complicated bracing between the carriage side members 14.

Nailing head supporting structure is provided on the carriage for vertical movement thereon and comprises a transverse hollow square tubular support member 30 arranged with its ends terminating inwardly of the upright posts 18. A second square tubular member 32, of the same length as member 30, is fixed to the upper surface of the member 30 and is-provided with stub shafts 34 projecting from its opposite ends outwardly between the upright posts 18. The stub shafts 34 are journalled in blocks 36 slidably received between the upright posts 18 and provided with plates 38 and 38' retaining those blocks in sliding position between the posts 18. The retaining plate 38' at the outer face of one end of the carriage extends upwardly as shown in Fig. 1 for a purpose to be described later. A pneumatic piston and cylinder motor 40 is suitably supported on one of the upright posts 18 with the cylinder thereof held in fixed position on the post 18 and its piston rod 42 connected to one end of a lever 44 which, in turn, is fixed to one end of a shaft 46 journalled in and extending through the upper carriage member 20 to project beyond both ends thereof. As shown, the lever 44 is mounted intermediate its ends on the shaft 46 and the other end thereof is pivoted to a link 48 extending downwardly and inwardly through the space between posts 18 to a supporting lug 50 on the support member 32. The link 48 pivotally supports the lug 50 and the supporting assembly 3032 for vertical movement between posts 18. The opposite end of shaft 46 is provided with a short lever 44 fixed thereto and corresponding to that portion of lever 44 extending from shaft 46 to link 48. The lever 44' is pivoted to a second lever 48 identical to that first described and which is also pivoted to a lug 50 adjacent the other end of the support member 32. Thus, it will be obvious that actuation of the pneumatic motor 40 will result in oscillation of shaft 46 and a resultant raising or lowering of the nailing head support structure comprising the transverse beams 30 and 32.

One of the stub shafts 34 previously described has a lever 52 fixed thereto outwardly of the plate 38 (Fig. l). The upper portion of the plate 38 may be provided with a suitable motor device (not shown) acting through a link 54 pivoted to the lever 52 to tilt the nailing head supporting beams 30 and 32 about the axis of stub shafts 34 from a vertical to an inclined position.

Referring now to Figs. 2 to 7, a plurality of nailing head assemblies 56 (Fig. 2) are mounted on the nailing head supporting beams 30 and 32. The nailing head assemblies each consist of a pneumatic cylinder 58 fixedly mounted on a bracket 60 (Fig. 3) which is welded to the tubular support 32. The pneumatic cylinders 58 are each provided with a piston therein and a piston rod 62 extending downwardly through the brackets 60. A suitable solenoid-controlled valve 64 is provided for each pneumatic motor, for a purpose to be hereinafter described. Each of the brackets 60 is further provided with a bracket 66 fixedly secured to its lower edge portion.

A plurality of guide members 68 (see Fig. are secured to the supporting member 30 immediately below the brackets 66 and function as guides for nail chucks 70 having transversely enlarged heads 72 slidably received in the guides 68. Suitable retainers 74, fixed to the guides 68, retain the nail chucks on the guides 68 for vertical sliding movement therein. The guides 68 may be further provided with gibs 76 and set screws 78 therefor whereby the nail chucks may be slidably guided without appreciable lateral movement. Each of the nail chucks 70 is provided with a stud 80 (Figs. 3 and 4) projecting upwardly therefrom through an opening 82 in the corresponding bracket 66. A compression spring 84 surrounds each stud 80 between the corresponding bracket 66 and the upper surface of a lock nut 85 locking stud 80 in the nail chuck. The studs 80 are further provided with adjustable nuts 86 thereon comprising stop means engage able with the upper surfaces of the brackets 66 to limit downward sliding movement of the nail chucks, in guides 68, under the influence of springs 84.

The nail chucks 70 will not be described in detail since they may take any conventional and well known form but in each instance the chucks are provided with a vertical passageway therethrough and suitable means to receive nails and hold those nails in position to be driven into a work piece below the nail chuck.

Nails are supplied to the nail chucks by means of conventional and well-known nail picking and feeding devices.

Each nail chuck is provided with means defining a lowermost surface 88 and an upper or abutment surface 90. The nail-receiving passageway of each chuck extends vertically therethrough and is located directly below and aligned with the axis of the piston rod 62.

Each piston rod 62 is threaded at its lower end into a threaded bore in a hammer receiving head 92. A suitable lock nut 94 (Fig. 6) holds the head 92 in the desired position on the piston rod 62. Each head 92 is externally threaded and provided with a transverse recess 96 and a radial slot 98 extending axially thereof from the recess 96 through the lowermost end of the head 92. A hammer having a shank 100 and a head 102 is positioned with its head 102 in recess 96, which is complementary in shape thereto, and its shank 100 extending downwardly in the slot 98. The shank 100' constitutes the hammer for driving the nails and extends downwardly into the vertical passageway in nail chuck 70.

A retaining cap 104, having a central opening 106, is threaded to the exterior of the head 92 and held in axially adjusted position thereon by internally threaded locking ring 108. The central opening 106 of the cap 104 serves to hold the shank 100 of the hammer in axial alignment with piston rod 62 and the threaded cylindrical portion of the cap overlies and covers the recess 96, thus preventing removal of the hammer from the head 92. The cap 104 performs a further function to be described later.

In operation of the apparatus, work pieces comprising studs 110 (Fig. 2) and a panel member 112 may be placed on the table 6 of the machine with the studs 110 lying directly below the respective nailing heads 56. With the work pieces thus assembled on the table 6, the carriage carrying the nailing heads may be positioned at one end of the work piece assembly and upon actuation of the pneumatic motor 40 to force its piston upwardly, the supporting beams 30-32 are forcibly moved downwardly a distance greater than that necessary to bring the lowermost faces 88 of the nail chucks into engagement with the work piece panel 112. When the faces 88 of the nail chucks engage the panel 112 downward movement of the nail chucks is arrested and further downward movement of the supporting beams 30 and 32 results in relative sliding movement between the nail chucks and guides 68 and compression of springs 84. The parts will be so adjusted that the springs 84 will be compressed somewhat less than the limit of their compressing movement so the springs are thereafter effective to firmly hold the nail chucks against the work piece to effectively clamp the panel 112 against studs 110 and hold studs 110 firmly against the table 6. If desired, suitable jigs or positioning means (not shown) may be provided to initially properly position the studs 110 and/ or panel 112 on the table 6.

After lowering the supporting beams 30 and 32 as described, the solenoid valves 64 are actuated to admit air under pressure to the cylinders 58 above the pistons therein and force piston rods 62 downwardly to cause the shanks 100 of the hammers to engage and drive nails in the nail chucks through the panel 112 and into studs 110. Downward movement of the hammers continues until the lowermost surfaces 114 of the caps 104 engage the upper abutment surfaces of the nail chucks. Pneumatic pressure thereafter is ineffective to drive the hammers any farther through the nail chucks. Obviously the caps 104 may be axially adjusted and locked in adjusted position along the heads 92 and relative to the hammer shanks to thus predetermine the extent of movement of the shanks 100 through the nail chucks. By this means the caps 104 may be adjusted to regulate the depth to which the nails are driven in the work pieces. They may be readily adjusted to drive the nail heads flush with the upper surface of the panel 112, to sink the nail heads below the upper surface of the panel 112, or to leave the nails projecting slightly above the panel surface. Since the distance between surfaces 88 and 90 of the nailing chucks is a fixed distance and since the upper surface 90 thereof controls the extent of movement of the hammer shanks 100, the nails will always be driven to the predetermined depth relative to the work piece independently of variations in thickness or other dimensions of the Work pieces themselves.

After driving a row of nails into the work pieces, the supports 30 and 32 may be raised and the carriage moved long' inally of the table 6 to drive another row of nails in the work piece assembly, and so on, until the entire work piece has been nailed together.

The tilting of the supporting beams 30 and 32 about the axis of stub shafts 34 may be resorted to at any time when it becomes necessary to drive nails into a work piece at an angle displaced from the vertical. The shape of a particular work piece may require that nails be driven therein at angles other than the vertical.

While a single specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described herein, it is to be understood that other modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims.

1 claim:

a. In a nailing machine; means for supporting a work piece, nail chuck mounted for sliding movement toward and from a work piece on said supporting means, resilient means urging said nail chuck into engagement with said work piece, means for retracting said nail chuck from said Work piece, a hammer member mounted in alignment with said nail chuck, means for independently actuating said hammer member to drive a nailfrom said chuck into said work piece, said nail chuck being provided with a face engageable with said workpiece, and means for limiting the extent of movement of said hammer relative to said face in a direction toward said workpiece.

2. In a nailing machine; means for supporting a work piece, a holder mounted for movement toward and from a work piece on said supporting means, a nail chuck mounted for sliding movement on said holder in a direction toward and from a work piece on said supporting means, resilient means urging said nail chuck to slide on said holder toward said work piece, stop means limiting the movement of said nail chuck relative to said holder under the influence of said resilient means, a hammer member supported on said holder in alignment with said nail chuck, and means for independently actuating said hammer member to drive a nail from said chuck to said work piece.

3. A nailing machine as defined in claim 2 wherein said means for supporting said work piece comprises a table member and wherein said holder is mounted on a carriage movable along said table member, said holder being movably mounted on said carriage for vertical movement toward and from said table member, and fluid pressure operated means for selectively raising or lowering said holder on said carriage through a predetermined range of movement.

References :Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 806,411 Inwood Dec. 5, 1905 1,262,781 Gross Apr. 16, 1918 1,605,053 Morgan Nov. 2, 1926 1,667,777 Goddu May 1, 1928 1,949,108 Paxton Feb. 27, 1934 1,994,798 Twomley Mar. 19, 1935 2,135,650 Twomley Nov. 8, 1938 2,305,234 Bratz Dec. 16, 1942 2,420,685 Robinson May 20, 1947 2,482,872 Rapport Sept. 27, 1949 2,530,626 Paxton Nov. 21, 1950 2,536,350 Burby Ian. 2, 1951 2,540,106 Eichelberger Feb. 6, 1951

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