US94194A - Improved machine for making cut nails - Google Patents

Description

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D. J. FARMER, OF IVHEELING, W EST VIRGINIA.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 94,!94, dated August A3l, 1869.

' yZ'o all whom, it may concern.-

My improvements consist in so constructing, combining, and arranging the operative parts of a machine for making cut nails and tacks as to adapt it to take the plates or sheets of metal as they come from the rolls without previous slitting or shearing, and to cut such plates or sheets into nails or tacks having a straight grain without waste, and to cut and head any number of nails or tacks completely at the same operation.

The plate or sheet of metal of any iength is fed longitudinally' into the machine, and in a continuous manner, and is cut up from the side of the plate or sheet by suitably-arranged knives or cutters. The blanks as they fall from the knives are caught between grippingjaws which hold them while the heading operation is being performed. A header is preferably arranged between the pairs or between each pair of knives or cutters and clampingjaws, so as to upset the heads on two nails or tacks at each operation.

In the drawings, Figure l represents a plan view of my improved machine, certain portions being broken away to expose parts beneath. Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof, partly in vertical section, on the line a', Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on the line y y, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line z z, Figs. l and 2. Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating the manner of cutting the nails or tacks from the plate or sheet of metal.

In the further description of my machine, in referring to the plate or sheet of metal from which the nails or tacks are formed, I shall speak of it simply as the sheet A A in the drawings represent a strong frame, which may be made of any suitable material, form, andV dimensions to afford the requisite bearings, &c., for the operativeparts of the machine.

B B B B are feed-rollers (which may be substituted by other suitable device) arranged in suit-able'bearings at the respective ends of the machine, and employed to propel the sheet longitudinally through the machine, a suitable intermittent motion being imparted to them by a mechanism to be hereinafter described.

C C C C are friction-rollers arranged between the feed-rollers B B', to facilitate and steady the movement of the sheet. The upper of these sets of rollers may be protected by a hood or cap, D D'.

E E are adjustable gages .or stops to determine the thickness of nail or tack produced by limiting the projection of the sheet under the knives or cutters.

E E are additional guides or stops for the ends of the sheet.

F is a movable bar for holding the sheet against the stops E, a yielding pressure being imparted to it by weights G. through hinged sliding rods f and cords H, attached to the outer ends of said rods f and running over suitablyarranged pulleys I', as represented in Figs. 2 and 4. This arrangement adapts the bar F to accommodate itself to any irregulari ties in the edge of thesheet. A Hange, f', ou the face ofthe bar F serves to hold down the rear edge ofthe sheet. Its front edge is prevented from rising with the movable cutter by a longitudinal bar, J.

K K Kd" represent the stationary cutters or knives for making longitudinal incisions in the sheet, and lc the end cutters.

L L L* Ift are the corresponding movable cutters or knives. The former are mounted in suitable sockets in the frame A. The latter are mounted in a swinging frame or jaw, M, pivoted at in in the frame A and provided with rearwardlyprojecting arms M for engagement with suitable cams by which to impart to it the necessary movement.

The cutters L L L* Lili are mounted in suitable recesses in the face of the j aw M, as shown in Fig. 4, being arranged to correspond with the stationary cutters K K', ttc., and adjusted to compensate for wear by set-screws m. The weight of the face-plate of the jaw, the cutters, &o., may, if desired, becompensated for by a weight, m2, on the extremity of the arm M', as shown in Fig. 4 or a similarappliance.

The cutters K L K L K* L Kt Lt are alranged in pairs, as indicated, and the first ones of each pair (as shown) are oblique, the a1- ternate ones being straight. Each successive pair is beside projected a distance equal to the width of two nails or tacks as cut from the sheet in front of the one before them, as represented iu Figs. l, 2, and 4. The object of this arrangement of the cutters is to enable A them to receive the sheet, as it is fed continuously and straightly through themachine, and

cut the nails or tacks therefrom, as hereinafter more particularly described. A space, m3, of the length of one or more nails or tacks, as desired, is left between each of the cutters, K L K' L', 85e., to afford the necessary room for the side or end cutters, lr, the headers, Src. The length of said space, being the same as that of the cutters, or a multiple thereof, prevents its affecting the proper succession in the action of the cutters on the sheet without complicating the feeding mechanism.

NN' represent, respectively, stationary and movable jaws situated beneath the cutters K k L, 85e., with which they correspond in number, and operating to grip the nails or tacks as they fall from said cutters and hold them while the heading operation is being performed. The former are arranged beneath said cutters K, Src., in the frame A, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and4, and in dotted lines in Fig. l, and the latter are attached to a swinging frame or head, O, pivoted at o and provided with extensions or arms O' for engagement with suitable cams by which to operate it. The faces of these jaws are conformed to the desired complete form of the nails or tacks, each being arranged to correspond with the cutters above it, and may swage the nails or tacks more or less, if desired.

P P P represent headers provided with double faces p, keyed on roek-shafts Q, mounted transversel-y of the machine, and arrangedy between and at the ends of the pairs of cutters, Ste., as represented in Fig. 3, so as to adapt them to act on the proper end of the nails or tacks, as held in the jaws N N', the middle one heading the nails or tacks from two sets of cutters. The rock-shafts Q are further provided with arms Q' for engagement with suitable cams, by which to operate them, and which will now be described.

R, Figs. l and 4, represents a cam-shaft mounted in suitable bearings longitudinally of the machine, and preferably at its upper rear side, as represented in Fig. 4, and provided with cams R', having camsurfaces r, r', and r2 for the operation of the cutters L, Ste., through the jaw M m M', the grippingjaws N, through the head O o O', and the headers P, through the rock-shafts Q Q', the respective surfaces being so constructed and arranged as to cause the various parts to operate in the desired manner, as hereinafter more fully described. The shaft R is further provided with a crank-disk, R2, to the wrist of which is attached a connecting-rod, S, connecting it to the arm T' of a rock-shaft, T, mounted transversely of the machine at its center, as represented in Figs. 2 and 3, and

carrying outside of the frame. of the machine an arm, T", hinged' at t, and provided with a handle, t. This arm, when in its straight condition, engages with, through the medium of a notched block, u, and reciprocates a rod, V, extending longitudinally of the machine, and connected at its respective ends to the lowerv ends of levers V V', fulcrumed on the shafts ofthe lower ones of the feed-rollers B B', and carrying at their upper ends pawls o o to engage with and drive ratchet-wheels Z Z', keyed on the shafts of said rollers. By means of these devices the requisite intermitting feed motion is imparted to said rollers. The rod U isslotted where the block u for the engagement of the arm T2 is attached thereto, so as to enable, by the adjustment of said block, the relative speed at which the rollers B and B' are driven to be adjusted to regulate the feed. The hinged arm T2 adapts the feed mechanism to be readily thrown out of gear to allow it to be independently operated, as in adjusting the sheet for the first time, or to dispense with it altogether when, on account of a short sheet being used or for other reason, it is not required.

The sheet (taken as it comes from the rolls) being properly adjusted between the rollers B and C, the feed mechanism in gear, and motion imparted to the shaft R in the direction indicated by the blue arrows in Figs. l and 4, motion will first be imparted through the described connections to the rollers B B B' B and the sheet, by means of the first pair of them, propelled forward until its first length, I, Fig. 5, is under the cutter L, when the motion of said rollers will cease, and the cam-surfaces 1', coming in contact with the arms M' of the jaw M, will oscillate said jaw, depressing the cutters L, &c., and severing, by means of L, in connect-ion with the stationary cutters K k, a blank by an oblique cut, as seen at l 1, Fig. 5.A The cam-surfaces lr then releasing the arms M', the cutters will rise, and the severed blank will fall between the jaws N N', the latter of which will be imnhediately projected to grip said blank bythe ,cam-surfaces r' coming in contact with the arms O of the heads O, in which said jaws are secured, and projecting it a sufficient distance to firmly grasp the blank, being retained in that condition during nearly onehalf of the revolution of the shaft R, during which timeand immediately succeeding the securement of the blank between the jaws the camsurfaces r2, coming in contact with the arms Q' of the rock-shafts Q, impart a rapid stroke in both directions to the headers P by means of the first of 1said headers upsetting' a head on said nail or.tack,which, being then finished, is discharged by the cam-surfaces r' passing from in contact with the arms O of the head O, and thus allowing it to fall back. A revolution of the shaft and the complete formation of a nail or tack is thus completed. Meanwhile, another impulse having been imparted to the feed-rollers, the sheet has been movedv forward, and its second length, I I, brought under the cutter L, I being then between L and L. Another blank will then be severed, as represented at II 2, Fig. 2, and headed and discharged in manner before described, when another impulse to the feed` rollers will bring the third length, III, under L II passing to between L and Land I, under L. The depression of M this time severs two blanks, one by L by an'oblique cut, III 3, Fig. 5, and one by L' by a straight cut, I 3, Fig. 5. The next impulse brings IV under L, III between L and L', II under L', and I between L and Li, two blanks being again severed, II 4 and IV 4, Fig. 5. The nextimpulse brings V under L, IV between L and L', III under L, II between L' and Lii, and I under Lit, which, being projected in front of L and L', cuts its blank from beyond the out of L and L', as represented at l5, Fig. 5, L and L' also severing blanks from V and III, respectively, as indicated by V5 and III 5, Fig. 6. The operation is thus continued until a strip of depth equal, in widths of blanks severed, to the number of sets of cutters (in the present instance four) has been removed, when the sheet may again be introduced and another strip cut off, and so on until it is entirely used up. After the first length has reached'the last set of cutters, a number of nails or tacks equal to. the number of cutters will be produced at each revolution. This would be in the present inst-ance at the seventh impulse of the feed, as will be seen by reference to the diagram Fig. 5, where the Roman numerals indicate the number of lengths and the Arabic numerals the number of impulse at which severed, the marginal letters (in connection with the numbers above them which refer to those on the diagram) indicating the cutter by which severed.

Instead of the arrangement of knives or cutters and the mode of feeding the sheet above described, I propose,when desired, substituting placing all the cutters obliquely and running the sheet of metal into the machine in an oblique direction, which has been found to produce the same results.

long as the same results are produced, without departing from the principle of my invention.

I claim as new and of my invention-- 1. The improved machine herein described,

constructed and arranged to operate substantially in the manner and for the purposes set fort-h.

2. The knives or cutters KL K' L', Sto., arranged alternately oblique and straight, and the successive pairs thereof brought farther front, as represented and described, for t-he purpose set forth.

3. The gripping jaws or dies NN', 85o., arranged and operating, substantially as described, in combination with the cutters K 7c L, &c., and the headers I), for the purpose specified.

4. The headers P, constructed with the doublefaces pp, and so arranged and operated as to form the heads on two nails or tacks at one revolution ofthe machine, substantially as described.

5. The conibinatiomwith the feeding rollers B I', of the crank-wheel R2, connecting-rod S,

rock-shaft T T' T1', rod U a, lever V V', pawl c v', and ratchet-wheel bb', all arranged to 0perate substantially in the manner described, for the purpose set forth.

6. In the described combination with the feeding devices, the oscillating arm T2, constructed with a hinge-joint, t, as described, for the purpose set forth.

7. The combination, with the cutters K 7c L K k L', Src., and the longitudinal feeding-rollers B B', of the gages or stops E and presserbar F, arranged to operate substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

DAVID J. FARMER.

IVitnesses:

J. P. FARMER, W. D. JonnsoN.

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