US2614322A - Spring cutter - Google Patents

Description

Patented Oct. 21, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SPRING CUTTER Walter A. Pendleton, Glendale, Calif.

Application January 9, 1946, Serial No. 640,061

2 Claims. 1

This invention has to do with a spring cutter and it is concerned, generally, with a cutter for wire springs or the like, it being a general object of the invention to provide a cutter or tool effective and practical for cutting wire springs or the like, and particularly springs] formed of hard wire, without injury to the tool itself or to the wire or springs being cut.

Ordinary cutters such as shears or side outters are impractical in many situations'where it is desired to cut wire, and particularly hard wire such as piano wire. An example of such a situation is where it is desired to cut helical springs formed of hard wire. In the case of the ordinary wire cutter a tightly wound helical spring is usually distorted or injured'in the process of its being cut, and furthermore, the active or cutting parts 'of the cutter itself do not effectively withstand the severe action involved and are quickly dulled or rendered ineffective.

It is a general object of my invention to provide a, simple hand tool that is practical and effective for cutting hard wire and which is of such form that it can be advantageously used to cut helical springs formed of hard wire such as piano wire, or the like. The tool that Ihave provided is of such character that it can be readily introduced or entered between adjacent convolutions of a helical spring so that it engages the wire of the spring and is operable to cut the wire, the tool being such that it can be thus introduced Without straining or distorting the spring in a manner to deform or injure it- It is another general object of the present invention to provide a hand tool of the general character referred to having readily renewable or removable working parts making it possible to maintain the tool in effective working condition without replacing the entire tool after wear has taken place.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a tool of the general character referred to in which the cutting parts or'wear taking parts are small and simple and are consequently inexpensive to manufacture.

It is another object of my invention to provide a tool of the general character referred to in which the cooperating parts thateffect' the desired cutting action are related so that they do not engage each other in a manner to impair one another, as is the case in the ordinary shear or side cutter. In the construction that I have provided the active parts are related so that they cooperate to effectively cut a wire such as a piano wire, and yet they do not actually come 2 together in a manner to dull or injure one another.

A further object of my invention is to provide a tool of the general character referred to wherein there is a convenient handle for supporting the tool, which handle is related to the cutting parts so that they are conveniently supported in a position for ready introduction between the convolutions of a coil spring, or the like.

The various objects and features of my invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description of typical preferred forms and applications of the invention, throughout which description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a typical tool embodying the present invention, showing the parts moved to a fully operated position without a wire at the cutting parts. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the head or main portion of the tool being a, view taken as indicated by line 22 on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken'as indicated by line 3-3 on Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken as indicated by line 4-4 on Fig. 2 showing the parts in the position illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the parts retracted so that the tool is ready to receive a wire or the like. Fig. 6 is a view illustrating the manner in which the tool enters between adjacent convolutions of a' helical spring to cut the spring. Fig. 7 is a view of the forward portion of a modified form of con struction designed for cutting wire, or the like,

other than the wire of a helical spring. Fig. 8

is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 7, being a view taken as indicated by line 8-8 on Fig.

7, and Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 showing piano wire, and more specifically for cutting such wire when in the form of a helical spring of the general type shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, it

being understood, however, that I do not wish to restrict myself to any specific use of the tool since it can, in practice, be used advantageously in most situations where it is desired to cut hard wire, or the like.

The tool that I have provided involves, generally, two relatively movable cooperating cutting elements, one of which I will term an anvil element A and the other a cutter B. In addition to these primary elements the tool involves means C supporting the elements A and B for 3 the desired relative movement, a handle D, means E for operating the cutter relative to the anvil, a primary stop means F for the cutter, and a secondary stop means G for the cutter.

The anvil element A involves, generally, an elongate flat shank It with a raised portion or abutment II at its forward end portion, while the cutter B is a simple, elongate member designed to operate longitudinally on the shank ill of the anvil to a position where it closely approaches the abutment II, and the cutter includes, generally, a shank l2 with a forward cutting end portion I2.

The means C which supports the anvil and cutter includes, generally, a body l3 which is the main body or frame of the tool;.a retainer M which retains the cutter in connection with the body, and means or screws I l securing the retainer to the body.

The body I3 is an elongate element generally rectangular in cross sectional configuration so that it has a fiat bottom 15, a flat top I6, and parallel vertical sides 17. A recess or notch is formed in the lower forward end. portion of the body to receive and hold the shank IU of the anvil, the notch being formed'so that the'body presents a seat I8 against which the top of the anvil shank ID bears, and so that there is a stop shoulder l9 against which the inner end of the shank Ill bears. A longitudinalguideway being in the form'of a channel. or opening formed vertically through the body from top to bottom and extending from the forward end of the body rearward to a point near the rear end portion of the body. This guide opening is formed so that the guideway'has flat vertical. side walls which are spaced apart "so that the shank 12 of the cutter B slidably fits between them.

The retainer [4 acts to retain the cutter B in the guideway'of the 'body so, that it slides on the top face 22 of the anvil and is guided parallel with the anvil or longitudinally of the body by the guideway 20 of the body. The retainer is preferably a simple plate arranged on the forward end portion of the body to extend over or to cover the guideway' 20 with a channel 21'} forming the upper portion of the guideway 20.

The means or screws l4 provided for securing the retainer to the body may be simple screws connecting the plate to the body. However, in practice I prefer that they be screws, that extend from the retainer plate thro'ugh'op'enings in the body and engage the shank l of the anvil. By providing screws with heads that engage the retainer plate and by having the screws slidably pass through openings 30 in the body and having them thread into openings 3| in the shank I0 I provide a single means which serves to retain the plate on the body and to hold the shank of the anvil in position in the notch at the under side of the body.

The anvil A is generally an elongate flat ele-'- ment having a top side or surface 22 that engages theseat provided for it at the forward end'portion of the body and it projects forward from the front end of the body so that the abutment H which projects upwardly from it is forward of the body. The abutment is preferably formed integral with the shank and has a working or anvil face 25 opposite the end of the body which face is in a plane normal to the plane of the top 22 of the shank and is preferably curved or made convex, it being preferred to curve it about a centerv coinciding with the longitudinal center of the cutter B. In practice I mayva'ry the form or shape of the anvil face from that above described depending upon the special service to be performed by the tool. The abutment projection H on the forward end portion of the shank I0 may vary both laterally and longitudinally, it being preferred to form it so that it extends to the forward end of the anvil, but to make it substantially narrower than the shank as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

In accordance with the preferred form of my invention I provide the anvil element A with a tapered nose portion X which nose portion is formed by dressing or forming the top of the abutment II and the forward end portion 36 of the bottom of the shank so that these parts or surfaces converge and join to form a front or entering edge 31, as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5 of the drawings. The degree of taper or bevel provided on the surfaces 35 and 36 is such as to form a tapered nose portion X that can be readily inserted between adjacent convolutions or a. spring S such as is shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, this portion of 'the tool being provided so that the abutment portion ll of the anvil can be readily entered into the spring to engage behind a part or convolution such as the part 38 shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings.

The cutter B that I have provided is preferably a straight. elongate'meinber and, in practice, I make it square in cross. section to have flat parallel top and bottom surfaces that slldably engage the top of the anvil and channel of the retainer, respectively. and so that it has flat parallel sides that slidably engage the guideway in the body. The cutting end portion [2 of the cutter is formed by providing tapered or bevelled side surfaces 40 at the forward end of the cutter, which surfaces converge at the desired angle to form a forwardly facing cutting edge 4|. It is preferred to dress or form the surfaces 40 so that the edge 4| is straight and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cutter Or to the top of the shank or the anvil, so that it extends in a direction parallel with the opposed face 25 of the abutment I I of the anvil.

In practice the cutter and anvil that I have described are preferably formed of tool steel or are formed of a steel that will take a temper, so that they are'ver'y hard, this being particularly true of the abutment H and the cutting end I 2 of the anvil and cutter, respectively.

The handle D that I have provided for the tool is preferably joined or formed. integral with the body l3 above described, and in the form of. the invention shown in the drawings the handle D is an elongate part formed to be conveniently gripped in the hand oi.' the user and it extends downwardly and rlearwardly from the rear end of the body l3 as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The means E. provided for operating the cutter so that it is forced forward or toward the abutment ll of the anvil, is preferably a. cam means and in its preferred form it involves a cam part pivotally supported by the. body by means of a pivot pin 5| and a. handle 52 projecting. from the cam part and. depending. to be forward of the handle D and to extend generally downward and rearward to. be substantially parallel. with the handle. In the. preferred. construction the guideway in the body l3 extends. rearward beyond the rear end 55 of. the cutter and the cam 50 is carried in the rear end portion of the guideway on the pivot pin 5|, which is carried by the body to extend transversely across the guideway. The

cam 56 hasiai'cam 'fac'e'ffifi' whichk'cooperates with the rearend 55 of the cutter,,which cam face is shaped so that as the lever 52 l ismoved rearward, as indicatedby the arrow n rig. 1, the cutter Bis moved forward or t war the abutment. II. The leverftfi is rereramy 'fo med integrahwith the cam Stand by relating it the handle-ID, as I have described, and as is sho the drawings, the lever and handle form a structure to' be conveniently grip-ped by the usersojthat the; tool is ffbtivly pe a ed whenthe userigrips or closes his hand in a inan'rierto move the lever rearward or toward the handle D0,! 5 w The primary stop means F involves 0119.01 more stops located to directly stop forward movement of the cutter B and in its preferred form it involves inwardly projecting lips 60 at the forward end portion of the body, which lips project inward in a manner to be engaged by the beveled or inclined end faces Ml of the cutter. The lips are located and related to the inclined faces 40 which converge to define the cutter edge ll so that they stop forward motion of the cutter just before the cutting edge il reaches the anvil face 25. Through this construction I positively eliminate actual contact of the edge ll with the anvil face 25 and thus eliminate these parts contacting in a manner to damage one another. However, by bringing these parts into close proximity, that is, into relative position where they all but come together, the tool will act to effectively cut a wire, particularly a hard Wire of the type commonly known as piano wire.

The secondary stop means is preferably an adjustable stop means provided in connection with the means E. In the preferred form of the inv vention the secondary stop means G involves a stop screw Fill threaded in an opening 8| provided at the rear end portion of the body l3 where the body and handle D join. The opening 8| is formed at an angle so that it extends in a direction substantially normal to the lever 52 close to the point Where the lever joins the cam 50. The screw 8% projects downward and forward from the point of juncture between the handle and the body and is located in a position to stop rearward movement of the lever. It will be apparent from the drawings how the screw 80 can be adjusted in the opening 8| so that the movement of the lever and consequently of the cam 59 can be stopped at any desired point. In practice the screw 86 is adjusted so that movement of the lever 52 is positively stopped when the cam 56) has been operated to the point where the cutter is urged forward against the primary stop means with the desired pressure or force.

In using the tool that I have provided the parts are normally positioned as shown in Fig. 5, and to cut a straight length of wire such as piano wire it is merely necessary to arrange the wire between the anvil abutment I I and the cutting edge sf of the cutter, and thereafter move the lever 52 rearward until the cutter has been advanced to all but contact the anvil surface 25 in the course of which action the wire is out. If it is desired to cut a coil or part 38 of a helical spring such as a spring S without injuring the sprin in any way, the nose portion X of the tool is introduced between adjacent convolutions of the spring until the part 38 drops into position at the face 25 of the abutment I I, whereupon the tool can be operated as above described, causing the part 38 to be cut. It will be apparent from an examination of Fig. 6 of the drawings that the tool can be thus engaged with a helical spring andican be operated to cut the spring without distorting or straining the spring. in a manner; to permanently. deform it in any way. When hard wire isbeing cut the. sharp cuttin edge .4l,.-nicks or presses the surface of the wire and asfthecutter advances-the diverging .surfaces lflhaveraspreading action and cause the wire to break over theconvex abutment.

In Figs- '1 and 8 of the drawings I show a somewhat modified form of the invention wherein the ,anvil A instead of being designed to enter a spring is designed merely to accommodate wire or the like. In this'case the sides of the forward end portion of the anvil may be made somewhat convergent or they can be left parallel as desired. In this form of the invention the top surface 35 of the abutment H and the bottom surface 36 of the shank HI are flat and parallel instead of being tapered, as hereinabove described. This form of the invention will serve to illustrate that I can, in practice, use different forms of anvils if I so desire, and the anvils may be made to most advantageously accommodate the particular work to be performed. In Fig. 9 of the drawings I show a further modification of the invention wherein the anvil is shaped similar to the cutter having a cutting edge 9| and tapered or bevelled side surfaces 92. This form of the invention may be used advantageously in cutting very soft metal such as copper. It will be apparent from Fig. 9 that I do not wish my invention to be limited to the cutting of hard materials, but I contemplate slight variations such as shown in Fig. 9 to best handle the particular material encountered.

Having described only typical preferred forms and applications of my invention, I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specific details herein set forth, but wish to reserve to myself any variations or modifications that may appear to those skilled in the art, and fall within the scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A tool for cutting a coil spring including, a body having a guideway, an anvil member having a substantially flat elongate shank secured to the body to project forward therefrom and having flat upper and lower faces, a rearwardly facing abutment normal to the upper face of the shank on the forward end portion of the shank and having a convex work face, the forward end of the anvil member being convergent from the abutment and the lower face thereof and converging to an edge for entering between adjacent convolutions of the spring and forming a flat wedge insertable between such convolutions of the spring to part them for passage of the shank into the spring beyond the abutment to engage the said work face behind a part of the spring, a forwardly facing cutter carried in the guideway for movement straight toward the abutment, a handle projecting from the body, and means operable to move the cutter toward the abutment.

2. A tool of the character described including a body having a guideway, an anvil member having a substantially fiat shank secured to the body to project forward therefrom and having flat upper and lower faces, a rearwardly facing abutment on the forward end of the shank normal to the upper face thereof, a cutter carried in the guideway movable straight toward the abutment, a handle projecting from the body, and means operable to move the cutter toward the abutment, the abutment having a convex face and the cutter having a sharp edge normal to the upper face or the shank and facing said convex face, theanvil member forward of the abutment having upper and lower wedge faces converging outwardly from the abutment and the, lower face of the shank and joining at an edge parallel with said upper and lower faces and forming a wedge:- sertable between adjacent parts of a. wire spring.

WALTER A. PENDLETON. I

REFERENCES CITED;

' I um. suns: mum

Number 1,55,11,52 1,774,328 10 mums;-

Number Rune Date Murray June 22,1870 Pickett .4 Sept. 15. 1885 Woodward Oct. 8, 1891 Green -v 1eb. 8,1898 Levin Rh. 9, 1909 Frame -e Sept. 29, 1925 But! Aug, 26,1930 Fun-er June 8', 1939 1088108 RAMS.

Country- Defie- Greet; mam- ----e 2a; 1920

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