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BRAIDING MACHINE 



machine consists of four strong wooden uprights, A, figs. 204, 205, 206, occupying the 

 four angles of a rectangle, of which one side is 14 inches long, the other side 18 inches, 

 and the height of the rectangle about 40 inches. Fig. 204 is a section in a horizontal 

 plane, passing through the lino a b of fig. 205, which is a vertical section in a piano 

 passing through the centre of the machine c, according to the line c d,fig. 204. The 

 side xis supposed to bo the front of the frame ; and the opposite side, Y, the back. 

 B, six spindles or skewers, numbered from 1 to 6, placed in a vertical position upon 

 the circumference of a circle whose centre coincides with that of the machine at the 

 point c. These six spindles are composed 1, Of so many iron 

 206 shafts or axes D, supported in brass collets E (fig. 206), and ex- 



tended downwards within 6 inches of the ground, where they rest in 

 brass steps fixed upon a horizontal beam. 2, Wooden heads, made of 

 horn-beam or nut-tree, placed, the first upon the upper end of each 

 spindle, opposite the cut-out beam F, and the second opposite the 

 second beam G. 3, Wooden-toothed wheels, H, reciprocally working 

 together, placed between the beam G and the collet-beam E. The 

 r toothed wheels and the lower heads for each spindle are in one 



piece. 



The heads and shafts of the spindles No. 1 and 6 are one-fifth 

 stronger than those of the other spindles ; their heads have five 

 semi-circular grooves, and wheels of 60 teeth, while the heads of the 

 others have only four grooves, and wheels of 48 teeth ; BO that the 

 number of the grooves in the six spindles is 26, one-half of which are 

 occupied with the stems of the puppets i, which carry the 18 threads 

 from No. 1 to 13. 



The toothed wheels, which give all the spindles a simultaneous 

 movement, but in different directions, are BO disposed as to bring 

 their grooves opposite to each other in the course of rotation. 



K, the middle winglet, triple at bottom and quintuple at top, 

 which serves to guide the puppets in the direction they ought to 

 pursue. 



T, three winglets, single at top and bottom, placed exteriorly, 

 which serve a like purpose. 



M, two winglets, triple at bottom and single at top, placed like- 

 wise exteriorly, and which serve the same purposes as the preceding ; 

 m, are iron pins inserted in the cut-out beam o, which serve as stops 

 or limits to the oscillations of the exterior winglets. 



Now, if by any moving power (a man can drive a pair) rotation be 

 impressed upon the large spindle No. 1, in the direction of the 

 arrow, all the other spindles will necessarily pursue the rotatory 

 movement indicated by the respective arrows. In this case the 13 

 puppets working in the grooves of the heads of the spindles will bo 

 carried round simultaneously, and will proceed, each in its turn, from one extremity 

 of the machine to the opposite point, crossing those which have a retrograde move- 

 ment. The 13 threads united at the point N, situated above the centre of the machine, 

 will form at that point the braid, which after having passed over the pulley o, comes 

 between the two rollers P Q, and is squeezed together, as in a flatting-mill, whore the 

 braid is calendered at the same time that it is delivered. It is obvious that the 

 roller p receives its motion from the toothed wheel of the spindle No. 3, and from the 

 intermediate wheels, E, s, T, as well as from the endless screw z, which drives at 

 proper speed the wheel TV, fixed upon the shaft of the roller p. 



The braid is denser in proportion as the point N is less elevated above the tops of 

 the puppets, but in this case, the excontric motion of these puppets is much more 

 sensible in reference to that point towards which all the threads converge than when 

 it is elevated. The threads, which must be always kept equally stretched by means 

 of a weight, as we shall presently see, are considerably strained by the traction 

 occasioned by the constantly excentric movement of the puppets. From this 

 cause, braiding machines must be worked at a moderate velocity. In general, for 

 fine work, 30 turns of the large spindle per minute are the utmost that can safely be 

 made. 



The puppet or spindle of this machine, being the most important piece, I have 

 represented it in section, upon a scale one-fourth of its actual size, fig. 206. It is 

 formed of a tube, a, of strong sheet iron well brazed ; b is a disc, likewise of sheet 

 iron, from which a narrow fillet c, rises vertically as high as the tube, where both 

 are pierced with holes, d e, through which the thread /is passed, as it comes from the 

 bobbin, g, which turns freely upon the tube a. The top of this bobbin is conical and 

 toothed. A small catch or detent h, moveable in a vertical direction round i, falls by 



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