

C 1.0 Til MANUFACTURE. 



been desirable, previous to id introduction to extensive 

 ' c * practice. The experiments made were sufficient to con- 

 i_^!"T_. * i'lcr him of the efficiency of its construction, ind he has 

 !',.i. nn doubt of iti practical utility if cautiously and pru- 

 dently tried, and improved where it might be found prac- 

 '. 3, 1. tically defective. Its chief recommendations are its ex- 

 treme simplicity of construction, and its capability of 

 working with very little friction, and consequently both 

 requiring little power to move it, and operating with 

 proportionally little of the stress produced by reaction 

 on the yarn. Fig. S, is a front, and Fig. 4, a profile ele- 

 vation of this machine. 



The machine consists of two wooden frames, one of 

 which is supported by fi.ur posts, and may be made 

 about SO inches high. The dimensions, in length and 

 breadth, may be similar to those of a common loom. 

 The under frame is distinguished by AB in both Fi- 

 gures. The upper frame is rectangular, and is about 

 tix inches shorter than the under one, and has no posts. 

 In the middle of the under frame are two screws, by 

 v.liicli the upper frame is supported in centres, and ou 

 which it vibrates, so that either side may be alternately 

 elevated and depressed, and thus an inclined plane may 

 be formed either to the right or left. By this inclina- 

 tion of the plane in which the web is placed, the shuttle 

 will run from one side of the web to the other, merely 

 by its own gravity, independent of any external impulse, 

 and thus a very troublesome part of the machinery of a 

 power loom may be totally faved. But as celerity of mo- 

 tion in the shuttle is peculiarly desirable, and as the mo- 

 tion produced by mere gravitation is very slow, where 

 the inclination is small, the velocity of the shuttle may 

 be easily increased to prodigious rapidity, by the addi- 

 tion of a very simple apparatus, which is added to the 

 left side of the Figure 3, exactly the counterpart of this, 

 being also requisite at the right The following short 

 description of the construction of the lay, and apparatus 

 connected with it, will render this, it is hoped, very 

 perspicuous. In the original model, the lay was mor- 

 ticed into a cross frame of wood, and run upon four small 

 brass wheels upon the frame ; but as a pendulum was 

 found of essential advantage to the regulation of the oscil- 

 lation, the motion below, upon centres, is a material im- 

 provement, both in easiness of motion and regularity. 

 At G is a stout bar of flat iron, firmly screwed to and 

 depending from the centre of motion of the upper frame, 

 so as to vibrate along with it, and to the end of this is 

 appended a ball of lead or other ponderous metal. A- 

 cross this is the short shaft H, upon which the lay vi- 

 brates at the joints 1, 1. The circular form of the swords 

 of the lay renders them more conveniently adapted for 

 the oscillation, as were the centre shaft produced, so as 

 to render the whole lay square or rectangular, it must ci- 

 ther be hung at an inconvenient height, or the floor 

 must be hollowed out to admit of the oscillation. When 

 the loom is tet in motion, supposing the right side first 

 to descend, the lay will be forced bade towards the bed- 

 dies by the crank, d lever R coming in contact with the 

 top S, and this motion will be effected by the connect- 

 ing rod T, which may be of strong wire. When the in- 

 clined plane is thus formed, the shuttle will descend upon 

 it by its own gravity, and lodge in the opposite box. 

 But if the motion is to be greatly accelerated, an upright 

 levrr t, moving on the centre F, may be used, ana a 

 fpindle and driver added to the box at K, as in common 

 lo<>ms. Then, if the short tail of the upright lever at 

 K is suddenly checked, by coming in contact with any 

 lop fixed to the frame work, the upper end of the lever 

 li. will be thrown forward, with a velocity proportional 

 3 



to the excess of the length of the upright part of the < 

 lever E above the short tail, and will project the <' 

 and consequently the shuttle, with vi ry groat rapidity. ^ __^. 

 The shuttle may be retained in the box until acted ^""i""" 



by the lever, by the pressure of a slight spring in the 

 inside of the box. When the left .side of the loi : 

 depressed, and the right side elevated, the lever wil'. 

 back by the simple change of its centre of gravity, pro- 

 duced by the oscillation, and the driver will follow ! v 

 the impetus of the Buttle returning. The back part of 

 the driver ought to be circular, to lit the arc formed by 

 the motion of the impelling lever: a similar apparatus 

 may be added to the box on the other side. By theic 

 simple means all the motions of the lay are produced. 



As the heddles do not retain their perpendicularity, 

 but are affected by the vibration it .ine, it i, 



proper that the upper and under shaft should be kept 

 from swinging ; and this may be easily t fleeted by a piece 

 of wire passing through both, and secured by a nut be- 

 twcen the bliatts at eitlicr extremity. They are hung 

 by a cord passing over a small pulley at the upper end of 

 the standard U, which is fixed to the oscillating frame. 

 The motion is given to the lieddles by the lever V, which 

 is connected to the front leaf by the joint W. The 

 extremity of the lever requires merely to be fixed 

 to the lower frame, so that it can neither rise nor sink, 

 and this may be sufficiently done by two cords or leather 

 belts. The opening of the warp may be made more 

 or less as these cords approach to, or recede from the 

 centre V. By this simple apparatus the alternate mo- 

 tion of the heddles is produced, for the back leaf requires 

 only a sufficient weight to overbalance the front, and 

 keep the connecting cords which pass over the pullies 

 at U tight, whether ascending or descending. The 

 shifting apparatus for rolling the cloth on the receiving 

 beam L, and unwinding the warp from the beam Y, is 

 also extremely simple, and may be rendered very cor- 

 rect. On the end of the axis of the receiving or cloth 

 beam at O, is an obliquely cut spur wheel, which is 

 wrought by a worm or endless screw at P. Upon the 

 short axis, which carries the worm, is also a small ratchet 

 wheel, which, in this case, is supposed to contain only 

 four divisions or teeth. When the right hand side of the 

 loom is depressed by the vibration, one of the teeth of 

 the ratchet, coming in contact with the upper end of the 

 iron stop O_, which is screwed to the immoveable part of 

 the frame work, moves the tooth one half of the range 

 between that and the next ; and a similar stop may be so 

 adjusted as to complete the motion, when the same side 

 is carried to its greatest elevation. Thus eight crossings 

 of the woof will be inserted by every revolution of the 

 worm, and the number of teeth on the oblique wheel 

 being made proportional to the quantity of woof re- 

 quired upon any determinate measure, as an inch or a 

 yard, this may be obtained by shifting the oblique wheel, 

 and substituting another whose teeth are proportional 

 to the quantity sought. For this reason the wheel O 

 ought not to be rivetted upon the axis, but fixed on an 

 octagon or a square, and secured by a screw and nut, 

 which may be easily removed. 



Such is the gem ral outline of the principles of this 

 machine, which seems to possess the advantages of sim- 

 plicity and easiness of working, in a degree considerably 

 superior to any of the former ; but the oscillatory motion 

 of the whole warp certaii ly exposes it, in a peculiar de- 

 gree, to the action of the atm-i>ph -re, in so far as that 

 may be injurious to the dressing. Until this part of the 

 process of manufacture be more fully examined and fur- 

 ther improved, both in its chemical and mechanical dc- 





