Fig. 1990.
Vertical Milling, Die Sinking, or Routing Machine.—[Fig. 1990] represents Warner & Swazey’s die sinking machine. The cutter driving spindle is here driven by belt direct, imparting a smooth motion. The knee is adjustable for height on the vertical slideway on the face of the column, which is provided with a stop adjustable to determine how high the knee and work-holding devices can be raised, and, therefore, the depth to which the cutter can enter the work, and a former pin is placed 6 inches behind the cutter to act as a stop against which a pattern may be moved when work is to be copied from a former or pattern piece. The work-holding device consists of a compound rest and a vise capable of being swiveled to any angle or of being revolved to feed the work to the cutter, hence the work may be moved in any required direction, in either a straight line, in a circle, or in any irregular manner to suit the shape of the work.
Profiling Machine.—The profiling machine is employed mainly to cut the edges of work, and to sink recesses or grooves in the upper surface of the same to correspond to a pattern. A provisional template of the form of the work is fastened on the bed of the machine, and from this is cut in the machine a thicker one termed the “former,” which is then used to copy the work from.
Fig. 1991.
[Fig. 1991] represents Pratt & Whitney’s profiling machine. On the cross slide are two separate sliding heads, each of which carries a live spindle for the cutting tool, and beside it a spindle to receive a pin, which by being kept against the pattern or former causes the work to be cut to the same shape as the former.
The work is fastened to the table, which is operated upon the raised Vs shown by the handle on the left, which operates a pinion geared to a rack on the underneath side of the table. The handle on the right operates the heads along the cross slide also by a rack and pinion motion. The gearing and racks in both cases are double, so that by two independent adjusting screws the wear of the teeth may be taken up and lost motion prevented. By means of these two handles the work may be moved about the cutter with a motion governed by the form or shape of the former, of which the work is thus made a perfect pattern both in size and shape. The tool used is a shank or end mill, such as was shown in [Fig. 1928]. In some profiling machines the spindle carrying the guide or former pin is stationary, in which case the provisional template is put beneath it and the former is cut by the live spindle, and for use must be moved from the position in which it was cut and reset beneath the former spindle. This machine, however, is provided with Parkhurst’s improvement, in which the former spindle is provided with a gear-wheel, by which it may be revolved from the live spindle, hence the provisional template may be set beneath the live spindle in which the guide pin is then placed. The cutter is then placed in the former spindle, and the former cut to shape from the provisional template while in the actual position it will occupy when used.