Slotting machine by Sharp Roberts and Co.

Slotting machine by Sharp Roberts and Co., Manchester, (c. 1830)

This machine was manufactured by Sharp, Roberts and Company of Manchester and was used for cutting the keyways in waggon wheels for the Manchester and Liverpool Railway.

The slotting bar is mounted vertically in a cast-iron frame and obtains a reciprocating motion from a connecting rod and crank wheel on the spindle which carries the flywheel and driving pulley. The crank pin is secured in a groove in the crank wheel and may be adjusted to give any stroke up to 6 in.

The table which holds the work may be rotated and may be moved horizontally in slides. The latter motion was originally self-acting, but the ratchet wheel and pawl are now missing. The table frame may also be adjusted vertically and slides between Vs on the inside of the frame standards.

The introduction of a machine for key-grooving was attributed to Richard Roberts by both Nasmyth and Holtzapffel.