Branchers consist of moulds having recesses that resemble the branches to be produced. By means of a brancher, the curves that may be required in the junctions of the branches are easily formed without a tedious cutting, or welding bars together to produce the necessary arms or branches.

Branchers are useful also for shaping the branches of connecting-rods, which are termed fork-ends; also for link connexions, eccentric-rod forks, and other forks; also for shaping the T-ends of rods that are too long to be shaped in the vertical position.

A brancher for forming four arms that are at right angles to each other is indicated by Fig. 259. Either one or two principal components may be used for producing a piece having four such arms; and the component may be either one thick lump or two flat bars. If one thick piece is selected, a porter is attached to one end, and into the lump four slits are cut; these slits are short, and made first with a punch and afterwards with a chisel, so that the slits shall be at right angles to each other, or, rather, in the form of a cross. These short slits cause the lump to be formed into a sort of irregular cross, having four short, thick arms. One of these arms is attached to the porter; consequently, the slits must be at an angle of forty-five degrees with the porter. Into the four slits wedges are next driven, and the four arms, or branches, are thus roughly separated, and made to enter the cross-shaped recess in the branching-block. Being thus roughly prepared, the entire piece is heated to welding, and shaped with hammering while in the brancher. By this means the four thick arms are lengthened to the length desired.

To make a cross of two bars it is necessary to heat both bars to welding, and put one bar into the shaper, so that the portion at welding heat shall be in the centre of the cross; while thus situated, the other bar is put upon top of the first one, and across it, so that the two parts at welding heat shall be in contact. When properly placed, the top bar is immediately hammered down to weld it to the lower bar; and with one or two heatings the cross is shaped, without any trouble, to form the curved junctions of the four arms with their centre-piece, which is named the nave and also the boss.

To form a T-piece by means of a brancher, denoted by Fig. 260, one thick cubic lump may be attached to a porter, as described for a cross; but the easiest mode of forming a T-end is by welding two bars together in a manner which is somewhat similar to the method of making a cross with two bars, and described in the adjoining paragraph, but with the difference of heating one of the bars at one end instead of in the middle. By means of a brancher for T-pieces, rods of great length having T-ends are easily forged without upsetting, and also without drawing down a large quantity of metal to produce the rod part. To make a T-end with a branching tool, a hole may be punched through the intended head, and the rod welded in the hole; or the rod may be slit at one end, and two fork-prongs, or branches, made, and the intended head welded between the two branches.

Branchers of this form (Fig. 260) are useful also for shaping T-pieces that are made by cutting open ends of bars, and bending the two branches to a right angle with the bars, as described in previous sections of this chapter. When a T-end is being forged by such means, the two ends produced by cutting are bent back, and the head upset, until the T-end will enter, or nearly enter, the T-brancher. The work is then heated, and finally shaped at one or two hammerings ; and the curved junctions are thus formed without trouble, because the gaps in the brancher are suitably shaped.

Small connecting-rods, having branch ends, are easily shaped in branching tools, whether the branches are circular or rectangular. A brancher for connecting-rod fork-ends of circular section is indicated by Fig. 261; and a brancher for rectangular branches is shown by Fig. 262.