In- PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING SHIVES, BUNGS, CORKS, SPILES, OR OTHER TAPER PEGS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Crabtree, of Sheffield, in the County of
York, Saw Trimmer and Dealer in Saws, for the Invention of "In-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING SHIVES, BUNGS, CORKS, SPILES, OR
OTHER TAPER PEGS."
Sealed. the 14th September 1869, and dated the 24th April 1869..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Crabtree at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th April 1869.
I, JAMES CRABTREE, of Sheffield, in the County of York, Saw Trimmer
and Dealer in Saws, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING SHIVES. BUNGS, CoxxS, SPILES,
OR OTHER TAPER PEGS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the application and employment of one or
more slides which moves or move in a groove or grooves of a V or other
suitable shape cut in the front part of the spindle of an ordinary turning
or other lathe, or in a front piece screwing on or otherwise attached to
such spindle. The groove or grooves is or are made in such a manner
Price 8d.3

page_text: that the slide or slides working therein move at a suitable angle or
inclination with the centre of the spindle according to the taper or
bevil of the shives, bungs, corks, or other articles to be cut. The slide
or slides carries or carry cutters in their front or fronts, or a cutter box
or boxes in which the cutters may be held. The slide or slides is or
are worked by means of a lever operating upon a collar, by preference
supported by guide rods on each side, which collar encircles the spindle
front or front piece attached, and communicates the necessary motion by
pressing against a washer also encircling the spindle front or front piece
attached and revolving therewith, but is made free to slide any suitable
distance thereon, which washer is connected with the slide or slides by
a connecting rod or rods or other similar contrivance. The slide or slides
is or are thus propelled along the groove or grooves, causing the cutters
to operate upon the material out of which the shives, bungs, corks, or
other articles are to be cut. After cutting the slide or slides is or are
drawn back by a rim working upon the periphery of the revolving washer
and connected with the collar before mentioned. I also propose to work
the slide or slides as required by having the spindle or spindle with
front piece attached free to slide lengthways through its brasses or bearings
in which it revolves, and by compressing the revolving washer against
such bearings to cause the slide or slides to move, as above explained.
I also propose to apply my improvements to spindles working
vertically, in which case the spindles are made to slide instead of the
brasses.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Crabtree in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 13th October 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
CRABTREE, of Sheffield, in the County of York, Saw Trimmer and
Dealer in Saws, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-

page_text: cessors, give and grant unto me, the said James Crabtree, Her special
license that 1, the said James Crabtree, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James Crabtree, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING SHIVES, BUNGS, CORKS, SPILES, OR OTHER TAPER PEGS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Crabtree, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and scals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Crabtree, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, and accompanying Drawings (that is to
say):-
This Invention consists in the application and employment of one or
more slides moving in a groove of a V or other suitable shape cut in the
front part of the spindle of an ordinary turning or other lathe, or in a
front piece screwing on or otherwise attached to such spindle. The
grooves are made in such a manner that the slides working therein
move at a suitable angle or inclination to the centre of the spindle
according to the taper or bevil of the shives, bungs, corks, or other
articles to be cut. The slides carry cutters in front, or are provided with
cutter boxes in which the cutters may be held. The slides are worked
by means of a lever operating upon a collar, by preference supported by
guide rods on each side, which collar encircles the spindle front (or
front piece attached), and communicates the necessary motion by pressing
against a washer also encircling the spindle front (or front piece
attached) and revolving therewith, but made free to slide any suitable
distance thereon, which washer is connected with the slide or slides by
a connecting rod or rods or other similar contrivance.
The slides are
thus propelled along the grooves, causing the cutters to operate upon

page_text: .
the material out of which the shives, bungs, corks, or other articles are
to be cut. After cutting the slides are drawn back by a rim working
upon the periphery of the revolving washer and connected with a collar
before mentioned. I also propose to work the slides as required by
having the spindle or spindles with front piece attached free to slide
lengthways through its brasses or bearings in which it revolves, and by
pressing the revolving washer against such bearings to cause the slides
to move, as above explained.
I also propose to apply my improvements to spindles working
vertically, in which case 1 use either of the above-described arrange-
ments.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for "Im-
provements in Machinery for Cutting Shives, Bungs, Corks, Spiles, or
other Taper Pegs," I will now proceed to describe more in detail the
manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried
into practical effect, and in order that the same may be clearly under-
stood I have annexed hereunto two Sheets of Drawings illustrative
thereof, and have marked the same with figures and letters of reference
corresponding with those in the following explanation thereof (that is
to say):-
In Sheet 1 of the Drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation (shown partly
in section), and Fig. 2 a plan view (also partly in section) of a machine
constructed according to my Invention, and having in this case
two slides (which is the number I prefer), cach with a cutter box
attached.
A is the lathe carriage supporting the lathe spindle B, to the front
end of which is attached by screwing the front piece C; D, D, are two
brackets fixed to the front plate of the carriage (see also face view,
Fig. 5), and supporting two guide bars bolted thereto; F is a collar
carried on each side by the bars E, being formed in two parts and
encircling the front piece C; G is a lever (shown broken off, see also
vertical section, Fig. 6) having its fulcrum at H and forked so as to
embrace the collar F, being connected by short links to the latter; I is
a washer (see also enlarged detached views, Fig. 11) embracing the front
piece C and having part of its periphery made less or reduced in
diameter to receive the rim or ring K, under or within which it revolves,
the ring K being attached to the collar F by connecting pieces L (see
also enlarged detached views, Fig. 12), and the washer I is also attached

page_text: by links or connecting rods M to slides N; these slides N (seen enlarged
in the detached views, Fig. 9) work in grooves (V-shaped at the bottom)
formed in the front piece C, in which they can slide longitudinally at
an angle diverging from the centre line of the spindle according to the
taper desired to be given to the shive, bung, or other article to be
formed. O are the cutter boxes (see enlarged detached views, Fig. 10),
cach carried on and bolted to the front of its respective slide N and
capable of being set nearer to or further from the centre of rotation, as
may be required. The cutters P (see Figs. 1 and 2) are placed in holes
or sockets O¹ formed in the boxes O and are secured therein by set
screws.
Fig. 3 is a slide head to hold the wood or other material to be
operated on against the centre point Q of the front piece C, and Fig. 4
is a plan view of the same. R is the slide working in V grooves in the
table S, which is fixed on the bed plate, as shown also in face and back
views respectively at Figs. 7 and 8; T is a lever, having its shorter arm
forked and spanning the rear of the slide R, its longer arm being con-
nected to a treadle by the rod U (shown broken off at Figs. 3 and 8).
By depressing the treadle the rod U draws down the longer arm of the
lever T, causing the slide R to advance towards the front piece C and
thus hold the material under operation. The spindle B is driven by a
band or strap passing round the pulley W.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-The piece of wood or
other material to be operated upon is held at the point Q in front of the
machine. The lever T is then depressed by the treadle bringing the
front part R' of the slide head R into contact with the material. The
hand lever G is now drawn forward, causing the collar F to slide along
the guide bars E, E, pushing the washer I before it, which in its turn
transmits motion through the connecting rods or links M to the
slides N, thus moving the cutters P forward at the required angle and
bringing them into contact with the wood or other material. The
spindle B with its front piece C and other connections carrying the tools
being at the same time in rapid revolution, the shive or bung is thereby
cut to the required taper or bevil, and the lever G is then returned to
ts original position, withdrawing the tools or cutters P. The foot is
hen removed from the treadle, and the weight X raises the longer
arm of the lever T, drawing back the slide head R. The shive or
oung now falls off or is removed, and another piece of wood or other

page_text: material being held against the point Q the operation is repeated as
before.
In Sheet. 2 of the Drawings Fig. 13 is a side elevation, Fig. 14 a plan
view, and Fig. 15 a front elevation of a modification of the above-
described machine. In this arrangement the front piece C is by
preference made solid or in one piece with the spindle B, which latter is
free to slide a determinate distance in its bearings on the lathe carriage A,
outside the front headstock of which are two lugs or brackets A' to
which the ring K (see enlarged detached view, Fig. 17) is connected;
the washer 1 is placed on the front part C of the spindle, and is
connected to the tool slides N by links M, as in the machine herein-
before described. The ring K embraces the smaller or reduced part of
the periphery of the washer I. In Fig. 15 the cutter boxes are shown
in their forward position. Fig. 16 is an enlarged detached elevation of
the front part C (with the slides and cutter boxes removed), in which it
will be seen that the parts Y of the grooves are cut below the level of
the V slides to allow the cutter boxes to be brought nearer together when
required for small diameters.
ა
In operating with this modification I employ a slide head of a some-
what similar construction to that shown at Figs. 3 and 4, Sheet 1,
excepting that I prefer to work the lever horizontally. In cutting 1
bring the wood or other material to the point Q, and then bring the
slide head front against the material, continuing this motion, the material
pressing against the front part C pushes it and the spindle back, pressing
the washer I against the bearing of the front headstock A. The washer
being arrested acts by means of the links M on the slides N, causing
them to rise in their grooves and bring the tools P into operation upon
the material. As the spindle B is pressed back it raises the weight Z by
a link to
means of the lever Z', the upper end of which is connected by
a collar through which the end of the spindle revolves. When the bung
or shive has been cut the slide head is withdrawn and the weight Z
returns the spindle B and its front part C to their original position.
Instead of this weighted lever Z a spring may be substituted, which
being placed in a suitable box at the end of the spindle is com-
pressed as the latter is pushed back, and on the pressure being withdrawn
its reaction forces the spindle into its previous position.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention,
together with the manner in which the same is to be or may be per-

page_text: formed or carried into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I
claim as my Invention,-
Firstly. The employment of a slide or slides carrying the cutters and
working in a groove or grooves suitably cut or formed in the spindle
front (or in a front piece attached to the spindle), moving longitudinally
at the required angle to the centre line of the spindle, substantially as
herein-before described and illustrated by the annexed Drawings.
And, secondly. I claim the arrangement shown and described of
washer ring and connecting rods or links working as herein-before
mentioned, or any mere modification or imitation of all or either of the
above, constructed and operating in substantially the same or a similar
manner.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Crabtree, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness,
GEORGE DAVIES,
Office of Patents,
Manchester.
JAMES CRABTREE. (L.S.)