Improvements in Piling or Stacking Timber and in Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Apr., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 27th Jan., 1899-Accepted, 4th Mar., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Piling or Stacking Timber and in Apparatus
therefor.
We, GEORGE BENJAMIN JOSEPH GROVES and JOHN GROVES, Junior, both of the
London Sawing Mills, Lawson Street, Great Dover Street, Southwark, London,
Timber Merchants, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
For
The object of this invention is to obviate the laborious and slow method hereto-
fore usually employed in stacking timber, according to which the men have to
mount to the top of the stack by sloping zigzag planks or roads while loaded with
the timber on their backs. Now according to our invention we stack or pile the
timber in a peculiar way and construct suitable apparatus for the purpose of
lifting and supporting the timber while piling all as hereinafter described. We
employ a crane post or pillar which reaches up some distance above the height of
the timber to be stacked. This post is fastened to one end of the stack by means
of iron hoons or staples which are passed round projecting ends of planks in the
stack or pile and are adjusted and fixed by screws or other suitable means.
this purpose at suitable distances in the height of the stack and vertically over each
other we place two or more planks so as to project a certain distance beyond the
face of the pile. Near the jib end of the post we provide a platform that can
swing on the post and which serves to support the ends of the planks when they
have arrived at the top and are to be handled by the piler, for the purpose of
assisting him in the stacking or piling. When the pile has been formed as high
up as the height of the post will admit, the post is released from the staples and
raised a further distance and fixed again and so on till the desired height of the
pile has been attained. A winch worked by a gas engine electric or other suit-
able motor is used for the hoisting. The post may be a wrought iron or steel tube.
Instead of raising it bodily as described we may make it telescopic and adapt it
to be raised and lowered by rack and pinion or equivalent means.
Dated this Twenty-eighth day of t 1808
Improvements in Piling or Stacking Timber and in Apparatus
therefor.
We, GEORGE BENJAMIN JOSEPH GROVES and JOHN GROVES Junior, both of the
London Sawing Mills, Lawson Street, Great Dover Street, Southwark, London,
Price 811

page_text: Timber Merchants, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement: —
The object of this invention is to obviate the laborious and slow method hereto-
fore usually employed in stacking timber, according to which the men have to
mount to the top of the stack by sloping zigzag planks or roads while loaded with
the timber on their backs.
Now according to our invention we stack or pile the timber in a peculiar way
and construct suitable apparatus for the purpose of lifting and supporting the
timber while piling, all as hereinafter described.
We employ a crane post or pillar which reaches up some distance above the
height of the timber to be. stacked. This, post is fastened to one end of the stack
by means of iron hoops or staples which are passed round projecting ends of certain
planks in the stack or pile and are adjusted and fixed by screws or other suitable
means. For this purpose at suitable distances in the height of the stack we place
two or more planks so as to project a certain distance beyond the face of the pile.
Near the jib end of the post we provide a platform that can swing on the post and
which serves to support the ends of the planks when they have arrived at the top
and are to be handled by the piler, for the purpose of assisting him in the stacking
or piling.
In the accompanying drawing we have shewn one suitable form of apparatus, but
we do not by any means confine ourselves to that form.
A crane post or pillar a which reaches up some distance above the height of the
stack is fastened to one end of the stack by means of iron hoops or staples 6, (three
in number in this instance) which are passed round ends of planks c that are pur-
posely placed so as to project a certain distance beyond the general face of the
pile. The staples are fastened to the planks c by means of screws d with hand
wheels c. Near the jib end of the post a we provide a platform f that is pivotted
to the eye f which can swing on the post and be fixed thereto by a screw g with
hand wheel h; the platform f being detachable from the eye f¹ we can fit platforms
of various widths according to the size timber that is being stacked; and it can
also be turned right up into the dotted position which would happen if a plank
while being hoisted accidentally struck against the underside of the platform,
which on thus being raised would allow the plank to clear itself. This platform
serves to support the ends of the planks and thus assist the piler in stacking. The
jib is fitted with sheave for the hoisting rope 7. A sheave m is provided on the
uppermost staple b for the rope n whereby the post is raised. The screws o serve
to fix the staples to the post. p is a a sheave in a fork q that is swivelled to a
stapler which by a screws is fixed to a projecting plank end t.
When the pile has been formed as high up as the height of the post a will
admit, the post is released from the staples, by slackening the screws o, and then
raised a further distance and fixed again by the screws o, and so on till the desired
height of the pile has been attained. A winch worked by a gas engine, or
electric or other suitable motor is used for the hoisting. The post a is by pre-
ference made of wood or it may be a wrought iron or steel tube. Instead of raising
it bodily as described we may make it telescopic and adapt it to be raised and
lowered by rack and pinion or equivalent means.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is-
1. The process of piling or stacking timber by hoisting the latter up, above
the pile by means of a crane the post of which is attached to the ends of certain
planks in the pile which ends are made to project beyond the general face of the
pile the piler on the top of the pile continuing to receive and to pile the timber
as high as the height of the post will admit whereupon the crane post (or a tele-

page_text: scopic part of same) is released and raised a further distance and fixed and so on
until the desired height of stack has been attained, substantially as set forth.
2. In a process as firstly claimed the employment of staples or devices for
clamping the post to the projecting plank ends substantially as set forth.
3. In a process as firstly claimed the employment of a platform adapted to be
shifted along the post and be fixed thereto, for the purpose of assisting the piler
in stacking substantially as set forth.
4. The construction of apparatus as described with reference to the drawing and
for the purpose set forth.
1000