IMPROVEMENTS IN RAISING, TRUSSING, AND BEVELLING CASKS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Hewitt, of Swanscombe, in the County of Kent,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAISING, TRUSSING, AND BEVELLING
CASKS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Hewitt at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th December 1879.
CHARLES HEWITT, of Swanscombe, in the County of Kent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
RAISING, TRUSSING, AND BEVELLING CASKS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED
THEREIN.
"
This Invention has for its object improvements in raising, trussing, and bevelling
casks, and in apparatus employed therein. In raising the staves for a cask I
arrange them upon a disc of suitable size, having a flange around it to retain the
staves at their lower ends, whilst at their upper ends they lie against a smaller
disc carried upon a standard fixed in the centre of the larger disc or foot. The
smaller disc is adjustable up or down on the standard. The staves are thus
arranged round in a conical form, so as to butt together at the top all round, and
any fitting which may be required to cause them to do so is done at this time.
Three hoops are then put on around the staves to keep them in position, namely, a
large hoop near the lower end of the cone, a small iron hoop at the top, and a
pitch hoop near the centre, and the staves are carefully set into the pitch hoop to
form a fair outer face, and the hoop is driven tightly on. The staves hooped in
this way are removed in order that they may be softened by firing in the usual
way. During the firing the lower hoop and the pitch hoop are worked down,
tightening the staves together, care being taken all the time to maintain a fair face
in the neighbourhood of the pitch hoop. As soon as the staves are sufficiently
softened by firing the cask is removed to the trussing machine, which is constructed
in the following manner:-It consists of an hydraulic or other press having a rising
table, on which the cask to be trussed is placed. The head of the press is in the
form of a conical ring or bell open at the top. The mouth of the bell is sufficiently
large to receive and collect the circle of staves within it, and the opening at the
top of the bell is of such a size and form as to properly confine the upper parts of
the staves ready for trussing.

page_text: The bell is made in three parts; the back is semicircular, and fixed to the
columns of the press, whilst the other parts of the bell (each a quadrant or quarter
circle) are able to turn around the columns, and thus the bell opens to let the
cask out.
A latch holds the parts together whilst the machine is in action.
The operation of trussing is then as follows:-The staves held in three hoops
and hot from firing, as already described, are brought to the machine, the cask
being set with the larger end uppermost upon the table. The table rises until it
is stopped by coming against nuts upon the standards which carry the bell, and by
this time the upper ends of the staves project above the top of the bell, and have
been brought tightly together exactly to the size required. The quarter hoop is
then laid on the top of the bell encircling the cask, and then the end truss hoop is
driven firmly on, taking care in this operation to set the staves to a fair outer face.
I then open the bell to let out the cask, and whilst the cask is out of the machine
I drive on the quarter hoop, taking care to set the staves to a fair face beneath it.
The cask is then turned the other way up and again placed in the machine, and
the other end is trussed in a similar manner. Afterwards the truss hoops are
removed and the permanent hoops are put on.
By these arrangements it will be seen that I obtain free access to the exterior
of the cask whilst each truss hoop is being driven, and I can set the staves as may
be required before the hoop is driven home.
When I wish to bevel the staves by machinery I perform this operation whilst
the cask is held in the bell. The cask being then as it were chucked I bring down
into it an emery wheel coned on the periphery to the desired bevil. This emery
wheel is mounted on an upright axis over the centre of the cask, and being lowered
truly into the open mouth of the cask it cuts the ends of the staves to its own
level. In place of using an emery wheel a wheel or disc with cutters upon it may
be employed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Hewitt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th June
1880.
CHARLES HEWITT, of Swanscombe, in the County of Kent. "IMPROVEMENTS
IN RAISING, TRUSSING, AND BEVELLING CASKS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED
THEREIN."
This Invention has for its object improvements in raising, trussing, and bevelling
casks, and in apparatus employed therein.
In raising the staves for a cask I arrange them upon a disc of suitable size,
having a flange around it to retain the staves at their lower ends, whilst at their
upper ends they lie against a smaller disc carried upon a standard fixed in the
centre of the larger disc or foot. The smaller disc is adjustable up or down on the
standard. The staves are thus arranged round in a conical form, so as their edges
butt together at the top all round, and any fitting which may be required to cause
them to do so is done at this time. Three hoops are then put on around the staves
to keep them in position, namely, 1st, a small iron raising hoop at the top; 2nd, a
large hoop near the lower end of the cone; and, 3rd, a pitch hoop near the centre,
and the staves are carefully set out to the pitch hoop to form a fair outer face, and
the hoops are driven tightly on. The staves hooped in this way are removed in
order that they may be softened by firing in the usual way. During the firing the
lower hoop and the pitch hoop are worked down, tightening the staves together,
care being taken all the time to maintain a fair face in the neighbourhood of the
pitch hoop. As soon as the staves are sufficiently softened by firing the cask is
removed to the trussing machine, which is constructed in the following manner:-
It consists of an hydraulic or other press having a rising table, on which the cask
to be trussed is placed. The head of the press is in the form of a conical ring or
bell, open at the top. The mouth of the bell is sufficiently large to receive and collect
the circle of staves within it, and the opening at the top of the bell is of such a
size and form as to properly confine the upper parts of the staves ready for
trussing.
The bell is made in three parts; the back is semi-circular, and fixed, to the
columns of the press, whilst the other parts of the bell (each a quadrant or quarter
circle) are able to turn around the columns, and thus the bell opens to let the
cask out.
A latch holds the parts together whilst the machine is in action.
The operation of trussing is then as follows:-The staves held in three hoops
and hot from firing, as already described, are brought to the machine.
The cask being set with the larger end uppermost upon the table, the table rises
until it is stopped by coming against nuts upon the standards which carry the bell,
and by this time the upper ends of the staves project above the top of the bell,
and have been brought tightly together exactly to the size required. The quarter
hoop is then laid on the top of the bell encircling the cask, and then the end truss
hoop is driven firmly on, taking care in this operation to set the staves to a fair
outer face. I then open the bell to let out the cask, and whilst the cask is out of
the machine I drive on the quarter hoop, taking care to set the staves to a fair face
beneath it. The cask is then turned the other way up and again placed in the
machine, and the other end is trussed in a similar manner. Afterwards the truss
hoops are removed and the permanent hoops are put on. By these arrangements
it will be seen that I obtain free access to the exterior of the cask whilst each truss
hoop is being driven, and I can set the staves, as may be required, before the hoop
is driven home. When I wish to bevel the staves by machinery I perform this
operation whilst the cask is held in the bell. The cask being then as it were

page_text: desired bevel. This emery wheel is mounted on an upright axis over the centre of
the cask, and being lowered truly into the open mouth of the cask it cuts the ends
of the staves to its own bevel. In place of using an emery wheel a wheel or disc
with cutters upon it may be employed.
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, and Figure 2 is a plan of the apparatus
which I employ when raising the staves to form a cask. It consists of a cast iron 1
disc or foot a having a flange a' around it, and a standard 6 springing from the
centre of the foot and carrying a disc c. The disc c screws upon the standard b,
and when set to the desired position it is locked fast by means of a locking nut.
The position of the disc is adjusted according to the size of the cask to be made,
and so that the staves when leaning around the disc shall, at their upper ends, 1
touch each other all around. In setting up a cask the staves are fitted until they
meet together properly at the top; then three hoops are put on, as already stated,
1st, an iron raising hoop; 2nd, the large wood hoop reaching to the bottom when
the cask is fired; 3rd, the pitch hoop.
The next operation is the firing of the cask, during which the lower hoop is 2
worked down and the pitch hoop is brought to its place, care being taken all the
while that a fair face is kept in the neighbourhood of the pitch hoop.
then ready to be taken to the trussing machine.
The cask is
Figure 3 is a vertical section of the trussing machine, Figure 4 is an elevation,
Figure 5 is a plan, and Figure 6 is an horizontal section of the same. a is a rising 2
table, upon which the cask to be trussed is placed, as is indicated by the dotted
lines in Figures 3 and 4. In Figure 3 the cask is represented in the form in which
it is first brought to the machine; in Figure 4 it is represented as already trussed
at one end, and the table a is raised as it is when the trussing of the second end
of the cask is in progress. b represents a portion of an hydraulic press, by means 3
of which the table a is lifted, but in place of this any other sufficiently powerful
mechanical appliance may be substituted. On the face of the table a there is a
projection a', which enters the open end of the cask; it serves to keep the cask in
its place on the table and to prevent any inward movement of tho staves. `c, c, are
standards serving as guides for the rising table and also as supports for the bell d, 3
The bell is made in three parts; one half forming the back of the bell is fixed to
the standards, and the other two parts, cach one quarter of the circumference of
the bell, are able to turn about the standards. The standards form as it were the
pins of hinge like joints connecting together the several parts of the bell. When
in use the parts of the bell are shut together, and are firmly secured by a latch d¹. 4
Both the latch and the lug with which it engages are somewhat inclined, so that
as the latch is closed down it draws the parts closely together. The latch is forced
home and locked by a wedge driven in over it, as the Drawing shows. In Figure 4
the parts are shown in the positions they occupy whilst the end hoop is being
driven on. It will be seen that the workman has free access to the upper end of 4
the cask, and is able to set the staves out as inay be required to give the cask a
fair face. Whilst this is being done more or less pressure may be applied, as may
be convenient, the table being under complete control. Finally, the rise of the
table is stopped at the proper place by the nuts c', cl, which are adjusted according
to the size of the cask desired to be made, and great uniformity is thus ensured. 5
The end truas hoop is driven on finally to its place when the rise of the table is
stopped by the nuts. Whilst this is being done the quarter hoop lies on the top
of the bell, as is indicated in Figure 4, but this hoop is not driven until after the
cask has been removed from the machine. Thus in the driving of all the truss
hoops the workman has the opportunity of setting the staves to a fair face.

page_text: e is the bevelled emery wheel which I employ for bevelling the ends of the
staves. In place of an emery wheel a wheel with cutters may be employed, but
the emery wheel is much preferred. The wheel e is mounted upon an axis f, which
is centrally placed in respect to the bell. The axis and wheel are driven at a high
velocity, and the axis can, whilst being so driven, be moved in a vertical or longi-
tudinal direction to bring the bevelled edge of the emery wheel against the ends
of the stave, which it then rapidly cuts away to the required bevel.
The removal of the trussing hoops and the substitution for them of the permanent
hoops is performed in the usual way, and so are also the other operations necessary
to complete the cask.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would bave it understood that I claim,-
First. My improved means for raising the staves for a cask, consisting in
arranging and fitting the staves closely around a disc suitably set according to the
size of the cask, whilst the lower ends of the staves are confined by a flange or
ring and then hooping them, substantially as herein described.
Second. My improved means for trussing casks, consisting in forcing the cask
into a bell so made that the end of the cask projects from the bell, and in setting
the staves and hooping the projecting end of the cask whilst it is so held, sub-
stantially as described.
Third. My improved means for bevelling casks, consisting in causing a bevelled
emery wheel or wheel with cutters to enter concentrically within the mouth of
the cask whilst the same is held in a closing bell, substantially as described.
Fourth. My improved apparatus for the manufacture of casks, substantially as
described and represented by the annexed Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Hewitt, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty.
CHARLES HEWITT. (LS.)