IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING VENEERS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Herbert John Haddan, -of-the -Firm of Herbert and
-Company, Solicitors of Patents, of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
CUTTING VENEERS." A communication from abroad by Heman Swift Smith,
Doctor of Medicine, and Hamilton William Shipman, both of the State of New
York, United States of America.
Sealed the 7th March 1879, and dated the 17th September 1878.
i
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Herbert John Haddan at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th September 1878.
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of, the Firm of Herbert and Company, Solicitors of
Patents, of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer.
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING VENEERS." A communication from abroad by
Heman Swift Smith, Doctor of Medicine, and Hamilton William Shipman, both
of the State of New York, United States of America.
'IMPROVE-
The improvements consist of a knife slide, whose line of motion is diagonal to the
axial line of the log to be cut, in combination with a knife and press rollers; also
in attaching to said knife slide two or more rollers for the purpose of straightening
the veneer as it comes from the knife; also in providing the knife slide with a
crank shaft for operating it, and placed above the centre line of travel of the slide.
The various parts. can be constructed of metal, and the motive power.be of any
suitable kind.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Herbert John Haddan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 14th
March 1879.
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of the Firm of Herbert and Company, Solicitors of
Patents, of 67, Strand,. in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING VENEERS." A communication from abroad by
Herman Swift Smith, Doctor of Medicine, and Hamilton William Shipman, both of
the State of New York, United States of America.
The improvements consist of a knife slide, whose line of motion is diagonal to the
axial line of the log to be cut, in combination with a knife and press rollers; also
in attaching to said knife slide two or more rollers for the purpose of straightening
the veneer as it comes from the knife; also in providing the knife slide with a
crank shaft for operating it, and placed above the centre line of travel of the slide.
The various parts can be constructed of metal, and the motive-power be of any
suitable kind. In the accompanying Drawing similar letters indicate corresponding
parts. Fig. 1 is a front view of the improved machine, some parts being omitted
and shewn in other Figures; Fig. 2 is a plan of that part of the machine which is
shown in front view by Fig. 1; Fig: 3-shows an end-view of the same parts of the
machine seen in Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4 is a vertical cross rection through the knife
_carriage; Fig. 5 represents a modification of the machine, showing the knife carriage
inclined, and travelling on horizontal ways; Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating the
action of the connecting rod on the knife carriage derived from placing the shaft of
the crank, which gives motion to the knife slide, above the centre line between the
ways; Fig. 7 is a front view of the attachment for removing the cut' veneer from
between the knife and press roller; and Fig. 8 is a plan of the parts shown in Fig. 7.
a represents the bed plate of the machine; b, a strong upright cast with the bed
plate, or fastened upon it; c, the stay log of the machine; d is the main shaft
which carries a large wheel e, the circumference of which may be furnished with
cogs which gear into a pinion, not shown in the Drawing, by which the wheel e
can be set in revolution. This wheel e carries a crank pin f; by means of which,
and a connecting rod f, a reciprocating motion is given to the knife slide or
carriage g, which runs in ways h, h, firmly fastened to the front of the machine,
but in such a manner as to lead the knife slide in a diagonal direction to the
longitudinal axis of the log. The log shown in Fig. 3 by letter c¹ is placed upon
the bed plate of the machine with one end abutting against the upright b, so as to
resist the pressure of the knife while cutting, and is secured to the stay log c by
which it is fed up against the knife by two feed screws c², c³, which receive their
intermittent motion by some automatically operating mechanism connected with
the driving shaft of the machine, but not shown in the Drawings. The knife
slide g is shown in section in Fig. 4, having the knife secured to the body of the
knife slide, with its flat side towards the log, by countersunk screws or bolts.
Opposite the edge of the knife, and running the whole length thereof is a press
roller or bar supported in proper bearings made adjustable to and from the
knife and log by set screws 12; m is a throat through which the veneer passes as it
comes from the knife; n, n, are two rollers, and n¹ a varying inclined surface
opposite these rollers. The veneer as it comes from the throat m is forced through
between these rollers n, n, and the varying inclined surface n' where it is
straightened, for which purpose these rollers n, n, may be made adjustable towards
or from the surface n¹. For the stationary surface n' a series of rollers may be
substituted with good effect, as they would relieve the knife carriage from much
frictional strain; o is the piu in front of the knife slide to which the connecting
rod is jointed, and by which the knife slide receives its reciprocating motion.
Instead of running the knife in a diagonal direction as above described, it may be
run in a direction parallel to the platform of the machine, and to the grain of the
.

page_text: log. The knife should in this case be set at an oblique angle to the direction of its
travel, as shown in Fig. 5, in which p is the knife slide, h the ways in which it
travels; c' the log to be cut, and,b the upright for the log to butt against, f¹ the
connecting rod which gives motion to the knife slide. In all these Figures the knife
slide is represented as being operated by a crank motion; this, however is not
absolutely necessary, as the reciprocating motion of the knife slide may be obtained
by rack and pinion, or a screw arranged similarly to the mechanism of an iron
planing machine, or it may be produced by direct action of steam against a piston
enclosed in a steam cylinder. But when the crank motion is employed, as shown
in the Drawings, it will be observed that I place the crank shaft above the centre
line of the ways about half the radius of the crank for the purpose of producing as
nearly as possible a straight pull while the knife is cutting; as while the knife is
returning it is doing no work, and the connecting rod may push the knife slide at
any angle. This is fully demonstrated in the diagram, Fig. 6. When the knife has
finished a cut, the end of the veneer or board remains stuck fast between the bevel
of the knife and the press roller l, and it is desirable to have some automatic
mechanism to extricate the same, so that it can be taken away. For this purpose
the mechanism shown in Figs. 7 and 8 may be employed. It consists of a cam or
eccentric w supported in bearings w¹ which are attached to the rear ends of the
ways. The cam w, and the stationary surface acting in conjunction, form a clamp
which permits the veneer to pass from left to right without much hindrance, but
which will clamp tight as soon as the knife slide commences to return for a new
cut, the clamp holds firmly, and thus extricates the veneer from the knife slide; a
light spring v serves to keep the clamp pressed against the surface of the veneer,
which is enabled to pass through in one direction, but not in the other. The cam,
however, may be operated by some automatic motion obtained from the main shaft
of the machine or any other suitable part thereof, so as to open and shut at the
proper time. Having thus described the Invention, I claim as new, and desire to
secure by Letters Patent the following:-First, in a vencer cutting machine a knife
slide whose line of motion is diagonal to the axial line of the log, in combination
with the knife and press rollers; second, in a veneer cutting machine a knife slide
having attached to it two or more rollers for the purpose of straightening the
veneer as it comes from the knife; third, in a veneer cutting machine a knife slide
provided with pressure rollers, and rollers for straightening the veneer, the line of
motion being diagonal to the axial line of the log; fourth, in a veneer cutting
machine a knife slide moved by a crank shaft placed above the centre line of travel
of the knife slide, substantially as and for the purpose described; fifth, in a veneer
cutting machine the automatic mechanism for extricating the veneer from the knife
slide, consisting in a combination of the cam w and the stationary surface v operated
substantially as and for the purpose described; sixth, a veneer cutting machine
composed of the following instrumentalities, namely:-A cutting knife whose line
of motion is diagonal to the axial line of the log; a knife slide provided with
pressure roll and rollers for straightening the veneer as it comes from the knife,
and a crank shaft for operating the knife slide placed above the centre line of
travel of the slide, all constructed and arranged for joint operation, substantially as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Herbert John Haddan, have hereunto set my