AN IMPROVED WOOD-TURNING MACHINE
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
"AN IMPROVED WOOD-TURNING MACHINE." A communication from abroad
by Freeman Hanson, of Hollis, Maine, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st December 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED WOOD-TURNING MACHINE."
[A communication from abroad by Freeman Hanson, of Hollis, Maine, United
States of America.]
The object of my Invention is to control the path described by the rotating
wood in a wood-turning machine, and hence the shape of the object cut by means
of geared pattern-wheels or formers of any desired shape, which are made to revolve
in unison with and describe the same path as the wood itself.
The mechanism by which this purpose is effected is as follows:-
I provide a table or framework which supports the moving parts of the machine.
A pulley on the driving shaft serves to impart motion to the apparatus. Another
pulley rotates the cutting device by means of a belt. The shaft of this pulley
supports rods connected with the cutting mechanism, but allows them to rock back
and forth, as hereafter explained. The said shaft also carries a cone-pulley which
is connected by a belt with a corresponding cone pulley on another shaft.
Slotted uprights or posts are fastened to the framework, the slots running
longitudinally nearly the height of the posts, and serving to hold bearings in which
the last-named shaft turns and act as guides for movable bearings, as hereinafter
explained. The said shaft is provided at each end near the bearings with a small
gear-wheel which acts upon the pattern wheels or formers carried on a shaft
turning in the said movable bearings which slide up and down in the slots of the
posts. The two pattern wheels are of the same size and shape, and have geared or
toothed outlines acted upon by the said gear wheels which are also duplicates of
each other. The end of the pattern wheel shaft towards the cutting mechanism

page_text: terminates in a flat surface or chuck provided with short prongs to hold one side of
the wood to be operated upon.
An arm projects from the top of one movable bearing in the post over the wood
and bends downward, and is provided at its lower end with a revolving collar
through which passes a set screw arranged to press against the wood held by the
chuck, and thus hold it firmly without interfering with its rotation.
No other support than the said gear wheels is provided for the pattern wheels
and their shaft, and thus it is evident that the pattern wheels are held in contact
with the gear wheels by the force of gravity acting on the whole weight of the
said shaft wheels bearings, wood-holding device, and the wood. Consequently
the rotation of the shaft and gear wheels will raise this whole mass against the
action of gravity, or allow it to fall accordingly as the teeth engaged by these gear
wheels are on the longer or shorter diameters of the pattern wheels when they are
made of oval or polygonal shape, or any shape other than circular.
In order to secure a smooth and even motion of the wood, and hence of the
pattern wheels, the said pattern-wheels and the gear-wheels are provided with
smooth surfaces at each side of the row of teeth, and it is upon these smooth
surfaces that the weight falls. Between these two smooth strips of surface on the
gear wheels is a row of projecting teeth, while between the corresponding surfaces
of the pattern-wheels is a row of sunken teeth. The projecting teeth of the gear
wheels do not reach the bottom of the spaces between the teeth of the pattern
wheels, and hence no weight comes upon the engaging teeth which thus turn the
pattern-wheels without regard to their weight.
Though I consider gravity as the most convenient, other forces may be used, if
desired, such as weights and pulleys. In such cases the pattern-wheels are to be
placed at the side of the aforesaid gear wheels instead of above them, and the
movable shaft slides horizontally instead of vertically.
The cutting mechanism consists of the two rods which rock back and forth, and
are supported by the first named shaft; a short shaft or arbor joins these two rods,
and is rotated by a pulley. The cutter head is carried upon the said arbor, and
has the knife or chisel fastened to it. The said rods are fastened together by cleats,
and one rod is provided with a handle by which the whole cutting mechanism is
shifted into its different positions.
A stop slides in guides on the under side of the table, and is used to hold the
cutting mechanism at any desired distance from the wood. It is provided with a
longitudinal slot, by means of which and a binding screw and thumb screw it may
be held at any desired point of its slide. The said stop is also provided at one end
with a cut or opening which allows the stop to reach the upper cleat, and thus
move the cutting mechanism without interfering with the motion of the driving
belt.

page_text: contact with the said gear wheels g, g, by the force of gravity acting on the whole
weight of the shaft a³, wheels D, D, bearings c, c², wood-holding device, and the
wood. Consequently the rotation of the shaft a² and its gear wheels g, g, will
raise this whole mass against the action of gravity, or allow it to fall accordingly as
the teeth engaged by these gear wheels are on the longer or shorter diameters of
the pattern-wheels D, D, when they are made of oval or polygonal shape or any
shape other than circular. Every revolution of these oval or polygonal wheels D, D,
will raise the wood to be operated upon as many times as the wheels have longer
diameters, and lower it as many times as the said wheels have shorter diameters.
Thus the wood will be made to rotate, and in rotating describe the path taken by
the pattern wheels D, D.
In order to secure a smooth and even motion of the wood, and hence of the
pattern-wheels D, D, these parts are so arranged that the weight of the latter, and
of the mechanism connected therewith, will not come upon the teeth of the gear
wheels g, g, and I thus prevent imperfect engagement of the teeth, whereby the
motion might be rendered uneven and the finish of the wood impaired. To avoid
this the pattern wheels D, D, and the gear wheels g, g, are provided with smooth
surfaces at each side of the row of teeth, as shewn in Figure 2, and it is upon these
smooth surfaces that the weight referred to falls. Between these two smooth strips
of surface on the gear wheels g, g, is a row of projecting teeth, while between the
corresponding surfaces on the pattern-wheels is a row of sunken teeth. The
projecting teeth of the gear wheels g, g, (as shewn in Figure 5) do not reach the
bottom of the spaces between the teeth of the pattern-wheels, and hence no weight
comes upon the engaging teeth, which thus turn the pattern-wheels without regard
to their weight.
Though I consider the above method of utilizing gravity as most convenient for
holding the geared pattern-wheels in contact with the gear wheels on the shaft
which rotates in stationary bearings, other methods of obtaining the required
result may be adopted, for instance, I may use weights and pulleys. In such
cases the pattern-wheels D, D, are to be placed at the side of the gear wheels g, g,
instead of above them, and the movable shaft a³ slides horizontally instead of
vertically.
It is evidently not necessary that the pattern-wheels should be regular in their
outline, the only requirement being that the angles should not be sharp enough to
interfere with their rotation. The outlines are necessarily geared or toothed to
prevent slipping back, the force of gravity being continually exerted to keep the
bearings c², c², and the attached parts at the lowest point of their path. Neither is
their number limited to two, as it may be desired to increase the number for very
heavy work, and for very light work a single pattern-wheel may suffice.
The cutting mechanism consists of the two rods d, d¹, which rock backward and
forward, and, as before mentioned, are supported by the shaft a¹. The short shaft
or arbor a joins these two rods, and is rotated by the pulley B, which is connected
by the belt b¹ with the pulley B2, as before stated, and the cutter head 7, which is
carried upon the said arbor a', has the knife or chisel fastened to it. The said
rods d, d, are fastened together by the cleats m, m, and the rod d¹ is provided with
a handle n, by which the whole cutting mechanism is shifted into its different
positions, as shewn in Figure 3.
It is
A stop p slides in guides on the underside of the table A, and is used to hold the
cutting mechanism at any desired distance from the wood, or entirely away from
it, in the position shewn by the dotted lines in Figure 3 when desired.
provided with a longitudinal slot e², by means of which and the binding screw o
and thumb screw q it may be held at any desired point of its slide. The said stopp
is also provided at one end with the cut or opening 7, which allows the stop to
reach the upper cleat m, and thus move the cutting mechanism without interfering
with the motion of the belt b¹.
The operation of the said machine is as follows, that is to say :-
The wood, which may be of any desired size and thickness, is held between the

page_text: chuck and holder k, as before stated. The machine is then started, and the
cutting mechanism brought into contact with the wood by the handle n. The
cutting mechanism is brought nearer and nearer to its vertical position (shewn in
Figure 3) directly under the wood, according to the size of the object desired.
While the shape of the object cut depends, as before stated, upon the shape of the
pattern-wheels, the size of that object will depend upon the nearness with which
the cutting tool is allowed to approach the centre of rotation of the wood. When
it is desired to produce the smallest size of a particular outline capable of being
cut by a particular tool, the arbor is allowed to reach the vertical position shewn
in Figure 3. When larger objects of the same outline are desired, the arbor is
prevented by the stop p from reaching this position, and occupies some place
between it and that shewn by the dotted lines of Figure 3. After the shape is
thus formed the wood is removed and a new piece put on.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. A wood-turning machine provided with the geared pattern-wheels D, D,
fixed upon a movable shaft a³ for controlling the motion of the wood, and held in
contact with the gear wheels g, g, upon the shaft a² for imparting motion to the
Baid pattern-wheels, as hereinbefore set forth.
Second. A wood-turning machine provided with the geared pattern-wheels D, D,
hung upon the sliding bearings c², c², and held down by gravity upon the gear
wheels g, g, which rotate upon the shaft a², all acting to impart rotation to a chuck f
and holder k or other device which holds the wood, as above set forth.
Third. The combination of the geared pattern-wheels D, D, hung upon a movable
shaft as and bearings c², c², and acted upon by the gear wheels g, g, hung upon the
shaft a² with the chuck f, the set-screw, the arm i, and the collar j, for holding
and rotating the wood, all as above set forth and for the purposes specified.
Fourth. The combination with the rocking cutting mechanism of the chuck f, the
set-screw k, and the collar j for holding the wood, rotated by geared pattern-
wheels D, D, and their operating mechanism, all arranged as herein before set
forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.