IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING, BUNDLING, AND BINDING FIREWOOD
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frank Kingston, of 31, Catherine Grove, Greenwich, in
the County of Kent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR CUTTING, BUNDLING, AND BINDING FIREWOOD."
Sealed the 20th September 1878, and dated the 29th July 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frank Kingston at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th July 1878.
FRANK KINGSTON, of 31, Catherine Grove, Greenwich, in the County of Kent.
'IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING, BUNDLING, AND BINDING FIRE-
WOOD."
My Invention relates to apparatus whereby blocks or pieces of wood cut to
suitable lengths are divided into slabs or slices, which are thereafter divided into
sticks, and these sticks are collected into bundles and bound up ready for transport
or sale. For this purpose I arrange intermittently travelling bands, between which
the blocks of wood are pressed, and are fed forward step by step to a knife that
cuts, slices, or slabs off the blocks. These slices or slabs are then moved onwards
and presented to another knife, which cutting them perpendicularly to the plane
of the previous cut divides them into separate sticks. These sticks drop into a
tube, in which they have a shaking movement imparted to them, so that they
arrange themselves in positions approximately parallel to the axis of the tube. At
intervals a plunger is made to advance along the tube, driving a number of the
sticks forwards to a mouth-piece, consisting of a number of blades arranged cylin-
drically. These blades are caused to collapse by a flexible band, so as to press the
sticks firmly together into the form of a cylindrical bundle. While the sticks are
so held a string saturated with resinous cement is passed several times round the
bundle and secured on it. The mouth-piece is then allowed to expand, and a
succeeding stroke of the plunger by advancing another bundle of sticks extrudes
the already bound bundle, which falls into a receptacle below.

page_text: The string may be put on the bundle and tied by hand, but for effecting the
binding by the action of the apparatus the string is drawn from a reel through a
trough of the cement kept melted by steam or the heat of a lamp or gas flame; it
then passes through the eye of a flyer, which at suitable intervals is caused to
make several revolutions round the compressed bundle. The flyer is followed by a
pressing roller, which causes the several convolutions of the string to adhere to one
another and to the bundle, and then a reciprocating knife cuts the string, leaving
an end projecting from the flyer ready to be applied to the succeeding bundle.
The knives employed for slicing the wood and dividing the slices into sticks may
be reciprocating knives of the guillotine kind, having blades kept parallel to the
face of the wood while they are moved obliquely; or they may be revolving knives
like those of a chaff cutter.
The second cut for dividing the slices or slabs into sticks is made in a direction
at right angles to the first slicing cut.
In order to make these cuts in the required relative directions according to one
arrangement I work the two sets of knives in parallel planes, in which case the
slices or slabs are turned one-quarter round in their passage from the first knife to
the second by receiving them from the first knife on an intermittently rotating
drum; which after turning one-quarter of a revolution delivers them to the second
knife in the required attitude.
According to another arrangement I work the second knife in a plane at right
angles to that of the first knife, in which case the slices or slabs are conveyed or
allowed to descend by gravity from the first knife to the second knife without
turning over.
. The intermittent rotary movements are imparted to ratchet wheels from recipro-
cating pawls, and the reciprocation of the pawls and of the other reciprocating
parts is effected by the rotation' of cranks or eccentrics and cams arranged on shafts
suitably speeded and timed, so as to give the various movements in their proper
order and succession, the whole being worked from one prime motor shaft driven
by any suitable power.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Frank Kingston in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th January
1879.
FRANK KINGSTON, of 31, Catherine Grove, Greenwich, in the County of Kent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING, BUNDLING, AND BINDING FIRE-
WOOD."
My Invention relates to apparatus whereby blocks or pieces of wood cut to
suitable lengths are divided into slabs or slices, which are thereafter divided into
sticks, and these sticks are collected into bundles and bound up ready for transport
or sale. For this purpose I arrange intermittently travelling bands, between which
the blocks of wood are pressed, and are fed forward step by step to a knife that
cuts slices or slabs off the blocks. These slices or slabs are then moved onwards
and presented to another knife, which cutting them perpendicularly to the plane
of the previous cut divides them into separate sticks. These sticks drop into a
tube, in which they have a shaking movement imparted to them, so that they
arrange themselves in position approximately. parallel to the axis of the tube. At
intervals a plunger is made to advance along the tube, driving a number of the
sticks forwards to a mouth-piece, consisting of a number of blades arranged cylin-
drically. These blades are caused to collapse by a flexible band, so as to press the
sticks firmly together into the form of a cylindrical bundle. While the sticks are
so held a string saturated with resinous cement is passed several times round the
bundle and secured on it. The mouth-piece is then allowed to expand, and a
succeeding stroke of the plunger by advancing another bundle of sticks extrudes
the already bound bundle, which falls into a receptacle below.
The string may be put on the bundle and tied by hand, but for effecting the
binding by the action of the apparatus the string is drawn from a reel through &
trough of the cement kept melted by steam or the heat of a lamp or gas flame; it
then passes through the eye of a flyer, which at suitable intervals is caused to
make several revolutions round the compressed bundle. The flyer is followed by a
pressing roller, which causes the several convolutions of the string to adhere to one
another and to the bundle, and then a reciprocating knife cuts the string, leaving
an end projecting from the flyer ready to be applied to the succeeding bundle.
The knives employed for slicing the wood and dividing the slices into sticks may
be reciprocating knives of the guillotine kind, having blades kept parallel to the
face of the wood while they are moved obliquely; or they may be revolving knives
like those of a chaff cutter.
The second cut for dividing the slices or slabs into sticks is made in a direction
at right angles to the first slicing cut.
In order to make these cuts in the required relative directions according to one
arrangement I work the two sets of knives in parallel planes, in which case the
slices or slabs are turned one-quarter round in their passage from the first knife to
the second by receiving them from the first knife on an intermittently rotating
drum, which after turning one-quarter of a revolution delivers them to the second
knife in the required attitude.
According to another arrangement I work the second knife in a plane at right
angles to that of the first knife, in which case the slices or slabs are conveyed or
allowed to descend by gravity from the first knife to the second knife without
turning over.
The intermittent rotary movements are imparted to ratchet wheels from recipro-
cating pawls, and the reciprocation of the pawls and of the other reciprocating
parts is effected by the rotation of cranks or eccentrics and cams arranged on shafts
suitably speeded and timed, so as to give the various movements in their proper
order and succession, the whole being worked from one prime motor shaft driven.
by any suitable power,

page_text: Figure 1 represents a side view; Figure 2 an end view, partly in section; and
Figure 3 a plan of a machine according to this Invention for cutting and bundling
firewood.
On a suitable framing are mounted the driving shaft A worked from any con-
venient motor, and secondary shafts worked by gearing therefrom at suitable speeds.
A crank A¹ on the shaft A, by means of a connecting rod (which is omitted in
Figure 3 to avoid confusion), causes a knife a¹ to reciprocate in inclined guides, as
shown in Figure 1ª, so that the knife in performing its down stroke has a slicing
instead of a chopping action, by which it cuts a slice off the block of wood W.
The successive blocks of wood to be operated on are introduced between the two
caoutchouc travelling bands a² and a³, which respectively pass round driving
rollers a¹ and a and guide rollers a and a7. The two driving rollers a¹ and a³
have on their axes equal wheels, which gear together, and on the axis of a¹ is fixed
a ratchet wheel moved by a pawl as, which by means of suitable connecting rods
and levers is worked from the slide of the knife a¹, every up stroke of the knife
causing the ratchet wheel to turn one tooth. Thus when the knife a¹ ascends after
having cut a slice off the block of wood W, which is steadied between side springs a³
in the mouth-piece, the block is advanced a certain distance by the movement of
the hands and rollers, and the knife a¹ again descending cuts off another slice, and
80 on successively.
The slices of wood w as they are cut off are received on divisions of the cir-
cumference of a wheel or drum v, which is caused to move intermittently by a
ratchet and pawl worked from a shaft V one division for every two strokes of the
knife a¹, so that two slices of wood w are received in each division of the wheel or
drum v.
This wheel by its movement carries those slices round about one-quarter
of a revolution, presenting each pair under a continuously travelling band b², which
passes round a driving roller 62 and a guide roller 68. The driving roller b² is
worked by a strap from a pulley on a spindle c, which is worked by a strap from
a pulley on the shaft C; a pulley on the axis of 62 by a strap works the shaft V.
The slices of wood w being thus turned over on their flat sides are carried through
a mouth-piece, in front of which works a second knife 64. This knife is fixed on
a connecting rod, which connects a crank B' on the shaft B with a crank pin 68 on
a disc b. This disc is fixed on a short spindle, on the opposite end of which is a
crank be connected by a rod (which is omitted from Figure 3 to avoid confusion) to
an éccentric or other crank 7 on the shaft B. The cranks 6 and 7 are set at
right angles or nearly so to the cranks B' and 68, so that a continuous revolution
is imparted to the disc 65.
By the movement of the connecting rod, which connects B¹ to 65, the knife b¹ on
the said rod is caused to move with a circular slicing action, cutting at every stroke
pieces off the slices of wood w. The pieces so cut fall into a mouth-piece at the
upper side of a cylinder d, in which they are collected and shaken by the recipro-
cating shaker slide d', which is worked by projections of a wheel on the shaft C.
While the pieces of wood are being collected in the cylinder d a diaphragm d² is
thrust in, so as to close the mouth of that cylinder until it has received its charge.
The diaphragm & is thereupon withdrawn to the position shewn in Figure 2 by
the action of a cam on the shaft C. The diaphragm being withdrawn a plunger d
is caused to advance by the action of a tappet d' on the shaft D, and to thrust the.
pieces of wood in the cylinder d forwards, so that they are caused to project a
little more than half their length in the form of a cylindrical bundle w beyond the 5
mouth of the cylinder. This being done the plunger dis drawn back by a spring,
and the diaphragm d² is caused by a spring to move forwards, so as again to close
the end of the cylinder, whereupon the part between the plunger and the diaphragmi
receives a fresh charge of wood pieces.
The mouth portion of the cylinder d is split longitudinally into a number of 5

page_text: plates or fingers, which are surrounded by an elastic ring strap d³. This strap has
an eye at one end fitted on a fixed pin, and an eye on its other end jointed by a
pin to a connecting rod worked by a cam, which is so timed that when the bundle w¹
has been protruded the strap d³ is, by the action of the cam, caused to embrace
tightly the divided mouth-piece of the cylinder d, and so to compress the bundle w¹,
and to continue compressing it during the operation of binding the bundle, which
will presently be described.
When the binding is completed the strap d is released, and thereupon the fresh
bundle of wood pieces, which becomes collected in the cylinder d while the binding
of the previous bundle is being effected, is thrust forward by the action of the
plunger ds, and by its advance it pushes out the bound bundle, taking its place to
be bound in its turn.
The binding of the bundle is effected in the following manner :-Suitable cord
or string is drawn from a reel e through a vessel e' containing a resinous cement,
such as pitch, which is kept molten by a flame or by steam in a casing surrounding
the vessel e', so that the string becomes soaked with the cement. The string passes
along an arın e², and through an eye at the end of it a loose end of the string pro-
jecting sideways from the arm, so as to lie on the surface of the bundle w¹. A
blade e immediately after the bundle w¹ is compressed by the strap d³ is made to
descend on the end of the string lying on the bundle, and press it firmly thereto,
the cement on the string causing it to adhere to the wood.
While the blade e continues to press the string on the wood the arm e² is made
to revolve round the bundle. On the side of the arm e² is mounted a roller e,
which is pressed by a lever against the bundle. This roller is caused by the revo
lution of the arm e² to roll round the surface of the bundle, passing over the blade e³,
and as it goes round pressing the cemented string firmly to the wood.
Just before the arm e² and roller et have made one complete revolution the
blade e is raised away from the bundle, and the arm and roller continue to revolve
round the bundle, laying and pressing thereon another convolution of the cemented
string. The arm having thus made three revolutions stops at the place whence it
started, but towards the end of its last revolution a shear blade e is made to cut
the string, so as to separate that which is on the bundle, forming about two and a
half convolutions from that which passes through the eye of the arm e², leaving a
loose end of the latter ready to be pressed to the succeeding bundle for the purpose
of binding it in the same way.
The movements of the blade es of the arm e² and its roller e, as well as of the
shear blade e, are effected in their due order in the following manner:-The
blade e is mounted on a pivot and acted on by a spring or weight, which keeps it
up from the bundle, but at the proper time a cam on the shaft C causes it to
descend in opposition to the spring or weight, and keeps it down on the bundle
for the required period. The arm e² is on the spindle of a pinion f', which gears
with a wheel 2 on the shaft C. This wheel is toothed along part of its circum-
ference, but void of teeth along another part.
While the toothed part is in gear with the pinion f' the latter is made to revolve,
carrying the arm e² round for the binding of the bundle, but while the part void
of teeth is passing the gearing point the pinion fl remains at rest, being held
stationary by a circular projecting rib on the face of the wheel f2 bearing against
a stop on the pinion.
The roller e is mounted on the end of a lever pivotted on the arm e², and pressed
on by a spring, causing the roller to bear down on the bundle; but the tail of the
lever comes under a moveable stop, which is brought down by the action of a cam
on the shaft C, so as to raise the roller from the wood a little 'before the arm e²
stops, thus allowing the bound bundle to be discharged by the advance of the
succeeding bundle.
The shear blade e is kept usually back by a spring, but a little before the raising
of the roller e, as above mentioned, the rod of the shear blade is pushed by a cam

page_text: projection on the wheel f², so as to make the blade e pass rapidly across the eye,
through which the string passes, thereby effecting its severance.
I have above described the mode of turning the slices of wood w over to a hori-
zontal position by the movement of the wheel v, so that they may be presented to
the second knife b to be cut into pieces.
Figure 4 represents another arrangement for this purpose.
According to this arrangement the block of wood Ŵ is fed forward against a
spring g, whereupon the first knife g¹ cuts off a slice. This slice drops down and
rests on sliding stops g2, while the second knife g³ makes a number of strokes.
During each forward or cutting stroke of the stops g² are withdrawn, and during
the return stroke of g³ they are again advanced, and thus as piece after piece is
cut off the slice W they fall into the collecting cylinder & below, where they are
operated on for binding and bundling, as already described.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I claim,-
First. The use for cutting and bundling firewood and binding the bundles thereof
of apparatus wherein a knife reciprocating in inclined guides cuts off slices of the
wood; these slices are presented to a second knife, which cuts them into separate
pieces. The pieces are collected in a cylinder, and after being shaken therein are
pushed forward by a plunger, and compressed in the cylinder mouth into a compact
bundle, which is bound with cemented string carried round the bundle by a
revolving arm and thereafter cut by a shear blade, substantially as herein described.
Second. Cutting slices from the blocks of wood by means of a knife working in
inclined guides, so as to effect the cut with a slicing action, as herein described.
Third. Turning the slices of wood from a vertical to a horizontal attitude suit-
able for being cut by the second knife by means of an intermittently rotating
wheel, as herein described.
Fourth. The arrangement of the two knives working respectively in vertical and
horizontal planes, whereby the turning over of the wood slices referred to in the
preceeding claim is rendered unnecessary, as herein described with reference to
Figure 4 of the accompanying Drawings.
Fifth. Bundling the firewood sticks by collecting them as they drop from the
second knife in a cylinder between a plunger and a moveable diaphragm, arranging
them therein by a reciprocating shaker, pushing them forwards by the advance of
the plunger when the diaphragm is withdrawn, and squeezing them into a compact
bundle by an elastic ring caused to compress the divided mouth of the cylinder,
substantially as herein described.
Sixth. Binding the compressed bundle of firewood by a cemented string carried
round it by a revolving arm or flyer, and pressed upon the wood by a spring roller
carried round with the flyer, substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frank Kingston, have hereunto set my hand
-and-seal, this Twenty-ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
FRANK KINGSTON. (L.S.)