IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SHAPING WOOD BY HEATED MOULDS to be as follows
Year: 1885

page_text: I ALEXANDER GRAFTON of 113 Cannon Street in the City of London, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR SHAPING WOOD BY HEATED MOULDS to be as follows
"
1
This Invention relates to improvements in apparatus for carrying out the process
of producing ornaments or figures on wood by the pressure of heated moulds
I construct the moulds with a longitudinal Channel at back and construct the
base of the press with a flue or flues extending the whole length of the mould over
which the hollow ba k of the mould is seated so as to completely cover the Flue
The flue is lined with firebrick and is in communication on the one hand with a
furnace and on the other with a chimney and the mould and flue may be provided
with suitable baffles or ribs to prolong the contact of the hot blast with the mould
I provide a closed furnace supplied with fuel through an air lock and receiving
a blast from a blower the heat being conducted direct to the mould as above
described
The fan inlets extend along each side of the mould and in such close proximity
thereto that the smoke and flames arising from the combustion of the wood are
forced along with fresh air through the furnace thence to the mould and finally to
the Chimney
The framework of the piess is made "open jawed' like that of a punching and
she ring Machine and the follower is operated by two or more hydraulic iams the
iams being so connected by a system of levers and connecting rods as to equalize
the pressure of each ram over the whole length of the follower and maintain the
parallelism of its motion
My invention has amongst others the following advantages
1 The faces of the moulds are not exposed to the furnace gases so that the
fine edges will not be burnt and the surfaces can be got up bright and will in
consequence produce infinitely better work than rough castings

page_text: 2 The moulds can be constantly maintained at one uniform heat and the
impressions will be alike, heat 18 economised and none is absorbed by the follower
of the press
3 The cooling of the moulds and the liability of Accident in handling them as
in the independent furnace system 18 obviated and two thirds of the labor saved
4 All smoke is carried off from the press so that the men can work with
comfort
I ALEXANDER GRAFTON of 113 Cannon Street in the City of London Engineer
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
This Invention relates to improvements in apparatus for carrying out the process
of producing ornaments or figures on wood by the pressure of heated moulds
My invention consists essentially in a press having a bed or base, for the support
of the mould, so constructed as to enable the heated gases from a furnace to be
brought into direct contact with the underside of the mould seated upon it, and in
the combination with a press so constructed, of a furnace, and means of maintaining
a continuous flow of heated gases in contact with the mould and of carrying off
the smoke and gases generated by the charring of the wood, whereby the following
amongst other advantages are obtained
1 The faces of the moulds are not exposed to the furnace gases as when heated
within a furnace, so that the fine edges and details of the mould face will not be
burnt The faces of the moulds can therefore be got up bright and kept so, and
will in consequence produce infinitely better work than rough castings
2 The moulds can be constantly maintained at the same heat, and the impressions
which they yield will be consequently more uniform, greater certainty of result
being thus ensured, whilst less skill and judgment on the part of the workman are
required

page_text: 3 The cooling of the moulds in transferring them from the furnace to the press,
and the liability of accident in handling them, as in the independent furnace
system, are obviated, both heat and labor being thus economised
4 The heat of the moulds is not absorbed by the follower of the press
5 All smoke is carried off from the press so that the men can work with
comfort
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
Specification wherein figure 1 is a front elevation figure 2 a plan and figure 3 an
elevation in cross section (on line 1-1 figure 1) of the press and furnace The
same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures
The framework A of the press 18 made "open jawed" like that of a punching
and shearing machine, as shown in figure 3, and power is applied to the follower B
at one or more, preferably two, points the pressure being by preference obtained by
the use of two inverted bydraulic rams C, one near either end of the follower, the
two ends of the follower being so connected by a system of elbow levers D pivoted
on the framing A, and connecting rods E, as to maintain the parallelism of the
motion of the follower, by causing any excess of pressure of the one ram over that
of the other to be transferied to the opposite end of the follower, thus virtually
equalizing the pressure of each ram over the whole length of the follower
The bed F of the press, upon which the mould is supported, is constructed with
a flue G (or flues) the said flue opening out through the top of the bed, but being
completely covered by the mould when seated in position thereon
This open
mouthed flue extends beneath the whole length of the mould, and is in com-
munication, on the one hand (preferably by an up cast flue H at the middle of its
length) with a furnace I, and on the other hand (preferably by down cast flues K
at either end) with a chimney L
The upper face of the mould M is a counter part in reverse of the design to be
produced It is preferably cast hollow at back and the thickness of the metal is
made as nearly uniform and as small as possible regard being had to the pressure it
has to sustain The mould is thus of approximately arched form in cross section
and the edges of its sides and ends fit upon a suitable seat m provided for it on the
bed, the hollow or chauneled back of the mould thus fitting closely over and
completely enclosing the mouth of the flue G
The form of the flue G and its connection with the downcast flues K as repre-
sented in dotted sectional outline in figure 1 is such as to cause the hot gases from
the furnace to impinge against and travel along the entire length of the mould thu<
heating it uniformly and continuou ly The bed of F 15 constructed of castings of
a form adapted to form seat for the mould and to resist the pressure of the rams,
these castings being lined with firebrick to protect them from the heat
The furnace I is closed and supplied with fuel through an air-lock N, and
receives at O a blast from a blower (not shown) the heat being conducted direct to
the flue G in the bed by which it is brought in contact with the mould The flue
connecting the furnace with flue G is provided with a damper P and also with a
direct connection with the chimney also controlled by a damper to enable the
current of the heated gases to be diverted whilst changing the mould on the bed
The fan or blower inlet is in connection by flues R and stand pipes S with
flattened nozzles T extending along each side of the mould and in such close
proximity thereto that the smoke and flames arising from the combustion of the
wood are drawn, along with fresh air, into the fan or blower and forced through
the furnace, thence to the underside of the mould, and finally to the chunney
In order to prolong the contact of the hot blast with the mould, and utilize the
heat to the utmost, the mould may be cast with transverse ribs extending across its
hollow or channeled back, and the flue G may have baffles alternating with said
ribs so as to cause the bot blast to take a zigzag course in which it is repeatedly
deflected directly aдainst the mould
I do not limit myself to the use of hydraulic power but may employ steam or
mechanical power

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1 A press having a bed for the support of a mould constructed with a flue
opening at the top of the bed and beneath the mould seated thereon and com-
municating with suitable inlet and outlet flues substantially as described and shown
in the drawings whereby a blast of heated gases may be brought into direct
contact with the underside of the mould whilst the same is in use
2 A press having a bed for the support of a mould constructed with a flue
opening at the top of the bed and beneath the mould seated thereon and com-
municating with suitable inlet and outlet flues, and the combination therewith of a
closed furnace and blower whereby a blast may be continuously brought into
direct contact with the underside of the mould substantially as described and
shown in the drawings
3 In the operation of shaping wood by burning by means of heated moulds, the
employment of air suction inlets extending along each side of the mould and in
close proximity thereto, substantially as herein described and shown in the
drawings, said inlets being in connection with a suitable exhauster for the purpose
carrying off the smoke &°
of
4 The combination of a press having a hollow bed constructed, as herein
specified, a closed furnace and blower in communication with such hollow bed, for
heating a mould thereon as descubed, and of inlets extending along and in
proximity to either side of the mould and in connection with the suction inlet of
the fan for the purpose of carrying off the smoke & and passing the same through
the furnace, substantially as described and shown in the drawings
5 In a press in which power is applied to the follower at one or more points,
the combination with the follower of a system of levers as herein described and
shown in the drawings for maintaining the parallelism of the motion of the
follower, as specified