Improvements in and relating to the Manufacture of Barrels, Casks, and the like.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Feb., 1894-Accepted, 17th Mar., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Manufacture of Barrels, Casks,
and the like.
I, CHARLES ELIS BRATT, of 47 Norrlandsgatan, Stockholm, in the Kingdom of
Sweden, Merchant, 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 :—
In the manufacture of barrels for containing dry goods as heretofore practised
the staves are considered as a raw material, these staves are previously prepared
only by sawing machines to a rectangular shape. In this state they are shipped
from the saw-mills to the places where they are to be used, and are kept in the open
air to dry for a year or more, thus requiring a large amount of space for stacking.
When they are to be used they are further prepared by two or more machines after
which they are ready to be put together.
By the use of my improved method and apparatus which forms the subject of the
present application, the above course of procedure will be totally changed. The staves,
heads and machines as well as the completed cask will be of novel construction and
the old method of putting the cask together by hand-labour will be re-placed by a
more rapid construction by machinery.
According to the present invention, the staves will be made complete at the saw-
mills, bundled and marked as a new article of merchandise, and will be dry and
prepared for immediate use at the place where they are to be made up. The said
staves will be put together with great rapidity by the machines hereinafter
described, to form barrels, which with regard to tightness, strength, cheapness and
appearance apparently answer all requirements.
It will thus be seen that by the use of my improved system I dispense with the'
use of skilled labour and big factories, moreover a stock of material is not required
at the barrel making factory and further no stackyards are needed.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figures 1, 2 and 3 are cross sections of staves constructed according to my said
invention.
Figure 4 is a vertical section of a barrel head constructed according to my said
invention.
Figure 5 is a plan of the same.
Figures 6, 7 and 8 show modifications of the improved barrel head.
Figure 9 is a cross section of Figure 5.
Figure 10 is a similar section showing a slight modification.
Figure 11 is a side elevation of an apparatus for assembling the staves.
Figure 12 is an end view thereof.
Figure 13 shows the assembled staves placed vertically before being tightened
up by driving in the last stave.
Figure 14 illustrates the assembled staves placed vertically before they are
tightened up driving in the double wedge.
Figure 15 is a side elevation of a machine for drawing in the ends of the barrel
showing the said barrel in place with the ends so drawn in.
Figure 16 is an end view of Figure 15.
Figure 17 is a detail of my improved end closing device.
Figures 18 and 19 illustrate my improved double wedge.
Figures 20 and 21 show the old form of staves.
Figure 22 shows the old method of assembling the staves.
Figure 23 shows form of cask head heretofore used.

page_text: Figure 24 is a view showing how the staves were heretofore assembled.
Figures 25 and 26 show the old method of fixing the heads.
In order to distinguish between the old system and my improved system, I will
very shortly describe first the old one.
The staves formed according to this old method, as shown in Figures 20 and 21,
are principally made only by sawing machines, giving flat surfaces and plane edges.
They are generally put together in the following manner. A number of staves,
above described and of different widths, are arranged in a setting up form as shown in
Figure 22, consisting in an outer and an inner hoop secured to the bottom of the
form, and a third sustaining hoop, supported above the first two by means of short
standards. In this form the staves are collected or set up stave after stave by hand,
with the lower ends between the lower hoops, until there is an opening in the
periphery for only one stave. Amongst the staves at hand of different widths, one
must now be selected to fit the last opening, which of course necessitates many
unsuccessful trials, loss of time and also prevents the accurate fitting of the staves.
The last stave being found and fitted to its place, two truss hoops are driven on the
lower part of the cask securely holding the staves at the lower end, after which it
is removed to a machine, by means of which the upper, free ends of the staves are
drawn together to close the sides of the barrel. For destroying the elasticity of
the staves and for enabling them to retain the bulged shape, even when the hoops
are removed, the barrel sides are burned or heated inside and then delivered to a
skilled labourer or cooper, who takes off the truss-hoop and puts in ordinary wooden
hoops, and also inserts the heads, generally consisting of two or more loose pieces,
Figure 23, fitted to the croze of the staves.
As the staves are flat outside they are touched by the wooden hoops only at the
corners as shown in Figure 24, leaving an opening between the hoop and the stave,
and thus weakening both of them. The crozing of the staves inside is made after
the sides are closed as in Figure 25, or one wooden hoop at the end of the cask is
fixed inside for the bottom to rest upon and another hoop on the outside at the top
of the head fixes it to the sides as in Figure 26. For opening this cask the removal
of the outside hoop is required, causing leakage and loss of time. This method is
more than a thousand years old and seems to require some improvements, to answer
the requirements of the present time.
The present invention is a radical departure from the above method of procedure
and it order that it may be more readily understood, I will now describe the same
with reference to drawings.
The said invention relates principally to the make of barrels for dry goods.
The staves will, as already mentioned, be prepared at the place of shipment by
sawing, moulding, matching-crozing or shouldering machines, making the staves
quite ready in every respect to be put together by machinery at the place at which
they are to be used. Figures 1, 2 and 3 show the improved staves in cross section
and Figures 4, 6, 7 and 8 show in longitudinal section modified forms of staves
and heads. Figures 4, and 5, represent a stave shouldered for a square edged head,
fixed by lining hoops, on the top. Figure 7 represents the same construction adapte
for conically edged heads, being fixed by a number of iron plates. The improved
stave is tapered off on the inside at both ends, and below the said taper part it has
a small vertical flat a adjacent to which is formed a groove b into which is fitt d
either a lining hoop Figures 4 and 5 or metal plates ee Figure 8 for fixing the
heads; next to the said groove is a flat surface c of the same length as the thickness
of the head and below this flat surface is a shoulder d for the head to rest upon.
If the head has a square edge as at c in Figure 4, the shoulder and the said flat
surface form a right angle; if the head has a conical shaped edge as at c. Figure 8,
the said flat surface and the shoulder form an obtuse angle.
By the use of this invention the heads can be removed, without removing the
outside hoop. Figures 6 and 7 show in longitudinal section another construction
of staves, in which a lining hoop is not needed. The stave is tapered off inside at
both ends; below the tapered part is a small vertical flat a and below the said flat

page_text: a groove b corresponding to the shape and thickness of the head. The upper edge
at a' of this groove is somewhat smaller than the corresponding lower edge at c, in
order to allow the said head to drop down upon the said lower edge which forms a
shoulder therefor, before the closing of the barrel, which is effected by driving
the outside hoop down from the top end of the barrel, thus compressing the ends of
the staves, firmly embracing the head and closing the barrel, as shown in Figure 7
and also in order to allow the removal of the head, when the said hoop has been
driven upwards, causing a small opening between the ends of the staves and another
opening at a between the head and the upper edge of the groove, while the head
is still resting upon its shoulder at c as shown in Figure 6. The edge of the head
may be square, conical or rounded, the groove b being made to correspond in shape
to the said head. The outside hoop need not be removed as now practised, for the
opening of the cask but only forced up a little, when the spring or elasticity of the
staves (not destroyed by the inside burning as at present) will cause a pressure of
the staves against the inside of the hoop and the above described openings, allowing
of the removal of the head. All these staves have their edges, tongued, grooved,
lapped or otherwise shaped to fit into each other. These tongues, grooves, and the
like have throughout the whole length of the staves exactly the same width and
shape, and do not diminish toward the ends.
Figure 5 represents a plan from above of a head of a barrel for dry goods,
shown in Figures 9 and 10, in cross section. This head consists principally of
three parts viz. the flat disc-shaped piece, divided at c into two parts a' and a² by
an oblique cut on the top of this divided bottom-piece is a cross-piece 6 fixed,
preferably by screws to both parts of the said disc-shaped pieces in such a manner,
that one screw, passing from below, fixes the piece a² to the cross-piece and another
screw passing from above fixes the other part a' to the cross-piece. The edge of
the head may be square, rounded or conical. The head so constructed is placed
upon its shoulder, the groove in the staves being made of a shape corresponding to
the edge of the head. The opening of a cask covered by this head is accomplished
by unscrewing the visible screw on the top; removing the cross piece and the
piece a attached thereto which, in consequence of the oblique cut is very easily
done. If desired I may use more cross-pieces and secure the same to the parts a¹
and a2 by any suitable number of screws.
If this head is to be used on the cask shown in Figures 4 and 8, the said cross-
piece should be of the same length as the diameter of the head; but if it is to
be used for a cask like that shown in Figure 6 the cross-piece is not made quite of
the same length as the diameter of the head, to allow the Hat, disc-shaped piece to
go into the groove.
The double wedge shown in Figures 18 and 19 consisting of two parts is together
equal to one of the above described staves, but the said wedge is divided diagonally,
the straight inner edges of the said parts being tongued, grooved or otherwise
interfitted in the same manner as the outer edges of these wedges and the edges of
all the other staves belonging to the same barrel.
The assembled staves can also be tightened by using a stave similar to the others
as a wedge, as shown in Figure 13.
For a small output the placing together of the staves can be effected by hand
and the barrel body may then, after being built up and before driving home the
wedge be placed vertically upon the ground as shown in Figures 13 and 14, but
where a larger output is necessary the whole of the work of building up the sides,
forcing home the wedges, closing the ends of the staves and putting in the heads is
accomplished by machinery while the staves are kept in the same original
horizontal position, and are not as at present, turned over and over again, in many
directions, which causes great loss of time.
The putting together of these staves and heads may be accomplished either by
hand or by machinery or partly by hand and partly by. machinery and by the use
of different methods, of which only those, will be described, which are novel.
Figure 11 is a side elevation and Figure 12 an end view of two semi-circular

page_text: wooden forms, in which two hoops of iron or other metal are arranged at a distance
from each other, corresponding to that which exists between the hoops on each
sile of the middle of the cask. A set of staves, above described is built up between
these hoops edge to edge, supported either by semi-annular upwardly turned bows,
placed at both ends of the staves, or by the hand of a labourer or by any other
kind of inside support, which would prevent the stave from collapsing. The last
opening for a stave is filled up preferably by the above described pair of wedges
Figures 18 and 19, of which one wedge first is driven, in from the one end of the
barrel, after which the other wedge is likewise driven in from the opposite end of
the barrel, see Figure 11.
The different manipulations during the course of a large output according to the
present system are as follows:-
The staves, in every respect quite ready as described are delivered bundled to
the side of a building up machine which instantly, horizontally builds up the staves
forming the sides of the barrel. At the side of this machine is another machine
(which does not form part of this invention) which receives the cask horizontally
and instantly forces the wedge home, closing the sides at the middle of the cask
water tight.
Next to, and in line with, this machine is the machine for drawing together the
ends of the staves (Figures 15 16 and 17) which consist of a table A, at each end
of which is fixed a drawing together hoop or strong metal elastic ring or band B
and Chaving a diameter about corresponding to but somewhat larger than the
periphery at the ends of the barrel to close. At a short distance from one end of
the said ring or band is fixed a lever D; near its pivot the said lever is connected
with a link E, provided with a screw passing through an iron angle-piece, which is
fixed to the ring at a short distance from the other end of the same. By means of
a nut on the other side of the angle the diameter of the ring may be adjusted to
suit different sized barrels.
When the said lever D is pulled down for closing the ring, the end F thereof
which is made very thin, will conveniently pass the upwardly turned opposite
end G of said ring without presenting any obstacle to the passage.
So far both rings are quite equal. The ring C is constantly fixed to a suitably
shaped support H while the other ring B is fixed to a movable fork, whose both
blades I, I are pivotally fixed to the bar K.
The operation of this machine is as follows
--
When, as described above, the cylindrical shaped body of the barrel has been
closed by wedging, the said cylinder is removed to and horizontally placed in this
machine, resting at the one end upon the support H and there embraced by the
ring C.
The ring B has previously been dropped down, horizontally resting upon
the support M; the cylinder being in the right position the ring B is lifted up to
its vertical position; both the levers are now pulled down at the same time,
drawing together both ends of the barrel, not fully, but just enough for giving
support to both heads, which are now simultaneously put in from cach of the open
ends of the barrel; both the levers are now pulled down, completely closing the
barrel the end hoops are then put on both of the free ends of the barrel, the
levers are lifted up, loosening the rings, the ring B is again dropped down upon
its support and the cask is removed from the machine. If they are to be adapted
for power both the levers are connected by a mechanism, by means of which the
rings are simultaneously opened or closed. All the above described operations for
putting together bulged casks are repeated about four times in every minute and
the staves are, during the whole course through and between the machines, kept
in an horizontal position, saving, in comparison with the old system, much time by
avoiding the frequent turning.
One set of the new machines will turn out about 2,000 casks daily, in a common
room of 20 to 25 feet. square. This quantity (of lower quality) would in the old
system require a big factory of two or three floors with about sixty skilled
workmen.

page_text: As will be gathered from this relation the staves, the heads, the method of
putting the same together, the complete barrel and the stave drawing together
machines are new,
considered in their details as well as in their whole combination.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what inanner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The improved staves for barrels as shewn in Figures 4 and 8 having the
inside at both ends tapered off, a small flat surface parallel to the outside of the
stave beneath this tapered part, a groove below this surface into which are fitted
lining hoops or metal plates for fixing the heads, another flat surface below the
said groove, forming either a right or an obtuse angle, and a shoulder upon which
the head with a corresponding square or conical edge will rest, the edges of these
staves being either tongued and grooved, lapped or otherwise interfitted throughout
the whole length of the staves.
2. The improved staves for barrels as shewn in Figures 6 and 7 having the
inside at both ends tapered off, a small flat surface below the said tapered part
substantially parallel to the outside of the stave, a groove below the said surface,"
the width and shape of which groove corresponds to the shape and thickness of
the head, the upper edge of the said groove being somewhat smaller than the
corresponding lower edge of same so as to form a shoulder for the head to rest
upon and in order to allow the said head to drop down upon the said shoulder
before the closing of the barrel by driving down the top hoop and in order to
allow of the removal of the head when the said hoop has been driven upwards,
just enough for causing a small opening between the head and the stave, so that
the edge of the head clears the upper edge of the groove, the said hoop still
gripping the top of the barrel, the edges of the staves being tongued, grooved,.
lapped, or otherwise interfitted, throughout the whole length of the staves.
3. The improved heads for barrels, for dry goods as shown in Figures 5, 9.
and 10 which heads have either square conical, or rounded edges and consists
principally of three parts viz. the flat disc or head divided into two parts the line.
of division being oblique in transverse section one or more cross-pieces on the top-
of the said disc fixed thereto preferably by screws to both parts of the said disc
in such a manner, that one or inore screws pass from below to fix one part of the
disc to the cross-piece and one or more screws pass from above, to fix the other
part of the disc to the said cross-piece, the said disc having its edge made square,.
rounded or conical, the opening of a cask covered by this head being accomplished
by unscrewing the top screw, removing the cross-piece and that part of the disc
attached to the same.
4. The method of making bulged barrels casks or similar articles, which consists.
in arranging a set of staves having a greater width in the middle than at the ends,
within one or more hoops resting in a form or forms or supports at or on both
sides of, and near the middle of the barrel, then firmly compressing the staves by
locking the same, within the said hoop or hoops, and drawing both the ends of the
staves simultaneously together to the desired diameter and finishing the barrel.
5. The method of making bulged barrels or similar articles, which consists in.
forming a set of prepared staves, having a greater width at the middle than at
the ends, cylindrically between one or more hoops at the middle of the barrel or
on both sides of the middle and near thereto preventing the gradually increasing
upper part of the sides from collapsing either by semi-circular, upwardly turned
bows placed at the ends of the barrel or by one or more supports arranged inside
or by the hand of one of the labourers then closing these cylindrically formed
sides by forcing in the last stave from one end of the barrel between the other
staves and hoop or hoops until the said forced stave has reached a position
corresponding to the other staves in the same barrel and then drawing both ends.
of the stares in the barrel at the same time together and simultaneously therewith.
inserting both heads so that they rest on their shoulders and finishing the barrel.

page_text: 6. The method of making bulged barrels or similar articles, which consists in
arranging a set of staves having a greater width at the middle than at the ends,
cylindrically between one or more hoops at the middle of the barrel or on both
sides of the middle and near thereto; then closing the cylindrically-formed sides
by means of a wedge which is similar to one of the staves, the said wedge being
divided obliquely to form two parts having their adjacent straight edges tongued
and grooved like the outer curved edges of the wedge as well as all the other
staves, one part of the wedge being forced from each end of the barrel so as to
firmly compress all the staves between the centrally located hoop or hoops; then
drawing both ends of the staves at the same time together and putting on hoops at
both ends at the same time and simultaneously therewith placing the heads upon
their shoulders and closing and finishing the barrel, the said barrel during the
whole of the operation being kept in the same horizontal position.
7. A bulged cask or barrel, the novelty of which consists therein that it is
manufactured from staves having a greater width at the middle than at the ends,
and the edges tongued and grooved or lapped or otherwise interfitted throughout
the whole length of the staves, the sides being tightly closed by one or more
wedging staves forced from the end or ends of the barrel and firmly compressing
the staves between the centrally located hoop or hoops, the said staves for this
barrel and also the heads thereof being as described in Claims 1, 2 and 3.
8. A machine for simultaneously drawing together both ends of a cylindrically-
shaped barrel to a bulged form of the desired diameter at the ends, consisting
principally in two open elastic rings or bands a lever connected to each of the
said rings at a short distance from the end thereof a link, pivoted to the said
lever and having at its opposite end a screwed rod passing through an aperture
in an angle piece attached to the ring near the opposite end thereof and a nut
or nuts for adjusting the diameter of the ring to suit the diameter of the end of the.
barrel to be manufactured.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.