Improvements in Means Applicable for Drying or Seasoning Timber or for similar Purposes.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Jan., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 31st Oct., 1889-Accepted, 30th Nov., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means Applicable for Drying or Seasoning Timber
or for similar Purposes.
I, JOHN WILLIAM SCOTT of Number 14, Holker Street Keighley in the County of
York, Timber Merchant, and Steam-Joinery Manufacturer do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows, that is to say :-
1t relates to improvements in means applicable for drying or seasoning
timber or for similar other purposes and consists of the employment of novel
devices whereby a current or currents of air of any desired temperature is or are
compelled to circulate in such a manner that it is or they are forced into contact with
all the outer surfaces of the varied pieces of timber or other substances placed in
position to be acted upon and that without in any way depending upon the natural
law of actions of heated-air to accomplish this object.
This attain by making use of any suitable building, chamber or shed along
two opposite walls of which I form a suitable cavity or air-chamber.
This cavity or air-chamber I preferably form by fixing a sheet metal covering at
any desired distance from the wall proper, and within this said chamber or cavity, I
place an appropriate number of pipes or quantity of piping which may be heated with
steam when and as desired.
Through the sheet metal covering forming the outer wall of the air-chamber, holes
or openings are made for the passage of said air, and these openings are so formed
that the sheet metal surrounding each of them is made to project outwardly in a
suitable shape so as to form a guide for and to conduct or govern the course of any air
that may be caused to pass there through.
The above described air-chambers are joined together by a cavity or fan-case
leading into the perforated chamber before described, the walls of which are not
perforated, and in an appropriate position within this supplementary air-chamber is
mounted any suitable air-propeller or fan to which motion is imparted from any class
or style of motor as will be readily understood.
From this it will be seen that when this air-propeller is put into operation the air
within the supplementary chamber or fan-case will be propelled in one direction, by
the fan pressing it down one perforated chamber while it exhausts the other, so that
the perforations or openings in the walls of said chambers allow a continued current or
circulation of air from one side to the other, and which may be heated by the steam
pipes as above described or not, as may be desired.
Within the room and the space intervening said opposing walls is placed the
timber or substance to be dried or seasoned. This placing of said substances being
such that air may have free access to each and every surface of each and every part,
which may be accomplished in any of the well known ways, in case timber should be
the substance, then this is attained by "skidding" it in the manner common and
well known.
Provided the room is only partly filled with substance to be seasoned, in order that
this may have the full benefit of the current of air, it is covered with a sheet or
sheets of suitable textile fabrics which is or are attached on each side of the room
to the upper edge of the air-chamber, and which by being pliable fall down to cover
the uneven as well as even parts of the upper surface of said substance, and thus the
current of air is guided to pass through same as will be readily understood.
The hereinbefore described arrangement of air-chambers may be varied in several
ways to effect the object desired without departing from the nature of this invention,
such for instance, as by arranging an additional chamber in about the centre of the
room, through which the air might be forced, the exhaust in this case being on each
side of the room, or vice versa.

page_text: Suitable doors or valves are mounted so that they may be opened or closed to
prevent the air passing into a greater or less portion of the air-chamber than is or may
be desired, or when only the one side is used the exhaust side may be shut off, and the
ingress air supplied from any other source.
Dated this 29th day of January 1880
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means Applicable for Drying or Seasoning Timber
or for similar Purposes.
I, JOHN WILLIAM SCOTT of Number 14 Kolker Street, Keighley in the County
of York, Timber Merchant, and Steam-Joinery Manufacturer 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, that is to
say:
It relates to improvements in means applicable for drying or seasoning timber
or for similar other purposes and consists of the employment of novel devices
whereby a current or currents of air of any desired temperature is or are compelled to
circulate in such a manner that same is or are forced into contact with all the outer
surfaces of the varied pieces of timber or other substances placed in position to be
acted upon and that without in any way depending upon the natural law of actions of
heated-air to accomplish this said object.
In order that my said invention may be more readily understood I have hereunto
appended sheets of drawings illustrative thereof to which by figures and letters
reference is made in the following description.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation shewing a chamber or cavity formed along or against one
of the walls of a room or shed. Fig. 2 is a sectional view shewing parts illustrative
by fig. 1. as seen from above. Fig. 3 is a similar view to fig. 2 but shews some
boards piled in front of the chamber or cavity. Fig. 4 is a sectional end view of
fig. 3. on line a b. Figs. 5 and 6 are portions of similar views to that shewn by
fig. 1.
Fig. 7 is plan view of a room shewing a modified arrangement of the chambers or
cavities. Figs. 8 and 9 are detail drawings hereinafter referred to.
Similar letters and figures of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several
views.
The object of this invention is attained by making use of any suitable building
chamber or shed, such as is illustrated by fig. 7, and placing along two opposite
walls c and d the air chambers e and f (see fig. 2) which may alone be used as herein-
after described or this arrangement might he modified as is shewn by said fig.
wherein an additional double air chamber g which is placed between the chambers e
and f, is employed.
These air chambers e and f I form by the employment of panels & constructed of
perforated sheet metal the perforations or holes of which may be varied in form as is
shewn by the several styles in the panels of fig. 1, and as regards the chamber
it is formed by baving a central partition g¹ the perforated panels being arranged
on each side thereof. These panels are supported by suitable framework / leaving a
passage e orf for the air, the top of which passage is covered as is shewn at 7
fig. 4.
When the air-chambers along the opposite sides of a room as at e and ƒ are alone
made use of, they are joined together by an additional chamber as shewn at m fig. 2
and air is made to circulate within said chamber e, and m by a rotary fan n (or
any suitable air propeller may be substituted for this fan n), the direction of motion
of said air in circulation being somewhat as is shown by the arrows in fig. 2, or in
other words, the air propeller i forces the air along the air chamber e, from which said
air escapes passing across the space o, entering the chamber thence it passes into the

page_text: chamber m from where it is exhausted or drawn by the propeller n to be forced
again into the chamber e.
When the arrangement of the air-chambers is as shewn by fig. 7, the propeller n is
placed so as to force the air down each side of the partition g' from whence it
travels across the spaces o¹ and o2 into the chamber e and respectively and is drawn
from these along the chambers m³ and m² to be again forced into the chamber g.
Again only one air-chamber e might be employed along which the air is forced
by the propeller n and again from which it passes but not to return, the supply
of air being obtained from other sources and preferably down an opening as at
fig. 1.
P
It will be seen that air at the ordinary temperature of the atmosphere might be
employed, but preferably it is heated and to accomplish this heating several arrange-
ments of steam pipes might be employed to meet the requirements of any of the varied
arrangements of air-chambers made use of, that is to say these steam pipes s may be
arranged along the walls a and b inside the chambers e and somewhat as is shewn by
fig. 8, or they might be arranged in front or somewhat gridform a out the propeller n
as shewn by fig. 7. st, or again they might be fixed in the opening either in grid form
as shewn in broken lines fig. 1, 2 or of the form shewn by fig. 3, 3. Or they might be
arranged in any other form provided they fall within the path of motion of the current
or currents of air moving towards or being drawn or propelled by the propeller
employed.
P
The propeller n is preferably arranged or mounted so that its axial centre will be in
line with the centre of the partition as shown by fig. 7 or with that of the chamber e as
shown by fig. 2 in order that the walls of said chambers may offer less resistance
to the motion of the propelled air.
The perforations or holes of the panels are formed as shown by detailed drawing
fig. 9, that is the sheet metal surrounding these holes is made to project outwardly
from the air-chamber e so as to guide the current of air passing therethrough and
direct its proper course outwardly.
Instead of these panels being formed of sheet metal as described they may be
arranged somewhat after the style shewn by fig. 5, which illustrates tiers of laths
formed to be operated in the same manner as pivoted louvre boards are operated.
Or again these laths may be arranged vertically as shewn by fig. 6, and still made to
open or close as desired. The objection to the bulk of the air tending to pass through
those panels farthest from the propeller by reason of a current of air always travelling
in a straight line unless influenced by some means or other, is overcome by mounting
guide pieces within the chambers e, f and y said guide pieces being respectively
formed to extend progressively further into said chambers as their respective positions
increase in distance from the propeller, in this manner that portion of the current of
air striking against each one of them is turned and passes out of the panel proceding
same and so the whole volume of propelled air is prevented from rushing against the
end wall of the chamber to be thereby turned or guided to pass through the end
panel.
In order to counteract the tendency that heated air has to rise, the privoted guide
boards u are mounted within the chambers e, for g as shewn by fig. 8, said
boards a being so arranged that by the handle v, they may be moved into any position
or placed at any angle to the horizontal or vertical plane of the air chamber in which
they are mounted and by any suitable contrivance as by a lock nut v (see fig. 10)
being mounted upon the axle shaft of said boards the position they are moved
into may be maintained, and by the employment of these boards the currents of
rising air may be diverted.
Provided the room or shed is only partly filled with timber or other substance to be
seasoned as is shewn by figs. 3 and 4, in order that this may have the full benefit of
the propelled current of air, it is covered with a sheet or sheets of suitable textile
material wo which is or are attached on each side of the room to the upper edge of the
air-chamber as is shewn by figs. 3 and 4, and by said sheets w being of pliable

page_text: material they fall by gravity and cover the uneven as well as even parts of the upper
surface of the substances being seasoned.
Provided only one part of any of the air-chambers e, f and g is desired to be
employed, doors are mounted within same so as to shut off the part not required.
When timber is the substance being seasoned, and by the uneven length of the
several pieces of said timber, an open space as shewn at y, fig. 3 is left between the
piles of said timber, the panels that are opposite this open space are closed and so
the volume of propelled air that would otherwise have passed through said panels is
utilized to better purpose by being made to pass through the other panels and so into
direct contact with the substances to be seasoned.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The use and employent of air chambers formed and arranged as herein set forth
for the purpose of enabling a current of air (heated or otherwise) to be circulated
substantially as specified and for purposes described.
2. The arrangement and formation of air-chambers such as e and f as shewn by
fig. 2, for the purpose of enabling the circulation of air by means of an air propeller
substantially as specified.
3. The arrangement and formation of the air-chambers e, f and gas shewn by
fig. 7 for the purpose of enabling the circulation of air by means of the propeller n
substantially as herein set forth and described.
4. The employment of the varied means as herein described for heating and circula-
ting air substantially as specified and for the purposes set forth.
5. The arrangement of the boards t and u in combination with their respective
chambers for guiding, equalizing or distributing air in circulation substantially as set
forth.
6. The sheet or sheets win combination with the several air chambers constructed
and arranged as herein described substantially as and for the
purposes specified.
7. The air chambers e ƒ and g arranged as described and panels constructed as
specified, in combination with said air chainbers substantially as set forth.
Dated this 30th day of October 1889.
J. W. SCOTT.
Per Samuel Hey, Agent.