Improvements in Carving Machines for Wood and other Mouldings and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Carving Machines for Wood and other Mouldings
and the like.
We, HENRY MARLES, of 72, Cobden Road, Brighton, in the County of Sussex,
Mechanic, and GEORGE WELLER BUTT, of Wilbury, Littlehampton, in the County
of Sussex, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
In our Patent Specification No. 28,449 of 1897 we described improvements in
machines for carving or engraving repeat ornaments or patterns on wood mould-
ings and the like whereby the work is executed very quickly and so well that no
touching up by hand or even sand papering is needed. The object of our present
invention is to further improve the action of wood carving machines in general
and our said machines in particular, and for rendering the same more useful for
carving certain patterns.
In our aforesaid machines we employ a step by step feed in combination with
a step by step action of the tools which are so arranged in one or more sets in the
tool-holders on reciprocating slides that the tools in each set have a step by step
or consecutive action one tool making the first cut and the next tool in that
set making a deeper cut or a cut in another part of the pattern, so that the con-
tours of the pattern become sharp and the finished surfaces smooth without
splinters or roughness. We provide an improved feed mechanism which while
especially suitable for fine or small patterns and for hard wood is also suitable
for large patterns and soft wood. For this purpose we employ an endless band
or strap of steel or other suitable material similar to an ordinary band saw but
without the usual cutting teeth upon its edge, said band being passed round a
vertical pulley at each end of the machine framing the upper horizontal part
of the band passing along on the bed of the machine and the lower horizontal
part of the band passing underneath the bed, or both pulleys may be placed at
one end, the bearings of one of the pulley spindles being provided with means
for adjusting the tension of the band as required.
Upon the outer surface of the band upon which the moulding is carried we
provide slightly projecting teeth at convenient distances in the length and in
the width. These teeth may be formed out of the substance of the steel band
by making converging slits therein and turning up the tongues so formed.
The tongues may have pin-pointed or chisel-pointed biting edges for entering
the underside of the said moulding and thus ensuring a positive accurate feed
without chance of slip, or the said teeth may be formed by inserting small
spikes in the band.
To prevent the slipping or creeping of the band upon the driving pulley, the

page_text: said pulley may be provided with cogs or pins arranged upon its periphery to
engage with holes or openings in the said band.
As an alternative, a chain having similar teeth may be used in place of the
afore described band.
Or, instead of teeth the chain or band may be provided with upstanding flanges
or stops to abut against the end of each succeeding length of moulding for the
purpose of feeding it through the machine.
This same feed mechanism may also be used for any other type of carving
machine for which it may be suitable.
For producing cuts of a curved form and especially for making the necessary
convex cuts for the egg shaped part of the ornament in the so called " egg and
tongue" pattern and instead of the tools acting in the manner described with
reference to tools K 5 Figs. 12 and 13 of our aforesaid patent specification, we
provide cutting tools having also a curved direction of motion but adapted to rise
clear of the work at the completion of the cutting stroke, so that the moulding
which is being operated upon may be fed forward the required distance before
the said tools come again into contact with the work on the moulding.
In one arrangement and for making the aforesaid egg and tongue pattern or
for patterns such as Fig. 13 in the aforesaid specification we use two tools
operating in opposite directions upon two different eggs, each tool making a
circular downward cut from the centre of the crown of one of the eggs towards
the side in a plane parallel to the length of the moulding instead of as pre-
viously described where one icol only is used operating in a plane at right angles
to the length of the moulding. Each toolholder is worked by a separate pendant
har from an upright reciprocating slide to which it is jointed at its upper end,
the lower end of the said pendant bar being jointed to one end of a link upon
which is the toolholder for carrying the required cutting tool. The other end
of this link is jointed to a lever which latter has its fulcrum on a pin which is
adjustably fixed to the bed of the machine. When the said upright reciprocating
slide is in its highest position the pendant bar with its link and lever are
straightened out almost in line with each other, but as the slide descends with the
pendant bar the aforesaid toolcarrying link and the lever are folded up hinge-
wise until they meet in which position the cutting edge of the tool upon the link
just comes in contact with the moulding. The end of the link where the pendant
bar is jointed thereto now overhangs the fulcrum pin of the lever so that the
further descent of the said slide with the pendant bar compels the link and lever
which abut against each other to turn together upon the fulcrum pin of the said
lever. Thus the cutting edge of the tool upon the link is made to describe an
are the radius of which is dependent upon the distance between the said cutting
edge and the centre of the fulcrum pin of the lever. This arc forms one half
of the required egg oval.
To ensure the link and Jever folding up as required when the pendant bar
descends the latter may have a spring which tends to keep the said pendant
bar in a nearly perpendicular position. Suitably shaped guides may also be
provided to prevent deviation from the proper course. When the cutting edge
of the tool has reached the lowest point which is the base of the egg oval, the
aforesaid upright reciprocating slide ascends carrying with it the pendant bar
with its link and lever which return to their nearly upright position through the
same course as that followed in their descent.
·

page_text: passing through its end flange is united to a disc 13 that is fixed on the end of
the crank shart S. The bolt holes in the disc 13 are twelve in number, and the
holes in the flange of the three-stepped pulley 12 are ten in number, so that these
two parts forming a clutch can be relatively adjusted by shifting them round
and inserting the two bolts in new holes, and when the clutch is undone
the right hand part of the machine is detached; this may be done when the tools
at that end are not needed for the particular kind of moulding to be carved.
It will thus be understood that the crank of the shaft 6 can by the slotted link 7
be adjusted angularly relatively to the crank of the shaft 8, that the crank of
the shaft S can by the clutch be adjusted angularly relatively to the crank of
the shaft 9, and that the crank of the shaft 9 can by the slotted link 10 be
adjusted angularly relatively to the crank of the shaft 11. Besides this driving
shaft, consisting of the crank shafts 6, 8, 9 and 11, there is a crank shaft 12T
which by tooth wheels 13 and 14, is driven from the aforesaid driving shaft.
Bearings are provided on the framing for the shafts as shown.
Motion is transmitted from the cranks by connecting rods 15, which by means
of screwed sleeves 16 and right and left hand screw threads are made adjustable
in length. These connecting rods are similar, although not shown in each place
for the sake of clearness. They serve to reciprocate certain slides provided
with carving tools. All the slides are not shown in place for the sake of clear-
ness, but it will be understood that generally speaking a vertical slide co-operates
with a horizontal slide, the two being driven from two adjoining cranks, viz.:
the cranks of the shafts 6 and 8, and the cranks of the shafts 9 and 11. Although
only two such sets of cranks are shown, the machine may be made with more,
its length being correspondingly increased. Two fly-wheels 17 are mounted on
the driving-shaft.
On the frames 3 and 4 are provided bearings 18 and 19 for two shafts 20; on
these shafts are fixed pulleys 26. The bearing 19 is adjustable.
On the machine framing are fixed sets of vertical brackets 22 and horizontal
consoles 23-viz., a set at the right hand end and a set at the left hand end-
but for the sake of clearness the horizontal bracket 23 is omitted at the left in
Fig. 1, but shown at the right. The brackets 22 carry each a slide 24 working
in dovetail guides, and the brackets 23 carry each a slide 25 working in dovetail
guides. The slides each carry a tool chuck, with one or more sets of tools, the
tools in each set being so set in a row that they, two or more of them, act pro-
gressively that is to say, one making an initial cut to a certain depth and the
next thereupon deepening the initial cut, moreover the tools in the chuck on one
slide, generally the vertical one 24, making an incision by consecutive operations
as stated, and the tools in the chuck on the other slide, generally the horizontal
one 25, scooping out by consecutive operations the material within the contour
of the vertical cut. The cranks are preferably arranged as shown, so that the
tools in two slides, a horizontal and a vertical, are alternately brought in con-
tact with the moulding, but the tools converging towards the same place in the
wood, so that when one set of tools has left the wood the other set enters it. The
chips thus become detached. The brackets 22 and 23 are not fixed directly upon
the machine framing, but respectively upon angle brackets 27 and 28 fixed on
the latter, and slots and screws are provided on the angle brackets for adjustment
in the vertical, horizontal, and angular directions. Moreover, the angle brackets
themselves are adjustable respectively by means of screws 29 and 30.
2
Upon the vertical slide 24 at the "left hand end of the machine are provided
links and levers carrying a pair of tools for making the curved cuts that are
required for the rounded egg-shaped parts of the so-called egg and tongue
pattern or the like. The two tools work in opposite directions, starting from the
crown of an egg and cutting downwards in a circular vertical plane parallel with
the lengths of the moulding. The distance between the tools is such as to allow
each tool to operate on a different "egg," so that one-half is cut by the first tool
in one direction, whereupon the moulding is fed forward until the half-finished

page_text: egg" comes under the second tool, which then cuts the second half by a similar
operation, but in the opposite direction. The cutting tools are made to rise clear
of the moulding after each cut, so that the moulding can be fed forward; 31
31 are two pendent bars pivoted at their upper end to the slide 24 and jointed at
their lower end each to one end of a link 32 upon which is the tool-holder carry-
ing the required cutting tool 35*. The other end of this link 32 is jointed to
a lever 33, which latter has its fulcrum pin 34 on a piece 35 that is adjustably
fixed on the framing of the machine. For this purpose the holes for the fixing
bolts 36 are so much larger that the pieces 35 can be shifted a little both vertically
and horizontally. When the slide 24 is in its highest position, as in Fig. 4,
the pendent bar 31 with its link 32 and lever 33 are opened out, but as the slide
descends with the pendent bar 31, the tool carrying link 32 and the lever 33 are
folded up hingewise as shown in Fig. 6, and then as shown in Fig. 1, while the
lower prolongation 37 of the bar 31 slides against .the fulcrum bosses of the
lever 33 until the link 32 and lever 33 meet together as in Fig. 6. In the
position Fig. 6 the cutting edge of the tool on the link just comes in contact with
the moulding and commences to operate thereon. The end of the link 32 where
the pendent bar 31 is jointed thereto now overhangs the fulcrum pin 34 of the
lever, so that the further descent of the slide 24 with the pendent bar 31 compels
the link and lever which abut against each other to turn together upon the
fulcrum pin 34 of the lever. Thus the cutting edge of the tool upon the link is
made to describe an arc, the radius of which is dependent upon the distance
between the said cutting edge and the centre of the fulcrum pin 34. This are
forms one-half of the required egg oval.
To insure that the link and lever fold up as required when the pendent bars 31
descend, the latter may have a spring, such for instance as the spring 38 which
tends to keep the said bars 31 in a nearly perpendicular position. Suitably
shaped guides may also be provided to prevent deviation from the proper course.
When the cutting edges of the tools have reached the lowest point, as in Fig. 1,
which is the base of the egg oval, the slide 24 ascends, the bars 31, links 32, and
levers 33 resuming their original unfolded position (Fig. 4).
The aforesaid crank shaft 12+operated by tooth wheels 13 and 14 operates a
horizontal slide 25ª, just like the horizontal slide 25 and driven in a similar
manner that is to say, by a connecting rod adjustable in length like the con-
necting rods 15, 16. The slide 25 works in guides on the adjustable fixed
bracket 23. To the horizontal slide 25 at the left hand end of the machine are
connected links 50+ which are each jointed to a double-armed lever 51, that
carries a tool 52 for a curved cutting action.
The feed is, for the reason stated above, effected by a toothed endless steel
band below the moulding. This endless band 39 shown in Fig. 1 and in the
detail views Figs. 7 and 8, passes round the vertical pulley 26 at each end of the
machine. The forward pulley is formed with teeth 40 while the pulley at the
rear end is plain. The band 39 is, as shown, provided with holes 41 with which
the pulley teeth 40 engage. The band has holes punched into it so as to form
tongues which are turned up to form teeth 43, the ends of which are filed off
sharp so as to readily enter the underside of hard wood mouldings or any other
mouldings; the mouldings as they pass through the machine are thus positively
held and carried forward by the teeth in the band, and the band is positively
carried forward without slip by the teeth 40 on the left or forward pulley 26.
At the same time the moulding is held down against the toothed band by means
of presser feet 44 and two springs 45 attached at their upper ends to the
bracket 22. Clips 46 fixed on the slide 24 so act on the springs that they only
depress the feet 44 during part of the descent of the slide, while at other times
the work of the feed is unhindered, thus also preventing the band teeth 43 from
tearing in the wood lengthways in case of soft wood. The bearing 19 of the
rear pulley spindle is adjustable by means of screws so as to give the endless
band 39 the required tension. The left hand wheel 26 is formed with an internal

page_text: tooth rim into which gears a tooth pinion 48, which is fixed on the shaft 47 that
carries the worm wheel 49. This latter gears with an irregular worm 50 on the
shaft 11. This worm has about two-thirds of its thread straight or running in
a plane perpendicular to the axis of the shaft, and the one-third of its thread
pitched helically or obliquely thereon. Thus when rotating the right angled
part of the thread in passing between the teeth of the worm wheel 49 holds the
same stationary; but when the pitched part of the thread is passing between the
said teeth the worm wheel is caused to rotate, and the worm is so arranged on
the driving shaft 11 that its pitched or operative part takes effect only when
the tools are out of the wood. Instead of a belt engaging by holes with teeth
on a round pulley, a chain may be used working on many sided polygonal pulleys,
the chain being provided with teeth that grip into the moulding.
The body 60 of the chuck is as described in our aforesaid previous patent
specification formed with a V groove 61 along each side and is adjustably held
in a longitudinal groove in the slide 24 (or 25) by means of the V shaped
clamps 62 and the set screws 79. Or the body 60 might be made of ordinary
dovetail shape and the clamp 62 of a shape to suit. The chuck body 60 has up-
standing side pieces 63 between which the two sets of tools 64, 64 and 65, 65
(or a less or greater number of such) are located, resting it may be on packing
pieces 66, 67, 68, 69, and with intermediate blocks all as required. The tools
at their back ends abut against set screws 70 in the upstanding flange 71. The
tools are held down by set screws 72 tapped in the cross bars 73, which latter
are fixed to the side pieces 63 by means of screws 74. The tools are set forward
severally by means of the set screws 70. The whole chuck with its tools is set
up to the work by the screw 76 which at one end is attached to the chuck and
passes between lugs 77 on the slide 24 and is adjusted and fixed by nuts 78. The
distinguishing feature of this chuck is that it can be bodily removed for sharpen-
ing the tools in a quick and convenient manner without disturbing the adjusted
position of the tools, that is to say-by merely slackening one of the nuts 78
and screwing back two set screws 79 on the same side. It is usually more ad-
vantageous to employ duplicate chucks with tools, so that when the tools in one
chuck have lost their sharp cutting edges, the entire chuck is removed and at
once replaced by the duplicate one having tools already sharpened, so that no
time is lost.
At the right hand end of the machine where the moulding to be carved is a
entered is fixed a bracket or standard 52, Figs. 1 and 9, wherein is mounted an
arm 53, which by a screw 54 can be raised and lowered. From this arm is hung
a presser roller 55 by means of rods 56, formed with shoulders which bear against
helical springs 5. This roller presses the moulding somewhat elastically
against the band which passes underneath it, the underside of the moulding
being gripped by the teeth 43 of the feed band 39. One or more adjustable
fences or lateral guides 58 are provided for guiding the moulding sideways along
the front, while a suitable fence is similarly provided along the back.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is;-
1. An improved machine for carving wood-mouldings, or the like, consisting
of a framing, brackets 22, 22 angularly adjustable thereon, brackets 23, 23, 23*
also angularly adjustable thereon, slides 24, 24, 25, 25ª adapted to work in guides
on said brackets, a tool-holding device on each slide, connecting rods 15, 16
with length adjustment for reciprocating the slides, a driving shaft made in
parts each provided with a crank-riz., i, 8, 9, 11-drag links 1,10 for connect-
ing the cranks, each link provided with a slot for angular relative adjustment
of the cranks, a crank shaft 12× driven by gearing from the driving shaft and a
connecting rod therefrom to the slide 25ª, a clutch made in parts 12 and 13
relatively angularly adjustable and disconnectable when only part of the machine

page_text: is to be worked, means for intermittently feeding the moulding through the
machine without slip, and elastic means for holding down the moulding, sub-
stantially as set forth.
2. In a wood-moulding carving machine an endless perforated band 39 (or a
chain), pulleys 26, 26 one of them having teeth engaging with the belt perfora-
tions (or two many-sided pulleys), means for adjusting the tension of the belt,
teeth on the belt (or chain) which grip into the underside of the moulding, a
roller 55 depressed by a spring against the upper side of the moulding, feet 44
for elastically holding down the moulding, and worm-wheel gearing 49, 50 for
intermittently actuating the endless belt 39, substantially as set forth.
3. In a wood-carving machine the combination with a vertically reciprocated
slide 24 of two pendent bars 31, a tool carrying link 32 jointed to the lower end
of each, a lever 33 jointed to the other end and having its fulerum 34 on the
machine framing, the tool on each link serving to carve one half of an egg oval,
substantially as set forth.
4. In a wood-moulding carving machine the combination of a crank shaft 8,
a crank shaft 9, a clutch 18 fixed on the former, a clutch cone 12 fixed on the
latter, the disc having twelve holes, the cone having ten holes, and two bolts
for joining the said disc and cone, which can thereby be angularly shifted
relatively to each other and also wholly disconnected from each other, subsian-
tially as set forth.
5. In a wood-moulding carving machine the combination of an upright
bracket 22, a vertically reciprocated slide 24 guided thereon, how-shaped springs
45 attached to each side of the bracket and provided with presser feet 44, and
elips on the side for intermittently depressing said feet against the wood-moulding
substantially as set forth.
6. In a wood carving machine an endless perforated band (or chain) passing
over pulleys at each end, one of them having teeth engaging with the belt per-
forations (or two many-sided pulleys), means for adjusting the tension of the
belt, teeth on the belt (or chain), which grip into the underside of the moulding,
means for elastically holding down the moulding against the pulley at the
entry end and against the bed, and means for intermittently actuating the endless
belt, substantially as set forth.
Dafad this Fouriconth day of March 1000
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.