IMPROVEMENTS IN SAND PAPERING MACHINERY
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Allen Ransome, of King's Road, Chelsea, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SAND PAPERING MACHINERY."
Sealed the 28th March 1873, and dated the 1st October 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Allen Ransome at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 1st October 1872.
I, ALLEN RANSOME, of King's Road, Chelsea, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SAND PAPERING MACHINERY," to be as follows :-
1
This Invention consists in several improvements in machinery for
smoothing and polishing wood by means of rotary discs or wheels having
abrading or grinding faces consisting of emery, glass, or sand paper, or
other suitable material.
It relates, first, to constructing the frames of such machines with
tubular sections of iron, so that such framing while serving to support
the working parts of the machine will constitute conducting pipes
through which the dust may be drawn off and removed by suction.

page_text: Secondly. To an improved method of constructing the wheels or discs
for holding sand, glass, or emery paper. A ring of openings is made
through the disc near its periphery to receive holding forms that clamp
and stretch the paper. These holding forms are made with a bevilled
face, the bevil being upwards towards the advancing edge so that the
wear of the grinding surface will be evenly distributed over the whole
face. An elastic band is placed under the paper near its edges, so that
it will while the paper is being clamped serve by its friction of contact
to stretch the paper firmly over the face of the holding form. The
holding forms are held in place by clips of any suitable construction.
Thirdly. To the application of a counterweight and spring to the
grinding disc for the purpose of regulating the pressure upon the wood
and to accommodate inequalities in the thickness. The shaft of the
polishing disc carries between fixed collars a threaded sleeve, into which
takes a threaded nut, which is supported in a fixed bearing of the
framing so as to allow of its moving freely therein. The upper end of
this nut terminates in a hand wheel, and immediately below the wheel
it is embraced by a split collar, which is connected by pivot screws to
the forked end of a weighted lever. The tendency of the weighted lever
is to lift the nut, and with it the driving shaft and polishing disc, but
as a counter action to the downward dead pressure of the uncounter-
poised portion of the weight of the shaft and its accessories a coiled
spring is applied to the shaft to assist in keeping the polishing disc in
contact with the work. Any irregularity however in the thickness of
the work will force up the disc, the spring yielding for the purpose and
thus preventing the derangement of the machine. To adjust the machine
to various thicknesses of work it is only necessary to turn the hand wheel
of the threaded nut, when the disc may be raised or lowered to the
required position.
Fourthly. To the arranging of several discs around a common axis,
such discs having a rotation upon their own axis and at the same time
revolving around the common axis. The bearings of these discs are
carried by a central shaft, chains, or bands from a pulley on which serve
to give rotary motion to the discs.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Allen Ransome in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 1st April 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALLEN
RANSOME, of King's Road, Chelsea, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-sixth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Allen Ransome, Her special licence that I,
the said Allen Ransome, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Allen Ransome, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SAND PAPERING
MACHINERY," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Allen
Ransome, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Allen Ransomc, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):-

page_text: Fig. 2 in transverse vertical section a smoothing machine in which a
single disc is employed; Figures 3 and 4 shew this disc detached and on
an enlarged scale, Fig. 3 being a top or plan view of the disc, and Fig. 4
a cross section of the same.
The wood to be operated upon is traversed slowly under the disc while
the disc is in rapid rotation, and by this means the upper surface of the
wood is brought under the action of the disc. This traverse of the wood
is effected by fixing it on a travelling table A, supported on rollers a,
which are free to turn in bearings cast on the main frame B; at the
opposite ends of this framing are chain wheels b, over which pass the
opposite ends of a chain c, which is wound around a grooved pulley C,
keyed on to a transverse shaft C', which has its bearings in the framing B
at about the middle of the machine; the opposite ends of the chain c
are connected to the opposite ends of the traversing table A. When
therefore rotary motion is imparted to the grooved pulley C the table
will traverse the work that is fixed on it under the action of the
rotary disc. This disc, shewn at D, is made fast to a vertical shaft D',
which carries at its upper end a pulley D² for driving the disc. This
shaft D' is supported in bearings in the standard B' of the framing B,
which standard is cast hollow to form exhaust passages for carrying off
the dust produced during the action of the machine; connected with a
flanged opening at the upper end of the standard is an exhaust pipe E
which leads to an exhaust fan or pump of any approved construction.
The shaft D' is so mounted in its bearings that it is free to move endwise
therein for the purpose of adjusting the disc D to the requirements of
the work; for this purpose its weight is partially sustained by a balance
lever F, which has its fulcrum on a bracket projecting from a central
standard b', supported by the base of the standard B'. The shaft D' is
fitted with a hollow shaft D³ (see the enlarged sectional elevation Fig. 5,
and the sectional plan Fig. 6); this shaft has a screw thread cut upon
it to receive a hand wheel D', the boss of which is threaded to work
therein; this hollow shaft D³ is held in position on the shaft D' by
means of retaining collars d. The boss of the hand wheel D' extends
downwards through the head of the standard b', and fitted to its lower
end is a flange which serves to confine a spring which is coiled around
the boss below the head of the standard 6. The weighted lever F is
forked to receive a collar which embraces the boss of the hand wheel D',

page_text: and it bears by reason of its weighted end against the under side of a
shoulder of the boss. It will now be understood, that by turning the hand
wheel D' the shaft D' may be raised or lowered as desired so as to adjust
the disc to the thickness of the work in hand. When so adjusted the
clamping screw is to be tightened up to maintain the hand wheel in
the position to which it is set. The downward pressure however of the
disc upon the work will be an elastic pressure owing to the interposed
coiled spring, which will allow it to yield to an excess of pressure which
may be caused by inequalities in the thickness of the work.
I will now explain the construction of the rotating disc which carries
the sand paper for smoothing the wood. The disc is made of cast iron,
with a ring of radial openings made through it near its periphery to
receive panels on which the sand paper is to be strained. These panels,
shown at 1, 1, Figures 3 and 4, are made with a bevilled face, the bevil
being upwards towards the advancing edge, so that the wear of the
grinding surface will be evenly distributed over the whole face. The
paper being laid on the face of the panel and lapped over its edges is
clipped by an elastic band of india-rubber, which as the paper is being
clamped will serve by its friction of contact to stretch the paper firmly
over the face of the panel. The panels 1 are held in place on the disc by
means of clips 2, 2, and tightening screws 3, 3. Rotary motion is given
to the pulley shaft C' for the purpose of traversing the work in opposite
directions under the rotating disc by means of gearing C³, which is set.
in action by a band from any first motor acting on the driving pulley O' ;
the starting, stopping, and reversing of the traverse of the work is
effected by the attendant through the hand lever C', which is connected
with the sliding rod C³ that carries the forks for shifting the driving
bands from the loose end pullies to the central fast pulley, and vice
versa.
To prevent the dust produced by the machine from flying about the
workshop covers B' are hinged to the base of the standard B (see Fig. 2),
and serve to close in the disc and guide the dust upwards to the channels
in the framing B' leading to the exhaust apparatus.
When access is required to the disc for the purpose of rofitting it with
sand or emery paper that may be readily obtained by turning up the
covers B on their hinges, the panels 1 can then be removed and replaced
by a fresh covering of emery or sand paper.

page_text: A modification of this Invention is shewn at Figures 7 and 8; Fig. 7
being a sectional elevation and Fig. 8 a plan view of a machine in which
in place of the rotary disc revolving wheels are used for carrying the
sand, emery, or glass paper. In this example the work is supposed to
be pushed through the machine by hand, but it may, if desired, receive
an automatic traverse motion as in Fig. 1. The bed for supporting the
work is shewn at E, and it is made adjustable in guides formed by the
framing B, it being raised and lowered by means of a screw and nut a, b.
The upper part of the framing is made hollow, and connected by a
pipe B¹ with an exhaust apparatus for carrying off the dust as it is
produced; C is a central shaft pendent from a bearing on the upper part
of the framing B, and fitted with a driving pulley C'.
The lower end of this shaft projects through the hub of a circular
rotating frame D, which may be described as a flanged drum closed at
its upper end. On the periphery of this drum are formed bearings for
six vertical spindles which pass up through the flange of the drum and
project below its lower edge; these spindles are each intended to carry
at their lower ends a horizontal disc or wheel, the lower face of which is
covered with sand or glass paper, or some equivalent substance, and it is
by the revolution of these discs or wheels that the smoothing of the work
is intended to be effected. The spindles D' carry at their upper ends a
small pulley; and on the central shaft C are keyed two larger pulleys;
a driving belt Cs from the upper one of these pulleys passes round the
pulleys of three of the spindles D', and the belt C³ passes round the
pulleys of the other three spindles D', as shewn at Fig. 8. This drum-
shaped frame D is supported at its extremity on antifriction rollers d',
and the edge of the flange is cast with a ring of spur teeth d²; into this
ring of teeth a spur wheel E takes, which is keyed to the lower end of a
vertical shaft, to the upper end of which is keyed a band pulley E'; this
pulley is driven by a band from a pulley c on the shaft C. It will now
be understood that if rotary motion is given to the shaft C it will cause
the spur wheel E to rotate the circular frame D and carry round with it
the wheels d; at the same time the shaft C will through the bands C², C³,
impart a rotary motion to the wheels d, and by this means a motion like
that commonly known as the sun and planet motion will be maintained.
The face of the wheels & may be entirely covered, or only partially
covered, by the sand or emery paper, and this material may be attached

page_text: thereto by an adhesive substance, or in a manner similar to that
illustrated at Figures 3 and 4.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements
in Sand Papering Machinery," and explained the manner of carrying the
same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part
recited Letters Patent I claim,―
First. Forming parts of the framing of sand papering machines hollow,
as described, and connecting the same with an exhaust apparatus for
the purpose of carrying away the dust as it is produced.
Secondly. I claim the arrangement above described for adjusting the
position of the rotating disc (Fig. 2), and giving it a vielding pressure
on the work.
Thirdly. I claim the means described with reference to Figures 3
and 4 for holding the sand paper and presenting it to its work.
Fourthly. I claim the revolving discs or wheels, arranged and driven
as described with reference to Figures 7 and 8.
In witness whereof, I, the said Allen Ransome, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty-ninth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
on the work.
Thirdly. I claim the means described with reference to Figures 3
and 4 for holding the sand paper and presenting it to its work.
Fourthly. I claim the revolving discs or wheels, arranged and driven
as described with reference to Figures 7 and 8.
In witness whercof, I, the said Allen Ransome, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty-ninth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.