IMPROVEMENTS IN VARIETY MOULDING MACHINES OR SHAPERS FOR DOVE-TAIL WORK
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Anderson, of Jarrow, in the County of Durham,
Foreman Machinist, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN VARIETY
MOULDING MACHINES OR SHAPERS FOR DOVE-TAIL WORK."
Sooled the 10th March 1880 and dated the 27th Santember 1870
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Anderson at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th September 1879.
JOHN ANDERSON, of Jarrow, in the County of Durham, Foreman Machinist.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN VARIETY MOULDING MACHINES OR SHAPERS FOR DOVE-TAIL
WORK."
So far as my knowledge serves me, variety moulding machines or shapers have
never economically performed the operation of cutting or shaping the "dove-tails"
required in joiners' and cabinet makers' work.
The dovetailing machines sometimes employed are costly, complicated, inefficient,
and seldom used but for rough work.
My improvements, which relate more particularly to the mode of presenting the
unwrought material or materials to the shaping tool, may be thus described :-The
wood to be dovetailed is received in a carrier mounted upon the table or travelling
bed of a variety moulding machine, so as to be capable of longitudinal and lateral
motion. The said carrier comprises two long hollow troughs or pockets each at
right angle to the other. Into each trough is fixed a piece of wood, one piece lying
horizontally, the other placed upright, and both meeting at the angle. The wood
is secured in the carried by suitable screw clamps, and they are both wrought or
shaped at the one operation.
When the machine is in action the said carrier is directed by suitable cams, levers,
and springs to present the wood at frequent intervals to the cutting edge of the
shaping tool. The carrier may be moved to and from the cutting tool, and may be
made to perform a traversing motion by any of the usual mechanical means.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Anderson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th March
1880.
..
_JOHN ANDERSON, of Jarrow, in the County of Durham, Foreman Machinist.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN VARIETY MOULDING MACHINES OR SHAPES FOR DOVE-TAIL
WORK."
So far as my knowledge serves me, variety moulding machines or shapers have
never economically performed the operation of cutting or shaping the "dovetail"
required in joiners' and cabinet makers' work.
-The
My improvements, which relate more particularly to the mode of presenting the
unwrought material or materials to the shaping tool, may be thus described :-
wood to be dovetailed is received in a carrier of the ordinary shape mounted upon
the table or travelling bed of a variety moulding machine, so as to be capable of
longitudinal and lateral motion. The said carrier comprises two long hollow
troughs or pockets, each at right angles to the other. Into each trough is fixed a
piece of wood, one piece lying horizontally and the other placed upright, and both
meeting at the angle. The wood is secured in the carrier by suitable screw clamps,
and the two pieces of wood are both wrought or shaped at the one operation.
When the machine is in action the said carrier is directed by suitable cams, levers,
and springs to present the wood at frequent intervals to the cutting edge of the
shaping tool. The carrier is moved by means of a female cain worked from off the
driving shaft, the said carrier being made to perform a traversing motion by a system
of levers to be hereafter more clearly described.
I will now proceed to explain my said Invention more in detail by aid of the
accompanying Drawings, reference being had to the letters and figures marked
thereon.
Figure 1 is a plan of my improved dovetailing machine showing the carrier in
position for receiving the material or materials to be wrought, and presenting the
same to receive the action of the cutting tool. In order to make my Invention
more clearly understood, the material to be dove-tailed is not shewn in this Figure
nor in Figure 2, and for the same reason the vertical cutting tool is not shown in
Figures 1, 2, and 3, but the position of its axis is marked in Figures 3 and 2 by the
dotted lines F, F.
Figure 2 is an elevation on line 1—2 shewing the working parts.
Figure 3 is a cross section on line 3-4 (Figure 1) shewing the female cain A and
the adjusting screw B, the latter for adjusting or regulating the throw of the table
C, and with it the carrier D.
Figure 4 is a section of my tool holder for variety moulding and dove-tail work,
and Figure 5 is a plan of the same. Both these Figures show my improved cutting
tool for dove-tail work, which may be fitted to the machine and worked in the
usual way.
In Figures 1, 2, and 3, E is the driving shaft, upon which is keyed at one end the
driving pulley G actuated by a belt (not shown on Drawing) from the prime mover.
This shaft is supported in suitable bearings, and has a crank arm a keyed to the
other end. A is the female cam operated by the said crank arm. This cam being
secured to the table C conveys thereto a transverse motion in which the carrier D
also participates, the latter being connected to the former by means of a sliding
groove u (see cross section, Figure 3). The said carrier is formed to receive the
unwrought material or materials x, x¹, (Figure 3) in such a position that two pieces
may be dovetailed or operated upon simultaneously, and longitudinal motion is
impartod to the carrier by means of the levers, as shown on Drawing. The levers
are worked or brought into play at a proper period of time by the inclined tappet
piece or chock c (Figure 2) projecting from the inner face of the driving pulley G,
"

page_text: and also by the oblique blade (Figs. 2 and 3) keyed on to the driving shaft E.
The inclined tappet piece or chock c striking the cone d at each revolution of the
said pulley drives the sliding rod e, to which the said cone is attached by the pro-
jecting arm e¹ (Fig. 3), in a direction looking at Figures 1 and 2 from left to right.
This motion of the siad sliding rod lifts up what I term an escapement plate f
Figures 1 and 2. The said plate is now riding on the raised portion e³ of the rod 6,
f being a link or hinge by which the plate is supported and worked, and has
prepared the said plate f for being acted upon by the lever g (Figures 1 and 2)
which releases the paul h from out of the rack j, and consequently the carrier from
the control of the said paul. The carrier D may now receive a forward motion,
and this is effected by the aforesaid oblique bladek in the course of its revolution
striking the aforesaid cone d in a manner and in a direction contrary to that formerly
discharged by the chock upon the driving pulley. The backward motion of the
sliding rod e draws over with it the slotted flat cross bar m (Fig. 2), the slott of
which receives and acts upon a pin connected to the lever arm n on the spindle
n*, which latter actuating the elbow jointed lever arms o and o' forces thereby the
carrier, and with it tho inaterial, forward into position for receiving a repetition of
the cutting action of the cutting tool. At this stage of the operation the sliding rod e
has been drawn to the left in Fig. 1, and at the time when the lever arm n has
made its full travel the escapement drops on to the lower portion of the said slide c,
as seen in Fig. 2, and by falling beneath the lever g disengages and permits it to
spring back by means of the spring q, followed by the paul h. The lever g is kept
from springing further to the right by means of the stud a screwed into the bottom
of the table. The said table C travels on slide t, and the carrier slides forward in
the grooves u sunk into the said table, as seen in Figures 1, 2, and 3. The segment
P (Fig. 1) is for the purpose of adjusting the travel of the said elbow jointed lever
arms o and o¹, and they are regulated and fixed by a milled headed screw working
in the slot v, as shown on Drawing.
By sliding the table C, and with it the carrier D, bodily off the standards D¹ it is
free to receive the ordinary plain table on variety moulding,
The comb H of the holder D is so constructed that it may be taken out and
another placed therein according to the size and pitch of the dove-tail required, and
the rack is so made that it can be unscrewed from the holder and another placed
thereon, to meet the requirements of such alterations in the size and pitch of the
said comb.
Having now particularly ascertained and described the nature and object of my
said Invention, together with the mode of carrying the same into effect, I wish
it to be understood that I claim as my Invention secured to me by the above in
part recited Letters Patent, the automatic action of the carrier D, with its improved
comb and rack, and the improvements in the cutting tool and tool holder, substan-
tially as and in the manner shown upon the accompanying Drawing, and as described
in the above Specification, or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Anderson, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Twenty-fifth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
JOHN ANDERSON. (L.S.)