An Improved Horse-collar, and a Method of and Means for the Manufacture thereof.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 23th Mar., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 30th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 25th Apr., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by PERCY BLANDFORD WESTON, of No. 3539
Laclede Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America.]
An Improved Horse-collar, and a Method of and Means for the
Manufacture thereof.
I, DYSON WESTON, of 138 Leadenhall Street, in the City of London, Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved horse-collar and process of manufacture
thereof and has for its object to provide means for shaping a horse collar, or collar
and hame combined, from a strip of wood of suitable size without cutting away any
of its parts, by bending and twisting the wood thereby obviating waste of material
and securing the maximum of strength in the collar by reason of utilizing the straight
fibres or grain of the wood.
According to my invention I provide a frame of suitable form and construction
to support the operative mechanism. A bed piece is rigidly supported on the legs
of the said frame, and, with upwardly extending arms forms a part of the permanent
frame. A reverse die formed in two parts rests movably on the said bed piece.
The reverse die is divided centrally vertically and its two parts are adjusted
towards or against each other by set screws turning through flanges on the bed
piece, against the ends of the two parts of the reverse die respectively. The
reverse form of another die is constructed in the upper side of the aforesaid parts
of the reverse die and curved downwardly medially. An obverse die formed in two
parts is removably attached to the under surface of a movable plate mounted on.
the lower extremities of screws turning in opposite directions in the upper
overhanging extremities of the aforesaid arms.
The lower or reverse die is formed to receive and shape the cuter surface of the
collar, and the upper or obverse die is formed to bear against and shape the inner
surface of the collar, the two dies being in form substantially counterparts of each
other. Portions of the die are constructed to slightly curve or bend longitudinally
the interposed piece of wood placed between them to form that part of the collar,
and other parts of the die are adapted to bend or curve the lower part of the collar
more abruptly longitudinally, and also, to twist it laterally relative to the lateral
plane of the upper part of the collar. A flange provided along one edge of the
bed piece forms a guide and bearing for the parts of the reverse die. These parts
are connected together adjustably by the straps attached at one end to one part of
the die and secured to the other part by screw threaded pins fixed in the other parts
of the die and projecting through longitudinal slots therefor in the straps, the pins
being provided with winged nuts turning thereon against the straps to lock them
temporarily in place. As the reverse die is formed in two parts these parts may
be adjusted so as to abut against each other, or may be removed a little distance
from each other, to adapt them to receive and form a shorter or longer collar, the
dies being held in position with reference to each other by the aforesaid set screws,
and being locked in place relative to each other by the said straps.
The parts of the obverse die are removably and adjustably attached to the said
movable plate by means of clamping screws extending through lugs on the said
plate into apertures provided therein and arranged in a series in the upper edge of

page_text: the parts of the obverse die for the purpose of horizontal adjustment. By this
means the said parts of the obverse die may be adjusted to abut against each other
or may be removed from each other laterally, to correspond with and complement
the adjustment and form of the lower die. Transverse apertures are provided in
the parts of the reverse die for inserting holding pins and registering recesses are
formed in the edge of the upper die.
The screws which turn in the upper overhanging extremities of the arms which
are attached to the frame are swiveled in the aforesaid movable plate and are
adapted to be concurrently rotated by means of the toothed wheels fixed thereon,
which wheels mesh with an interposed pinion fixed on a shaft provided with a hand
wheel. The said shaft is journalled in a cross head mounted on the screws.
said shaft may also be rotated from a power supply by means of a pinion or pulley
secured thereon.
The
In the process of manufacturing the collar a clamp is used, which consists of two
claws, having reversely screw-threaded taugs on which a double tightening nut turns,
uniting the claws mechanically, and forming the adjustable clamp.
The improved collar is manufactured in two parts, each of the said parts being a
counterpart of the other.
In manufacturing these collars a piece of wood of suitable quality reduced to
proper size and straight with the grain, is saturated with moisture either by
soaking it in water or steaming it in the manner common for preparing wood for
bending it. The piece is then placed between the obverse and reverse dies of my
machine the dies at the time being separated from each other far enough to permit
the piece of wood to be readily placed between them, and the obverse die is then
pushed down on the piece of wood, forcing it against the reverse die, bending it
longitudinally and twisting it laterally, into the form of the space between the
dies. The wood is allowed to remain in this form and position in the machine for
a brief time until the fibres of the wood shall have adapted themselves to and
fully taken the form required, and thereupon holding pins are inserted through
the parts of the reverse die directly above and bearing against the now formed
collar. The upper or obverse die is then raised and the clamp is put on.
Thereafter the pins are withdrawn and the collar still held by the clamp is
removed from the reverse die and is allowed to harden and thoroughly set, being
prevented from resuming a straighter form by the clamp. By a similar process
the other half of the collar is formed.
Dated this 29th day of March 1895.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
An Improved Horse-collar, and a Method of and Means for the
Manufacture thereof.
1, DYSON WESTON, of 138 Leadenhall Street, in the City of London, 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 :—
My invention relates to horse-collars and comprises an improved method of and
means for the manufacture thereof. My said invention provides improved means
for shaping a horse collar, or collar and hame combined, from strips of wood of
suitable size without cutting away any of their parts, by bending and twisting the
wood, thereby obviating waste of material and securing the maximum of strength
in the collar by reason of utilizing the straight fibres or grain of the wood.

page_text: In order that my invention may be clearly understood I will no describe the
same with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which,
Figure 1 is sectional side elevation of the machine for manufacturing my
improved horse-collar.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 as seen from
above.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of a portion of the mechanism shown in
Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3 as seen from the right
hand side.
Figure 5 is a view of a device used for holding the partially completed half-
collar in position during the period of its setting, or hardening in position; the
figure also shows a half of the complete collar.
Figure 6 is a plan of a detail of Figure 5.
Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in the several figures.
A is a frame of suitable form and construction to support the operative
mechanism, parts only of the legs or posts of said frame being shown, for
convenience of illustration. A' is a bed piece rigidly supported on the legs of the
said frame A, which bed piece with the upwardly extending arms A' form a part of
the permanent frame. A reverse die formed in two parts B and B rests movably
on the bed piece A¹. The said die is divided centrally vertically and its two
parts B and B are adjusted towards or against each other by set screws CC
turning through flanges on the bed piece A', against the ends of the two
parts B, B respectively of the reverse die. The reverse die B, B' is curved
downward medially. An obverse die formed in two parts E, E¹ is removably
attached to the under surface of a movable plate F mounted on the lower
extremities of screws G G turning in the same direction in the upper overhanging
extremities of the aforesaid arms A' A².
The lower or reverse die is formed to receive and shape the outer surface of the
collar, and the upper or obverse die is formed to bear against and shape the inner
surface of the collar, the two dies being in form substantially counterparts of each
other. Portions of the die formed by the parts B and E are constructed to slightly
curve or bend longitudinally the interposed piece of wood placed between them to
form that part of the collar, and the parts of the die formed by E¹ and B' are
adapted to bend or curve the lower part H (Figure 5) of the collar more abruptly
longitudinally, and also to twist it laterally relative to the lateral plane of the
upper part Hi of the collar. A flange A provided along one edge of the bed
piece A¹ forms a guide and bearing for the parts B and B of the reverse die.
These parts are connected together adjustably by straps J, J attached at one end
to one part of the die and secured to the other part by screw threaded pins K K
fixed in the other parts of the die and projecting through longitudinal slots
therefor in the straps, the pins being provided with winged puts turning thereon
against the straps to lock them temporarily in place. As the reverse die is formed
by two parts B B¹ these parts may be adjusted so as to abut against each other, or
they may be removed a little distance from each other, to adapt them to receive
and form a shorter or longer collar, the dies being held in position with reference
to each other by the set screws CC, and being locked in place relative to each
other by the straps J J.
The parts E and E¹ of the obverse die are removably and adjustably attached to
the movable plate F by means of clamping screws LL extending through lugs F
on the said plate F into apertures m m provided therein and arranged in a series
in the upper edge of the parts E and E' of the obverse die for the purpose of
horizontal adjustment. By this means the parts E and E¹ may be adjusted to abut
against each other or may be removed from each other laterally, to correspond
with and form the complement of the adjustment and shape of the lower die.
Transverse apertures NN are provided in the parts B B for inserting holding
pins OO and registering recesses N'N' are formed in the edge of the upper die.
+

page_text: The screws GG are swivelled in the movable plate F and are adapted to be
concurrently rotated by means of the toothed wheels PP fixed thereon, which
wheels gear with an interposed pinion P¹ fixed on shaft R provided with a hand
wheel R. The said shaft R is journalled in a cross-head Q mounted on the
screws G G. The shaft R may also be rotated from a power supply by means of a
pulley or pinion S secured thereon.
In the process of manufacturing the collar the clamp shown in Figure 5 is used,
which consists of two claws TT, having reversely screw-threaded tangs on which a
double tightening nut U turns, uniting the claws mechanically, and forming the
adjustable clamp.
The improved collar is manufactured in two parts, one of which parts is shown in
the process of manufacture in Figure 5. The other part of the collar is a reverse
counter part of the one shown.
In manufacturing these collars a piece of wood of suitable quality reduced to
proper size and straight with the grain, is saturated with moisture either by
soaking it in water or steaming it in the manner common for preparing wood for
bending. The piece is then placed between the obverse and reverse dies of the
machine, shown in Figure 1, the dies at the time being separated from each
other far enough to permit the piece of wood to be readily placed between them,
and the obverse die is then pushed down on the piece of wood, forcing it against
the reverse die, bending it longitudinally and twisting it laterally, into the shape
of the mould formed by the two dies. The wood is allowed to remain in this
position in the machine for a brief time until the fibres of the wood shall have
adapted themselves to and fully taken the form required, and the holding pins O0
are inserted through the parts B B of the reverse die directly above and bearing
against the now formed collar. The upper or obverse die is then raised and the
clamp (shown in Figure 5) is put on. The pins OO are subsequently withdrawn
and the collar while still held by the clamp is removed from the reverse die and is
allowed to harden and thoroughly set, being prevented from resuming a straighter
form by the clamp. By a similar process the other half of the collar is formed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with obverse and reverse dies each of which is divided
transversely medially into two parts one of which parts is formed to curve and the
other part to curve and twist an interposed piece of wood to suitably form a section
of a horse collar, of means for supporting the dies and for bringing them toward
each other concurrently and forcibly pressing them against the piece of wood so
as to compel conformation thereto, substantially as described.
2. A horse collar former, consisting of an obverse and a reverse die, mounted in
a frame in which the obverse die is movable toward and from the reverse die, the
dies being formed at one place to curve and at another place to curve and twist an
interposed piece of material to suitably form a section of a horse collar, and being
divided transversely into two parts, at a point adjacent to but not across that part
of the die adapted to twist the interposed material, the parts being adjustable
toward and from each other, substantially as described.
3. The combination, of a supporting bed piece having a flange extending
upwardly therefrom longitudinally thereof, a reverse die divided medially
transversely into two parts resting on the bed piece and bearing against and
guided by the flange, and set screws turning in the bed piece against the ends of
the parts of the die respectively whereby the parts of the die are adjusted toward
and from each other, substantially as described.
4. In a horse collar former, the combination of a reverse die divided transversely
medially into two parts B and B₁ having transverse apertures N, holding-
pins OO and the tying straps J J secured adjustably to the parts B B¹,
substantially as described.

page_text: 5. The combination of a suitable bed piece, a reverse die divided transversely
medially into two parts B and B', set screws C, C turning in the bed piece
against the ends of the parts B and B¹, and adjusting and holding straps J, J
secured to the parts B and B', substantially as described.
6. In a horse collar former, the combination of a supporting frame, a plate F
suspended movably in the frame, an obverse die in two parts E and E' provided
with a series of apertures m, and clamping screws L turning severally into the
parts E and E¹ through lugs on the plate F, whereby the parts of the die are
supported adjustably on the plate, substantially as described.
7. In a horse collar former, the combination with a supporting frame, of a
reverse die divided transversely medially into two parts resting movably on the
frame, set screws turning in the frame against the ends of the parts of the reverse
die, an obverse die also divided transversely medially into two parts, a plate
mounted in the frame adjustable in a right line toward and from the reverse die, on
which plate the two parts of the obverse die are suspended adjustably opposite to
and so as to register with and complement the reverse die, substantially as
described.
8. The method of making a horse collar or collar and hame combined from strips
of wood of suitable size without cutting away any of their parts by bending and
twisting the wood between dies, substantially as hereinabove described.
9. The improved horse collar formed from strips of wood by the method herein
described.
Dated this 29th day of December 1895.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.