Improvements in Apparatus for Drying Veneers.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Feb., 1894-Accepted, 19th May, 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by AARON SAWYER NICHOLS, of 3853, Ellis Avenue,
Chicago, in the County of Cook and State of Illinois, United States of
America, Manufacturer.]
Improvements in Apparatus for Drying Veneers.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Sonthampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
This invention relates to the construction of a drier adapted to be used in
drying veneers. In the construction of the drier I employ a series of vertical
platens between which the veneers are placed, and means whereby the platens may
be pressed together and opened. Each platen is formed of a surrounding edge
frame and sheet metal sides, the latter forming the faces which come in contact
with and act upon the veneers, and they are heated interiorly by a coil of steam
pipes connected at one end to a steam supply and at the other end to a drip or
discharge. The devices by which the pressure is created which acts to force the
platens together are located at the ends of the series of platens and move the
platens toward one another or away from each other according as the drier is to be
closed upon the veneers or opened. The intermediate platens are joined together
and to the end platens by pivoted links which communicate motion from the end
platens to the intermediate ones, so that the entire series will move simultaneously
with the end platens when the latter are actuated, both in closing and opening.
By means of the links I also ensure the uniform moving apart of all the platens
when the end plates are drawn away from each other, so that room is obtained
between each adjacent pair of them either for handling the stock or for allowing
the shrinkage of the veneers and the escape of the moisture.
The invention consists in the novel construction of the several parts and in the
novel combination of parts more particularly set forth below.
In the accompanying drawings which form part of this Specification, and in
which similar letters of reference indicate like parts,
Fig. 1 is a front elevation and Fig. 2 a plan of my improved drier;
Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the drier, the face of one of the platens being
omitted to show the interior construction thereof;
Fig. 4 is a detail showing the manner of joining the platens together, and
Fig. 5 is a partial vertical section of the platen.
All the parts of my drier are preferably mounted upon a floor frame A so that
the entire drier may be put together at the place of manufacture and shipped or
moved from place to place without dismantling.
B is a metal beam bent into inverted U-form as illustrated at Figure 1, and
secured to the frame A at its lower ends. This beam forms what may be appro-
priately termed the backbone of the drier, as it forms the abutments or resistances
necessary at each end of the drier in creating pressure upon the platens. It
is preferably formed of metal rolled into channel shape whereby it is rendered
very rigid.
The series of platens are indicated at D and D¹. They are each provided with
anti-friction rollers or castors d at each end, and these castors traverse and find
support upon the rails E resting upon standards e attached to the frame A. Each
pair of standards e may be united by a brace el which may be in one piece with

page_text: them. The castors travelling along the rails render easy the movements of the
platens in opening and closing. The veneers are sustained while in the press by
rods secured in bars e³ sustained upon the rails E. The end platens are secured
to plates d² located upon their outer surfaces and such plates are each provided
with cast metal webs d¹ to which are pivoted the ends of two toggles F, as clearly
indicated at Figure 1, the other ends of said toggles being each joined to adjusting
screws G passing through the beam B and capable of a longitudinal movement
therethrough as hereinafter more particularly set forth. The two toggles at each
end of the drier are connected together by bars H joined to them at their junc-
tions h, and this bar is joined to a connecting rod I by a pivoted joint i. Said
connecting rod is joined to a short pitman J by a universal joint at j and the
pitman at both ends of the machine are connected to cranks K upon a shaft L
operated by a hand lever m. By means of the connections described, the operator
applies power to the hand lever turning the shaft L and straightens out the
toggles For shortens them according as he desires to close or open the platens.
As the thickness of the stuff to be dried may vary, I preferably provide means
whereby the toggles F may force the platens close or less close together according
to the necessities of the work in hand. These means consist of the screws G and
the devices whereby they are adjusted in or out with respect to the beam B. The
screws do not themselves rotate, but upon each of them I provide adjusting nuts,
both inside and outside the beam B. The nuts g inside the beam are provided
with sprocket teeth n on their peripheries and a sprocket chain M connects each
pair of such nuts together. A hand wheel N is also rigidly affixed to one of
said nuts, and is used when the nuts are to be turned. The adjustments given
to both the screws G is simultaneous in point of time and alike in extent.
Upon the outside of the beam B are nuts o and hand wheels O for operating them,
these nuts drawing the screws outward in a direction the reverse of that imparted
by the nuts g. ·
The series of platens are connected to the end platens, by devices which ensure
the opening of all of them simultaneously so as to allow the shrinkage of the
veneers and also so as to allow the removal or insertion of the stock. These
devices consist of pivoted links P applied to the edges of the platens in lazy tongs
fashion, that is to say, the links are pivoted at their ends to each other as shown
at p and they are also pivoted at their centres pl to each other and to the platens.
It will be seen that by this construction when the end platens are drawn back by
the toggles, the interior platens will move with them, and that each adjacent pair
will be simultaneously opened or spread apart, according to the amount of move-
ment imparted to the end platens. This movement may be only slight when it is
simply desired to relieve the pressure momentarily to allow the shrinkage of the
veneers and the escape of the moisture, or it may be to the full extent permitted
by the toggles, and is governed by the operator in the use of the hand lever m.
The closing of the platen, due to the reserve movement of the end platens, is also
simultaneous and uniform through the entire series. The opening of the entire
series of platens in this manner obviates a very serious objection to driers of this
class as heretofore made, the centre sections having been provided with no means
for spreading them when the pressure was taken off by the outward movement of
the end platens.
I have employed with the platens two parallel toggles at each end, one above
the other. My object in this is to secure an equal amount of pressure throughout
the entire surface of the platens, and to ensure their moving in parallel vertical
planes. The material placed in a drier of this kind always fills the lower portions
of the spaces between the platens, and if narrow the upper portion of such spaces
may be wholly vacant and unoccupied. If the pressure therefore was applied only
at the central horizontal plane of the platens, there would be a tendency by the
platens to spread at the bottom and come closer together at the top. By the use
of the two loggles arranged as shown, I overcome this. I prefer also to place one
of the toggles near the lower plane of the platens because the lower portion of the

page_text: spaces between the platens are always filled. I provide universal joints at ; in the
connections between the toggles and their operating cranks because of the variety
of positions in which the bars H may be when they are actuated due to the
different positions of the toggles in the different adjustments, and also because of
the different positions of the cranks K.
All the series of platens are connected by suitable pipe connections S and T to
a header R located above and which supplies them with steam, and by other pipe
connections and t to a header r located below and which acts as a drip or
discharge. All these pipe connections are so constructed as to avoid as far as
possible any straining of the joints which connect them to the headers, either
by reason of expansion or contraction, or by reason of the changes of position
by the platens. This result I accomplish by carrying all the pipe connections
from the ends of the platens to which they are respectively joined to a point
beyond the headers and then in a nearly vertical and partially reversed direction
to their junction with the headers. In other words each of the pipes has formed
in it, between the points where it is joined to the header and to the platens, an
elbow or bend which renders the connecting pipes so flexible that they yield to
the extent necessary to prevent rupture of their joints with the header.
In practice the uniting of the pipe connections to the header, or to the short
pipes q¹ secured in the latter, does not generally result in bringing the united pipes
of the several platens to an absolute length, and if no provision were made in the
pipes themselves to take up or yield to the extent required by their variations from
the proper length, there might be a tendency by the pipes to crowd the platens
lengthwise and thus cause them to bind unnecessarily upon the pivots by which
they are connected to the moving links. I obtain this compensating ability in the
pipes by making that portion of them extending from the bends to the headers
barely vertical and locating the joint between the pipes and headers in this vertical
portion. By this construction, if the joined pipe is shorter than it ought to be, the
horizontal portion of the pipe between bends 9 and the platen simply yields
upwardly in case of pipes S or T, and downwardly in case of pipes s or t. and the
reverse yielding would occur in case the pipes were too long, but in neither case is
any strain caused tending to move the platens lengthwise.
It is desirable also to avoid rupture of the steam pipes at the points where they
join the platens, and to avoid difficulty of this kind I make the steam pipe connec-
tions and the coils in the platens in one piece, thus avoiding all joints except those
near the headers, the pipes Ss and the coils S¹ within the platens being in one
piece, and the pipe connections and coils in the other platens being similarly formed
in this respect.
The platens consist of four edge pieces V as shown and suitable face plates or
contact surfaces U of sheet metal suitably riveted to the frame.
The steam pipe
coils are located between the sheets U and enter through or between the edge
pieces at one corner and pass out at the diagonal corner. The plates U are
sustained against collapse by corrugated strips W of metal bearing at their edges
against the plates. These strips are employed in such number as may be necessary,
and they are conveniently disposed between the course of steam pipes, as clearly
shown at Figure 3.
The surface sheets are also provided with devices adapted to prevent their
bulging at the centres, consisting of L-shaped blocks 3 and 4, employed in pairs
and secured one to each sheet in such relative position that they will interlock with
each other when the platen is put together, as plainly indicated at Figure 5. This
interlocking action does not however, prevent movement by one block with respect
to its mate without disengaging, so that in all the changes due to unequal
expansion or contraction of the surface sheets, no breakage or damage is likely to
occur. The edge pieces V are unattached to each other and need not even abut
closely.
The plates to which the end platens are joined have lugs 5, 5 at either side of
the beam B, serving to guide them in their movements.

page_text: Some of the connections from the platens are joined at one side of the headers
and some of them at the other side.
The corners of the platens are rounded, as shown at Y, to give opportunity to
take hold of the veneers when they are to be removed.
In the use of the apparatus, the operator closes the platens upon the vencers
and retains them under pressure for a short time; he then moves the lever m in
the proper direction to separate the platens, thus releasing the pressure and
allowing the veneers to shrink, which they do instantly; he then again closes the
platens, thereby renewing the pressure, and continues it so long as may be necessary
to effect a complete drying of the veneers. This opening and closing of the
platens is desirably a quick one, and hence the drier is provided with devices for
opening and closing the platens which are speedy in their action.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
1st. The combination in a drier of a series of vertical individually heated platens,
comprising end platens and two or more intermediate platens, means for opening
and closing the end platens at will, and positive connections to the intermediate
platens whereby the latter are positively forced apart simultaneously with the end
platens, substantially as specified.
2nd. The combination in a drier of a series of vertical individually heated platens,
comprising end platens and two or more intermediate platens, means for opening
and closing the end platens at will, supports for said platens upon which they are
free to move sidewise, and positive connections to the intermediate platens whereby
the latter are positively forced apart simultaneously with the end platens,
substantially as specified.
3rd. The combination in a drier of a series of vertical individually heated platens,
comprising end platens and two or more intermediate platens, means for opening
and closing the end platens at will, supports for said platens, supports for the
veneers, and positive connections to the intermediate platens whereby the latter
are positively forced apart simultaneously with the end platens, substantially as
specified.
4th. The combination in a drier of a series of vertical and sidewise movable
platens, comprising end platens and two or more intermediate platens, and double
toggles at each end of the series acting upon the end platens, and positive
connections to the intermediate platens whereby movement imparted to the end
platens by the double toggles is communicated to the intermediate platens to
positively force them apart, substantially as specified.
5th. The combination with the series of vertical and sidewise movable platens of
the double toggles at each side of the series actuating the outside platens and
adjusting screws for regulating such toggles connected together so as to secure
uniformity in their adjustments, substantially as specified.
6th. The combination in a drier of a series of vertical and sidewise movable
platens with the headers R and r, and flexible pipe connections from said platens
to said headers, said connections being carried from the corners of the platens to
the farther side of the headers and then reversed to a junction with the headers,
forming elbows or bends q, substantially as specified.
7th. The combination of the series of vertical and sidewise movable platens and
rods e supporting the veneers which are placed between the platens, the platens
being rounded at their lower corners for convenience in taking out the veneers,
substantially as specified.
8th. In a drier a series of vertical and sidewise movable platens in combination
with the headers R and r, and flexible connections between said platens and said
headers, some of said connections being joined to one side of the headers and some
of then to the other side thereof, substantially as specified.
9th. The combination with the platens and headers of the steam pipe connections

page_text: having a horizontal portion extending from the platen corner to a point beyond the
header and then bent reversely and vertically to a junction with the header,
substantially as specified.
10th. The combination with the platens and headers of steam pipe connections
having the bends q, and a nearly vertical portion between said bend and the
header, and the joint with the header being formed in said vertical portion,
substantially as specified.
11th. The combination with the surface plates of an interiorly heated platen, of
separate interlocking devices attached to the plates near the centres and serving to
prevent bulging by them, substantially as specified.
12th. The combination with the surface plates of an interiorly heated platen, of
separate interlocking L-shaped blocks attached to the plates and adapted to prevent
the bulging thereof, substantially as specified.
13th. In a veneer drier, the combination with a series of vertical, heated and
sidewise movable platens, of supports independent of the platens for supporting the
veneers and adapted to sustain them in a vertical position and to allow them to
move with the platens, substantially as specified.
Dated this 28th day of Fobraury 1894
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.