Improvements in Feeding Mechanism for Wood Working Machinery.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Nov., 1891-Accepted, 19th Dec., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by GEBOUDER MAIER LOEWI, of Ratisbone, in the
Kingdom of Bavaria, Empire of Germany.]
Improvements in Feeding Mechanism for Wood Working
Machinery.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE of the firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton 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 an improvement in travelling feed mechanism particularly
adapted for use in wood working machinery of the kind in which a piece of wood
is moved into contact with a rotating cutter or other moving tool to be planed or
otherwise finished by the same in a predetermined manner, it being essential that
the piece of wood, in order to be properly planed or finished is so presented to the
said cutter or tool as to cause the latter to give the piece of wood a uniform and
regular finish throughout, irrespective of any projecting or irregular portion of its
outer surface.
A number of different feeding devices have heretofore been invented with a
view to securing this result, none of them, however, have so far attained that degree
of efficiency which would tend to secure a more general adoption of the same, and
in most cases feeding by hand is still resorted to, although it is both a dangerous
practice and requires great experience and skill on the part of the operator.
The object of my present invention, therefore is to provide a more efficient and
reliable means for automatically feeding the piece of wood and presenting the same
to the cutter or tool, in machines of this kind, in such a manner as to cause the same
to be uniformly and regularly finished by the said cutter or tool, irrespective
of any projecting or irregular portions of the outer surface of the said piece
of wood.
My invention, therefore, consists in the peculiar arrangement and combination of
parts to be hereinafter more fully described with reference to the accompanying
drawing in which
Figure 1 is a plan showing the improved feeding mechanism as applied to a wood
planing machine, the said machine itself and part of the feed mechanism being
shown in diagram.
Figure 2 is a front elevation of Figure 1.
Figures 3 and 4 are both different views and sections of details of my improved
device drawn to a larger scale and showing the shape of the clamping jaws.
Figure 5 is a plan of a detail, likewise drawn to a larger scale and showing the
manner of joining the jaws A and B.
H designates the standard or frame of a wood planing machine and F the
rotating cutter mounted thereon in suitable bearings and intended to be brought
into action upon the piece of wood to be planed. Care sprocket wheels here
shown as being mounted, at one end of the machine, on the upper ends of the
upright shafts K K' each of the latter being preferably provided at its lower end
with a worm wheel such as J, engaging with suitable worms, not here shown, on
the horizontal shaft I and each receiving a rotary motion from the same in opposite
directions through the pulley L mounted on one end of the said shaft. D D' are
similar sprocket wheels mounted at the other end of the machine opposite to the
wheels C C and arranged to rotate in the same plane. The said wheels D D' may
either be directly connected with the driving mechanism of the machine in any

page_text: .
suitable manner so as to have rotary motion in opposite directions imparted to them
direct or they may, as here shown, be rotated from the sprocket wheels C C¹ in a
manner to be more fully, hereinafter referred to.
A and B designate the clamping jaws for clamping the piece of wood to be fed
to the rotating cutter F, the form of the said clamping jaws A and B being
preferably such as indicated more in detail in Figures 3 and 4 respectively, the said
jaws being so constructed as to be capable of being linked together alternately, as
shown in Figure 5, by means of suitable bolts or rivets inserted through corre-
sponding holes and provided in each of the said jaws A and B. When thus
linked together the intermediate spaces between the two adjoining sides of the
jaws B as well as the recessed portion thereof will have such a shape as to
substantially coincide with the shape of the cogs on the periphery of the sprocket
wheels C C and D D' so as to be engaged thereby. The face of the said jaws A
and B furthest removed from the openings 6 and is preferably rounded and
provided with projections or points a as shown.
The said clamping jaws after having been linked together as above described, in
two separate sets are carried around each pair of sprocket wheels C D and C' D'
respectively in the manner of endless bands or chains as shown in Figure 1' with
reference to the wheels CD the jaws on the wheels C' D' being merely shown in
diagram in this figure. It will this be understood that when the sprocket
wheels C Care rotated in opposite directions as indicated by the arrows in Figure 1,
the adjoining sides of each of the two opposite sets of clamping jaws on each pair
of wheels C D and C¹ D' will travel in the same direction and the sprocket
wheels D and D' by reason of the engagement of their cogs with the recesses of the
endless band of jaws, will be rotated in the same direction respectively, as the
wheels C and C¹.
For the purpose of securing a perfectly straight direction of movement of the jaws
with respect to their plane of movement. I provide guide bars E E and E' E¹ between
which the sets of jaws are carried when reaching the inner sides of the periphery
of the wheels. Whilst the endless sets of jaws are thus confined to a particular
plane of movement they have a certain freedom of lateral movement according to
the slack, which enables the jaws of the adjoining sides of the two sets to more
effectually conform to the outward surfaces of the piece of wood to be engaged
between the same. I also preferably provide on each side of the feeding device a
suitable number of springs G and G'or other equivalent means pressing against
the inner rows of each set of jaws as they pass and thus assisting the clamping
action.
.
I will now describe the operation of my improved device. The piece of wood
to be planed is, as indicated in Figure 1, introduced between the adjoining rows of
the two sets of travelling jaws from some suitable feed table not liere shown. It
is thereupon at once clamped and held between the said two rows of jaws, being
engaged by the points or projections a provided on the face of each of the jaws
and is moved forward into contact with the rotating cutter F, the clamping action
being assisted by the lateral pressure of the springs G and G¹ which thus secure a
proper engagement of the jaws with the outer surfaces of the piece of wood,
irrespective of any projecting or otherwise irregular portions of its outer surface,
the direction of movement imparted to the clamping jaws, by reason of the guide
bars E, E and E¹ E¹, being such as to cause the piece of wood to be carried
perfectly true and to be thus presented to the cutter of the machine in the most
suitable manner for receiving a thoroughly regular and even finish irrespective of
the outer shape of the piece of wood thus fed.
In order to make the improved feeding device adjustable for different widths of
wood pieces to be inserted therein and fed thereby, each pair of wheels C, D
and CD, or one pair of them, may be mounted on a movable frame or part of
the machine, the said frames being so arranged as to admit of moving them apart
or towards each other by means of a hand wheel M and a shaft N provided
with toothed wheels M' engaging with a toothed bar or portion of the frame or

page_text: frames as indicated in a general way in Figure 2, or by any other suitable means
not requiring to be particularly shown or described.
Instead of giving the clamping jaws a perfectly straight direction or plane of
movement I may, if desired and within certain limits, give them a direction of
movement corresponding to a curved plane by constructing the guide bars E E
and E' E accordingly.
I will here also state that I do not confine myself to the particular shape of the
clamping jaws as shown and to the precise manner of linking them together as
described but I may as well give them any other desired and practical shape, and
instead of joining or linking them together I may attach them to an endless band
or rope carried around any suitable pulleys or drums, without thereby departing
from my invention.
It is obvious that the above described device, instead of being arranged for
feeding the piece of wood in a horizontal direction as shown, may also, if desired,
be arranged for feeding in a vertical or inclined direction, also, instead of two
endless sets of travelling jaws, I may, in some cases attain the same result by
providing only one set engaging the piece of wood on one side only while the other
side is guided by sliding on any suitable surface, or in a guide groove.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the 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 :-
First. In a wood working machine a travelling feed mechanism having two
endless sets of clamping jaws, in combination with means for imparting to the same
a parallel or substantially parallel longitudinal movement in one direction and
means for positively guiding the moving jaws of both sets with respect to their
plane of movement substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Second. In a travelling feed mechanism the combination, with two endless sets
of clamping jaws, of means for imparting to the same a parallel or substantially
parallel longitudinal movement in one direction means for positively guiding the
moving jaws of both sets with respect to their plane of movement and means for
pressing the engaging faces of the two sets towards each other, substantially as and
for the purpose set forth.
Third. In a travelling feed mechanism the combination, with two parallel or
approximately parallel endless sets of clamping jaws, of two sprocket wheels
engaging the endless sets of jaws at one end and rotated in opposite directions, two
other sprocket wheels engaged and rotated by the endless sets of jaws at their
other end, guiding bars for each set of jaws and springs pressing the engaging faces
of the two sets towards each other, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
.
Fourth. The clamping jaws A and B linked or joined together and having
recesses d and intermediate spaces c conforming to the outward shape of the cogs
of the sprocket wheels, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Fifth. In a wood working machine a travelling feed mechanism having an
endless set of clamping jaws, in combination with means for imparting to the same
a longitudinal movement in one direction, means for guiding the moving jaws
positively with respect to their plane of movement and means for pressing the
engaging faces of the jaws towards the object to be engaged by the same
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
3
AT
1001
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.