Improvements in Metal Planing Machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Mar., 1891-Accepted, 18th Apr., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Metal Planing Machines.
We, GEORGE ALEXANDER GRAY and ERNST RICHTER, of Cincinnati,
Hamilton County, Ohio, United States of America, Engineers, 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 improvements in the system of mechanism involved in
shifting the belts and in operating the feed of metal planing machines, and the
improvements will be readily understood from the following description taken in
connection with the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Fig. 1, is a side elevation of a metal planing machine exemplifying our
improvements:
Fig. 2, a rear elevation of the tumbler, 14, and its immediate accessories, the
bearing bracket and connecting rod appearing in vertical section :
Fig. 3, a horizontal section at the front of one of the housings showing the
engaging parts of one of the side-heads in plan:
Fig. 4, a face view of one of the feed ratchet devices employed:
Fig. 5, a diametrical section of this feed ratchet device:"
Fig. 6, a side elevation of the feed clutch mechanism driven by the cutting
motion loose pulley, this loose pulley appearing in vertical section, while the bevel
gear through which it drives the feed clutch is omitted: and
Fig. 7, a front elevation, part vertical section, of the feed clutch mechanism.
Where no special description is given of the details of construction, it may be
assumed that those details are of ordinary, well known construction.
In the drawings (referring to Figure 1 mainly)
6, the driving shaft, exemplified as arranged parallel with the bed, this shaft
being the one to which the belts communicate motion to be transmitted to the table
and to the feed mechanism:
7, a bevel gear driven by the driving shaft and serving as a mere exemplification
of means for transmitting motion from the driving shaft to the table, it being
understood that any of the usual systems of transmission between driving shaft and
table may be employed:
8, the cutting motion pulley, fast on the driving shaft:
9, the cutting motion loose pulley, loose on the driving shaft:
10, the backing motion pulley, fast on the driving shaft:
11, the backing motion loose pulley, loose on the driving shaft:
12, the belt shifters for properly shifting the two belts from their tight pulleys
to their loose pulleys :
13, the slide which by reciprocation gives proper motion to the belt shifters:
14, the tumbler to be oscillated by the dogs:
15, the backing dog, engaging the tumbler to initiate the backing stroke:
16, the cutting dog, to engage the tumbler to initiate the cutting stroke, the
tumbler and the dogs being located near the side of the bed over which the side
edge of the table projects as usual:
17, a bearing bracket reaching from the bed outwardly some distance beyond the
tumbler:

page_text: 18, a shaft journaled in the bed and in this bearing bracket and passing through
the tumbler which is slotted so that the shaft will not interfere with the oscillations
of the tumbler:
19, a hand lever on the outer end of this shaft :
20, a lever secured to this shaft near the tumbler:
21, a pin projecting from this lever, parallel to the shaft, and engaging a slot in
the tumbler, so that as the shaft is partially rotated the pin will transmit oscillations
to the tumbler:
22, a lever connected with the belt shifting slide 13:
23, a rod connecting this lever with lever 20:
24, the tumbler-lug to be engaged by the cutting dog and
:
25, the tumbler-lug to be engaged by the backing dog.
At this point the literal reference to the drawings may be interrupted and the
operation of the tumbler mechanism fully described.
Movement of slide 13 affects the belt shifters as usual, putting both belts on
their loose pulleys, if the table is to remain motionless, or putting the cutting belt
on tight pulley 8 and the backing belt on loose pulley 11, if the table is to make a
cutting motion, or putting the cutting belt on loose pulley 9 and the backing belt
on tight pulley 10 if the table is to make a backing motion. The dogs oscillate
the tumbler as usual at the ends of the strokes. When the tumbler oscillates the
lever 20 will be oscillated and motion will be therefore transmitted through rod 23
and lever 22 to the belt shifting slide. The effect is the same as if rod 23 were
connected directly to the tumbler, except that the direction of motion becomes
reversed, rod 23 moving to the left when the tumbler is moved to the right.
It is also obvious that if the shaft 18 be partially rotated by means of the hand
lever, the belt shifter will be operated, the effect being the same as if the tumbler
were oscillated directly by hand, except that considerable increase of power
becomes available when the belt shifter is operated by the hand motion. The
shaft 18 extends far out beyond the tumbler, and, therefore, while the tumbler is
near the side of the bed, the hand lever is well out convenient to the operator.
Some planers are provided with dogs and tumblers upon one side of the machine
only, while in other constructions both sides are so provided, the tumbler operating
shafts extending across the planer. It is immaterial to our present invention
whether the tumbler mechanism described be arranged upon one or both sides of
the planer.
It is usual, in planing machines, to arrange for a feeding impulse to be imparted
to the cutting tools at one end of the ends of the table stroke, and we will now
proceed to describe the system of mechanism by which we accomplish this
result in a novel manner, securing a positive feed, alterable in degree, and
practically unlimited in power, and positive in its motions, and free from dragging
friction during non-feeding intervals. Proceeding with reference to the
drawings:
:-
26, indicates the usual rack disposed against one of the housing-posts and
arranged for vertical reciprocation, and is designed to impart motion to feed
mechanism on the rail:
27, a feed spindle receiving rotatory motion from the reciprocations of the rack,
the term rotatory, whether correctly or not, being in this Specification used as
defining motion of partial rotation first in one direction and then in the other as
distinguished from motion of continuous rotation, one of these spindles being mounted
in the side-head and one in the rail :
28, (Fig. 3) the pinion through which the rack imparts motion to this spindle :
29, (Fig. 5) a gear loose on this spindle:
30, (Fig. 1) feed screw for feeding the side-head up and down, the rotary nut
of this screw being journaled in the side-head:
31, a shaft, parallel with spindle 27, and bevel geared to the nut of this screw,
so that as this shaft is turned, the side-head will be raised or lowered :
32, (Figs. 4 and 5) a double ended pawl mounted on gear 29, this pawl being of

page_text: usual construction, with usual interior spring so that either of its ends may be put
into action when desired :
33, a ratchet wheel fast on spindle 27 and adapted to be engaged and driven in
a selected direction of motion by the selected end of the pawl, or, to express
it more correctly, adapted to act as a driver and drive the pawl and consequently
the gear 29 to which it is attached, the spindle 27 receiving rotatory motion from
the rack and thus transmitting motion, rotary in either desired direction, to
gear 29:
34, (Fig. 3) bevel gearing on the side-head, one gear being on shaft 31 and
the other being the nut of screw 30:
35, hand crank on shaft 31, for moving the side-head by hand :
36, (Figs. 4 and 5) a segment loose on spindle 27 and lying against the ratchet
wheel, the periphery of this segment extending beyond the periphery of the ratchet
wheel and serving to prevent the engagement of the pawl with the ratchet wheel,
this segment, while loose on the spindle, being held thereto by friction so as to
tend to move with the ratchet wheel:
37, a tail-piece adjustably clamped to the segment and adapted to strike a part
of the pawl and thus prevent the segment being carried further with the ratchet
wheel:
38, a spring pressing the segment against the ratchet wheel and producing the
friction which causes the segment to move with the ratchet wheel except when
prevented by the tail-piece coming in contact with the pawl:
39, the finger knob for turning the pawl to put either of its ends into action or
to put it into neutral idle position, the hub of this knob being part of the pawl
which obstructs the movement of the tail-piece :
40, the usual feed gears on the rail screws and rods to transmit the feed motion
to the saddles etc. on the rail: and
41, a pinion on shaft 31 by which the feed motion is imparted to the side-
head:
At this point we may interrupt the literal reference to the drawings and assume
that the feed rack is reciprocated as usual, and we may accordingly proceed with a
full description of the feed ratchet mechanism.
66
a."
The rack gives rotatory motion to ratchet wheel 33 (Fig 4). Assume the ratchet
wheel to be moving in the direction indicated by arrow
The ratchet
wheel will not drive the pawl because the segment will not permit the
engagement. The segment moves with the ratchet wheel and soon its limit will be
reached and the pawl will go into engagement. Thereupon the ratchet wheel will
drive the gear 29 and feeding motion will have been imparted to the tool, or tools,
the amount of the feed depending on the amount of the rotary stroke of the
ratchet wheel after the segment limit was passed. When the end of the rotatory
stroke is reached, gear 29, and the pawl, remain stationary and the ratchet wheel
moves in the other direction, carrying the segment with it, the pawl riding up on
the segment. On the next stroke in the direction of the arrow, the pawl will be
advanced as before and another feeding impulse will be given gear 29. But, it will
be noticed that the ratchet wheel and segment perform uniform rotatory
strokes, while the pawl is being advanced in the direction of the arrow.
It
follows that upon the second feeding stroke the limit of the segment will be reached
later and the degree of feed therefore less. Consequently it becomes requisite that
the limit point of the segment shall be adjusted at each stroke so that the feeding
exposure of the ratchet wheel to the pawl remains the same as the pawl advances
around the ratchet wheel in the direction of the arrow. This adjustment is
accomplished by the tail-piece 37 coming in contact with the pawl. As the ratchet
wheel and segment make the idle stroke, against the direction of the arrow, the
tail-piece strikes the pawl and the segment remains stationary, the ratchet wheel
advancing to the end of its stroke. The consequence is that the segment always
occupies a definite relation to the pawl, whereby the feeding exposure to engage-
ment will remain constant. The tail-piece may be adjusted on the segment so that

page_text: the exposure may be much or little according to the desired degree of feed. Either
of the extremities of the segment is employed, according to the direction of feed
and end of pawl employed.
It has been stated that the rotatory strokes of the ratchet wheel as imparted by
the rack, were constant. This is not true with reference to the rising and falling
side-head. The feed moves the side-head, say downward, and consequently the
ratchet wheel, in addition to its rotatory strokes, is gradually creeping around in a
direction against the arrow. This introduces a further complication in necessities,
but a study of Fig. 4 will show that the condition referred to is fully attended to,
the feed remaining uniform at all times.
The rack has its stroke adjustable as usual, but independent of this adjustment
the segment provides for an adjustment of the utilization of motion received from
the rack. Consequently the rack motion may be adjusted to suit the rail feeding
and the adjustment of the side-head feed may be made by means of the tail-piece.
This quality of the feeding apparatus renders it unnecessary that the rail be
provided with means for adjusting the feed. The device of Fig. 4 may be put on
cither rail or side-head, the other being provided with the usual non-adjustable
feed gears, the adjustment of one feed being made by adjusting the stroke of the
rack while the adjustment of the other is made by adjusting the tail-piece.
When the side-head is to be raised and lowered by hand the hand crank 35 is
employed, and, being mounted on the side-head it rises and falls with the head,
being thus at all times conveniently within the reach of the operator while he is
engaged in setting the side-head tool to work. The pawl and 1atchet device
illustrated in Fig. 4 is therefore seen to be endowed within itself with the capacity
for adjustment of degree of feeding effect so that a constant stroke of primary
impulse may be utilized to an adjustable extent; and to have the capacity, when
used in conjunction with a second feeding device and with a driver, as a rack,
adjustable in its degree of motion. of permitting the adjustability of the rack
stroke to be employed in adjusting the second feed while the segment permits either
a primary or compensating adjustment in the first feeding device.
The rack, or equivalent connecting rod often employed for transmitting move-
ment to the feed gears usually has motion imparted to it from the tumbler, or from
some shaft of the driving train through the medium of friction which formed a
dead load during the non-feeding intervals, or from one of the shafts of the driving
train through the medium of ratchets. We arrange for taking the motion
primarily from a revolving piece having no other resistance duty, and we find it
expedient to employ for this purpose the loose pulley 9 pertaining to the cutting
motion. This pulley, primarily, has no working duties, its office being merely to
receive the cutting belt during periods of idleness. We utilize it in driving the
feed. A separate belt and pulley, having no reversing motion, would answer the
purpose quite as well, but this loose pulley being present, and having no reversings
of motion, and having belt power motion otherwise unemployed at the time needed
for feeding, we recommend its employment.
Proceeding now with further reference to the drawings
42, indicates what we will call a crank shaft, its duty being to rotate a feed
crank to reciprocate a feed rack:
43, a bevel gear fast on this shaft:
44, a pinion engaging this bevel gear and made fast with loose cutting pulley 9,
the presence of the shaft 42 and the bevel gearing being incidental simply to the
fact that the driving shaft 6 is parallel with the bed and it is desired, in the
construction illustrated, to have the axes of the crank shaft at right angles to
the bed:
45, a disk provided with a crank-pin, and hereafter termed a crank, this crank
being loose on the crank shaft 42:
46, link or connecting rod for transmitting the crank motion to the rack:
47, bell crank lever carrying a toothed segment engaging the rack 26 and
oscillated by the connecting rod 46:

page_text: 40, & Iriction rim fast on the crank shaft :
49, a friction strap carried by the crank 45 and engaging with its bore the
periphery of the friction rim:
50, (Fig. 6) a spring bolt to close the friction strap on the friction rim with
sufficient force to lock them together and cause the crank to be rotated with the
crank shaft:
51, a cam lever carried by the crank and adapted, when the end of the lever is
pressed inwardly, to force the strap open and allow the friction rim to revolve
while the crank stands :
52, a dog hung upon a fixed pivot and hanging normally in the path of the end
of the cam lever, but capable of swinging out of that path:
53, a finger lever mounted on the dog, the short end of this finger lever forming
a strike-toe :
54, a lever oscillated by reciprocations of the belt shifting slide 13, the axis of
oscillation of this lever being near but not coincident with the axis of dog 52:
55, a short arm of lever 54 adapted, as lever 54 oscillates in one direction, to
strike the toe of the finger lever and lift the dog out of the path of the cam
lever.
The operation of these parts will be best understood from Fig. 6. At the end
of the cutting stroke of the planer the shifter slide 13 will move to the right and
the cutting belt will go on to pulley 9 and that pulley will revolve and so also will
friction rim 48. The friction strap will cause the crank 45 also to revolve. The
movement of belt shifting slide 13 to the right brought short arm 55 into contact
with the toe of the finger lever 53 and dog 52 became thereby moved to the left
out of the path of the cam lever 51, thus permitting the crank shaft, through the
medium of its disk and the friction strap, to revolve the crank 45. But the axis
of dog 52 and short arm 55 are not coincident, and, when the short arm has carried
the toe and dog a short distance, sufficient, however, to be out of the way of the
cam lever 51, the short arm will disengage from the toc and the dog will drop
again to normal position. The cam lever, as the crank revolves, will strike the
dog and become arrested and the friction strap will be pried open, whereupon
the crank will come to rest while the crank shaft 'continues to revolve. The
consequence of this is that when the belt shifting slide is moved to the right the
crank will go into locked communication with the loose pulley 9 and will make one
revolution and then become unlocked, the crank thus making one complete
revolution at each movement to the right of the belt shifting slide, which means
one feeding impulse of the rack etc. at the terminal end of each cutting stroke.
Should it be desired that the feeding motion should be obtained at the terminal
end of the backing stroke, as is preferred by some constructors, then the loose
backing pulley instead of the loose cutting pulley would be employed in giving
motion to the friction rim.
The dog 52 normally occupies the arresting position shown in Fig. 6 and when
the belt shifting slide makes its movement to the left the short arm 55 passes the
toe idly and takes up the position shown, ready to trip the dog the next time the
shifter slide moves to the right. By turning finger lever 53 upward, and leaving
it so, the dog will be no longer removed by the action of the belt shifter, and a
convenient means is thus afforded for immediately stopping the feed, though it is
not essential.
The friction disk, friction strap, and cam lever, form simply a friction clutch,
which we have found well adapted for our desired purpose, though, obviously, other
analogous forms of friction clutches are available.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In a metal planing machine, the combination, substantially as set forth, with a
tumbler and belt-shifter. of a shaft proiecting outwardly beyond the tumbler and

page_text: provided with a handle, a lever fast on said shaft and connected with the tumbler
so that oscillations of one are imparted to the other, and a connection from the
lever to the belt shifter.
2. In a pawl and ratchet device, the combination, substantially as set forth, of
a ratchet-wheel, a pawl, a segment frictionally carried by the ratchet-wheel and
adapted to prevent engagement of pawl with ratchet-wheel, and a tail-piece on the
segment adapted to engage a part of the pawl and cause the segment to change its
position on the ratchet wheel.
3. In a pawl and ratchet device, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a
ratchet-wheel, a pawl, a segment frictionally carried by the ratchet-wheel and
adapted to prevent engagement of pawl with ratchet-wheel, and a tail-piece
adjustably mounted on the segment and adapted to engage a part of the pawl and
move the segment on the ratchet-wheel.
4. In a pawl and ratchet device, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a
ratchet-wheel, a double ended pawl, a segment frictionally carried by the ratchet-
wheel and adapted to prevent engagement of pawl with ratchet-wheel, and a tail-
piece on the segment adapted to engage a part of the pawl and move the segment
on the ratchet-wheel.
5. The combination, substantially as set forth, of two separate feeding devices,
as the feed gears on the rail and on the side-head of a metal planing machine, a
transmitting part, as a reciprocating rack, for actuating both said feeding devices,
a segment frictionally carried by said ratchet-wheel and adapted to prevent
engagement of pawl with ratchet-wheel, and a tail-piece on the segment, adapted
to engage a part of the pawl and move the segment on the ratchet-wheel.
6. In a metal planing machine, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a
side-head arranged to be moved up and down on a housing of the machine, power-
driven mechanism for giving such movement, a shaft mounted in the side and rising
and falling therewith and connected with said feeding mechanism, and a hand crank
on said shaft adapted to serve in feeding the side-head by hand.
7. In a metal planing machine, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a
feed device on rail or side-head or both, a pulley arranged to be driven in a
constant direction regardless of the direction of motion of the table, and mechanism
for intermittently transmitting motion from said pulley to said feed device.
8. In a metal planing machine, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a
feed device on rail or side-head or both, a loose pulley to receive one of the driving
belts when the belt is idle, and mechanism for transmitting motion from said loose
pulley to said feed device."
9. In a metal planing machine, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a
feed dovice on rail or side-head or both, a rotary feed-piece, as a crank, for
imparting motion to the feed-device, a pulley having a constant direction of
rotation, a self-gripping friction clutch serving to transmit motion from pulley to
rotary feed-piece, a dog arranged to normally release the friction clutch and arrest
the motion of the rotary feed-piece, reversing mechanism for the table motion, and
a connection from such mechanism to the dog to trip the dog.
Dated this 10th day of March 1891
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicants.