APPARATUS FOR CUTTING WOOD INTO LAMINATED PIECES
Year: 1884

page_text: We GEORGE FRY of 57 Old Broad Street in the City of London Merchant
ALLEN RANSOME and TпомAS JAMES WILKIE Engineers both of Stanley Works
Chelsea in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of our invention
for "APPARATUS FOR CUTTING WOOD INTO LAMINATED PIECES" to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to cut and divide wood into short thin or
laminated pieces suitable for boiling for the production of paper-pulp and for other
purposes
For this purpose on a disc of iron or other suitable metal or material are fixed a
number of steel chisels or cutters so arranged that they act successively on the
piece, log or plank of wood to be cut. Holes are slotted through the disc to contain
the chisels or cutters; and, in order to facilitate the secure fixing of these, they are
placed in the disc with their bevilled edge towards the wood, so that they cut
with the short side of their cutting angle in about the same plane as the direction
of the cut and consequently with this short side of their cutting angle nearly
parallel to the flat side of the disc in which the chisels are fixed. These chisels or
cutters are intended to cut across the grain of the wood.
In order that the wood shall, at the same time that it is cut across the grain by
these chisels or cutters, split into thin slices or laminæ, it is necessary that the side
of the cutting angle which is not in the same plane with the direction of the cut
or blow, that is the long side of the cutting angle, should form with the direction
of the grain of the wood to be cut, an angle of 90 degrees or more than 90 degrees
but not much less than 90 degrees, so that the chisel may act as a wedge splitting
off the wood in lamina as the fibre is severed by the cutting edge. This wo effect
by tilting the disc to the necessary angle.
The chisels or cutters are fixed on only a part of the whole surface of the disc,
in general it will be convenient that they shall occupy only about one half of this
surface, in order that the cutting process may continue during a part only of the
revolution of the disc, while the wood is fed forwards, by a suitable arrangement,
during the remainder of the revolution.
If the chisels are made to begin the cut on one side of the piece of wood to be
operated on and to complete the cut on the opposite side there is a danger that the
wood may split off at the side in the direction of the grain during the cutting
action of the last chisel or chisels; to obviate tbis we have found it convenient to
so arrange the chisels that one or two first act on one side of the piece of wood and
then those on the opposite side begin to act so that completion of the cutting
action may take place at some distance from the extreme edge of the wood.
1
2

page_text: number of steel chisels or cutters so arranged. that they act successively on the
piece log or plank of wood to be cut. Holes are slotted through the disc to
contain the chisels or cutters; and in order to facilitate the secure fixing of these
they are placed in the disc with their bevilled edge towards the wood so that they
cut with the short side of their cutting-angle-in-about-the-same-plane_as_the
--direction of the cut and consequently with this short side of their cutting angle
nearly parallel to the flat side of the disc in which the chisels are fixed. These
-chisels-or-cutters are intended to cut across-the-grain-of the wood...
In order that the wood shall, at the same time that it is cut across the grain-by-
these chisels or cutters, split into thin slices or laminæ, it is necessary that the side
of the cutting angle which is not in the same plane with the direction of the cut
or blow that is the long side of the cutting angle, should form with the direction
of the grain of the wood to be cut an angle of 90 degrees or more than 90 degrees,
but not much less than 90 degrees so that the chisel may act as a wedge splitting
off the wood in laminæ as the fibre is severed by the cutting edge. This wo effect
by tilting the disc to the necessary angle.
The chisels or cutters are fixed on only a part of the whole surface of the disc,
in general it will be convenient that they shall occupy only about one half of this
surface in order that the cutting process may continue during a part only of the
revolution of the disc while the wood is fed forwards by a suitable arrangement
during the remainder of the revolution.
If the chisels are made to begin the cut on one side of the piece of wood to be
operated on and to complete the cut on the opposite side there is a danger that the
wood may split off at the side in the. direction of the grain during the cutting
action of the last chisel or chisels; to obviate this we have found it convenient
to so arrange the chisels that one or two first act on one side of the piece of wood
and then those on the opposite side begin to act so that completion of the cutting
action may take place at some distance from the extreme edge of the wood.
In the drawings hereunto annexed we have shown apparatus constructed
according to our invention.

page_text: view shewing one of the cutters in the position into which it is brought when,
acting upon the wood and shewing that when in this position it is approximately
at right angles to the grain of the wood which it is cutting.
In these figures the same letters of reference refer to like parts.
A is a revolving disc carried by a spindle A¹ mounted on standards B B¹ these
standards stand on and are affixed to a base C. At the top of each standard is a
bearing in which the spindle A¹ revolves the lower standard B also carries a thrust
piece B to take the weight of the disc and spindle. The spindle A' is driven by a
belt pulley H fixed upon it. On the base C is affixed a bracket D which supports
one end of a gantry E the outer end of the gantry is supported by a standard F.
The gantry carries rollers G which serve as carrying rollers to support the weight
of the log to be cut. The drawing shows the machine acting on a rough
semicircular log.
The log is fed forwards in the manner usual in wood cutting machinery by a
serrated feed roller R which has a step by step revolving motion imparted to it.
In the drawing this roller is shown as being driven from a bevil wheel I keyed on
to the spindle A¹ into this gears another bevil wheel J keyed on to the top of a
spindle K which gives motion by another pair of bevil wheels to an horizontal
spindle L having at its opposite end a crank M fitted with an adjustable crank
pin. A connecting rod N gives an intermittent motion to a ratchet wheel O spindle P
and gear wheels and so to the serrated feed roller R on which the log rests. On
the top of the log immediately over the feed roller R is a weighted roller S kept
down by a weight T and between these the log is held The bearings of the
roller S can rise and fall in guide brackets D¹ D³. A hand lever U spindle and
short lever are arranged as is shown to relieve the weight of the top roll when
desired.
V is an adjustable fence on the gantry E fixed with bolts passing through
slotted bolt holes in the guide and on the opposite side is an horizontal roller W
carried by a lever arm, this roller is acted upon by a weight suspended by a cord
passing over a pulley and keeps the log against the fence V. The log is also kept
up to the fence by a guide which can be set up towards the log by turning a hand
wheel X.
a. a¹ a² to a² are the cutters carried by the disc in such manner that they act.
successively on the log their cutting ends protrude through slots formed in the disc
and they are secured to the back of the disc in the manner shewn at Figures 4
and 4*.
They rest upon inclined projections at the back of the disc and are clamped
thereto by clamps b and screws b'. The back end of each cutter also rests against
a set screw c which is secured by a lock nut.
The forward end of each cutter protrudes through one end of one of the slots in
the disc and at the opposite end of the slot is an adjustable throat plate d.
The chips cut off by the cutter pass between the throat plate and cutter and
away through the slot.
The cutters are as will be seen carried on one half only of the disc and the
feeding forward of the log takes place when none of the cutters are acting upon it.
As will be seen by Figure 4 the angle at which the cutters are secured to the
disc is such that as above stated the bevilled edge of each cutter is approximately
parallel with the face of the disc-and as will be seen by the diagram view
Figure 5 the cutters by reason of the angle at which the disc is set relatively to
the log are at the time when they make their cut brought into a position
approximately at right angles to the grain of the wood. Preferably also the
cutters as shown at Figures 2 and 3 are carried by the disc in such manner that
the cutters a. a' first make their cuts at the two sides of the end face of the log
and afterwards the remaining cutters cut in succession over the remainder of the
face. It will be evident that in place of the log being horizontal and the disc
inclined the disc might be mounted vertically or in other position and the wood
be fed forwards through an inclined hopper.

page_text: VWww
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that
what we claim is
1. The employment in apparatus for cutting wood into laminated pieces of a
revolving disc carrying a series of cutters at varying distances from its centre to
nct in succession upon the end of a log of wood which is fed forwards towards it
the cutters being made to protrude through holes in the disc so as to project beyond
the face of the disc towards which the log is fed and being so secured to the disc
and the disc set at such an angle to the log that the cutters come approximately
at right angles to the grain of the wood as they make their cut.
2. The combination of apparatus for cutting wood into pieces substantially in
the manner berein before described and illustrated in the drawing annexed.
CARPMAEL & Co.,
Agents for the Applicants.