Improvements in Barrel Hooping Machinery.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 19th June, 1891-Accepted, 25th July, 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by LEONARD DILLE MORRISON, of New York,,in
the State of New York, in the United States of America, Superintendent of
Barrel Factory.]
Improvements in Barrel Hooping Machinery.
I JAMES JOHNSON of 4 Clayton Square Liverpool in the County of Lancaster,
Patent Agent 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 improvement consists in a device to be used in connection with the well
known style of barrel hooping machines in which a number of upright arms are
pivoted at their lower ends to a frame or crosshead which forms a nut on the'
vertical screw by which the arms are raised and lowered; each arm may be provided
with hand pieces or with notches which engage the edge of the barrel hoop and draw
it downwards on the barrel as the arms are lowered.
There are various machines having the general characteristics which I have
mentioned.
My improvement has special reference to the driving of the chine-hoops; one at
each end of a barrel. These chine hoops are more difficult to drive than either the
quarter or bilge-hoops, for the reason that being placed on the chine of the bartel
they are not supported as the other hoops are, by the staves while being drawn
down; and when first placed on the barrel it is preferable not to drive them all the
way down (that is, until the upper edge of the hoop is flush with the edge of the
chine of the barrel). The reason of this is that when the barrel is being made;
the staves are still warm, and after the barrel is finished they will shrink somewhat,
necessitating the redriving of the hoop; but as the chine hoop when finished' should
have its upper edge coincident with the end of the barrel, the chine hoop cannot be
driven further down without drawing it below the edge of the barrel; unless it' is
left above it when the barrel is made.
When the chine hoop has been put on at one end of the barrel, with its outer
edge above that of the chine, the barrel is upended on the machine'and a chine
hoop is similarly placed on the other end, but in doing this by such machine' as I
have described the drawing down of the chine hoop exerts a corresponding.down-
ward pressure on the whole barrel, so that if the lower chine hoop rests on the table
of the machine while the upper chine hoop is being pressed down the effect will be
to drive the lower chine hoop on to the barrel as far as it will gö; thus preventing
the chine hoop from being left with its outer edge extending beyond the edge of the
chine. My improvement is designed to obviate this difficulty and also to afford
means for driving the chine-hoops only part of the way on the barrel:
Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improvement, partly in section, and
Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing the use of the plate-to drive the
lower chine-hoop.
1 represents the table on which the barrel is placed to be hooped. This table is
supported by a screw 2 which is caused to revolve in either direction by bevel
wheel 3 and suitable connecting gearing, which is driven in any desired manner,
and readily controlled to stop or reverse at the will of the operator: On this shaft
is the crosshead 4 which is threaded so that the screw shaft works through it, thus
raising or lowering the crosshead' according to the direction of motion of the screw:
To the crosshead 4; are pivoted the upright arms 5. 5 &c. which are furnished at their
upper end with a suitable device for engaging and drawing, down the chine-hoop.
These arms 5. surround the barrel, and are of sufficient number to give a sufficiently
uniform pressure at various points on the hoop. On the table 1 is placed a plate 6;
D
1

page_text: the diameter of which is somewhat less than the exterior diameter of the barrel at
the chine, but large enough for the bevelled end of the chine of the barrel to rest
upon the plate, thus preventing the lower edge of the barrel coming in contact with
the surface of the table 1. The edge of this plate 6 may be beveled, or rounded,
or left rectangular, as may be preferred.
The operation of my device is as follows:- When the chine-hoop has been placed
on one end of the barrel by means of the arms 5 of the machine, or otherwise, with
the hoop not fully driven down, the barrel is up-ended in order to drive the other
chine hoop. The ends of the staves of the barrel on which the first chine hoop has
been placed, now rest on the edge of the plate, which being preferably circular
gives a firm and uniform support to the barrel; but the chine-hoop projecting
beyond the end of the barrel lies entirely outside of the circumference of the plate,
but (the plate being of sufficient thickness) the projecting edge of the chine-hoop
only just touches the table 1, and cannot be pressed further down, and therefore is
not affected in any way by the pressure applied to drive on the chine hoop at the
other end of the barrel.
As it is necessary that the diameter of the plate should be such as to permit of
the chine of the barrel resting upon it, within the edge or outer circumference of
the chine, plates of different diameters may be kept on hand so as to change them
as may be necessary. They need not be rigidly attached to the table 1, but may be
set on and held in place by one or more pins or holes in the table and plate.
The plate 6 which I have described as performing the function of preventing the
driving of one chine-hoop from forcing the other chine-hoop further on the barrel,
is capable of performing also the function of putting the chine-hoops on the barrel,
which I will proceed to describe by reference to Figure 2. For this purpose the
plate 6 is constructed and arranged on the table 1 as I have described, but instead
of first placing the chine-hoop on the upper end of the barrel to be drawn down by
the arms and hand pieces, it may be placed on the table surrounding the plate 6
but not resting on nor touching the plate, and the barrel placed on the hoop or the
hoop may be placed on the end of the chine and the barrel placed on the table with
the hoop resting on the table but not touching the plate 6. The hand pieces of the
arms 5, 5, then engage the upper end of the barrel if it has no chine hoop upon it
and draw the barrel down until the lower chine rests upon the edge of the plate
when the chine hoop will have been driven part way only on to the chine of the
barrel. In this operation it is not necessary to use the hand pieces on the arms 5, 5,
but instead the arms may be simply hooked at their upper ends sufficient to engage
the edge of the chine of the barrel." If a chine hoop has been placed upon the other
(upper) end of the barrel, then in order to drive the chine hoop on the other end, a
loose plate 7 similar to the plate 6 and of suitable diameter is so placed as to rest
on the chine inside of the chine hoop, as shown in Figures 1 to 2, when the hand
pieces or hooks at the upper end of the arms 5, 5, resting upon the upper surface of
the loose plate 7 will draw down the barrel on to the lower chine-hoop without
interfering with the chine hoop at the upper end.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
First. In a barrel hooping machine, the combination with hoop driving arms, and
mechanism for operating the same, and a table or support for the barrel, of a plate,
preferably circular, of suitable diameter to receive and support the ends of the
staves inside of their outer diameter at the chine, and raised above the surface of
the table sufficiently to permit of the chine-hoop extending outside of the plate
and below the lower end of the staves; substantially as and for the purposes
described.
Second. In a barrel hooping machine, the combination with hoop-driving arms
and mechanism for operating the same, of a raised supporting table carrying a
preferably circular plate of less diameter than the chine-hoop, and adapted to

page_text: receive and support the chine of the barrel, for the purpose of partially driving the
chine-hoops; substantially as described.
Third. In a barrel hooping machine, the combination with hoop-driving arms
and mechanism for operating the same, of a raised supporting table having a plate
of such diameter as to receive and support the chine of the barrel inside of the
chine-hoop, and a similar plate adapted to be placed on the other chine of the barrel
and within the outer circumference, and to be engaged by the driving arms; sub-
stantially as and for the purposes described.
Dated the 18th day of June 1891