IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PLANING, TONGUING, AND GROOVING WOOD, MORE PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE IN THE PREPARATION OF PARQUET FLOORING
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Robert Western, of Victoria Works,
Belvedere Road, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, for the In-
vention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PLANING, TONGUING, AND
GROOVING WOOD, MORE PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE IN THE PREPARATION OF
PARQUET FLOORING."
Sealed the 26th August 1873, and dated the 13th June 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Robert Western
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 13th June 1873.
I, CHARLES ROBERT WESTERN, of Victoria Works, Belvedere Road,
Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR PLANING, TONGUING,
AND GROOVING WOOD, MORE PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE IN THE PREPARATION OF
PARQUET FLOORING," to be as follows:
This Invention relates to apparatus for planing wood true on the one
face, and at the same time tonguing and grooving it on the edges, such
tonguing and grooving being made true to the planed face, such appa-

page_text: ratus being more particularly applicable to the preparation of the short
pieces of wood used in parquet flooring, and being arranged in such
manner that these pieces can be readily fed to and discharged from the
machine in a continuous manner. For this purpose I provide at each
end of a framing a chain wheel, round which I pass a set of plate links
jointed together, which form the travelling table of the machine.
Throughout a part of their travel these links move between guides, so
that they present a true upper surface. On these links at intervals are
fixed dogs presenting an edge against which the pieces of wood to be
treated are driven, and there are also at intervals dogs likewise pre-
senting an edge, but capable of sliding in the table, which latter dogs
are driven up against the pieces of wood. The wood thus held between
a pair of the dogs is drawn onward by the travel of the table between
two revolving cutters, the one of which cuts a groove in the one edge of
the wood, and the other forms a tongue on the other edge. Immediately
in advance of these cutters is mounted on a vertical spindle a disc con-
taining cutters on its under face. The wood is carried under this disc,
and has its upper surface planed true or taken out of winding. As the
successive links bend over the wheel at the farther end of the machine
they withdraw the front dogs from the wood, when the wood is left free
to be discharged from the table, but in case of its being held by the back
dogs I provide them with a rack or arm projecting downwards, which
engages with a pinion or stop under the table, so that at a certain part
of their travel when the wood should be left free they are drawn back-
wards from it.
The disc above mentioned carrying the face cutters is preferably fixed
on a vertical spindle which is mounted, not above, but at the side of the
wood operated on, so that the cutters make a cleaner surface, and in
passing on to and off from the face of the wood are less liable to damage
the edges. This disc may be mounted either before or behind the edge
cutters; in the latter case, the wood having been already trued on the
edges, may be guided between rails while it is being planed.
The cutters may be made to edge the wood to other forms or mouldings

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Robert Western in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 12th December 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
ROBERT WESTERN, of Victoria Works, Belvedere Road, Lambeth, in the
County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Thirteenth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Charles Robert Western, Her special license
that I, the said Charles Robert Western, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Robert Western, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR PLANING, TONGUING, AND GROOVING WOOD, MORE PARTICULARLY
APPLICABLE IN THE PREPARATION OF PARQUET FLOORING," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Charles Robert Western, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Robert Western, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the accom-
panying Sheet of Drawings, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to apparatus for planing wood truc on the ono
face, and at the same time tonguing and grooving it on the edges, such
tonguing and grooving being made truc to the planed face, such
apparatus being more particularly applicable to the preparation of the

page_text: short pieces of wood used in parquet flooring, and being arranged in such
manner that these pieces can be readily fed to and discharged from the
machine in a continuous manner. For this purpose I provide at each
end of a framing a chain wheel round which I pass a set of plate links
jointed together, which form the travelling table of the machine.
Throughout a part of their travel these links move between guides, so
that they present a true upper surface. On these links at intervals are
fixed dogs presenting an edge against which the pieces of wood to be
treated are driven, and there are also at intervals dogs likewise pre-
senting an edge, but capable of sliding in the table, which latter dogs
are driven up against the pieces of wood. The wood thus held between
a pair of the dogs is drawn onward by the travel of the table between two
revolving cutters, the one of which cuts a groove in the one edge of the
wood, and the other forms a tongue on the other edge. Immediately in
advance of these cutters is mounted on a vertical spindle a disc con-
taining cutters on its under face. The wood is carried under this disc,
and has its upper surface planed true, or taken out of winding. As the
successive links bend over the wheel at the farther end of the machine
they withdraw the front dogs from the wood, when the wood is left free
to be discharged from the table; but in case of its being held by the
back dogs I provide them with a rack or arm projecting downwards,
which engages with a pinion or stop under the table, so that at a certain
part of their travel, when the wood should be left free, they are drawn
backwards from it.
The disc above mentioned carrying the face cutter is preferably fixed
on a vertical spindle which is mounted not above but at the side of the
wood operated on, so that the cutters make a cleaner surface, and in
passing on to and off from the face of the wood are less liable to damage
the edges. This disc may be mounted either before or behind the edge
cutters; in the latter case, the wood having been already trued on the

page_text: A and B are the two chain wheels, of which A is driven by worm or
other convenient gearing at a slow speed; C, C, are flat links of a
continuous chain passing round the wheels A and B, and caused to
travel in the direction of the arrow by the movement of A. The chain
links C are during a portion of their travel guided between guides D, D,
arranged at each side so as to present a continuously travelling straight
and level bed. E, E, are two rotating cutters for edging, grooving,
tonguing, on moulding, and F is a horizontal rotating disc having
cutters on its under face. The pieces of wood G to be operated on are
laid on the chain at the end next B, each piece being forced up against
an edged dogg fixed on one of the links of the chain, and another edged
dog g¹ secured to one of the links by a bolt passing through a slotted
hole is forced up against the piece of wood. The wood thus secured is
carried by the travel of the chain past the cutters E, E, whereby its
opposite edges are faced, grooved, tongued, or moulded true and parallel
to one another, and these pass under the cutter F, whereby its upper
surface is taken out of winding, or planed true and parallel with the
bed. As the links C turn over the pulley A the dogs g become with-
drawn from the ends of the pieces of wood, which are discharged at G¹.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I claim the use of apparatus for
planing, tonguing, and grooving pieces of wood, wherein the pieces of
wood secured to the links of a continuous travelling chain are caused
to pass rotating edging and facing cutters, substantially in the manner
and for the purpose herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Robert Western, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-three.