Improved Machine or Apparatus for Splitting, Dressing, or Planing Wood.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Sept., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 20th June, 1890-Accepted, 16th Aug.,
1890
Improved Machine or Apparatus for Splitting, Dressing, or
Planing Wood.
1, ALEXANDER DUNBAR, of 65, South John Street Liverpool, in the County of
Lancaster, Barrister-at-Law, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to an improved machine for dressing, by splitting or planing,
two sides of a piece of wood simultaneously, and reducing the wood to the required
thickness, by passing it between fixed knives whose distance apart is capable of being
regulated.
In a machine according to my invention two side frames are provided for carrying
plane iron tools and tool boxes in such a manner that they are capable of adjustment;
also a toothed wheel, pitched chains, and dogs or equivalent mechanism for forcing
forward the wood to be dressed between the stationary knives.
and
A weighted roller or rollers guided in movable pedestals in the sido frames is or are
provided and so arranged as to press the wood under treatment into close contact with
the front guido on a lower plane iron, so as to dress the lower side of the wood; at
the same time the roller or rollers prevents or prevent the wood from lifting up
being cut too deep by the upper knife as it passes beneath it, as would be the case with
wood having a cross grain when the tendency of the knife would be to follow
approximately the grain of the wood.
In the case of a machine designed for dressing thick heavy oak or similar staves from
the rough (which are usually of unequal thickness on the two edges) the weighted roller
or rollers is or are made to swivel so as to retain the lower side thereof flut on the
lower plane iron. In some cases where only one roller is employed suitable rings or
collars are or may be formed on its outer surface to press the wood downwards, the
weight being such as to partially flatten a bent stave on that part being acted on by
the knives.
The feeding chains are provided with pusher bars extending from one endless pitclied
chain to the other; these may be fitted with one or more pins to catch into the end of
the piece of wood to be treated. Thus when dressing twisted pieces of wood to form
staves the central pin in the cross bar or dog will be pressed into the end sufficiently
to allow the twisted wood to regulate itself whilst passing between the knives.
The endless pitched chains or their equivalent may be driven by a train of toothed
wheels and a driving belt or a worm and worm wheel according to circumstances.
Suitable guides are provided between the endless chains for the wood to rest on
previous to the dog catching its end.
When planing or dressing to thickness short boards of uniform length a feeding box
may be provided so arranged that as the endless chains travel beneath it, the lowermost
boards of a pile will be successively carried forward.
I would have it understood that I may modify the various details to suit different
purposes without departure from the characteristic features of my invention.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Machine or Apparatus for Splitting, Dressing, or Planing
Wood.
I, ALEXANDER DUNBAR, of 65 South John Street, Liverpool, in the County of
Tancaster, Barrister-at-Law 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 improved machine for dressing, by splitting or planing,
two sides of a piece of wood simultaneously, and reducing the wood to the required
thickness, by passing it between fixed knives whose distance apart is capable of being
regulated.
In a machine according to my invention side frames are provided for carrying
plane iron tools and tool boxes in such a manner that they are capable of adjustment;
also toothed wheels, pitched chains, and dogs or equivalent mechanism for forcing
forward the wood to be dressed between the stationary knives.
A. weighted roller or rollers guided in movable pedestals in the side frames is or are
provided and so arranged as to press the wood under treatment into close contact with
the front guide of a lower plane iron, so as to dress the lower side of the wood, at the
same time the roller or rollers prevents or prevent the wood from lifting up and being
cut too deep by the upper knife as it passes beneath it, as would be the case withi
wood having a cross grain, where the tendency of the knife would be to follow
approximately the grain of the wood.
In the case of a machine designed for dressing thick heavy oak or similar staves
from the rough (which are usually of unequal thicknesses on the two edges) the
weighted roller or rollers is or are made to cant so as to retain the lower side of the
stave flat on the lower plane-irou. In some cases where only one roller is employed
one or more suitable rings or collars is or are or may be formed on its outer surface
to press the wood downwards, the weight of the roller being such as to partially
flation that part of a bent stave that is being acted on by the knives. There may be
two sets of knives with roller or rollers.
The feeding chains are connected at intervals by transverse bars or dogs each of
which may be fitted with a pin to catch into the end of the piece of wood to be
treated. Thus when dressing twisted pieces of wood to form staves, the central pin in
the pusher bar will be pressed into the end of the wood but so as to allow the twisted
wood to regulate itself whilst passing between the knivės.
The endless pitched chains or their equivalent may be actuated by a train of toothed
wheels or by a worm and worm wheel driven in any convenient manner.
Suitable guides are provided between the endless chains for the wood to rest on
previous to the dog catching its end.
Referring to the accompanying sheet of drawings Fig. 1. is a sectional side
elevation taken on the line 6. 7. of Fig. 2. illustrating a double machine or apparatus
for splitting, dressing or planing wood according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan
or top view of the machine. Fig. 3. is a cross section on the line 8-9 of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4. is an end elevation shewing the driving end of the machine. Fig. 5 is a
perspective view shewing a pusher bar and part of two feeding chains.
A. and B. are the side frames of the machine, each provided with lower tool
boxes C. and D. and with front guide bars E. and F. for regulating the thickness of
cut to be taken off the underside of the wood constituting the back or outerside of a
finished stave. These tool boxes and guide bars are each made capable of vertical
adjustment as shewn in Fig. 1. G. and H. are planing tools above the cutting edges
of which are arranged heavily weighted bolding down rollers J. and K. which are
guided in movable bearings working in vertical guide slots in the side frames A.
and B. These rollers are hield down in the example shewn by bridge fixings J' K
extending over the top of the rollers and sufliciently beyond the side frames A. A

page_text: and B. B. to have heavy weights Jª J*K* K* suspended therefrom as shown in
Fig. 3. The roller J. has when treating staves whose edges vary considerably in,
thickness, a projecting ring or collar J* formed upon it a little to one side, so that the
thin edge of a stave may be pressed down flat on the edge of the tool G. without
canting the axis of the roller J. too much.
To the side frames A. A. near to the holding down roller J. is secured a wide thick
or heavy adjustable splitting knife L. the cutting edge of which is placed as close to
the roller J. as convenient but so as to allow of thick shavings readily passing away..
This knife may be curved down in the middle to about the same radius as the inside
of the rim of the barrel which the dressed staves are intended to form, and be placed
about parallel (from back to front) with the upper surface of the tool G and tool.
box C. which are also hollowed to about the same radius as the splitting knife.
Directly behind the similarly weighted holding down roller K. which is made
preferably barrel shaped or rounded on its periphery as shewn, is a planing tool M..
fixed in a tool box N. which is secured to the side frames B. B. as close to the
roller K. as possible.
The planing tools H and M. are intended to remove only thin or light shavings for
the purpose of imparting a better finish to the dressed stave than would be obtained if
the planing or backing tool G. and the splitting knife L. were alone used. The
splitting knife L. is apt when removing a very thick shaving to split the stave in line.
with the grain of the wood but this to a great extent is prevented by the roller J.
which breaks the shaving as it is raised by the thick splitting knife L. leaving
occasionally a more or less uneven surface which it is the function of the planing
tool M. to smooth and finish.
P. P. are endless feeding chains for driving the wood between the tools; these
chains are placed close to the inner sides of the side frames A. A. and B. B, their
upper lengthis travelling.in recesses between the upper and lower tool boxes N-D
and tool box C. and splitting knife L. They are connected together by transverse
pusher bars Q. Q. placed at fixed distances apart according to the length of the staves,
to be dressed. The middle portion of the front edge of each pusher bar projects in
advance of the sides and is provided with a tapered pin Q for catching into the end of
the piece of wood to be treated. This pin allows the wood, when warped, to twist and
adjust itself so as to lie flat whilst passing beneath the rollers J. and K. and over
the lower planing tools G. and H., so that thinner staves than the gauge at which the
tools are set to cut will be dressed or backed on the side forming the outer side of a
barrel rim.
R. is a central guide bar that extends from the standard S. carrying the stretching
chain wheels PP to the lower plane iron guide E. There are also side guides R¹ R
Figs. 1 and 2. placed directly under and on which tho feeding chains P. P. slide and
are guided. The higher part of the bent central guide R. on which the back end of
the fed stave rests previous to the pin on the pusher bar entering it and driving it
forward beneath the holding down roller J. is placed at a little lower level than the
side guides R R the difference in the levels of the side guides R' and the central
bent guide bar R. may be regulated to suit the height the central pin is intended to
strike from the low side of the stave.
After the front end of the stave has been caught under the roller J. the higher part
of the guide R is bent down for the remainder of its length so as to allow the endless
feeding chains, pusher bar and caught stave to rise or fall and adjust themselves to
the required positions according to the twist in the stave. There is also a similar
bent guide bar R between the side frames A. and B. and also side or centering
guides. The distance between the holding down rollers J. and K. is such that one
stave shall not be cut by the two sets of knives at the same time.
Side guides not shewn may be provided between the side frames A and B. for,
centering the stave as it passes along from one set of knives to the other. The endless
feeding chains P. P. are driven by the chain wheels P P fixed on the shaft P³,
which is rotated by a train of toothed wheels T. T. from a shaft provided with fast and

page_text: loose strap pulleys U. U. The chain wheels P P may however be driven by any
suitable means.
Each set of knives is capable of adjustment to vary the thickness of cut to be taken
off either the upper or lower side of the stave, and to regulate the thickness the
finished stave is intended to have.
It is to be understood that the various details may be modified to suit different,
purposes. For instance if rough work only is required to be done the second set of
finishing tools and side frames may be dispensed with, or ordinary plane irons may be
employed for planing straight boards without departure from the characteristic
features of my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declaro that I make no
general claim to the use of fixed plane irons over which wood is driven whilst pressed
downwards but what I do claim is :-
1. In a machine for splitting dressing or planing the two opposite sides simul-
taneously of rough uneven wood to reduce it to the required thickness the combination
of a lower planing knife and an upper splitting knife and endless feeding chains
substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In a machine of the kind herein referred to for splitting, dressing or planing
wood the combination with the planing and splitting knives and feeding chains of a
weighted roller arranged above the planing knife and transverse pusher bars carried'
by the feeding chains each pusher bar being provided with a central pin for catching
into the staves or wood to be treated substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. A machine of the kind herein referred to for splitting dressing or planing wood
such as rough staves constructed with a central bent guide bar such as R or R2 for
supporting the end of a stave until it is caught and supported by the advancing pin on
a transverse pusher bar carried by the feeding chains substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to and shown in the drawings annexed.
Dated this 19th day of June 1890
Witness:
.
F. M. C. SCOTT,
89, Victoria Street,
Liverpool.
ALEXANDER DUNBAR