Improvements in Machines for making Tooth-picks and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Machines for making Tooth-picks and the like.
I, HOWARD EVERETT BARLOW, of 425, Butler Exchange, Providence, Rhode Island,
U.S.A., Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:
This invention relates to the class of wood working machinery and its object is to
produce a machine for making tooth-picks and other like small articles of wood,
properly shaped, pointed and finished ready for use as they come from the machine.
The construction of the machine is as follows:-
Two vertical side frames, are bolted fast to the bed plate, two standards are also
fastened to the bed plate, and connected together at the top by the bar. A driving
shaft is held in bearings attached to the side frame and standards, and has a driving
pulley, on its outer end. A second like shaft is also held in similar bearings in the
side frames and the standards, and is connected with the first or driving 'shaft, by
two gear wheels. These two shafts, carry the cutter rolls, and are divided into two
parts, and the parts are connected together at that point by means of loose
couplings, that will allow the rolls to approach each other or to recede without
disturbing the parts of the shafts held in the bearings attached to the standards. A
third shaft having bearings in the outer side frame, and the inner standard is placed
below to operate the feed motion at the outer side of the machine. A fourth or short
vertical shaft is held between the upper part of the standards, in bearings fast on
arms, projecting from the inner standard, and a worm gear, fast on the upper end of
the short vertical shaft engages in a worm wheel fast. on the driving shaft, and a bevel
gear, on the lower end of the short. vertical shaft, engages with a bevel gear, fast on
the end of the third shaft which gives motion to the feed. Two plates are held to
slide horizontally in ways on the side frames. To give motion to these plates a
segment gear is placed under each plate, on short shafts (fifth and sixth shafts) having
bearings attached to the side frame, and engage in toothed racks, secured to the
under side of each plate.
A gear wheel, fast on the outer end of the third shaft engages with a gear wheel,
held on a stud in the side frame, each gear wheel has a crank, fast on its outer face
and these cranks are connected by rods with other cranks, on the ends of the segment
shafts so that as the gear wheels revolve they will give motion to the segments and
through the racks to the tables the boxes that hold the shaft of the rolls are held to
slide vertically a short distance between two posts to allow the rolls to approach or
recede from each other, which is accomplished by means of the following mechanism.
Two short horizontal shafts (seventh and eighth shafts) are held in bearings on the
posts, and each of these shafts has a crank on one end, and these two cranks are
connected by a rod with a crank on the upper end of the fourth shaft. Cross arms
are made fast on each of the seventh and eighth shafts. These arms are connected
on the one side by a bar and straps, to each lower box, and the arms on the other side
are connected with the upper boxes, so that when the latter shafts are rocked by the
crank, and connecting bar, the arms on one side will rise and draw up the lower boxes

page_text: and at the same time the arms on the other side of the shaft will move down and push
down the upper boxes, in this way the rolls will be made to approach each other to
cut the points of the tooth-picks and when the said shafts are rocked the other way
by the crank, the rolls will be separated.
The construction of the rolls, and arrangements of the knives on them to enable
them to cut the picks to a fine point and support them whilst it is being done,
is as follows:-The knives are made with sharp notches, of the shape desired for
one side of the picks and set radially in the rolls so that only the teeth of the
knives project. The knives are bevelled away at the outer corners of their ends
and a collar having a concave inner face is fitted to screw on the shaft of the
roll and project over the incline on the ends of the knives and hold them in
place. Between each of the knives a groove is made deep enough to receive
that part of the knife that projects above the surface of the roll, and the two
rolls are so geared together as to bring the knives of one roll in the grooves of
the other roll. This enables the rolls to come close together and cut the picks
to a fine point as the roll on each side of a groove, affords the necessary support
to the small part of the wood that constitutes the point of the tooth-picks.
In operation the blocks of wood are placed before the table when it is clear
out to the left, and as the third shaft, revolves the cranks on the gears and by
means of rods, the segments gears move the plates towards each other and pushes
the blocks in between the rolls, which are made to revolve very fast, and the knives
will cut the upper and lower surface of the block in flutes, the grooves between
these flutes meeting in the middle and making the block into separate picks.
As the wood passes between the rolls it is met by the open jaws on the plate,
which as that plate is moved back are closed by an incline plate, fast on the
frame, that presses down the arm and causes the jaws to grip tight on the block
and draw it through the rolls as the plate goes back, at the same time the
crank will draw on the rod, and cause the seventh and eighth shafts to draw the
rolls together and cut the picks to a point tapering down from one third or SO
from the other end.
As the crank completes a revolution the plate, is again moved away from the
rolls and is ready to receive another block. As the plate approaches its outer
limit the arm passes up the incline, and the jaws open and discharge the
picks.
Dated : 5th. ]....
1007
Improvements in Machines for making Tooth-picks and the like.
I, HOWARD EVERETT BARLOW, of 425, Butler Exchange, Providence, Rhode Island,
U.S.A., Mechanical Engineer, 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 the class of wood-working machinery, and its object is
to produce a machine for making toothpicks and other like small articles of wood,
properly shaped, pointed, and finished ready for use as they come from the
machine.
The said invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which
Figure 1 represents a top view of the machine.

page_text: Figure 2 is a side elevation with the upper half of the machine shown in
section.
Figure 3 is a vertical cross-section taken on line x x in Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the knives.
Figure 5 is a vertical cross-section of the end of one of the rolls, showing how the
knives are held in place.
Figure 6 a perspective view of one of the blocks and a finished toothpick.
The construction of the machine is as follows: Two vertical side frames A A are
bolted fast to the bed-plate C.
D D are two standards, which are also fastened to the bed-plate C, and connected
together at the top by the bar N. A driving-shaft a is held in bearings attached to
the side frames A and standards D, and has a driving-pulley F on its outer end. A
like shaft a¹ is also held in like bearings in the side frames and the standards, and is
connected with shaft a by two gear-wheels b 6'. These two shafts a al carry the
cutter-rolls d d, and are divided into two parts each at f, and the parts are connected
together at that point by means of loose couplings c', that will allow the rolls d d to
approach each other or to recede without disturbing the parts of the shafts held in
the bearings attached to the standards D D. Another shaft J, having bearings in the
outer side frame A and the inner standard D, is placed below to operate the feed
motion at the outer side of the machine. A short vertical shaft is held between-the
upper part of the standards D in bearings fast on arms v, projecting from the inner
standard D, and a worm-gear S, fast on the upper end of the shaft k engages in a
worm g, fast on the shaft a, and a bevel-gear n on the lower end of the shaft k,
engages with a bevel-gear n¹ fast on the end of the shaft J, which gives motion to
the feed. Two plates L L are held to slide horizontally in ways on the side
frames A. To give motion to these plates, a segment-gear his placed under each
plate on short shafts having bearing attached to the side frame A, and engaging in
toothed racks all a¹¹, secured to the underside of each plate I. L¹.
A gear-wheel 1, fast on the outer end of the shaft J, engages with a gear-wheel r¹,
held on a stud in the side frame. Each gear-wheel 7 and 1 has a crank o, fast on
its outer face, and these cranks are connected by rods jλ with cranks c¹¹ clll on the
ends of the seginent-shafts, so that as the gear-wheels revolve they will give motion
to the segments and through the racks a" " to the tables L L. The boxes i ¹,
that hold the shaft of the rolls d d, are held to slide vertically a short distance
between two posts H H, to allow the rolls to approach or recede from each other,
which is accomplished by means of the following mechanism.
Two short horizontal shafts are held in bearings on the posts H, and each of
these shafts has a crank s on one end, and these two cranks are connected by a rod y
with a crank m on the upper end of the shaft k. Cross-arms e¹ are made fast on each
of the shafts l l. These arms are connected on the one side by a bar and
straps to each lower box i', and the arins on the other side are connected with the
upper boxes at 8 so that when the shafts are rocked by the crank m and
connecting-bar y the arms e¹ on one side will rise and draw up the lower boxes and
at the same time the arms on the other side of the shaft will move down and push
down the upper-boxes. In this way the rolls will be made to approach each other to
cut the points of the toothpicks, and when the shafts are rocked the other way by
the crank m the rolls will be separated.
The construction of the rolls d and arrangements of the knives on them to
enable them to cut the picks to a fine point and support them while it is being done
is as follows:-The knives v are made with sharp notches (see Figure 4) of the shape
desired for one side of the picks and set radially in the rolls, so that only the teeth
of the knives project, and the mode of holding them in the roll is shown in Figure 5,
in which is the roll v¹ the knives, which are bevelled away at the outer corners h¹
of their ends, and a collar z, having a concave inner face, is fitted to screw on the
shaft of the roll and project over the incline on the ends of the knives and hold them
in place. Between each of the knives a groove z¹ is made deep enough to receive
that part of the knife that projects above the surface of the roll, and the two rolls

page_text: are so geared together as to bring the knives of one roll in the grooves of the other
roll. This enables the rolls to come close together and cut the picks to a fine point,
as the roll d on each side of a groove z¹ affords the necessary support to the small
part of the wood that constitutes the point of the toothpicks.
In operation the blocks of wood R, see Figure 6, in which shape they are provided
for the purpose, are placed before table L (see Figure 2) when it is clear out to the
left, and as the shaft J revolves the cranks on the gears r¹, and by means of
rods j, j, the segment-gears move the plates L L toward each other and push the
blocks R in between the rolls d d, which are made to revolve very fast, the knives vl
will cut the upper and lower surface of the block in flutes, the grooves between these
flutes meeting in the middle and making the block into separate picks. As the
wood passes between the rolls it is met by the open jaws E on the plate L', which, as
that plate is moved back, are closed by an incline plate m¹ fast on the frame, that
presses down the arm ell and causes the jaws to grip tight on the block and draw it
through the rolls as the plate goes back. At the same time the crank m will draw
on the rod y and cause the shafts to draw the rolls together and cut the picks to
a point, tapering down from one-third or so from the other end. As the crank o o
complete a revolution the plate L is again moved away from the rolls and is ready
to receive another block. As the plate L¹ approaches its outer limit the arm ell
passes up the incline n¹¹¹, and the jaws open and discharge the picks.
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 :-
1. In a machine for making toothpicks, the combination of two rolls having
notched knives on their peripheries grooves made in the rolls between said knives,
and arranged to run together with the knives in ore roll entering the grooves in the
other roll, substantially as described.
2. In a machine for making toothpicks the combination of two rolls having
longitudinal notched knives on their peripheries, grooves made in the rolls between
said knives, and arranged to run together with the knives in one roll entering the
grooves in the other roll, with means for feeding the blocks of material to said rolls,
substantially as described.
3. In a machine for making toothpicks the combination of two rolls having notched
knives on their peripheries, grooves made in the rolls between each two knives, and
arranged to run together with the knives in one roll entering the grooves in the other
roll, with means for causing the rolls by the operation of the machine, to alternately
approach, and to recede from each other, substantially as described.
4. In a machine for making toothpicks the combination of two rolls having notched
knives on their peripheries grooves made in the rolls between each two knives, and
arranged to run together with the knives in one roll entering the grooves in the other
roll, a reciprocating feed-motion consisting of two plates sliding in ways, with means
for causing the two plates by the operation of the machine to move forward and back,
substantially as described.
5. In a machine for making toothpicks the combination of two rolls having notched
knives on their peripheries grooves made in the rolls between each two knives, and
arranged to run together with the knives in one roll entering the grooves in the other
roll boxes or bearings for said rolls held to slide in ways toward, or from each other,
rocker-shafts held in bearings over said boxes, cross-arms fast on said rocker-shafts,
connections from said arms on one side of each shaft to the lower boxes, and connec-
tions from the arms on the other side of each shaft to the upper boxes, with means
for operating said rocker-shafts, substantially as described.
6. In a machine for making toothpicks the following instrumentalities: two rolls
having knives set in their peripheries, and having grooves in them between the
knives, sliding boxes for said rolls to turn in, rocker-shafts placed over said boxes with
arms connected to the boxes, sliding tables to carry the wooden blocks, racks on said

page_text: tables with segment-gears engaging in said racks, a feed-shaft with gears and cranks
to move said segment-gears, a worin-gear engaging with a worm on a driving-shaft,
and a connection between the worm-gear and said rocker-shafts, substantially as
described.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.