for Casks or Barrels.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 14th June, 1887.
Specification Accepted, 15th July, 1887.
for Casks or Barrels.
We, ROBERT COOPER, of 58 Renfield Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Timber Merchant, and JAMES CRAIG, of 11 Dellingburn Street,
Greenock, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, Cooper and Stave Merchant,
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, that is to say :-
Our said Invention has for its object by means of improved machinery to save time,
labor, material, and expense in shaping wood to form heads for casks or barrels.
In carrying out our Invention we arrange a horizontally movable frame on which a
set of boards to form cask heads are placed, and on which they are carried into a
position where they are clamped and then operated on by revolving cutters which give
the desired circular contour or shape. After the boards have been cut to a circular
form they are made to rotate with the parts holding them and cutters on a slide rest
are moved inwards to give the double chamfered or bevilled form to the edge. A guard
of wire or other suitable material is provided to prevent the pieces of wood which are
cut off from being thrown outwards.
The details of our improved machinery are susceptible of modification, but a
modification comprising the essential features is shown on two accompanying sheets
of explanatory drawings, figure, 1, being a sectional elevation and figure, 2, a horizontal
section. In these drawings the same reference numerals are use to mark the same or
like parts wherever they are repeated.
A fixed framing consisting of longitudinal bars, 3, supported on legs, 4, and con-
nected by cross bars, 5, is provided for carrying a movable frame consisting of side or
longitudinal pieces, 6, connected by cross pieces, 7, the movable frame resting and
moving on a number of wheels, S, held in brackets, 9, fixed to the side bars, 3, of the
fixed framing. The parts for operating on the boards are carried by an upright frame,
consisting of side posts, 10, extended upwards to be fixed to an overhead beam, and
connected by an upper cross bar, 11, an intermediate cross bar, 12, and a lower cross
frame plate, 13. In bearings, 14, 15, on the upper and intermediate cross frame

page_text: bars, 11, 12, there is carried a vertical tubular shaft, 16, having fixed on it a pulley, 17,
to receive a driving belt. Passing through the vertical tubular shaft, 16, there is a
central vertical shaft, 18, which has fixed on its lower end a clamping plate or disk, 19,
for pressing down upon and holding the boards, 20, whilst they are being operated on.
The upper end of the central shaft, 18. is connected by a swivelling coupling link, 21,
to a lever, 22, which is connected by a link, 23, to the upper cross frame bar, 11;
and which serves for raising and lowering the central shaft, 18, and with it the
clamping plate, 19. The outer end of the lever, 22, is connected by a rod, 24, to a
hand lever, 25, and this hand lever when depressed so as to force down the clamping
plate, 19, is placed under a catch, 26, which is movable by means of a screw spindle, 27,
and handwheel, 28, by operating with which the clamping plate can be depressed
more or less to suit boards of various thicknesses. When the hand lever, 25, is raised
to lift and hold up the clamping plate it is set upon a catch, 29, on the bracket holding
the screw spindle, 27.
On the lower end of the vertical tubular shaft, 16, there is fixed a wheel-like frame, 30,
made with radial slots in which are fitted to slide cutter holders, 31, capable of
adjustment by means of radial screw spindles, 32, at distances from the centre to suit
the sizes of cask heads to be cut. or shaped. The screw spindles, 32, are moved by keys
or handles temporarily applied to their outer ends which are squared for that purpose.
The cutters, 33, are adjustably fixed to their holders, 31. After the boards, 20, have
been placed in position and clamped the cutter frame, 30, is lowered to bring the cutters
into action; and to enable this to be done the tubular shaft, 16, carrying the cutter
frame, 30, is made movable vertically in its bearings, 14, 15, and there is jointed to a
ring between two collars on it a lever, 34, which is connected by a link, 35, to the
intermediate cross frame bar, 12, and which has fixed at one end a counter weight, 36,
sufficient to raise the tubular shaft, 16, and parts carried by it whenever the lever, 34,
is let go.
A cylindrical wire guard, 37, attached to rods, 38, guided in brackets, 39,
is held and moved up and down by a top bar, 40, which is connected to the ring
between the collars on the tubular shaft, 16, the guard thus moving with the cutter
frame, 30, and being lowered with it when the cutters are made to operate. This
guard, 37, is an important adjunct, as irregularly shaped pieces of wood are detached
by the cutters and are liable to be thrown violently outwards so as to cause danger to
attendant workers; any such action is however prevented by the guard.
Whilst being operated on the boards, 20, are supported by a template or circular
block, board, or plate, 41, made as nearly of the size of the intended cask head as it
can be without interfering with the bevilling cutters. This template, 41, which is by
preference of wood for lightness rests on a wooden disk, 42, and this disk, 42, rests
(when in position for the cutting operations) on a cast iron disk, 43, which is made
with a short central spindle or journal on its under side, and which is supported by its
spindle in a footstep bearing, 44, formed in the cross frame piece, 13. The castiron
disk, 43, can turn in the footstep bearing, 44, but whilst the first or cutting out
operation is being performed it is prevented from turning by a sliding bolt, 45, made
to enter a notch formed in the disk for the purpose. Brake blocks, 46, are also applied
to the grooved edge of the disk, 42, to prevent it from turning, these brake blocks, 46,
being fixed to lovers, 47, which are connected, one of them directly and the other by a
rod, 48, to a hand lever, 49, arranged so that it can be held in either of its two
positions by a catch lever, 50.
As soon as the first or cutting out operation has been effected the tubular shaft, 16,
with the cutter frame, 30, is raised, but not to its highest position, the disks, 42, and
43, are released by moving the hand lever, 49, and withdrawing the bolt, 45. The
tubular shaft, 16, is then raised to its highest position, (in which it is shown in
figure, 1) which causes a clutch cone, 51, at its upper end to engage with a hollow clutch
cone, 52, fast on the contral vertical shaft, 18. The motion imparted to the tubular
shaft, 16, is then communicated to the central shaft, 18, and through it to the clamping
disk, 19, set of boards, 20, template, 41, and disks, 42, 43. Then cutters, 53, on a bar, 54,
held in a slide rest or guide, 55, fitted to a bracket, 56, are by means of a hand
lever, 57, moved inwards so as to cut or turn the chamfered or bevilled surfaces on the

page_text: edges of the set of boards, 20. The hand lever, 57, is in the form of a counterweighted
bellcrank and automatically moves the cutters out of action when let go.
The
lever, 34, by means of which the tubular shaft, 16, is raised or lowered is held in its
different positions by means of a catch lever, 58, having suitably placed notches on it.
When the cutting out and bevilling of a set of cask-head boards, 20, have been
completed, the clamping plate, 19, is raised by means of the levers, 22, and 25, the
bottom castiron disk, 43, is locked by the bolt, 45, the disk being turned by hand if
necessary to bring its notch round into position, and the brake blocks, 46, are made to
grip the wooden disk, 42. The movable frame, 6, 7, is then drawn away, the shaped
cask-head boards, 20, are removed, and the remainders of the boards from which the
boards, 20, have been cut, or fresh boards are moved inwards upon the template, 41,
so as to be in a position for forming another cask head when carried forward by the
movable frame, 6, 7. On this frame, 6, 7, there is fixed at one side a fence piece, 59,
against which the boards are forced from the other side so that their edges may be in
close contact with each other. A cross bar, 60, is fixed across the stationary frame, 3, 5,
to act as a stop up to which the movable frame, 6, 7, is moved when being entered
into the operating position; and to insure the wooden disk, 42, being concentric with
the castiron disk, 43, when in the operating position the latter disk is made with a
central pin projecting up, and the former is made with a slot from its edge and
terminating in a central semicircular end which fits on the pin when the wooden
disk, 42, is moved into position.
The machine may be made with the fixed frame, 3, 5, extending in both directions,
and there may be two movable frames, 6, 7, or a single long one, arranged so that
whilst one set of cask-head boards is being operated on, another set of boards may be
arranged ready to be moved into position from one side when the other set is being
removed towards the other side. Or a double movable frame or two frames side by
side may be arranged to vibrate horizontally, the framing, 10, 11, carrying the
operating parts, being suitably modified.
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 improved combination of machinery for shaping wood to form heads for casks
or barrels, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The horizontally movable frame for moving the boards into and out of the operating
position the said frame being combined with the other parts of the machinery,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. The combination consisting of the rotating cutters carried by a tubular vertical
shaft, the guard, and the clamping devices substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. The arrangement of the clamping and holding devices for fixing the set of boards
whilst being cut out, in combination with devices for turning the central vertical shaft
for the bevilling operation substantially as herein before described.
Dated this Thirteenth day of June 1887.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicants' Agent.