Apparatus for Cutting, Trimming, and Kerfing Blocks of Peat Turf and Dipping them in Oil or other Liquid.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Nov., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 13th Aug., 1894-Accepted, 3rd Nov., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Cutting, Trimming, and Kerfing Blocks of Peat Turf
and Dipping them in Oil or other Liquid.
I, JOHN POPHAM MAQUAY of Ashfield, Ballybrittas, Queen's County, Ireland,
Major General late Royal Engineers do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows :—
The object of my invention is to construct an apparatus whereby blocks or sods
of peat turf and more particularly turf removed from the upper stratum of the bog
can be cut and trimmed into blocks of dimensions suitable for use as fuel or as fire
lighters, kerfed transversely or longitudinally or preferably both transversely and
longitudinally, and then dipped in a liquid with which it is desired to impregnate
the peat, such for example as oil, or a mixture of oil and alkali.
With this object I construct an apparatus which comprises first a set of circular
saws or other cutters to which successive peat sods are fed and which divide them
longitudinally into two or more blocks and at the same time trim the faces of these
blocks; secondly another set of circular saws or other cutters to which the peat
blocks from the first set are passed and which cut one or more longitudinal kerfs in
the blocks and also trim their sides; thirdly another set of circular saws or other
cutters to which the peat blocks from the second set of cutters are passed and
which cut four or other desired number of transverse kerfs in the block and also
trim their ends; fourthly a trough or vessel for containing the liquid with which
it is desired to impregnate the blocks and into which they are dipped after leaving
the last set of cutters; and fifthly a carrier preferably in the form of an endless
chain or chains ou to which the successive cut, trimmed and kerfed blocks are
passed and which during their movement travel through the liquid in the trough
at any required speed and thereby cause the blocks which they carry to dip into
the liquid and become impregnated therewith, the impregnation being facilitated
by the kerfs in the blocks. After leaving the trough the blocks are delivered by
the endless chains to a platform or otherwise, but preferably upon a drip plate or
between a drip plate and a squeezing roller so that the drips or excess liquid from
the blocks may be caught and returned by a suitable channel to the trough.
The sets of cutters and the carrier may be driven by any suitable means, and
any convenient arrangement may be adopted for carrying the successive blocks
from one set of cutters to another or this may be effected by hand.
Din with day of November 1893
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Cutting, Trimming, and Kerfing Blocks of Peat Turf
and Dipping them in Oil or other Liquid.
I, JOHN POPHAM MAQUAY of Ashfield, Bally brittas, Queen's County, Ireland,
Major General late Royal Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :---
The object of my invention is to construct an apparatus whereby blocks or sods
of peat turf and more particularly turf removed from the upper stratum of the bog

page_text: can be cut and trimmed into blocks of dimensions suitable for use as fuel or as fire
lighters, kerfed transversely or longitudinally, or preferably both transversely and
longitudinally, and then dipped in a liquid with which it is desired to impregnate
the peat, such for example as oil, or a mixture of oil and alkali. The apparatus is
also adapted for cutting, trimming or shaping blocks of other material such for
example as clay or soap and dipping them in any required liquid.
For the purpose of my invention I construct an apparatus which comprises first
a set of circular saws or other cutters to which successive peat sods are fed and
which divide them longitudinally into two or more blocks and at the same time
trim the faces of these blocks; secondly another set of circular saws or other
cutters to which the peat blocks from the first set are passed and which cut one
or more longitudinal kerfs in the blocks and also trim their sides; thirdly another
set of circular saws or other cutters to which the peat blocks from the second set
of cutters are passed and which cut three or other desired number of transverse
kerfs in the blocks and also trim their ends; fourthly a trough or vessel for con-
taining the liquid with which it is desired to impregnate the blocks and into which
they are dipped after leaving the last set of cutters; and fifthly a carrier preferably
in the form of an endless chain or chains to which the successive cut, trimmed
and kerfed blocks are passed and which during their movement travel through
the liquid in the trough at any required speed and thereby cause the blocks
which they carry to dip into the liquid and become impregnated therewith, the
impregnation being facilitated by the kerfs in the blocks. After leaving the
trough the blocks are delivered by the endless chains to a platform or otherwise,
but preferably upon a drip plate or between a drip plate and a squeezing roller so
that the drips or excess liquid from the blocks may be caught and returned to the
trough. Sometimes I add to the apparatus one of more borers or augers to bore a
hole or holes in one or more of the faces of the blocks before these pass on to the
dipping trough.
The sets of cutters and the carrier and the borers when these are used may be
driven by any suitable means, and any convenient automatic arrangement may be
adopted for carrying the successive blocks from one set of cutters to another or
this may be effected by hand.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a side elevation partly sectional and
Figure 2 a plan (with the driving shafts and belts removed) of an apparatus con-
structed in accordance with my invention. A is the first set of cutters, consisting
of 3 circular saws of equal diameter and the distance of which from each other can
be adjusted as may be required by means of collars or washers on the shaft. The
block or sod of peat turf which is represented at a is fed by hand to the saws
endwise and with its broader sides vertical along the bench or table B; the middle
saw divides the block longitudinally into two, one face of each of the two blocks
being thus cut smooth while the outside faces are at same time trimmed by the
two outside saws. C is the second set of cutters which is shown as consisting of
five circular saws, the middle and outside saws being all of sufficient diameter to
cut through the blocks while the two intermediate saws are of smaller diameter
and will only cut partly through the blocks as these pass under them. The two
blocks cut by the first set of saws A are turned over on their faces and fed to the
saws C (see a a³). The two outside saws and the middle saw trim the sides of
the blocks while the two intermediate saws cut longitudinal kerfs in the top faces
of the blocks, D is the third set of cutters which is shown as consisting of five
circular saws, the two outside saws being of sufficient diameter to cut through the
blocks while the others are smaller so as to cut kerfs. The two blocks after
having been trimmed and kerfed by the second set of cutters C are fed sideways
to the third set and their ends are trimmed by the outside saws while the
intermediate saws cut three transverse kerfs. From the third set of cutters the
trimmed and kerfed blocks may either be passed directly to the chain carrier and
thence to the trough, or be first submitted to the action of the borers E which are
carried by a frame F that is preferably clamped or secured to the saw bench in

page_text: such a way as to be readily removable when the borers are not required. The
chain carrier to which the blocks are passed after leaving the third set of cutters D
with or without being submitted to the action of the borers E is shown as composed
of two pairs of endless chains G and H which travel through the liquid in the
trough. The blocks are introduced between the two chains which carry them
through the liquid, the upper chain preventing them from rising and the lower
chain keeping the liquid in a state of agitation. The blocks become impregnated
with the liquid and are delivered onto a drip plate or platform K from which any
liquid that runs from the blocks can be collected and returned to the trough.
The driving arrangements shown by way of example are as follows: but it will
be understood that they may be considerably altered. L is a driving shaft from
which the first and second sets of saws A and C are driven by means of the belt M
which passes over a pulley N on the shaft L, then over a pulley N¹ on the shaft
of the saws A, then over a pulley N' on a countershaft P, then over a pulley N' on
the shaft of the saws C, and then back to the pulley N. The third set of saws D
is driven from the shaft P (which itself receives motion from the belt M) by means
of a belt Q which passes over pulleys R and S. The borers E are driven by a
belt T and pulleys from the shaft L as shown. The pair of chains G pass round
the sprocket wheels U U₁ and the pair of chains H pass round the sprocket
wheels V V; these sprocket wheels are driven by an endless chain W from a
sprocket wheel X on a shaft Y which is driven by a belt Z and pulleys from the
shaft L. The chain W passes round the sprocket wheel X and then successively
round the sprocket wheels X' X'X'X' on the shafts of the sprocket wheels U V
VU¹ as shown. X' is a small adjustable wheel which is preferably introduced
between the wheels V and V₁ for the purpose of regulating the tension of the
chain W.
My invention is not limited to the use of circular saws or cutters with or without
teeth or of any particular number of cutters in each set or to the use of three
sets of cutters or to the use of kerfing cutters in the second and third sets, but I
consider it best to employ three sets of cutters in order to produce the effects
described and to kerf the blocks both longitudinally and transversely.
It is
evident that any other suitable arrangement of carrier may be employed for
carrying the blocks through the dipping trough, but I have found an arrangement
of chains as shown to answer well.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with one or more sets of cutters for cutting, trimining and
kerting blocks, of a dipping trough for containing oil or other liquid and a carrier
for conducting the cut, trimmed and kerfed blocks through the liquid in the trough,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The apparatus for cutting, trimming and kerfing blocks and dipping them in
oil or other liquid arranged and working substantially as represented in the
accompanying drawings and herein before described.
Dated this 13th day of August 1894.
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.