IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND IN APPARATUS FOR CON- NECTING TOGETHER PARTS OF DOORS AND OTHER FRAMED WOODWORK."
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jonathan Gresty, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster,
Timber Merchant, and John Mills, of the same Place, Manager, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD OF AND IN APPARATUS FOR CON-
NECTING TOGETHER PARTS OF DOORS AND OTHER FRAMED WOODWORK."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jonathan Gresty and John
Mills at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st March 1878.
JONATHAN GRESTY, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Timber Merchant,
and JOHN MILLS, of the same Place, Manager. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD
OF AND IN APPARATUS FOR CONNECTING TOGETHER PARTS OF DOORS AND OTHER
FRAMED WOODWORK."
Our Invention relates to the connecting together of the parts of doors, wainscoats,
window frames, and other framed woodwork.
"
In the ordinary method of construction, say, for example, in the framing together
of the parts of a door, the ends of the "rails are formed into tenons, which are
fixed by means of wedges in mortices formed in the "stiles."
In lieu of this method we connect the rails with the stiles by means of pins or
dowels, which are driven or forced into holes bored through the stiles and for some
distance into the rails.
To ensure accuracy and to expedite the process we bore the holes whilst the parts
to be connected are held together, and we also bore all the holes in each stile at one
operation, but we do not confine ourselves to this.
We have devised special apparatus to carry out the objects of our Invention.
The piece of woodwork, say, for example, a door, is formed of parts which are
tongued and grooved as is usual, but are not morticed nor formed with the usual
tenons. The said parts are put together and are placed upon a travelling table or
frame. The said table is formed in or with parts which are arranged to slide
towards and from each other, these movements being preferably effected by means
of right and left hand screws connected by a cross shaft and gearing.

page_text: The two movable parts are provided with clamping pieces, which are fitted in
grooves formed in the sides of the said parts or are otherwise arranged to be
adjustable. When the two parts of the table are caused to approach each other
by turning the said screws, the parts of the door become clamped together so as
to tighten up the joints. Other sliding clamps actuated by a right and left hand
screw, or by screws, or by other suitable means, are employed to act in directions
at right angles to the aforesaid clamping pieces. The table carrying the parts of
the door thus firmly clamped together is mounted upon a carriage or upon carriages,
which is or are fitted to slide to and fro upon a bed, and is or are actuated by
means of revolving screws, which are geared together and are actuated by means of
cross and open straps or by means of reversable gearing, so that the said carriage
or carriages can be caused to slide to slide to and fro upon the bed.
The table is arranged to be raised and lowered upon the said carriage or
carriages by means of cams or excentrics, or by screws, or racks and pinions, or
other suitable means. Two drill headstocks are formed or fixed upon, or at each
end of the said bed, and upon each headstock are mounted sliding and adjustable
carriages, which are formed to receive the spindles of archimedian boring bits or of
drills or borers of a suitable form. The said spindles are fitted to revolve in
bearings, and are actuated by means of straps which receive or may receive motion
from a drum fitted to revolve below the bed or in a lower room, or above the
machine, as preferred, or the borers are otherwise caused to revolve by any other
suitable means.
The borers are so arranged as that when the door is brought up to the borers of
one headstock by the traversing of the carriage, the said borers simultaneously bore
holes through one of the stiles into the rails, as, for example, five holes more or
less are bored simultaneously into one of the rails, a suitable number of holes being
at the same time bored into the other rails. When the borers have penetrated
the required depth the movement of the carriage is reversed by suitable means, as,
for example, by means of adjustable stops on a sliding bar connected with the
strap guide. The carriage now moves towards the other headstock, and the holes
are bored through the other stile. The carriage is again reversed and the table
carrying the door is lowered, wooden pins or dowels being placed in or pushed into
the holes. The next double traverse of the carriage to and fro causes the door to
pass below the borers and the outer ends of the pins or dowels to come in contact
with parts projecting from the drill headstocks, the effect being that the said pins
or dowels are forced home into the holes which have been bored, as aforesaid. It
will be understood that glue is or may be used as is usual.
If it be preferred that the pins or dowels shall not pass to the outside of the
stile the rails may be placed in positions at guaged distances apart, and holes be
bored in the said rails, and with the same borers or with sets of borers guaged to
correspond, holes may be bored in the stiles from the inside and not passing through
to the outside, and the parts be subsequently put together with dowels.
In some cases, or, if preferred, the stiles and rails may be bored by separate
operations, and be subsequently put together in cases wherein the pins pass entirely
through the stiles, and in such cases an apparatus provided with only one drill
headstock, carrying a suitable number of borers may be employed, or holes may be
separately bored in the parts when clamped together, but we prefer to bore all the
holes in each stile simultaneously.
If preferred, the table holding the work may be stationary, and the borer spindles
be mounted in carriages fitted to slide towards and from the work.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Jonathan Gresty and John Mills in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 31st August 1878.
JONATHAN GRESTY, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Timber Merchant,
and JOHN MILLS, of the same Place, Manager. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE METHOD
OF AND IN APPARATUS FOR CONNECTING TOGETHER PARTS OF DOORS AND OTHER
FRAMED WOODWORK."
Our Invention relates to the connecting together of the parts of doors, wainscots,
window frames, and other framed woodwork.
In the ordinary method of construction, say, for example, in the framing together
of the parts of a door, the ends of the "rails" are formed into tenons which are fixed.
by means of wedges in mortices formed in the "stiles."
In lieu of this method we connect the rails with the stiles by means of pins or
dowels, which are driven or forced into holes bored through the stiles and for some
distance into the rails.
To ensure accuracy and to expedite the process we bore the holes whilst the
parts.to be connected are held together, and we also bore all the holes in each stile
at one operation; but we do not confine ourselves to this.
We have devised special apparatus to carry out the objects of our Invention.
The piece of woodwork, say, for example, a door, is formed of parts which are
tongued and grooved as is usual, but are, not morticed nor formed with the usual
tenons. The said parts are put together, and are placed upon a clamping table,
which can be raised and lowered, and also traversed to and fro. The said table by
travelling in one direction subjects the work to the action of a set of borers, and
by travelling in the opposite direction subjects the work to the action of a second
set of borers. The table being lowered the traversing of the table is employed to
force home the dowels.
And in order that our Invention may be fully understood we have appended
hereunto two Sheets of Drawings made to a scale of about one and a half inches
to the foot, and marked with letters of reference, corresponding marks indicating
the same parts in the various Figures.
Referring to the said Drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation, Fig. 2 a plan, and
Fig. 3 a front elevation of a machine particularly adapted to be employed in the
formation of doors.
In the said Figures, A, A, are two bed castings which are connected with end head-
stocks B, B, the whole forming a rectangular foundation framing. The upper parts
of the beds A are formed with "vee" slides, and are planed to receive carriages
C, C, which are fitted to slide to and fro upon the said beds. Each carriage is
formed with a standard, and each standard is formed and planed to receive a
sliding plate D, which is fitted to slide up and down vertically upon the said
standard. Upon the outer face of each plate D is formed a cross slide; and the
ends of a table E, which is formed in two parts, are planed and fitted to slide
horizontally on the said cross slide.
In the example all these sliding parts are mounted upon their slides in a similar
manner to the sliding parts of a lathe slide rest, but this method of formation may
not be considered to be necessary in all cases.
In suitable bearings in or upon each bed A a screw a is fitted to revolve, and
each of the two screws is connected by bevil gearing with a cross shaft c. Each
screw works in a nut fixed to the corresponding carriage C, the effect being that

page_text: when the cross shaft c is caused to revolve the two screws revolve in unison, and
the two carriages are caused to slide in unison upon their beds in the same direction
and to the same extent. Upon one end of the shaft c two pullies d are mounted,
and arrangements are provided for driving the two pullies in contrary directions,
as, for example, by means of a cross and open strap.
The two pullies are formed as conical friction clutches, and a sliding clutch e is
mounted between the two pullies, and is arranged to be slid into frictional gear
with one or the other of the pullies by means of a hand lever or by a suitable
arrangement of levers, rods, or parts in order that the shaft c may be caused to
revolve in one direction or the other, or its movement be quickly arrested when
required.
Any suitable reversing movement may be substituted for this arrangement, as,
for example, the well-known combination of three bevil wheels.
We may employ a suitable arrangement for causing the clutch to be moved out
of gear whenever the carriages C have reached the termination of their movements
in either direction. A shaft extends from one to the other of the carriages C,
and is mounted in suitable bearings, and provided with two hand wheels g. in order
that it can be revolved from either side of the machine. The said shaft is con-
nected by two sets of bevil gearing h, h, with two screws i, i, each of which is
mounted in a footstep fixed to the carriage C, and works in a nut fixed to or formed
in the cross slide D. The effect of this arrangement is that when one of the hand
wheels g is rotated the two cross slides are caused to slide up or down upon their
standards, according to the direction in which the hand wheel is turned, the move-
ments of the two slides being in the same direction, and to the same extent, so that
the horizontal position of the table E is maintained. A second shaft j extends
from one to the other of the two cross slides D, being mounted in bearings attached
to or formed therein, and is provided at each end with a hand wheel k, as in the
case of the shaft f. Upon the shaft jare fixed or formed two worms which gear
with worm wheels 7, 1, which are fixed upon the central parts of screws m, m.
Each of the said screws is cut on one side of the central wheel with a right-hand
thread, and on the other side with a left-hand thread. The right-hand portions of
the screw work in nuts fixed to one part of the table E, and the left-hand portion
in nuts fixed to the other part of the said table.
It will be seen that when the shaft jis rotated the said screws are caused to
revolve simultaneously, whereby the two portions of the table are caused to
approach each other or to recede from each other, according to the direction in
which the hand wheel k is turned, the screws maintaining the parallelism of the
two portions of the table in their various positions.
دو
Undercut "vee grooves are formed in the outer edges of each part of the table
E, as seen in Fig. 3, and the heads of "vee-headed" bolts are retained in the said
slots, the said bolts serving to secure clamping plates n, n', to the table. The said
plates can be slid to and fro when the bolts are slackened, whereby the positions of
the plates can be adjusted.
When a piece of framed work is placed upon the two tables between the plates
n and n¹, and one of the hand wheels k is turned in the direction which will cause
the said plates to approach each other and to press forcibly upon the sides or edges
of the work, the table E acts as a powerful clamp whereby the joints of the work
can be tightened up very closely.
vee
"
The upper surfaces of the headstocks B are planed to receive carriages F, G,
and H, which are fitted to slide upon the headstocks which are formed with "
surfaces as in the case of a slide lathe bed, as seen in Fig. 3. A rack o is fixed to
each headstock, and pinions fixed to short shafts which are mounted in the car-
riages, and are provided with hand wheels p gear with the Baid rack. Each
carriage can be slid along the headstock by turning the wheel p, the planed slides
upon the headstock maintaining the parallelism of the carriages.

page_text: In the example three carriages are mounted upon each headstock, but this number
may be varied as required. In each carriage bearings are formed to receive spindles
q, q, there being in the example two spindles in the carriage F, and five spindles in
each of the carriages G and H; but the number of spindles may be varied to suit
the requirements of any case.
Each spindle is formed or provided with a strap pulley r, and arrangements are
made to impart a rapid revolving motion to all the spindles.
Suitable arrangements are indicated in Sheet 2, wherein the pullies rare con-
nected by straps 8 with drums or pullies which are fixed upon countershafts at t, t,
which are fitted to revolve below the floor line, and receive motion from the main
shaft J.
The spindles may be caused to revolve by means of any suitable arrangement of
straps, cords, gearing, or equivalent appliances.
Each spindle is provided with a borer u indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.
Any suitable boring bit may be used. The manner of using the machine may be
described as follows:-The machine is represented as adjusted for employment in
the putting together of doors formed with a head rail, a middle rail, and a bottom
rail. The parts of such a door are grooved and tongued as usual, but are not
formed with the usual tenons on the rails, nor are the stiles morticed. The parts
are put together and placed upon the table E. If not previously adjusted the
spindle carriages are so adjusted as that the borers in F shall be in line with the
head rail, and the borers in G and H in line with the middle and bottom rails.
One of the hand wheels g is turned in the direction which will cause the parts of
the table E to approach each other, whereby the clamping plates n, n', are caused
to press forcibly against the stiles, and the tongues on the rails are thereby forcibly
pressed home into the stiles. In practice we also employ other clamps acting in a
direction at right angles to the lines of action of the table E. For this purpose we
secure brackets to the cross slides D or to one of them, and in each bracket or in or
to the bracket is formed or fixed a nut, in which works a screw, by means of which
pressure is brought to bear upon the centre of the head or bottom rail, or upon
both, so as to close in the joints of the rails with the centre stiles; or we form the
said nut in a part which is fitted to slide in vee slots formed in the ends of the
table E, as indicated by the dotted lines at v, in Fig. 2.
In lieu of these arrangements clamping blocks and pieces acted upon by a right
and left hand screwed shaft may be employed. The parts being clamped together,
and the table with the work being at the proper height for the boring operation,
the shaft c is started, whereby the carriages Ċ and the table E carrying the work
are caused to travel towards one of the headstocks. The movement of the table is
continued until the twelve borers have penetrated through one of the stiles the
required depth into the rails, when the direction of traverse of the table is reversed,
and the work is thereby carried towards the other headstock and the other stile,
and the other ends of the rails are bored. During the last-mentioned traverse of
the table, glue is applied to the interiors of the bored holes, and dowels or wood
pegs dipped in glue are inserted and lightly driven into the said holes. The boring
of the second set of holes being completed, the table is again reversed and dowels
are inserted into the second set of holes.
The table is lowered by turning one of the wheels to such an extent as that
when the table is permitted again to traverse to and fro the work passes below the
borers, and the outer ends of the dowels come into contact with the front edges of
the borer carriages, whereby all the dowels in a side are forced home simultaneously.
The connection of the parts being now completed the door is released and removed.
Suitable adjustable stops, not represented in the Drawings, are or may be
employed to limit the upward and downward movements of the table.
If it be preferred that the pins or dowels shall not pass entirely through the

page_text: stiles the rails may be fixed in position upon the table at guaged distances apart,
and holes be bored in the rails, and the stiles may be bored with the same borers,
the holes in the stiles being bored from the inside or grooved edge nearly through
the stiles. The stiles and rails may then be put together with dowels. If preferred,
two machines may be employed, one to bore the stiles and the other to bore the
rails, the borers in both machines being adjusted to the same guage.
Fig. 4, Sheet 2, represents a section of a part of a stile and rail secured with
dowels driven in from the outside; and Fig. 5, a section illustrating the method of
securing with dowels not passing through the stile.
It must be understood that we do not claim this latter method as novel excepting
when all the holes in the stile are bored simultaneously in order to obtain accuracy
combined with speed of production.
Other modifications than those herein indicated may be made in the machine
illustrated, as, for example, a machine may be constructed having only one set of
borers adapted to bore all the holes in one stile. In such a case after one style had
been bored the work would have to be unclamped from the table and turned round
or turned over, so as to present the other stile to the borers.
In some cases, or if preferred for any reason, the stiles and rails may be bored by
separate operations, either by means of the same machine or by separate machines,
and be subsequently put together in cases wherein the pins pass entirely through
the stiles, but we prefer to bore the holes when the parts are clamped together.
The machinery employed may be simplified by employing only one borer, the
work being moved after the boring of each hole, or the borer being moved after
such boring, or a cluster of borers, such, for example, as contained in one of the
spindle carriages, may be employed. In such a case after one set of holes were
bored the carriage holding the borer spindles might be slid upon a bed into a
position to bore another set of holes.
The machinery may also be varied by causing the table carrying the work to be
stationary, the carriages holding the borer spindles being arranged to travel towards
and from the work.
Although we have herein-before referred more particularly to doors it must be
understood that our Invention is applicable in the formation of window frames,
shutters, wainscots, and other framed woodwork.
Having now fully set forth and indicated the nature of the said Invention, and
means and methods for carrying the same into practical effect, we would have it to
be understood in conclusion that we claim with reference to woodwork of the nature
indicated,-
First. The method of connecting together the parts of framed woodwork by
means of dowels or pins, substantially as set forth and indicated herein-before, and
by Fig. 4 of the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly. Boring a number of holes simultaneously in parts which have to be
framed together, substantially as and for the purpose set forth and indicated.
Thirdly. Clamping together the parts to be connected so as to tighten up the
joints, and boring holes to receive dowels or pegs, and driving in such dowels or
pegs whilst the parts are clamped, substantially as set forth and indicated.
Fourthly. Clamping together the parts to be connected upon a table which is
arranged to travel towards a number of revolving borers, substantially as and for
the purpose set forth and indicated.
Fifthly. The table formed in two parts and arranged to tighten up the joints of
the woodwork, substantially as and for the purpose set forth and indicated.
Sixthly. The table arranged to be raised and lowered, and to be traversed to and
fro between two sets of revolving borers, substantially as and for the purpose set
orth and indicated.
And, lastly. The machinery constructed and acting substantially as and for the

page_text: purposes set forth and indicated herein-before, and in and by the accompanying
Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said Jonathan Gresty and John Mills, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-ninth day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight
Signed and sealed by the
said Jonathan Gresty
and John Mills in the
presence of
EDWARD K. DUTTON,
Agent to the Patentees,
St. Ann's Churchyard,
Manchester.
JOHN MILLS.
(10)
(L.S.)