IMPROVEMENTS IN. MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CASKS, BARRELS, AND OTHER SIMILAR VESSELS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Grist, of Hoxton, in the County of,
Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN.
MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CASKS, BARRELS, AND OTHER
SIMILAR VESSELS."
Sealed the 17th June 1853, and dated the 25th February 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Grist at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,. on the
25th February 1853.
I, JOHN GRIST, of Hoxton, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for ""IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CASKS, BARRELS, AND OTHER
SIMILAR VESSELS" to be as follows:-
The drawings hereunto annexed represent the several machines which
it is necessary to employ in converting the rough wood or blank into
staves, and in combining the staves to form a cask, barrel, &c. The
several operations necessary follow in consecutive order, and are termed,
first, the "jointing;" second, the " chiming," or creusing; third, the
trussing;" fourth, the "hooping;" fifth, shaping the heads;' sixth,
the boring operation; and seventh, forming the hoops.

page_text: First, the jointing operation. Figure 1, is an end view, and Figure 2,
a plan of a jointing machine. A, A, and B, B, are two sets of rollers,
mounted in spindles C, C, and driven by conical gearing D, D. The
rollers A, and B, are made conical, as indicated in the drawings, in order
that as the wood or blank E, is fed between them, it shall travel forward
to the cutters F, F', in a curved line, which curved line shall coincide
exactly with the curve necessary to be given to the blank to form a
complete and perfect stave. The cutters F, F1, are so arranged as to be
on opposite sides of the machine, and the conical rollers A, and B, are
so placed in respect to each other that as the blank leaves the set of
rollers A, and cutter F, when one side of the blank will be formed, the
set of conical rollers B, will take hold of the blank and carry it forward
to the cutter F, in a similar curved line, but on the opposite side, so
that the two sides of the blank, after leaving the cutters and rollers, have
given to them the same curve. The cutter irons are set at a bevel, so
as to cut the edges of the blank to an angle corresponding to the
radius of the cask.
Second, the chiming or "creusing" operation. The stave, after it
has been thus partially formed, is then placed in the machine repre-
sented in Figure 3, for the purpose of having the chime grooves cut
in each end, for receiving the head. A, A, is a bed plate on which
the stave B, is laid; C, C, are plummer blocks in which the spindle D,
for carrying the cutters E, is mounted; F, is a driving pulley for im-
parting rapid motion to the cutters; G, G, are two feeding rollers, turning
in suitable bearings on the bed plate A. These rollers are mounted in
the same line, but at such a distance apart from each other as will
allow of the stave passing between them. The cutter irons F, are made
of the shape shewn, so that as the end of the stave is passed beneath
them by the feed rollers G, the chime grooves are cut. When the
one end is thus formed the stave is reversed, and the other end brought
under the action of the cutters.
Third, the trussing. This operation is represented in Figure 4. A
sufficient number of staves for forming a cask are arranged in circular
The
order, the lower ends being confined by the truss hoops a, a.
partially-formed cask is then placed on the bed plate A, but with the

page_text: tube B, in the inside. C, is a shaft, the, lower portion of which has a
screw cut upon it. D, D, are chains, one to each stave; these chains
are attached at one end to the shaft C, and passing over the pulleys b, b,
terminate in the hooks c, c, which grasp the upper ends of the staves.
The screwed end of the shaft C, is passed through the boss of the
worm wheel E, which is cut with a corresponding thread. F, is an
endless screw, for driving the worm wheel E, which as it revolves draws
down the shaft C, and chains D, D, whereby the staves are shaped into
the form of the cask, as indicated in the dotted lines.
Fourth, the hooping or close trussing. This operation is effected by
the machine represented in Figure 5. A, A, is a bed plate supported on
the columns B, B, resting on the base plate C; D, is the cask; E, E, are
rods jointed at a, a, and connected to the ring F; G, G, are screws which
are tapped through nuts formed in the ring F. The screws, G, are
driven by the toothed wheels H, H, the action of which is to draw
down the rods E, E, the upper ends of which being bent so as to grip
the truss hoops, draw them down and close the joints of the staves.
Fifth, shaping the heads. This is effected by the machine represented
in Figure 6. A, A, are two shafts, the centres of which coincide.
These shafts have formed upon them the plates or flanges a, a, between
which the wood to form the head is firmly held. B, B, are the cutters,
mounted upon the spindles C, C. The cutters are placed on opposite
sides of the head, and work at the angle indicated in the figures, so as
to bevel the edges of the head as it revolves between them.
Sixth, the boring. This machine is represented in Figure 7, and is used
for boring out the bung hole in the cask. A, is the drill carried by the
spindle B, passing through the hollow shaft C, in which it is free to
move up and down, but retained from turning round in it by means of
a feather and grove; D, D, are bevel wheels for driving the drill A,
motion being imparted to them by the strap pulley E. The spindle B,
carrying the drill A, is raised and lowered by the nut F, keyed into
the centre of the spur wheel G, which is driven by the toothed wheel H,
actuated by means of the crank handle I.
Seventh, the forming the hoops. The object of this machine, which
is represented in Figure 8, is to render the hoops conical, so that they:

page_text: may more perfectly fit the cask. A, A, are two pairs of rollers for grind-
ing and feeding the strip of iron out of which the hoop is to be formed;
B, is an anvil placed between the pairs of rollers; C, C, are two tilt
hammers, the faces of which are slightly inclined, so that as they strike
the strip of hoop iron one edge shall be rendered thinner, which serves
to elongate that edge, and so form the hoop of a conical shape when
made up.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Grist, in the Great Seal Patent Office, on
the 25th August 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN GRIST, of Hoxton, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Grist, Her special licence that I,
the said John Grist, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Grist, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
THE MANUFACTURE OF CASKS, BARRELS, AND OTHER SIMILAR VESSELS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Grist, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Grist, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the drawings
annexed, that is to say:
my
My Invention applies to the several operations performed in manu-
facturing casks, barrels, and other similar vessels. These are, first,
the "jointing" of staves for giving to the rough wood or blank the
requisite bulge and bevel. The nature of the improvements under this
jointing
part of
Invention consists in so arranging the cutters in a
machine that the one is in advance of the other, and works on opposite
sides of the centre line of the blank, whereby both sides of the staves,
when they issue from the machine, have imparted to them the shape
necessary for their formation into a cask. The cutters are also so placed
in respect to the centre driving rollers that the centre line of the
spindle of the cutters corresponds to the centre line of the shafts carrying
such rollers, whereby the wood is held firm while being cut. The
rollers are made conical, and the shafts carrying them are mounted
in framework upon circular plates, which have a partial rotation
imparted to them upon their axes, whereby the blank is caused to
travel in the required path.
I will. now proceed to describe the manner in which my said
jointing machine may best be constructed. Figure 1, of the drawings
hereunto annexed represents a plan, and Figure 2, a side elevation
thereof. A, A, is the base plate, which has formed in it two circular
recesses, in which the circular plates B, B, carrying the framework
C, C, partially revolve. D, D, are shafts, upon which are fitted
the conical rollers E, E', which are mounted in pairs and driven by
the gearing F, F. G, G', are the cutters, mounted upon the spindles
G2, G3, in the frames H, H, and caused rapidly to rotate by suitable
strap pulleys. I, I, are stud pins projecting from the circular plates B, B,
to which pins are attached eccentrics (not shewn in the drawings) for
imparting the necessary partial rotation to the plates. The action of
this machine is as follows:-The cutters G, G', are arranged on opposite
sides of the machine, and the conical rollers E, E, are so placed in
respect to each other, that as the blank leaves the set of rollers E, and
cutter, G, (when one side of the blank will be shaped,) the set of conical

page_text: rollers E', take hold of it and carry it forward to the cutter G¹, in a
similar curved line, but on the opposite side, so that the two sides of
the blank, after leaving the cutters and rollers, are shaped to the same
curve. The cutters are set at an angle, so as to cut the edges of the
blank to a bevil corresponding to the radius of the intended cask.
Second, the chiming and creusing of staves. The particular feature
in this part of my Invention consists in chiming and creusing each and
.every stave separately, and before a number of staves have been put
together to form a cask. Figure 3, represents a front elevation, and
Figure 4, an end view of a machine adapted for performing this part of
my Invention. Figure 5, is a transverse section on the line a, b, of
Figure 3. A, A, is a bed cast of the shape shewn in Figure 5, and
bolted to the standards B, B. C, C, are the bed plates, which are
.fixed one in each end of the bed A, the upper surfaces of which are
curved to a shape corresponding to the outer circumference of the
cask. D, D, are head stocks, which carry the spindles E, E, of the
cutters F, F, which are caused to revolve rapidly by means of driving
be upon the pulleys G, G. H, H, are feeding rollers turning in
suitable bearings. The cutters F, F, are made of the shape shewn,
so that as the ends of the stave are passed beneath them by the feed
rollers H, the chime grooves are cut.
Third, in the trussing of casks. The peculiar feature in this part of
my Invention consists in trussing, by means of apparatus or machinery,
inside,the cask, so that as the cask is brought to the required shape it
may be further, operated upon on the outside without obstruction from
th trussing machinery. Figure 6, represents a vertical section, and
Figure 7, a plan of a machine for trussing from the inside. A suffi-
cient number of staves for forming a cask are arranged in circular
order, the lower ends being confined by a truss hoop a, a. The staves
so held are then placed on the bed-plate A, with the tube B, in the
inside. C, is a shaft, the lower portion of which has a screw cut upon
it; D, D, are chains which are attached at one end to the head D', of
the shaft C, and passing over the pulleys b, b, centred in the end of the
tube B, are connected to the hooked plates E, E, which grasp the
upper ends of the staves. The screwed end of the shaft C, is passed

page_text: through the boss of the worm wheel F, which is cut with a corre-
sponding thread. G, is an endless screw, for driving the worm-wheel F,
which, as it revolves, draws down the shaft C, and chains D, D, whereby
the staves are brought into the form of thic cask, as indicated by the
dotted lines. H, is a second endless screw for reversing the motion of
the worin-wheel F, in order to release the cask from the chains.
Fourth, in the hooping or close trussing of casks. The nature of
this part of my Invention consists in close trussing or hooping the cask
by means of a series of levers in connexion with screws worked by
suitable gearing, whereby the hoops are drawn on as tight as required.
Figure 8, represents a machine constructed to perform this part of my
said Invention. A, A, is a bed plate supported on the columns B, B
resting on the base plate C; D, is the cask; E, E, are rods joint e
at a, a, and connected to the ring F; G, G, are screws which are
tapped through nuts formed in the ring : the screws G, are driven
by the toothed wheels H, I, set in motion by the spur wheel I, on the
shaft K, the action of which is to draw down the reds E, E, the upper
ends of which being bent to grip the truss hoops draw them down
and close the joints between the staves. In order to strengthen the
truss hoops, and prevent them from being injured, I place metal shoe
around them.
Fifth, in the shaping of the heads of casks. The peculiar feature o
this part of my Invention consists in causing the head to revolve
between cutters diametrically opposite to each other, and working on
the opposite sides of the head. The cutters have also a receding and
advancing motion imparted to them so as to cut the head of an
elliptical form. Figure 9, is a front elevation of this machine. A, A
are two shafts mounted in the plummer blocks A', A', on the framework
B, B: the centres of these shafts coincide. C, C, are plates or flanges
formed upon the shafts A, A, and between which the wood to form the
head is firmly held. D, D, are the cutters mounted upon the spindles
E, E, which turn in the head stocks F, F, carried by the frames G, G
which slide in V grooves in the upper and lower parts of the frame
work B, when acted upon by the right and left handed screw H, which
is tapped through nuts attached to the back of the moveable frames G.

page_text: Figure 10, represents one of these head stocks detached from the frame.
The cutters work at the angle indicated, so as to bevil the edges of the
head as it revolves between them. This angle of inclination can be
altered by the set screws b, b. I, is a worm wheel on the shaft A, driven
by the endless screw K, for imparting the required rotary motion to the
head. L, is an eccentric upon the same shaft as the worm wheel,
connected by the rod M, to one arm of a bell-crank lever N, centred
at a; the other arm of which is jointed to the rod O, connected to a
lever P, which terminates with an eye to fit the end of the screw H.
By this means, as the shaft A, revolves, the eccentric is also caused
to rotate, and through the intervention of the rods and bell-crank lever
to turn the screw H, and so cause the frames G, and with them the
cutters D, to recede and advance, and give to the head its requisite
elliptical form. R, is a hand wheel for releasing the head when finished,
and for securing a fresh one in its place. A set screw is placed in the
boss of the hand wheel to prevent the shaft A, from unscrewing during
its revolution.
Sixth, in the boring of bung holes in casks. The nature of my
improved boring machine consists in the direct application of a drill
spindle fitted with a suitable tool for boring the bung holes in the
casks. Figure 11, is a front elevation, and Figure 12, an end view of one
of these machines. A, is the bung-hole borer carried by the spindle B,
mounted in the plummer blocks C, C, bolted to the framework D. The
spindle B, is free to move up and down in the plummer blocks, and is
caused to revolve by the strap pulley E. The upper part of the spindle
is connected by a garter pin and groove to a counter-balance lever F,
centred at a, and raised and lowered by the handle G, so as to bring
the borer into and out of action.
And seventh, in the bevilling or "flewing" of the hoops of casks.
My improvements, under this head of my Invention, have for their
object the forming or bevilling the hoop to render it conical, so that it
may fit the cask. This I accomplish by means of tilt hammers
arranged and working in the manner represented in Figures 13, 14,
and 15. A, A, Figure 13, are two pairs of rollers for guiding and
feeding the strip of iron out of which the hoop is to be formed. B, is

page_text: an anvil placed between the pairs of rollers. C, C, are two tilt ham-
mers, the faces of which are slightly inclined, so that, as they strike the
strip of hoop-iron, one edge shall be rendered thinner, which serves to
elongate that edge, and so to "flew" or form the hoop of a conical
shape when made up. In Figures 14, and 15, the rollers are dispensed
with, the hoop being fed in by hand, and regulated under the hammers
after it has been made up. D, D, are the cams for actuating the
hammers.. E, E, are riggers on the driving shaft G, for giving motion
to shaft F, on which the cams D, are keyed.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim
in respect thereof is,―
First, in the jointing of staves. I claim the arranging of the cutters
in jointing machines, one in advance of the other, and also in causing
the centre line of the shafts carrying such cutters to correspond to the
centre line of the shafts carrying the feed rollers. I also claim the
forming of the feed rollers of a conical shape, and mounting them in
bearings upon moveable plates, all as herein-before described, and
represented in the drawings hereunto annexed.
Second, in the chiming and creusing of staves. I claim the
chiming and creusing of each and every stave separately, and before
several staves have been put together to form a cask. I also claim
the machinery for chiming and creusing staves herein-before described,
and represented in the drawings hereunto annexed.
Third, in the trussing of casks. I claim the trussing of casks, barrels,
and other similar vessels from the inside, together with the particular
arrangements of machinery herein-before described and represented in
the drawings hereunto annexed, for trussing from the inside.
Fourth, in the hooping or close trussing of casks. I claim the
general arrangement of levers in connexion with the screws and
gearing for hooping or close trussing casks, barrels, and other similar
vessels, as herein-before described, and represented in the drawings
hereunto annexed.
Fifth, in the bevilling of the heads of casks. I claim the placing of
the cutters diametrically opposite to each other, together with the

page_text: arrangements of apparatus for causing the cutters to recede and ad-
vance in the manner and for the purpose herein-before described, and
represented in the drawings hereunto annexed.
Sixth, in the boring of bung holes. I claim the general arrange-
ment and combination of apparatus for boring the bung-holes of casks,
barrels, and other similar vessels, as herein-before described and repre-
sented in the drawings hercunto annexed. And,
Seventh, in the bevelling or "flewing" the hoops of casks.. I claim
the bevilling or "flewing" the hoops of casks, barrels, and other similar
vessels, by means of tilt hammers arranged and worked in the manner
herein-before, described, and represented in the drawings hereunto
annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Grist, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of August, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-three.
Witness, R. A. BROOMAN,
Patent Agent, 166, Fleet Street.
JOHN GRIST. (L.S.)