Improvements in the Manufacture of Parquet Flooring and the like. and in a Composition and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Nov., 1890-Accepted, 20th Dec., 1890
Improvements in the Manufacture of Parquet Flooring and the like.
and in a Composition and Apparatus therefor.
I, JEAN DRAC, of 31 Boulevard Henri IV., Paris, in the Republic of France, 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:
My invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of parquet and similar
flooring composed of wood blocks and to a composition and apparatus for use in the
manufacture.
Hitherto such flooring has generally been composed of hard wood which is expensive
and if, after the upper surface thereof is worn, it is desirable to renew the floor a
large waste of expensive but useless wood results.
The object of my invention is to obviate the necessity for such waste and at the
same time to produce a cheaper floor than heretofore.
*
My improved flooring which I term parquets surchênés" is made of compound
blocks, that is to say, only the upper part of each block is composed of expensive wood,
the lower or under part, which only serves to support and strengthen the upper part
and which does not wear out, being composed of very cheap wood, such as pine,
poplar or deal, the said two parts being secured together preferably by glue.
In order that the hard upper wood shall be retained in such a manner that it cannot
be displaced even if it becomes detached from the inferior part or owing to atmospheric
influences, shrinkage or weight upon the floor, I provide the novel means hereinafter
described for securing adjacent blocks.
In the accompanying drawing
Figure 1 is a sectional view of a form of joint suitable for connecting adjacent blocks.
Figure 2 is a similar view of a modified form of joint.
Figures 3 and 4 are a front elevation and transverse section respectively of a press
I advantageously use for uniting the two parts of my blocks.
According to my invention each block is provided with a wedge shaped tongue
and a corresponding groove. The groove is formed entirely in the soft under wood
whilst the tongue is formed partly from the hard wood and partly from the soft, as
shown in Figure 1. This arrangement of the tongue and groove necessitates the two
parts of a block being of varying thickness as shown.
In Figure 1 the joint is indicated by the letters a, b, c, d, e, f the portion of the
tongue on the hard wood in contact with the part b, c in the soft wood preventing one
side of the upper part of hard wood from rising while the incline b prevents the
other side from rising. The groove is entirely cut into the soft wood so as to prevent
the risk of separating the glued parts by forcing the wedge tongue into its groove
when laying a floor.
When the flooring is laid on bitumen or asphalte the same principle is adopted
as will be seen by reference to Figure 2 where the letters m, n, o, p indicate
the joint. In this case however spaces are left between the soft blocks into which
the asphalte will be pressed when laying the blocks as shown at n, o. In the
manufacture of the above described flooring blocks I advantageously use the com-
position hereinafter described (which is unaffected by water) for glueing the parts
together so that in case the flooring is exposed to rain or moisture during transport
or in the timber yard it will not be injured.
Amongst the several compositions giving good results I have selected the
following;
1st. About fifteen per cent. of gum-lac dissolved in alcohol in a water bath and

page_text: eighty five per cent. of bone-glue or gelatine which mixture is heated in the water
bath, water being added in small quantities as required when the mixture is used.
2nd. About two per cent. of bichromate of potash and ninety eight per cent.
of bone-glue or gelatine is dissolved in a water bath, tar being added when required
for use.
I find it advantageous to have a press by means of which the glueing can be done
more speedily and economically than by hand. Such a press is shown in Figures 3
and 4 of the drawing.
The said press is composed of say ten sections which press one on the other
through the intervention of shafts operated by levers and provided with eccentrics h.
The flooring blocks to be glued are introduced between blocks of wood or iron and
plates the latter of which have india rubber or steel springs in connection with
them. The whole is mounted on a pedestal s. Each section of the press can take
say four complete strips of flooring of three meters in length for each pressing or
forty pieces in all, that is to say, nearly twelve square metres which if the press
is operated four times per day brings the total output to about forty eight square.
metres a day. The number of pieces introduced into each press can be increased
according to the requirements of manufacture.
The operation is conducted as follows: The wood is prepared of hard and soft
wood as shewn and shaped according to the drawing the pine wood is then put
under a planing machine, the planing irons of which are so shaped as to plane
the soft wood as evenly as possible as on this depends the perfect fit of the tongue
and groove. The hard wood is then glued on the soft wood and put into the special
press. The glued pieces are left in this press for a certain time and afterwards
removed, and stored up until they are to be finished. The finishing consists in planing
the surface and shaping the tongues and grooves.
Instead of connecting the two parts of the blocks by means of glue I may connect
them by means of screws or dovetails, but this arrangement renders the manufacture
more costly.
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.) Parquet flooring or the like, the blocks of which are each composed of an
upper or surface portion of hard wood and a lower or foundation portion of wood
of inferior quality, the said two portions being connected by glue or otherwise
substantially as described.
(2.) The form of tongue and groove which by its arrangement even without the use
of glue, prevents the hard wood from becoming detached after the floor has been laid,
substantially as described.
(3.) The use of the composition hereinbefore described for the manufacture of the
improved flooring.
(4.) The special press hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawing for use in the manufacture of flooring, substantially as set forth.
Dated the 19th day of November 1890.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.