CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING WOOD AND OTHER MATE- RIALS
Year: 1835

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOSEPIL
GIBBS, of Remington, in the County of Surrey, and JOSEPH GATLEY, of White-
Chapel, in the County of Middlesex, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the
Fourth, by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain,
bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-seventh day of January, in the
fifth year of His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Joseph Gibbs and Joseph Gatley, our exors,
adñiors, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and autho-
rity, that we, the said Joseph Gibbs and Joseph Gatley, our exors, admors,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Joseph Gibbs and Joseph Gatley,
our exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein.
expressed, should and lawfully might make, usc, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention of
"CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING WOOD AND OTHER MATE-
RIALS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that we, the
said Joseph Gibbs and Joseph Gatley, or one of us, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His said Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon (that is to say):-
Our Invention consists,-
First, in certain arrangements or combinations of machinery for cutting two
staves from one piece of wood, the part which is taken out between the two
staves forming a portion of the head of a cask.
Secondly, in certain combinations of machinery for cutting the edges of
staves to their proper curve.
Thirdly, in a combination of machinery for cutting the groove at the ends
of a cask to receive the head, and also the bevels or interior cones at the ends
of the cask.
Fourthly, in the application of a saw of the form of a segment of a circle
for cutting veneers.
And,
Fifthly, in constructing an ordinary vertical saw frame or machine in such
manner that one set of saws with their frame shall at all times balance
another set of saws and their frame, all which will be hereafter fully
described.
Figure 1 is a front elevation, Figure 2 a side elevation, and Figure 3 a
plan, of that part of our Invention which relates to cutting staves of casks. In
each of these Figures the same letters of reference indicate similar parts. a, a,
are guide rods affixed to the wooden framing of the machine; b, b, is a qua-
drangular frame which carries the saws; c, c, are two cross heads working on
the guide rods a, a, by these means the saw frame always preserves its recti-
linear and vertical motion; d is a connecting rod attached by straps and keys
to the upper cross head at its lower end, and to the crank e at its upper end.
It will be apparent, therefore, that the rotation of the axis will cause the saw
frame to reciprocate vertically in the usual manner. The saws f, f, which are
narrower than for ordinary sawing, are not fixed to the cross heads, but
attached as hereafter described to the frames g, h. Each of these frames
consist of two vertical guide rods attached at their upper and lower ends by
screws and nuts to the plates i and k, as shewn in the Drawing. At the
point in each of the cross heads is formed a vertical mortice, through which
the spindles or pins m, m, (which carry the saws) pass, which spindles are
affixed at one of their ends to the plates i, k, and at the other to the ends of
the saws by means of a pin, or in any of the usual ways. It will be seen

page_text: therefore, that, if either of these spindles or pins be moved in the mortices,
the frame and saw will move with it; it consequently follows that the two saws
may be caused to approach towards or diverge from each other. n, n, n, n, are
four pins, which project from the plates i, k, and form the abutments of the
springs o, o, as is shown in the plan, Figure 3, which springs have a tendency
to keep the frames apart.
We will now proceed to describe the manner of arranging the saws so that
they may cut a piece of oak or other material into three picces, of the forms
shown at Figure 10, the two outer pieces of which constitute two staves, and
the middle piece is adapted for a portion of the head of a cask. To effect this
object there are four guiding sockets p, p, p, p, with flanges through which the
guiding rods of the frames i, k, can slide freely; 2, 9, is a frame for carrying
the wood to be cut by means of the ratchet wheel r and the pinions s, s, acting
on racks underneath, as clearly shewn in the Drawing; the upper part of q, q,
has two guiding pieces s, s₁ whose curvature correspondents ith the curve of
the stave shewn at Figure 10; and it will be apparent that when any other
curve is necessary, it is required only to change the guides s, s, and substitute
other guides of the proper form. In order to explain the operation of cutting
staves by this machine, we will suppose that the saws are so placed as just to
be on the point of entering the piece of wood, Fig. 10; the saws will then be
(owing to the form of the guides) in contact with each other; as the frame is
forced onwards, the guiding sockets will roll along the surface of the guiding
pieces, and, following their curvature, will be forced apart by the springs o, 0,
and gradually diverge until they have cut half through the wood, when they
will have assumed the relative positions shewn in Figure 3; they will then
commence as gradually to approach each other until they terminate in contact
as they commenced, and the result will be the separation of the wood into the
three pieces shewn at Figure 10.
Figures 4 and 5 represent our improved machinery for cutting the edges of
the staves to the required curve and angle so that they may accurately fit each
other when formed into a cask. Figure 4 is a plan, and Figure 5 an eleva.
tion. is a fixed frame or table which carries the circular saw b, which is
driven by the rigger or pulley c; d is an adjusting table, which may be
elevated or depressed at its outer end by the segments e and set screws f, and
turns on the hinges g affixed to the table or framing at a. The object of this
adjustment is to regulate the angle at which the edge of the stave is cut, which
must obviously vary with the diameter of the cask. Upon the adjusting table
d are two grooves h, h, which receive the heads of the set screws i, i, i, i. j, k,
are two plates of iron, having mortices in them of any convenient length, the

page_text: mortice in being parallel to the saw, and the mortice in k being at right
angles, as is clearly indicated in the Drawing. l, m, are two pins passing
through the mortices in the plates of iron j, k, and through the mortice in the
guiding barn, n, the pins being so arranged as to be fixtures in the mortice
n, n, and moveable in the mortices at j, k. The bar n, n, is intended to carry
and guide the stave during the time its edge is cut by the circular saw. It
will be seen by this arrangement that as the pin l can only move parallel to
the saw, and the pin m can only move at right angles thereto, the part o of
the bar n, n, will traverse in a segment of an ellipse, whose foci vary according
to the relative positions of the pins l, m, and the plates of iron j and k, all of
which can easily be adjusted at the will of the machinist. If we now suppose
a quadrangular stave as produced by the machine, (Figures 1, 2, 3, as first
described,) to be placed upon the part o of the traversing bar n, n, and at right
angles thereto, and slightly struck by a hammer, it will be driven upon the
pins or points p, p, and held by them. Now, as eyery part of the edge of the
stave will traverse in an elliptical curve on moving the bar n, n, it may be
easily conceived that the circular saw will cut off an edge of that form which
is the necessary form for the edges of staves of casks. It is also evident that
this curvilinear cut will be produced of any desired bevil or angle, according to
the elevation or depression of the table or frame d, and that therefore these
curves will not only give the desired bulge or barrel form to the stave when
bent and trussed or hooped, but will also make the whole surface of their edge
fit in tolerably close contact, as they would then all radiate from the same
centre.
Figure 6 represents our machine for cutting the groove for the head and
the bevil at the end of a cask after it is trussed or hooped. a is a vertical
spindle or axis revolving in a step 6 through a socket in the floor or beam c,
and having upon it a rigger or pulley driven by the engine or machinery. d, d,
is the conical or cup chuck affixed on the mandril or axis a; this chuck may
be varied in its size, according to the size of the casks requiring to be pro-
duced. The casks are adjusted and made to revolve tolerably true by means
of wedges or set screws at the point e, e. f, f, is a vertical cylindric bar sliding
through sockets g, g, and carrying the arm h, h, which arm turns freely with
the bar f. f. i, k, are pulleys driven by a strap from the engine, as at 7, and
driving the spindle or mandril m, to the lower end of which spindle are
attached the cutter n, the cutter o, and the blank roller q. If, now, the cask
be made by means of the machinery to revolve slowly, and the armi h, h,
directed by the cross handles p so that the cutters are held in contact with the
inside of the cask, as shewn in the Drawing, the rapid revolution of the

page_text: cutters n, o, will cut the bevil and groove as indicated in the Drawing. The
cutters are prevented from cutting too deep by the blank roller 7, as is evident
in the Drawing. It is necessary to state that the cylindric bar f, f, is raised
or depressed to its proper position by the lever n and the treddler at the
control of the workman.
Figures 7 and 8 represent front and side elevations of our segmental saw
for cutting veneers, and may be thus described:-a, the crank, is made to
revolve by a drum and strap from the engine; this causes the connecting rod
to communicate a vibrating motion to the lever c, and, consequently, to the
segmental saw d, d; if, therefore, a log of wood be forced against the toothed
circular edge of this saw by any of the customary feeding motions used in
sawing machinery, the veneer will be cut from the log. By this arrangement
the massive apparatus of an ordinary circular vencer saw is obviated, there
will be less friction on the bearings, and the motion will be easier and more
free from tremulous motion..
Figure 9 represents our improved counterbalance saw frame, which it is
unnecessary to describe further than the double crank and shaft a, the rest of
the machinery being of the usual construction, and well known to engineers.
b is one saw frame and c the other saw frame, which are respectively actuated
by the connecting rods d, e. It will be seen that the two cranks are on the
same plane in opposite directions, and that therefore the resistance of the cut
and the weight of the saws will be balanced at every point of a revolution; it
will also be apparent that if more than two cranks and frames are used in
connection, and the cranks are at equal angles to each other, they will be
similarly balanced.
Having now described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, we would have it understood that we lay no
claim to any of the parts separately, no do we confine ourselves to the precise
arrangements here shewn, provided they partake of the principles of the
combination herein set forth and described; and we would also have it under-
stood that what we claim as our Invention is,
First, the combining the two saws as herein described, whereby the same
are made to diverge from each other till they have cut one half of the length
of the staves, and then approach towards each other till they have cut the
other half length of the staves.
Secondly, we claim the combination of the various parts whereby the saw is
caused to describe the course and remove the outer edges of the staves to the
elliptical curve, as above described; but we do not claim the apparatus
whereby the required angle of the edge of the stave is produced.

page_text: Thirdly, we claim the combining of the parts whereby the groove for the
head and the bevil at the ends, are produced at one operation, as above
described, namely, by the slow revolution of the cask on an axis simultaneously
with the rapid revolution of the cutters.
Fourthly, we claim the application of a vibrating saw of the form of the
segment of a circle for cutting wood veneers, as above described. And,
Fifthly, the working of two or more saw frames by one shaft, in such manner
that a saw frame or frames and their saws become a counterbalance for the
other saw frames or frames and their saws, as above described.
And we further declare that we do not confine ourselves (in the use of those 1
parts of our machinery not applicable to the construction of casks) to cutting
wood alone but we likewise propose to employ our improved machinery for
cutting ivory, bone, tortoiseshell, horn, and other materials to which it is
applicable.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Gatley, have hereunto set my I
hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-five.
JOSEPH (L.S.) GATLEY.
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