IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING WOOD OR OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Garrett Tongue, of the Firm of Tongue and
Birkbeck, Patent Agents and Engineers, of 34, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING WOOD OR OTHER
SUBSTANCES." A communication from abroad by Felix Adolphe
Dusargues de Colombier, of Paris, in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 16th November 1869, and dated the 21st May 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Garrett Tongue at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 21st May 1869.
I, JOHN GARRETT TONGUE, of the Firm of Tongue and Birkbeck,
Patent Agents and Engineers, of 34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING WOOD OR OTHER
SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to the arrangement and combination of
machinery for cutting wood and other substances. Two simultaneous

page_text: movements are employed, one for the advancement or progression
(more or less slow) of the wood or material to be cut, that of the
other for the perpendicular or oblique transverse movement of the
blades or knives; the speed of this movement depends on the nature of
the woods or substances to be cut up.
In certain mechanical arrangements which it is proposed to employ
for obtaining the slicing or cutting action by sliding the wood may
remain stationary, the knives only being actuated with a sliding
movement upon any inclination to be determined upon. The knives
may also remain fixed at all times upon an inclination to be determined
upon, and the wood to be cut may slide either transversly or perpen-
dicularly to the said knives. Lastly, the blades or knives may receive
several alternate movements during the time of the complete cutting
of the substance to be cut up, in this case or in that, according as its
dimensions and those of the knives may not allow the cutting by one
movement only of the said knives. In all these cases the arrangement
of the blades permits the machine to work in both directions, that is to
say, to go forward as well as to return, which avoids all loss of time and
consequently augments the production.
According to this Invention the wood to be cut is placed upon a
plate or table which is supported by four vertical screws, working in
nuts, which work in bearings in the lower carringe which slides longi-
tudinally upon a suitable frame fixed upon the ground. The carriage
is cast with a kind of bearing which encloses a nut in which works a
longitudinal screw mounted in bearings, and abutted in the extremities
of the frame, so that if the screw is turned in one direction or in the
other the carriage, and consequently the table and the wood that it
carries advance in one direction or in the other. The screw is prolonged
at one end beyond the frame to carry a wheel which by an intermediate
wheel gears with a pinion, keyed on the driving axis, which carrics fixed
and loose pullies suitably arranged for communicating the rotary
movement sometimes in one direction and sometimes in the other,
according as the carriage has to be moved from the right to the left or
from the left to the right. The belts upon the pulleys are shifted at
each traverse of the carriage by means of guides fixed to a horizontal
rod, which carries a bracket with which the strikers upon the carriago

page_text: come in contact. To effect the cutting by sliding the tools or cutting
blades are arranged at an inclination to be determined by reason of the
nature of the wood to be cut. These blades are mounted upon a tool
carrier cast at the upper part with a toothed rack working with a pinion,
the axis of which turns in bearings fixed upon an oblique frame. This
frame, which is composed of two superposed pieces, is arranged to guide
the tool carrier. Other well known mechanical means may be employed,
such as the screw or the endless chain. Two caps are employed to
maintain sliding blocks which may be regulated, the tool carrier being
guided and controlled by suitable guides and adjustments. There are
two pressing tables or plates, placed in a parallel direction to the depth
of cut of the blades serving to fix the thickness of the objects to be cut
and which are regulated by an adjustable screw. The axis of the pinion
(working into the toothed rack) carries outside the brackets a bevilled
wheel driven by a pinion, the axis of which is set in motion by toothed
wheels and pullics. These last are arranged to impart to the tool carrier
a more or less rapid alternate movement according to the nature of the
wood to be cut, and the rate of progress of the latter. After each
traverse of the tools in one direction or in the other, that is to say,
after one sheet is cut, it is necessary to raise the table which carries the
block a distance corresponding to the thickness of the slicet that has
been cut to present a fresh depth of material to the blade, so that another
cut may be made. Now this movement is obtained in the following
manuer:-The nuts of each of the four vertical screws carry a wheel
upon the teeth of which passes an endless chain, which consequently
causes them all to have the same amount of movement. Above two of
these wheels there is a ratchet wheel into the teeth of which a catch
enters, carried by a small lever oscillating on the lower table.
The
two levers extend beyond the width of the table, so that when it is
moved as has been above explained whether it be in one direction or in
the other, they come in contact with a bracket fixed at a suitable distance
in the groove of an independent frame. The distance that this bracket
causes the lever to travel forces its catch to turn the ratchet the
requisite distance to determine the rotation of the screw upon it in
order to produce the elevation corresponding to the thickness of a cut
sheet. The four screws connected by the chain have the same amount
of rotation imparted to them, and also raise the table the same parallel
distance. The catch always returns by means of a metallic spring or

page_text: otherwise to its starting point after having acted. According as the
wood advances in one or the other direction it is one or the other of
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Garrett Tongue in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 20th November 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, Jons
GARRETT TONGUE, of the Firm of Tongue and Birkbeck, Patent Agents
and Engineers, of 34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Garrett Tongue, Her special licence
that I, the said John Garrett Tongue, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as T, the said John Garrett Tongue, 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
POR CUTTING WOOD OR OTHER SUBSTANCES," a communication to me from
abroad by Felix Adolphe Dusargues de Colombier, of Paris, in
the Empire of France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I,
the said John Garrett Tongue, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
scals, 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 Patont.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Garrett Tongue, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same

page_text: is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
These improvements relate to the arrangement and combination of
machinery for cutting wood and other substances, such as cork, leather,
and very malleable metal, lead, pewter, &c. Two simultaneous move-
ments are employed, one for the advancement or progression (more or
less slow) of the wood or other material to be cut, the other for the
perpendicular or oblique transverse movement of the blades or knives;
the speed of this movement depends on the nature of the woods or
substances to be cut.
In certain mechanical arrangements which it is proposed to employ
for obtaining the slicing or cutting by a sliding action the wood may
remain stationary, the knives only being actuated with a sliding move-
ment at any suitable angle. The knives may also remain fixed at all
times at any suitable angle, and the wood to be cut may move either
transversely or perpendicularly to the said knives. Lastly, the blades or
knives may receive several alternate movements during the time of the
complete cutting of the substance to be cut up, in this case or in that
according as its dimensions and those of the knives may not allow the
cutting by one movement only of the said knives. In all these cases
the arrangement of the blades permits the machine to work in both
directions, that is to say, to go forward as well as to return, which avoids
all loss of time and consequently augments the production.
The Drawing hereunto annexed shows by way of example arrange-
ments that may be employed for the construction of a cutting machine
worked after the principle of sliding obtained by the two simultaneous
movenients of the blades and the material to be cut.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a longitudinal and vertical section of the machine;
Figure 2 is a plan, and Figure 3 is a transverse section.
According to this Invention the wood X to be cut is placed upon a
plate or table A, which is supported by four vertical screw V maintained
in nuts which work in bearings in the lower carriage A', which moves
longitudinally upon a suitable frame B fixed upon the ground. The
min Alis cast with a kind of bearing, which encloses a nut a, in

page_text: the extremities of the frame B, so that if the screw is turned in one
direction or in the other the carriage A' and consequently the table A
and the wood that it carries advances in one direction or in the other.
The screw is prolonged at one end beyond the frame to carry a wheel b
which by an intermediate wheel gears with a pinion c keyed on the
driving axis C, which carries fixed and loose pulleys p, p', suitably
arranged for communicating the rotary movement, sometimes in one
direction and sometimes in the other, according as the carriage A' has
to be moved from the right to the left or from the left to the right. The
belts upon the pullies p, p', are shifted at each traverse of the carriage A
by means of guides fixed to a horizontal rod d, which carries a bracket
with which the strikers upon the carriage A' come in contact. To effect
the cutting by sliding the tools or cutting blades are arranged at an
inclination to be determined by reason of the nature of the wood to be
cut. These blades 1,, are mounted upon a tool carrier L cast at the
upper part with a toothed rack working with a pinion F, the axis of
which turns in bearings fixed upon an oblique frame G. This frame,
which is composed of two superposed pieces, as is shown at Figure 3, is
arranged to guide the tool carrier. Other well-known mechanical means
may be employed, such as the screw or the endless chain. Two
caps h,, are employed bolted, as is shown at Figure 2, in order to
carry sliding blocks which may be regulated, the tool carrier being
guided by suitable guides and adjustments at EL. There are two pressing
tables or plates M, M', placed in a parallel direction to the depth of cut
of the blades 1, 1', serving to fix the thickness of the objects to be cut,
and which are regulated by an adjustable screw. The axis of the
pinion (working into the toothed rack) carries outside the brackets a
bevilled wheel N driven by a pinion », the axis of which is set in motion
by toothed wheels and the pulleys p. These last are arranged to
impart to the tool carrier L a more or less rapid alternate movement,
according to the nature of the wood to be cut and the rate of progress of
the latter. After each traverse of the tools 1, ', in one direction or in
the other, that is to say, after oue sheet is cut it is necessary to raiso the
table A, which carries the block X, a distance corresponding to the
thickness of the sheet that has been cut to present a fresh depth of
material to the blade, so that another cut may be made. Now this
movement is obtained in the following manner :-The nut of each of the
four vertical screws V carries a wheel o, upon the teeth of which passes

page_text: an endless chain O, indicated in red lines upon the plan Figure 2, which
consequently causes them all to have the same amount of movement.
Above two of these wheels there is a ratchet wheel, into the teeth of which
a catch cuters carried by a small lever q oscillating at q' on the lower
table A. The two levers q extend beyond the width of the table A, so
that when it is moved, as has been above explained, whether it be in
one direction or in the other they come in contact with a bracket r fixed
at a suitable distance in the groove of an independent frame R. The
distance that this bracket causes the lever q to travel forces its catch
to turn the ratchet the requisite distance to determine the rotation of
the screw upon it in order to produce the clevation corresponding to the
thickness of a cut sheet. The four screws connected by the chain O
have the same amount of rotation imparted to them, and also raise the
table A the same parallel distance. The catch always returns by means
of a metallic spring or otherwise to its starting point after having acted.
According as the wood advances in one or the other direction it is one or
other of the levers 2 which determines the movements of the screws.
Suitable mechanism may be arranged according to this Invention for
obtaining a rectilinear alternate movement in case it is desired to operate
several alternate movements of the tool carrier carriage during the
complete slicing up of the length of wood.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the manner
of carrying the same into practice, what I claim under the above in part
recited Letters Patent is; the arrangement and combination of machinery
for slicing wood or other substances, substantially as herein described
and shewn in the accompanying Drawings, or any modification
equivalent thereto.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Garrett Tongue, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Nineteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine..
JOHN GARRETT TONGUE. (L.S.)