IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN DRILLING OR BORING BLOCKS OF WOOD IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FIRE-LIGHTERS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Fletcher Wiles, of Old Charlton, in the County of
Kent, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
EMPLOYED IN DRILLING OR BORING BLOCKS OF WOOD IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF FIRE-LIGHTERS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Fletcher Wiles at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th July 1881.
JOHN FLETCHER WILES, of Old Charlton, in the County of Kent. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN DRILLING OR BORING BLOCKS
OF WOOD IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FIRE LIGHTERS."
The Invention has for its object improvements in machinery or apparatus
employed in drilling or boring blocks of wood in the manufacture of fire lighters
of that class shown and described in the Specification of former Letters Patent
granted to me, dated October 13th, 1880, No. 4173, consisting of square blocks of
wood through which holes are bored in various directions.
For this purpose I mount one or more spindles in a head stock fixed on the bed
plate carried by suitable standards or uprights. At one or both ends of these
spindles I mount drills or boring bits according as it is required to construct &
single or a double acting machine.
On the bed plate in suitable guides is mounted a carriage or slide provided with
a box or holder for the wood blocks.
This carriage or slide is capable of being moved towards the drills or boring bits
by means of a treadle or lever or by other suitable means, and when the treadle or
lever or other means is released of being drawn back by a weight or spring
attached thereto by cords or chains.
The box or holder for the wood blocks is preferably formed of shape and size
to hold two pieces of wood, each of length sufficient to form two lighters, but it

page_text: may be formed of any other convenient shape and size, and suitable fastening
means are employed to retain the said blocks in position in the box or holder.
The box or holder is fitted to rotate upon a plate or frame which is pin-jointed
to the carriage or slide on a line across the bed of the machine, and out of the
centre line of the box or holder the distance of half the width of one of the blocks
of wood. A handle is applied to the box or holder to facilitate turning the same
around its centre, and to turn it with its carrying plate or frame on the pin joint
of the latter, and adjusting, holding, and releasing means are employed to enable
the box or holder to be readily moved to, and for the time being held in any
desired position.
If drills or boring bits are mounted at each end of the spindles, those at one end
will be right handed and those at the other left handed, and a box or holder
together with its connected parts will be placed at each end of the machine to act
in combination with the boring tools.
Means will also be provided for readily stopping and starting the machine from
either end thereof.
The action of the machinery or apparatus is as follows:-
The box or holder is supplied with a block or blocks of wood, the former being
in a horizontal position, then by means of the treadle or lever or other means the
box or holder is forced against the boring tools, which latter in rotating bore two
holes through the wood block or blocks; then the box or holder is retired from the
boring tools, after which the former is rotated a quarter circle and again forced
against the boring tools and again withdrawn therefrom, after which the box or
holder and its supporting frame or plate are turned on the pin joint of the latter
into a vertical position and again advanced against the boring tools and afterwards
retired therefrom, after which the box or holder is turned a semi-revolution still in
a vertical position, and again advanced against the boring tools and retired there-
from, after which the block or blocks of wood are removed from the box or holder
and, if required, cut up into separate fire lighters.
Blocks bored, as above described, and cut up into the required size, will be found
to have holes entirely bored therethrough from oach side thereof.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Fletcher Wiles in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
20th January 1882.
JOHN FLETCHER WILES, of Old Charlton, in the County of Kent. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN DRILLING OR BORING BLOCKS
OF WOOD IN THE MANUFACTURE OF FIRE LIGHTERS."
The Invention has for its object improvements in machinery or apparatus
employed in drilling or boring blocks of wood in the manufacture of fire lighters
of that class shown and described in the Specification of former Letters Patent
granted to me, dated October 13th, 1880, No. 4173, consisting of square blocks of
wood through which holes are bored in various directions.
For this purpose I mount one or more spindles in a head stock fixed on the bed
plate carried by suitable standards or uprights. At one or both ends of these
spindles I mount drills or boring bits according as it is required to construct a
single or a double acting machine. On the bed plate in suitable guides is mounted
a carriage or slide provided with a box or holder for the wood blocks. This
carriage or slide is capable of being moved towards the drills or boring bits by
means of a treadle or lever or by other suitable means, and when the treadle or
lever or other means is released of being drawn back by a weight or spring
attached thereto by cords or chains.
The box or holder for the wood blocks is preferably formed of shape and size
to hold two pieces of wood, each of length sufficient to form two lighters, but it
may be formed of any other convenient shape and size, and suitable fastening
means are employed to retain the said blocks in position in the box or holder.
The box or holder is fitted to rotate upon a plate or frame which is pin jointed
to the carriage or slide on a line across the bed of the machine. A handle is
applied to the box or holder to facilitate turning the same around its centre, and
to turn it with its carrying plate or frame on the pin joint of the latter, and
adjusting, holding, and releasing means are employed to enable the box or holder.
to be readily moved to, and for the time being, held in any desired position.
If drills or boring bits are mounted at each end of the spindles, those at one
end will be right handed and those at the other left handed, and a box or holder
together with its connected parts will be placed at each end of the machine to act.
in combination with the boring tools.
Means will also be provided for readily stopping and starting the machine from
either end thereof.
And in order that my said Invention may be more clearly understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed, aided by the accompanying Drawings,
more fully to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is an end view; Figure 2 is a side elevation, and Figure 3 is a plan of
machinery or apparatus constructed according to my Invention for drilling or

page_text: Figures, and Figure 10 is a perspective view of a fire lighter showing the holes
bored therein by my improved machinery.
a is the base or foundation plate of the machine; b, b, are standards fixed
thereto, and c is a bed plate fixed to the upper ends of the said standards.
d is the driving shaft which receives motion by a strap or band from the prime
mover passing around one of the pulleys d¹, d², one of which is keyed thereon, and
the other is mounted loosely thereon.
e is a head stock fixed on the bed plate c; f, f, are spindles mounted in such
head stock, and ƒ³, ƒ³, are drills or boring bits mounted in each end of such
spindles.
These spindles f, f, receive motion from the driving shaft d by means of straps
or bands passing partly around pulleys f, f, fixed on the spindles f. f, and partly
around pulleys d³, d³, fixed on the driving shaft d.
On each end of the bed plate c in guides, as shown, is mounted a carriage or
slide g provided with a box or holder h for the wood blocks. These carriages or
slides are capable of being moved towards the drills or boring bits by means of
treadles or levers i connected thereto by cords or chains i¹ passing over guide
pulleys c', and provided with counterbalance weights to assist the return motion
of the carriages or slides g; the latter are also each provided with a handle g¹ to
enable the attendant to assist the motions thereof by hand.
The box or holder h for the wood blocks is preferably formed of shape and size
to hold two pieces of wood, shown by the dotted lines in such boxes or holders,
each of length sufficient to form two lighters, but it may be formed of any other
convenient shape and size; locking levers l' are employed to retain the said blocks
in position in the boxes or holders h.
The boxes or holders h are each fitted to rotate upon a plate or frame h², which
is pin jointed at ³ to the carriage or slide g on a line across the bed of the
machine, a bandle * is applied to the box or holder h to facilitate turning the
same around its centre, and to turn it with its carrying plate or frame h² on the
pin joints or trunnions h³, and a spring catch ³ is employed to retain the box or
holder h in its vertical position, as shown at Figure 8, whilst a releasing pin g³
is employed to unlock the said catch h when it is desired to turn the box or
holder from its vertical to its horizontal position. Stops are also employed, as
will be well understood, to enable the boxes or holders h to be turned exactly
half round in the plate or frame h².
The drills or boring bits f¹ at one end of the machine are right handed, and
those at the other are left handed.
Means not shown, but which will be readily understood, are provided for
readily stopping or starting the machine from either end thereof.
The boxes or holders h when in a horizontal position are supplied each with
two blocks of wood of the shape shown by the dotted lines in the said boxes or
holders, then by the treadles i or by the handles g', or by both; the said boxes or
holders are forced against the boring tools f¹, f, which latter in rotating bore
two holes through the wood blocks, then the boxes or holders are retired from
the boring tools, after which by means of the handle the said boxes or holders /
are rotated a quarter circle and again forced against the boring tools and again
withdrawn therefrom, after which the boxes or holders together with their
supporting frames or plates h² are turned on the pin joints or trunnions h³ from
the horizontal into a vertical position, and again advanced against the boring tools,
and afterwards retired therefrom, after which the boxes or holders h are turned a
semi-revolution, whilst still held in a vertical position and again advanced against
the boring tools and retired therefrom, after which the blocks of wood are
removed from the boxes or holders and cut up into separate fire lighters.
Blocks bored as above described and cut up into the required size will be found
as shown by the perspective view at Figure 10 to have holes bored entirely there-
through from each side thereof.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of my said Invention and the mode in which
I carry the same into effect, I would have it understood that what I claim is the
novel arrangement and combination of machinery or apparatus employed in
drilling or boring blocks of wood in the manufacture of fire lighters, substantially
as herein shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Fletcher Wiles, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Nineteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
JOHN F. WILES. (L.S.)