IMPROVE MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING WOOD FOR CASK MAKING AND OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Abram Lyle, of. Greenock, in the County of
Renfrew, North Britain, Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVE
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING WOOD FOR CASK MAKING AND OTHER
PURPOSES."
Sealed the 7th November 1871, and dated the 12th June 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Abram Lyle at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th June 1871.
•
I, ABRAM LYLE, of Greenock, in the County of Renfrew, North
Britain, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING WOOD FOR CASK MAKING AND
OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to improved machinery specially designed for
those parts of the general process of dressing staves technically termed
"backing" and "bellying," but it is also applicable for dressing wood in
various forms and for various purposes, being of especial advantage as
compared with existing machinery when the wood is of unequal thickness
or twisted form.

page_text: The acting parts of the improved machine are fitted upon the upper
surface of a table across which the stave is passed, the stave being on
edge and completely in view of the workman throughout its course. It is
gripped between and fed along by short massive rollers placed with their
axes vertical, whilst in the middle of the row of rollers on one side there
is situated a revolving spindle having fixed on it the tools or cutters for
dressing the stave. The cutter spindle is carried by a bracket arranged
to slide in guides below the table and is adjustable transversely by a
screw shaft worked by bevil gear from a shaft parallel to the course
of the stave. This last shaft has on it a hand wheel convenient to the
workman standing at the entering side of the machine, so that he can
watch the stave passing through and cause the cutters to cut more or
less deeply into it as he may judge to be desirable. The feed rollers
on the same side as the cutter spindle are fluted, and are actuated by
means of worm wheels fixed on their spindles below the table and
having in gear with them worms on a horizontal shaft suitably driven
from the first motion shaft. The fecd rollers on the other side of the
stave are held in forked blocks set in boxes containing strong springs,
and the springs are adjusted more or less forward by screws at the back
actuated through worm wheel gearing by a hand wheel placed con-
veniently for the workman to regulate the pressure of the rollers at any
time. The rollers on both sides are made sufficiently massive and the
pressure applied sufficiently great to straighten any twist in the stave
passing through and to insure the stave being properly held close to
the part where the cutters act on it. The opening in the top of the table
in which the cutter spindle works is partly covered by a box entirely
open at the outer side, but with a narrow opening at the inner side
through which the cutters act, and at each side of this inner opening
there is a small roller, bearing on the stave close up to the point of
action. Similar rollers are placed opposite to those last referred to, and
are held in a block on the other side of the stave, and the stave is
gripped between the two pairs.
It is intended to use two of the machines in conjunction, so that a
stave after being "backed" in the first, at once passes on through the
second in which it is "bellied," the cutter spindle being in the latter
machine suitably changed in position.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Abram Lyle in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 11th December 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ABRAM
LYLE, of Greenock, in the County of Renfrew, North Britain, Merchant,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of June, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Abram Lyle, Her special licence that I,
the said Abram Lyle, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Abram Lyle, 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
DRESSING WOOD FOR CASK MAKING AND OTHER PURPOSES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Abram Lyle, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, 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 Abram Lyle, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement in writing, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to improved machinery specially designed
for those parts of the general process of dressing staves technically
termed "backing" and "bellying," but it is also applicable for dressing
wood in various forms and for various purposes, being of especial
advantage as compared with existing machinery when the wood is of
unequal thickness or twisted form.
"

page_text: And in order that my said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, I hereunto append a Sheet of
explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and representing a
stave dressing machine as constructed with my improvements..
Figure 1 is a plan, and Figure 2 is a side elevation of the machine,
whilst Figures 3 and 4 are horizontal and transverse vertical sections
showing details not well seen in Figures 1 and 2. The acting parts of
the machine are fitted upon the upper surface of a massive cast-iron
table 1, across which the stave 2 is passed, the stave 2 being on edge and
completely in view of the workman throughout its course. It is gripped
between and fed along by short massive rollers 3, 4, placed with their
axes vertical, whilst in the middle of the row of rollers 3 on one side
there is situated a revolving spindle 5, having fixed on it the tools or
cutters 6 for dressing the stave 2. The cutter spindle 5 is carried by
a bracket 7 arranged to slide in guides 8 beneath the table top 1, and
is adjustable transversely by a screw shaft 9 worked by bevil wheels 10
from a shaft 11 parallel to the course of the stave. This last shaft 11
has on it a hand wheel 12 convenient to the workman standing at
the entering side of the machine, so that he can watch the stave passing
through, and by turning the hand wheel 12 cause the cutters to cut
more or less deeply into it as he may judge to be desirable. The cutter
spindle 5 is formed or fitted with a flanged pulley 13 to receive a driving
belt from an exterior shaft not shown. Two of the feed rollers 3 on
the same side as the cutter spindle 5 are fluted, and all four of these
rollers are actuated by means of worm wheels 14 fixed on their spindles
below the table 1, and having in gear with them worms 15 on a
horizontal shaft 16 driven by bevil wheels 17 from a transverse shaft 18,
which last has fast on it pulleys 19 of different sizes to receive a
driving belt from the exterior shaft not shown. The rollers 4 on the
other side of the stave 2 are held in forked blocks 20 set in boxes 21
containing strong springs, and the springs are adjusted more or less
forward by screws and hand wheels 22 at the back ends of each. The
rollers 3, 4, on both sides are made sufficiently massive and the pressure
applied is sufficiently great to straighten any twist in the stave passing
through, and to insure the stave being firmly and properly held close
to the part where the cutters 6 act on it, the opening 23 in the top
of the table in which the cutter spindle 5 works is partly covered by
a box 24 entirely open at the outer side, but with a narrow opening

page_text: at the inner side, as shown Figure 3, for the cutters to work through.
At each side of the inner opening there is a small roller 25, bearing on
the stave 2 close up to the point of action, and similar rollers 26 are
placed opposite to those last referred to, and also one 27 opposite the
cutters. The three rollers last mentioned are held in a block 28 on
the other side of the stave, and set in a box 21 with a spring like the
other rollers 4.
I intend to use two of the cuttér spindles in conjunction either in
separate contiguous machines or both in the same machine, so that a
stave after being "backed" by one set of cutters at once passes on to
be "bellied" by the second, which is suitably changed in position
relatively to the first. In the Drawing the table 1 is shown large
enough to receive the parts for performing both operations, an opening 29
being provided for the second cutter spindle and two holes 30 for the
spindles of two more feed rollers (3), whilst additional spring boxes (21)
can be bolted to the table top for the other rollers.
Having thus particularly described my said Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I have to state that I do not restrict
myself to the precise details herein described or delineated, but that
what I believe to be novel and original, and claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,
thic arranging or combining together of parts of machinery for dressing
wood for cask making and other purposes in the improved manner
substantially as herein described and delineated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Abram Lyle, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Ninth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy one