IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SPLITTING AND PREPARING THE CANE FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES
Year: 1860

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Jean Pierre Claude Guerrier at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th
January 1860.
I, JEAN PIERRE CLAUDE GUERRIER, of Paris, 29, Boulevart St. Martin, in
the Empire of France, Mechanician, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SPLITTING AND PREPARING THE CANE
FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
My improved machinery for preparing cane for various purposes is of two
kinds, viz., 1st., an improved decorticator or bark stripper, & 2ndly, of a guaging
and thicknessing apparatus. The decorticator is composed principally of a tube
with cutting edges, having a series of small radiating blades. The first cutting
action is to separate the cane or outside skin from the ratan in the form of a
sheath, the radiating blades afterwards cutting this sheath into as many
strips as there are blades. The number of blades are regulated according to-
the number of strips desired to be obtained from the cane.
The finishing apparatus consists of, 1st, two blades between which the strips
of cane pass, to regulate its width; 2ndly, of drawing cylinders, whose revo-
lutions cause the strip cane to be delivered into the working parts of the
apparatus so long as the strip is held between them; 3rdly, of a fixed-planing
tool for separting the pith from the bark skin, this blade regulates the thickness
of the cane strip; for this purpose the strip has first a rectilinear movement
imparted to it, during which its width is regulated, after this it is caused to

page_text: make a circular movement round rotating parts of the apparatus for the
purpose of determining its thickness. Thus the strip cane is simultaneously
and uniformly reduced in width & thickness in one operation.
It will be unnecessary further to describe the advantages resulting from the
use of these improved apparatus, which effect mechanically and in a simple
operation what has hitherto been only accomplished by hand, especially as
regards the quality of the work and its cost of performance.
In the annexed Drawings I have represented in detail the several apparatus
forming the subject of my Invention.
In Sheet 1, Fig. 1 shows an exterior view of the decorticator; Fig. 2, a
plan with the upper side of the case removed; Fig. 3, shows separately the
stripping tube with the radiating blades; while Fig. 4 shows the ratan or cane
partially stripped. In these four Figures the same letters of reference indicate
like parts where they recur.
a, frame of the decorticator, consisting of a foundation plate with brackets
forming supports b, c; d, decorticating tube of steel fixed horizontally in
.supports b, terminating in front in a circular knife or gouge, whereby the
outer sheath is detached from the ratan, consisting of the bark or outer skin.
Immediately behind the circular cutting edge e it carries the radiating blades
which divide the sheath separated by the action of the knife e into as many
strips of cane as there are blades f being obtained. The strips of cane pass
outside of the tube and the pith in the interior; g metal socket piece, where
the ratan is introduced into the apparatus; it is attached to the bracket c;
h, cheeks fixed to tube g, each having a slide in which turn two small cone
rollers ; these rollers are intended to guide the ratan so as to present it
properly in face of the circular gouge e; j, thumbscrew for fixing the rollers
between cheeks h; k, hopper formed of two plates united by screws, carrying
on its axis the decorticating tube d; 1, partitions placed in the interior of
the casing for the purpose of separating and distributing the strips of cane
which pass outside of the tube.
I will now proceed to describe the action of the decorticating apparatus :-
The cane after being suitably washed and prepared is held at one end in the
case.g, when it is forced to traverse the interior of the tube by means of pressing
rollers or otherwise. In this operation the gouge or cutting tube e cuts from
the ratan a small circular sheath, the blades f then divide this sheath into as
many strips as 'there are blades. The strips, when detached, pass out of the
apparatus through 'the passages formed by the partitions before mentioned.
The pith or centre passes into the interior of the decorticating:tube d, as before
mentioned, it may then be seized by two additional drawing rollers which wil'

page_text: assist the action of the first pair of feeding and pressing rollers. The passage
of the ratan which is to be cut while passing from one end of the apparatus to
the other may be effected in any other manner than that described.
I will now describe the planing tool which is for the purpose of regulating in
one operation each slip of cane obtained by the decorticator in width &
thickness.
Sheet 2, Fig. 1, shows an elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan of this apparatus. m,
base of the apparatus, having two uprights n, forked at the top for the purpose
of supporting the parts; o, horizontal plate fixed to supports u by means of
two screws engaged in slides in order to alter the position of the said plate
according to the wear of the small grooved cylinder to be herein-after described;
p, adjustable guides held in position by screws on plate o, for guiding
horizontally the strip cane under operation. These guides may be more or
less separated from one another according to the width of the strip of cane;
q, two oblique blades bolted on lugs or brackets raised from plate o, which lugs
are furnished with a groove in order to place the blades q at various distances
apart, according to the width it is desired to cut the cane; r, motive shaft,
turning in uprights n, having keyed on it a crank s and toothed wheel t; u,
cylinder keyed on shaft r between the uprights n; it is furnished with circular
grooves on its periphery, in the interior of which the strip lodges on its
passage to the machine; v, circular plate, fixed by means of screws to uprights
n, supporting the drawing cylinder & the planing tool; it also guides the
strip being planed.
The drawing apparatus consisets of a uprights forming supports for bearings y,
which latter are fitted with binding screws; a¹ pinion gearing with and put
in motion by wheel t; b', grooved cylinder termed a drawer, mounted on the
axis of pinion a', turning in bearings y; c' blade termed a plane held by
piece d', screwed to the circular plate v. The plane c' rests at the other end
on a heel plate f¹, through the intervention of a screw e¹. The screw e
is for the purpose of inclining the planing or smoothing tool c¹ necessary to
reduce the strip cane to the proper thickness. The heel plate f' is screwed to
or may be cast with the circulate plate v; it has grooves on its exterior for
guiding the strips after being planed.
All the parts of the planing apparatus being mounted as described & illustrated
in the Drawings, the action of the apparatus is as follows:-The strip of cane
after being decorticated is engaged at one end between the two cylinders b, u, in
one of the grooves of the latter; it is then placed between the cutters q, q, and
guides p, p, motion being given to the crank s, the cylinder b' and u turn in
the opposite directions the strip cane is caused to pass through the apparatus, it

page_text: being first equalized in width by the cutters q, q, and then planed down to the
required thickness by plane c¹. The pith passing out at the upper part over
the part d, and the cane, which is now suitably guaged or regulated in width
and thickness passes out under the heel plate f, as herein-before described.