IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRESSING STAVES FOR CASKS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Gedge, of No. 11, Wellington
.
Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRESSING
STAVES FOR CASKS."-A communication from abroad by Jean Quiri,
of Strasbourg, Engineer.
}
Sealed the 26th January 1872, and dated the 21st September 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Gedge
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 21st September 1871.
308
I, WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of .No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OB
APPARATUS FOR DRESSING STAVES FOR CASKS," a communication to me from
abroad, by Jean Quiri, of Strasbourg, Engineer, to be as follows:-
f
י
:
;
10
This Invention relates to an improved machine for planing or dressing
the joints of staves of every radius and of every breadth.

page_text: Figure I., Sheet II., of the accompanying Drawings represents a ver-
tical transverse section on the one side through the axis of the carriage
carrying the cutter, and on the other, in front of the mechanism
regulating the stroke of the tool.
Figure 2 represents a vertical longitudinal section of the machine,
and Figure 3 a plan view of the mechanism of the cutters being
supposed to be removed.
On reference to the 3 Figures of Sheet II. it will be readily perceived
that the mechanism of the whole of the machine is entirely set upon 1
an open frame B B¹ B B the upper plate B¹ B" of which is
provided with a rectangular opening, giving passage to the mechanism
of the cutters; supports cast upon the upper part of the plate B B¹ B¹
Bare traversed by a longitudinal axle serving as pivot to the two levers
OG G¹ and OG" G"; at each extremity of the frame is fixed a support 1
K, each support carrying one of the ends of the rails L L L L
The shaft A A¹ is set in the two bracket supports E E¹ bolted in front
of the frame, the two fast and loose pulleys H H¹ transmit the power, and
the two pulleys k and k¹ actuate the vertical shafts carrying the tools.
The carriage supporting the stave is composed entirely of semi-flat
bars of iron so that its weight is restricted as much as possible, and its
working not too difficult. The stave, previously planed to a convex
form and following a circumference the radius of which is measured at
the bilge, is first drawn, that is to say, the middle of the breadth at the
two extremities is taken, the two points joined by a straight line and the
dressed part is applied against two cleats or blocks M, M², of a concave
form at the lower part, and each provided in the middle of their breadth
with a small point; the middle line traced on the stave should fit
exactly on to to these 2 points; this done, two screws tightened by means
of a brace and furnished with small, circular bits riveted to the ends of
the screws in such wise that once engaged in the wood the rotary motion
of these latter is in no way impeded.
The carriage is furnished at its upper part with a frame in 2 pieces,
the two curves of which are, as already stated, constructed for a stave,
the tangental plane of which may have a breadth at the centre of the
E

page_text: cask equal to that of the largest staves which are to be planed. The
carriage is provided above and below with bronze slide bars travelling
in the two bevelled rails L L' and L" L. At the upper part and on
each side of the carriage is screwed an iron rack into which gear the
pinions R and R' which advance the carriage, the axles of these pinions
are in connection by an endless chain the constant tension of which is
maintained by a friction roller T.
The machine is, as may be seen at Fig. I. (Sheet II.) composed of two
identical parts arranged symmetrically on each side of the axis y, y¹, and
I will therefore confine this description to the mechanism on one side
of the axis; but to render the explanation clearer I may refer at one
time to the left and at another to the right side.
The tool is composed of a cutter Q, shaped like a truncated cone, the
extension of the generating line of which passes by the centre O. This
cutter is keyed on a shaft X, X', held in the two sockets and the pivot of
the supports Z, Z', pinned or bolted together.
The carriage Z, Z' is fitted with a dovetail between the two iron
cheeks O G G¹ united at their upper part by a cross-piece a, a¹, carrying
the cast-iron upright b, the curved part of which is an arc, having its
centre at O, and which is threaded to gear with the endless screw d,
by means of a fly wheel h; the journey of the threaded part of the
upright 6 and consequently that of the cutter Q is regulated by means
of two bevel pinions-g, g¹ and the axle f,f¹.
The graduation engraved on the bronze plate c, c¹, indicates exactly the
distance apart for all the staves belonging to casks of a same radius.
If it is desired to manufacture staves for a cask of another radius; it may
be done without replacing the cutter so long as the tangent at the
convex part of the stave does not extend beyond the upper base of the
cutter, but if the tangent extends further, this cutter must be replaced
by raising the second to an extent easily determined by means of a simple
ring which will be placed between the cutter and the shoulder of the
tool holding shaft.
The iron levers O G G¹ are each furnished with a slide in each of
which is adjusted a nut having a pivot pin formed upon it. The two
pins may therefore be previously adjusted exactly opposite each other,
and serve as pivots to the two slotted levers n n¹ n" n" coupled at their
.
:
.
1

page_text: upper part by a cross piece carrying the friction roller p, the pivot pin of
this roller is fixed on a carriage regulated by a screw so that by means
of the toothed gearing s, t t and fly wheel r, the position of the roller p
may be regulated as well as that of the two nuts x x the pins of which
are engaged in the slides w, w sliding in the rectangular openings on
each side in the tool holder support. The relations of these various
toothed gearings and the screw thread of the screws y are calculated in
such wise that the distances traversed by the friction roller p as well as
by the nuts x, x, are in proportion with the distances that the tool
holder carriage must travel in its shifting movement. By means of the
lever a and adjusting screw 6 a counterweight bears constantly on the
tool holder carriage so that the roller p is in its turn constantly pressed
against the frame u. A graduation made on the lever n n¹ indicates the
position to be given to the nuts x x by means of the fly wheel r according
to the breadth of the stave given by the graduation of the plate C C¹.
To plane the joints of staves for casks of a same radius, 210" for
example, taken outside the middle or bilge of the cask, fix the rule
carrying the cleats M, M', so that the distance of the tangent brought
parallel with the table of the machine and with the concave part of
these cleats at the axis is 210™ the graduated plate C C is then fixed
to correspond with this radius, the direction of the generating line of the
cutter is regulated by means of screws in such a manner that the
extension of this generating line passes by the axis O, and so that the
breadths given by the graduations are quite true. The position of the
pins serving as pivots to the slotted levers n, n', n", n¹¹, is so regulated
that the middle line of these levers n, n¹, n¹, n¹¹, corresponds exactly with
the middle line of the slide or slot of the tool holder carriage. When all
these adjustments are effected, the carriage carrying the stave is advanced so
that the highest point of the frame u is in front of the line of the centres
of the two rollers p, the position of these two rollers is adjusted until they
touch the frame u, all these operations being executed, the work may be
commenced and continued as aforesaid, that is to say, by regulating the
distance apart of the tools by means of the fly wheel r. For staves
to be used for making casks of another radius or circumference the same
operations are required, that is to say, the frame u, the plate C C¹ the
screw y, and the position of the cleats would have to be changed.
Figures 1 and 2 (Sheet II.) show that the two pinions R, R', are
actuated by the endless screw g™ and wheel h; by that of the pair of

page_text: bevel toothed wheels of the pair of straight toothed wheels m, m
and the two cones s.
The number of revolutions of the cutters is 2,000 per minute, and that
of the shaft A A¹ 400 a minute.
E
Each of the pinions R R makes 8 revolutions a minute and hás a
primitive diameter of 120/m, the length developed is therefore
0.120 x 3.14 × 8 = 3 metres per minute, that is to say, by deducting the
losses of time, and the 10 % that a carriage measures less than a metre,
there passes between the tools about three staves a minute, which gives
for a day of 12 hours, 3 × 60 × 12 = 2,160 staves, that is to say, the
work of about 12 workmen.
..\
ידי,
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the 'Letters 'Patent,
filed by the said William Edward Gedge in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 15th March 1872.
‛།་
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD GEDGE, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County.
of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her,
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in
the thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Edward Gedge,
Her special licence that I, the said William Edward Gedge, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Edward Gedge, 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 OR APPARATUS FOR
DRESSSING STAVES FOR CASKS," a communication to me from abroad by
Jean Quiri, of Strasbourg, Engineer, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Edward Gedge, my executors or adminis-

page_text: was to be
trators, 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
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date t
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Gedge, do. hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying 1
Sheets of Drawing, and to the figures and letters of reference marked
thereon :-
This Invention relates to an improved machine for planing or dressing
the joints of staves of every radius and of every breadth.
I will first proceed to describe the geometrical principle upon which
the machine the subject of this Invention is constructed.
Take A B, A¹ B¹, Figures 1 and 3 (Sheet I.) to indicate the stave of a
cask of any size; assume that the outer part of this stave instead of
being rounded, following the radius of the cask, is a surface engendered
by a straight line K m m perpendicular to the axis m x at the point m 2
and parallel to a cylindrical section of the cask, moving parallelly to itself
on the rectified curve A¹ B¹, so that if at Figure 2 we represent two
staves, one of four inches (100mm in breadth at the bilge, the other of
two inches (50%) in breadth also at the bilge, these two dimensions
being taken on the tangent at m, we shall have, taking into con- 2
sideration the similar triangles,

page_text: exteriorly), we obtain for the two developments the Figures 4 and 5, and
if we unite by straight lines the points o p and o¹ p¹ these straight lines
will be parallel to the middle straight lines m n and m¹ n¹ of the staves;
if now at equal distances xl and x1, x2 and x2, we raise perpendiculars
-
1
to the axes m n and m³ n', the differences D D', D D' are proportional to
the breadths of the staves, and we shall have
D
=
D
D
•
"
.
1
F G
FIG¹
from whence it results that if we construct for example an initial curve
for a stave of 9 % inches (240) in breadth at the bilge, in order to
cause the tool to describe the necessary curve for a stave of 4% inches
(120) in breadth at the bilge, all that is required is to make it
describe a curve the ordinates of which in relation to an axis uniting the
extremities of the curve shall be one half that of the ordinates of the
curve, constructed for a stave of 9%, inches (240º/…).
This work accompanied by that which is to make the inclination of
the joint of the stave is effected by means of the machine which I will

page_text: pulleys H H transmit the power, and the two pulleys k and k¹ actuate
the vertical shafts carrying the tools.
CARRIAGE CARRYING THE STAVES AND METHOD OF FIXING THE STAVE.
+
The carriage supporting the stave is composed entirely. of semi-flat
bars of iron, so that its weight is restricted as much as possible and its
working not too difficult. The stave, previously planed to a convex
form, and following a circumference the radius of which is measured at
the bilge, is first drawn, that is to say, the middle of the breadth at the
two extremities is taken, the two points joined by a straight line and the
dressed part is applied against two cleats or blocks M, M', of a 'concave
form at the lower part and each provided in the middle of their breadth
with a small point serving as a guide; the middle line traced on the
stave should fit exactly on to these two points; this done two screws
tightened by means of a brace and furnished with small circular bits
riveted to the ends of the screws in such wise that once engaged in the
wood the rotary motion of these latter is in no way impeded, are
screwed up.
The carriage is furnished at its upper part with a patent ("gabarit")
or piece of iron serving for the initial curve of translation in two pieces,
the two curves of which are, as already stated, constructed for a stave the
tangental plane of which may have a breadth at the centre of the cask
equal to that of the largest staves which are to be planed. The carriage
is provided above and below with bronze slide bars travelling in the two
bevelled rails L L¹ and L" L". At the upper part and on each side
of the carriage is secured an iron rack, into which gear the pinions R
and R¹ which advance the carriage; the axles of these pinions are
connected by an endless chain the constant tension of which is
maintained by a friction roller T.
TOOL HOLDING CARRIAGES AND THEIR SHIFTING MOTION.
The machine is as may be seen at Fig. 1 (Sheet II.) composed of two
identical parts arranged symmetrically on each side of the axis y, y', and
I will therefore generally confine this description to the mechanism on
one side of the axis, but to render the explanation clearer I may refer at
one time to the left and at another to the right side.
The tool is composed of a cutter Q shaped like a truncated cone, the
extension of the generating line of which passes by the centre O. This

page_text: cutter is keyed on a shaft X X¹ held in the two sockets, and the pivot of
the supports Z Z¹ pinned or bolted together.
'The carriage Z Z' is fitted with a dovetail between the two iron cheeks
O G G³ united at their upper part by a cross piece a, a¹, carrying the cast
iron upright b, the curved part of which is an are having its centre at O,
and which is threaded to gear with the endless screw d, by means of a
fly wheel h, the journey of the threaded part of the upright b and
consequently that of the cutter Q, is regulated by means of two bevel
pinions g g¹ and the axle f, f.
The graduation engraved on the bronze plate e c¹ indicates exactly the
distance apart for all the staves belonging to casks of a same radius.
If it is desired to manufacture staves for a cask of another radius it may
be done without replacing the cutter, so long as the tangent at the .
convex part of the stave does not extend beyond the upper base of the
cutter, but if the tangent extends further, this cutter must be replaced
by raising the second to an extent easily determined by means of a
simple ring, which will be placed between the cutter and the shoulder
of the tool holding shaft.
The iron levers OG G' are each furnished with a slide, in each of which
is adjusted a nut having a pivot pin formed upon it. The two pins may
therefore be previously adjusted exactly opposite each other and serve as
pivots to the two slotted levers n n³, n" n¹ coupled at their upper part
by a cross piece carrying the friction roller p, the pivot pin of this
roller is fixed on a carriage regulated by the screw o, so that by
means of the toothed gearing S S¹ S₁, t¹¹ and fly wheel r, the
position of the roller p may be regulated as well as that of the two
nuts xx the pins of which are engaged in the slides w, w sliding in
the rectangular openings on each side in the tool holder support. The
relations of these various toothed gearings and the screw thread of the
screws o and y are calculated in such wise that the distances traversed
by the friction roller.p as well as by the nuts x, x, are in proportion to
the distances that the tool holder carriage must travel in its shifting
movement. The counterweight z by means of the lever a and adjusting
screw 6 bears constantly on the tool holder carriage, so that the roller p is
in its turn constantly pressed against the pattern ("gabarit") uu. A
graduation made on the lever n n' indicates the position to be given to
the nuts xx by means of the fly wheel r, according to the breadth
of the stave given by the graduation of the plate c c¹.

page_text: which gives for a day of twelve hours, 3 × 60 × 12 = 2,160 staves, that
is to say, the work of about 12 workmen.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention communicated to me as aforesaid, I would have it understood
that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein set forth, as
such may be varied, while retaining the essential features of this
Invention, and I claim as secured to me by the herein-before in part
recited Letters Patent,-
Firstly. The use of the combination of machinery for planing or
dressing the joints of staves of great thicknesses without their being
bent, substantially as herein-before set forth.
Secondly. The use of the combination for varying the mechanism
simply by means of a fly wheel, in order to plane or dress the joints of
staves of different breadths, substantially as herein-before described.
Thirdly. The use of the combination which permits the planing
or dressing of staves of different radius by the shifting of a pattern
("gabarit”) and of a screw substantially as herein-before set forth.
Fourthly. The use of the general combination of machinery or
apparatus by which the above operations are performed, substantially
as herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Gedge, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.