WOOD SLICING MACHINE
Year: 1888

page_text: L, EDWARD BRADLEY, of the city, county and state of New York, U.S.A., doctor of
medicine, do hereby declare the nature of said invention for WOOD SLICING MACHINE
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to that class of wood cutting machines in which the log is fed
forward to the knife by a sliding stay log, and the knife is reciprocated over the face
of the log by a carrier connected directly with the piston of a steam cylinder. Here-
tofore, the steam valves of such actuating cylinder have been reversed by dogs upon
the knife carrier, and tappets fixed upon the frame in the path of such dogs; and the
feeding mechanisin has been actuated by similar dogs and tappets; in which construc-
tion violent concussions are produced by the sudden movements of the parts; and the
wear and tear upon the valve and feeding mechanisms was correspondingly great.
The knife carrier was also liable to exceed its normal stroke and thus produce
damage to the steam cylinder, if the steam admitted to the cylinder fell beneath its
normal pressure, and failed to reverse the steam piston at the proper time.
The object of this invention is to so improve this class of direct acting wood cutting
machines that the motion of the knife carrier may be more certain and more easily
controlled; and the mechanism for operating the cylinder valves, the feed, and the
devices for retracting the stay log, may be simplified in construction and rendered
more smooth and durable in their operation.
These improvements consist primarily in connecting the reciprocating knife
carrier, by a connecting rod, with a crank upon a main rotating shaft, and thus securing
an easy movement of the carrier when turning each end of its stroke; and it consists
also, in connecting an auxiliary steam engine with such rotating shaft to turn the
crank of the main shaft at the dead centers, so as to prevent the knife carrier from
sticking fast at either end of the stroke.
It also consists in actuating the steam valves and the feed mechanism, by the rotating
crank shaft, and in the combination, with screws adapted to feed the stay log forward,
of means for detaching the feed mechanism from the screws, and for operating a
friction driver in either direction upon such screws so as to rotate them rapidly back-
ward or forward.

page_text: Such friction driver is actuated by a hand lever and is adapted to retract the stay
log when it is necessary to substitute a fresh log; and to push the stay log forward
until such log is in position to be cut the friction mechanism being then detached
from the screws, and the feeding devices connected therewith.
It also consists in the combination of such friction driver with the auxiliary engine
used to turn the dead centers of the main crank, and in clutch mechanism for detaching
the auxiliary engine from the main crank shaft when operating such friction driver;
and in special means for retracting the log from the knife during its return stroke.
It also consists in the combination with the stay log, of sliding blocks actuated by
hand screws, and having dogs pivoted thereon at their middle, with teeth at their
opposite ends, the pivot permitting the teeth to adapt themselves separately to the
wood, and thus enable each dog to bite and hold the log in two separate places.
It also consists in means for detaching the feed. to stop the stay log, when the log is
entirely cut.

page_text: I, EDWARD BRADLEY, of the city, county and state of New York, U.S.A. doctor of
medicine, do hereby declare the nature of said invention for WOOD SLICING MACHINE.
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to that class of wood cutting machines in which the log is fed-
forward to the knife by a sliding stay-log, and the knife is reciprocated over the face
of the log by a carrier connected directly with the piston of a steam cylinder.
Heretofore, the steam valves of such actuating cylinder have been reversed by dogs
upon the knife carrier, and tappets fixed upon the frame in the paths of such dogs;
and the feeding mechanism has been actuated by similar dogs and tappets, in which
construction violent concussions are produced by the sudden movements of the parts;
and the wear and tear upon the valve and feeding mechanism was correspondingly
great.
The knife carrier was also liable to exceed its normal stroke and thus produce
damage to the steam cylinder, if the steam admitted to the cylinder fell beneath its
normal pressure, and, failed to reverso the steam piston at the proper time.
The object of this invention is to so improve this class of direct acting wood cutting
machines that the motion of the knife carrier may be more certain and easily con-
trolled; and the mechanism for operating the cylinder valves, the feed and the devices
for retracting the stay log, may be simplified in construction and rendered more smooth
and durable in their operation.
These improvements consist primarily in connecting the reciprocating knife carrier,
by a connecting rod, with a crank upon a main rotating shaft, and thus securing an
easy movement of the carrier when turning each end of its stroke; and it consists also
in connecting an auxiliary steam engine with such rotating shaft to prevent the carrier
from sticking at either end of its stroke; and in actuating the steam valves and the
feed mechanism by such rotating shaft, and in retracting the stay log by means con-
nected with the auxiliary engine, when the knife carrier is stopped to substitute a
fresh log.
My invention also consists in certain details of construction hereinafter pointed out
and claimed. In the drawing, Fig. 1 shows a front elevation upon a scale of three
eighths of an inch to one foot, a wood cutting machine having the steam cylinder
arranged to reciprocate the carrier at an angle of 45 degrees before the log; Fig. 2 is
an end elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a plan of the same; Fig. 4 is an elevation of
the parts in the rear of line y, y, in Fig. 5; Fig. 5 is a rear elevation upon a somewhat
larger scale of portion of rear beam C₁ and end of the bed C², with the feeding and
retracting devices, the arm m¹ being depressed; Fig. 6 is a side elevation upon a similar
scale, of the feeding and retracting devices at the right of line x, x, in Fig. 3, the
view being taken from the left side of such figure; and the arm m² and the cranks of
and being elevated. Fig. 7 is an alternative construction with the cross head and

page_text: its connecting rod omitted; Fig. 8 a plan of the same; Figs. 9 and 10 a front and
end view of the stay log enlarged; and Fig. 11 an edge view of the same in section
on line,, in Fig. 9.
Figs. 12 and 13 are side and edge views of feeding devices enlarged, and Fig. 14
an edge view of the lever and attachments; Fig. 15 a plan of the feed screw
bearings enlarged, and Fig. 16 of the sleeve t¹ upon a still larger scale.
The machine shown in the drawings consists in a base plate A, and a bed sustained
above the same by posts B, B1 and B2, and consisting in a front beam C, a rear
beam C, a bed C, and an end beam C³. D is the stay log and D¹ its sliding brackets
fitted to dove-tails D2 upon the bed C2, and moved to and from the front edge of the
beam C by screws E, which are connected together by sprocket wheels e and chain e¹,
shown only in Figs. 3 and 15. F, F, are the-ways-for the knife carrior G, and H is
the steam cylinder having a piston, connected directly to the carrier by the piston
rod I, and mounted upon the base A by a standard H. J is a crank shaft mounted in
bearings K affixed to the posts B1 and B2, and J' is a crank connected with the carrier
by a pivoted connecting rod L. h is the steam chest containing a suitable steam valve
supplied with steam by pipe M, and an eccentric rod reciprocated by an eccentric ¿
upon the shaft J.
The pipe M is supplied with a throttle valve P₁ which is actuated by a lever N
pivoted upon a platform O, attached to the beam C in full view of the knife carrier
and stay log. P is an auxiliary steam engine of vertical type mounted on flooring C
above the posts B2, and P is a shaft journaled upon said posts and provided with a
clutch pulley P actuated by a belt P³ from the engine P. N is the clutch lever.
a roller pressed upon the wood adjacent to the knife, and a¹ is a slice of wood severed
from the log.
a is
The cylinder H furnishes the chief power to reciprocate the carrier, and the crank J'
is prevented from sticking on the dead centers, by cog-wheels O'¹ and 0², connecting
it with the shaft P' and auxiliary engine. m is a stand affixed to the beam C¹ adjacent
to one of the screws E, and carries two oscillating shafts o² and o³.
The shaft o carries a slotted feed arm m³ containing an adjustable pin ", which is
oscillated by a cam me upon the crank shaft J', the movement being transmitted to the
arm in by rod m², bell crank m³, link m², and lever m³. The lever m³ is pivoted upon
the post B² and is provided with an anti-friction roller n³ to bear upon the cam.
The shaft o2 is provided at its inner end with a crank o, oscillated by a link o
attached to the arm m by the pin r, and at its outer end with the pawl crank which
oscillates the pawls 2 and upon the teeth of a wheel ».
The two pawls are provided to feed one half tooth at a time, and are shown in
Fig. 13 pressed toward the teeth of the wheel by a spring 7. This wheel meshes
into a feed wheel upon one of the screws E, and as the arm m' has a uniform
oscillation, the adjustment of the pin in the arm m' determines the stroke of the
shaft and of the feed pawls, and thus varies the rotation of the screws E and the
degree of feed imparted to the log.
The pawls are connected, by means of a link s¹, levers s² and strap s³, with a
weight w for lifting them from the teeth of the wheel automatically when the log
is all cut.
The lever 2 is pivoted to a projection from the crank and the strap is attached
at one end to the lever, and at the other end to a bar to which the weight is affixed,
and is sustained during the feeding operation by a bolt so, Fig. 6, which operates in a
tapering notch in the side of the bar, as shown in Fig. 6. The rod and weight w
are shown in Fig. 5 as if dropped, thus pulling the strap s downward and lifting the
pawls, from the feeding teeth. To bring the pawls into action and set the feed
in operation, the bar is lifted by a treadle w, Fig. 5, the bar and weight being then
sustained by the bolt pressed into the notch by spring so. A lever is connected
with the bolts by rod s, and a dog s upon the bracket D¹ strikes the lever when
the log is all cut, thus withdrawing the bolt s and permitting the weight w to drop
and stop the feed.
The screws E operate upon stay log brackets by nuts G' affixed thereto, and the

page_text: screws are journaled to rotate, without longitudinal movement, in oscillating sleeves t
which are fitted to bearings upon the bed C
The bearings are threaded internally and the sleeves are formed with external
thread to fit the same, and are provided with cranks 2 by which they are oscillated
through the medium of a rod t³ and a link t connected with a crank to formed upon
the arm m, Fig. 4.
The oscillation of the sleeves in the threaded bearings operates to shift the screws
longitudinally, and to retract the log from the knife a small amount during the reverse
stroke of the knife.
In Figs. 2, 3, 5 and 6, is shown the means for entirely withdrawing the stay log
from the knife when a new log is to be inserted, and this means consists in a friction
wheel affixed to the end of the feed screw E, and rotated in either direction at
pleasure, by pressing against its periphery one of two leather wheels V₁ which aro
rotated in opposite directions.
The wheels V are rotated by shafts journaled in an oscillating bearing V³,
and are rotated by connections to tho auxiliary engine, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.
The shafts are driven by connections v, e¹, from the auxiliary engine, and are
connected by a pair of spur wheels 1° to rotate them in opposite directions, a hand
lever operates to tip the oscillating bearing V2 in either direction, and to press
either of the wheels V₁ upon the wheel V; and when the pawls are withdrawn from
the feed wheel the screws may thus be rotated by the frictional contact of the
wheels V, VI, to draw the stay log back quickly to admit a log, or to push the same
forward in readiness for cutting. When using the friction driver, the steam would
be cut off from the main cylinder H by the lever N, the same lever operating by a
connection u² to apply a brake to the shaft P1, and by a rod n² and lever o¹³ to unclutch
the pulley P from such shaft; thus disconnecting the auxiliary engine from the
main crank shaft.
The log is secured to the stay log by stationary dogs d at its lower edge (Fig. 9.)
and by dogs d provided with a tooth b at each end, and pivoted upon blocks & sliding
in grooves transverse to the stay log D, screws f press the blocks and pivoted dogs
toward the log 12 and a similar pivoted dog d² at one end of the stay log, sustaining
the thrust of the knife during the cutting operation. ⚫
c² is a dog fitted in a groove at the opposite end of the log, and actuated by a
rack g fitted to a pawl upon the dog, and reciprocated by handle d³. The pawl has
a tail piece c to lift it from the rack to slide it backward, and the handle is provided
with a fastening screw d to hold the dog in the log during the cutting operation.
With this construction both of the pivoted dogs holds the log at two points by
means of the teeth b, and the log is held at its ends by the dogs d² and c² as
effectually as it is held vertically by the dogs d and b.
In applying the log, it is first placed in contact with the dogs d and d², the dog c²
is then slid into contact with the log, and then jammed into the wood by means of
the lever d³, which is then locked in position by the screw ³.
The dogs are then pressed against the log, and it is ready for cutting. With
the above mentioned devices the entire machine is under great control and may be
operated at 40 strokes per minute, and stopped at any part of the stroke almost
instantly, by the lever N which simultaneously shuts off the steam from the cylinder h,
while it detaches the clutch from the pulley P and applies the brake to the shaft P¹.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1st. In a wood slicing machine, the combination, with a reciprocating knife carrier,
of a steam piston rod to reciprocate such carrier, and a rotary crank and connecting
rod pivoted to such carrier and crank to regulate the stroke of the piston rod and
carrier, substantially as shown and described.
2nd. In a wood slicing machine, the combination, with a reciprocating knife carrier,
of a steam piston rod to reciprocate such carrier, a rotary crank connected with such

page_text: carrier by a pivoted connecting rod, and a motor independent of the reciprocating
piston rod, for rotating such crank to prevent its stopping on the dead centers,
substantially as sot forth.
3rd. In a wood slicing machine, the combination, with a reciprocating knife carrier,
of a piston rod actuated by a piston of suitable power to operate the knife, a crank,
connected with such carrier by a pivoted connecting rod, and an auxiliary engine
for rotating the crank, and of suitable power to turn the crank at its centers,
substantially as herein set forth.
4th. In a wood slicing machine provided with a reciprocating knife carrier
actuated by a steam piston rod and a rotary crank shaft, the combination, with a stay
log movable to and from the knife carrier, of a cam upon the rotary crank shaft, and
feeding mechanism actuated by said cam to feed the stay log intermittently toward
the knife, substantially as set forth.
5th. In a wood slicing machine provided with a reciprocating knife carrier actuated
by a steam piston rod and a rotary crank shaft, the combination; with a stay log
movable to and from the knife carrier, of serows journalled in bearings and fitted in
nuts upon the stay log, detachable feed mechanism for such screws, a friction pulley
upon one of said screws, two friction wheels rotated in opposite directions, and means
for pressing either of such friction wheels upon the friction pulley to move the stay
log quickly back and forth from the carrier, as and for the purpose set forth.
6th. In a wood slicing machine provided with a reciprocating knife carrier actuated
by a steam piston rod and a rotary crank shaft, the combination, with a stay log
movable to and from the knife carrier, of screws fitted to nuts upon the stay log,
sleeves threaded externally and mounted in threaded bearings, and having the
screws journalled therein with shoulders to prevent longitudinal movements, feed
mechanism applied to the screws, and means for actuating such feed mechanism,
and for oscillating the threaded sleeves at the opposite ends of the knife carrier's
stroke, as and for the purpose set forth.
7th. In a stay log for a wood slicing machine, the combination, with a sliding
block movable by a screw in the stay log, of a dog pivoted upon the sliding block
with teeth at opposite ends, as and for the purpose set forth.
8th. In a stay log for a wood slicing machine, the combination, with a dog fixed
at one end of the log, of a dog movable toward the other end of the log, a pawl
upon such dog, and a rack actuated by a hand lever to press such pawl and dog
toward the end of the log to prevent longitudinal movement, as and for the purpose
set forth.
9th. In a wood slicing machine, the combination, with a feed cog-wheel for actuating
the feed screw, of the pawl arm carrying the pivoted pawl 3, the weighted bar
connected with the pawl by the strap s³, the spring bolt for sustaining the weighted
bar when the pawl is in operation, and the dogs movable with the stay log and
adapted, when the log is cut, to retract the bolt and drop the weighted bar w to
lift the pawl from the teeth of the feed wheel and thus stop the feed, substantially
as set forth.
DLS
1
D