Improved Attachments for Bamboo Furniture and other Articles Constructed of Cylindrical Pieces.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improved Attachments for Bamboo Furniture and other Articles
Constructed of Cylindrical Pieces.
I, WILLIAM FREDERICK NEEDHAM, of Camden Street Birmingham, Furniture
Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improved attachments for bamboo furniture and other
articles constructed of cylindrical pieces, whereby the same may be strengthened or
held in place. The first part of my invention relates to a clip or shoe, whereby the
foot or that part of the furniture which rests upon the floor or other flat surface, may
be held together or kept from splitting. I take a flat piece of metal or other material
and having cut it out in a suitable shape with clips or claws at the lower edge thereof
and a strap at each of its outer extremities, I bend it round the bamboo or other
cylindrical material and holding it firmly with clamps otherwise, I bring the straps
over one another and join them either by pins or by solder. I then bend over the
clips left at the lower edge so as to hold the shoe tightly in its place. Or instead of
the clips left at the lower edge of the said shoe, the entire edge may be bent at right
angles so as to form a shoe at the bottom of the foot after the manner of a horseshoe,
and a concave dish or cup may be attached to the bottom so as to cause the foot to
glide smootly over a carpet or other flat surface on which it may be placed Another
method I adopt for securing the same end is to attach an ornamental foot by means of
clips or to cast a foot upon the bamboo.
For such pieces of bamboo furniture as have swinging or hinged flaps I use a
curved metallic spring to keep the said flaps in place, the spring being attached to a
convenient part of the furniture so that the swinging flap may snap or catch into its
place and be held there until released. For those parts of bamboo furniture in which
the cylindrical rods cross or join each other, I employ strengthening cross-pieces
of metal of suitable shape having hollows stamped in them to receive the said rods.
These cross-pieces are capable of being affixed by clips pins or otherwise.
BERNARD MCEVOY,
Agent to the said W. F. Needham.

page_text: Improved Attachments for Bamboo Furniture and other Articles
Constructed of Cylindrical Pieces.
I WILLIAM FREDERICK NEEDHAM, of Camden Street, Birmingham, in the county
of Warwick, Furniture Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
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 improved attachments for bamboo furniture, and other
articles constructed of similar cylindrical pieces, whereby the same may be strengthened
or held in position.
The first part of my invention relates to a clip or shoe, whereby the foot or that part
of the furniture which rests upon the floor or other flat surface, may be held together,
or kept from splitting.
I take a flat piece of metal, and having cut it to a suitable shape with a strap or
band at each of its extremities, I bend it round the foot, bringing the ends or
straps one over the other, and then join them together with pins or solder, preferably
the latter. Thus it would have somewhat the appearance of a horse's foot. I further
provide a concave dish or cup, and attach it to the bottom, so as to
foot to glide smoothly over a carpet, or other flat surface, on which it may be
placed.
cause the
Another method I adopt for securing the same end is, to attach an ornamental foot
by means of the casting or embedding process.
For such pieces of bamboo furniture as have swinging or hinged flaps, I use a
curved metallic spring to keep the said flaps in place, the spring being attached to a
convenient part of the furniture, so that the swinging flap inay snap or catch into its
place, and be held there until released.
For those parts of bamboo furniture in which the cylindrical rods cross or join each
other, I employ strengthening cross pieces of metal of suitable shape, having hollows
cut in them to suit the said rods. These pieces are fixed by pins or solder, and then
connected and secured to each other by soldering.
I will now proceed to explain more clearly this my invention, having reference to
the accompanying illustrative sheet of drawings, upon which are figures and letters of
reference, similar letters referring throughout the several views to the same thing or
part, and upon which ;
Fig. 1 is a view of a foot or end of bamboo, covered and protected, according to
my invention.
Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is an approximate template shape, of the piece of metal to form the protection
of the foot as in Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a sectional plan of these overlapped attachments.
Fig. 5 shews a modified form of foot covering.

page_text: Fig. 6 illustrates the application of this foot band to connect together or form a
group of bamboo canes for various purposes.
Fig. 7 further illustrates the application of these overlapped attachments, to connect
separate pieces of bamboo canes.
Fig. 8 represents an approximate shape of template to form a junction piece as
illustrated in Fig. 7.
Fig. 9 further illustrates the application of these attachments to another form of
intersection of pieces.
Fig. 10 represents the approximate shape of template to form one junction of the
joint shown in Fig. 9.
Fig. 11 illustrates this my invention applied to a simple right angle joint, suitable
for picture frames &c.
Fig. 12 is a view of a table, the framework of which is constructed of bamboo
canc, and shewing various applications of this my invention.
Figs. 13 & 14 shew details of a spring clip or retainer, according to this my
invention.
Fig. 15 is a view of detached portion of Fig. 12, shewing closed position of flaps.
In the construction of bamboo furniture, or the making up of articles of various
shapes, with bamboo cane or other cylindrical pieces, which are more or less irregular
in their sectional form, and vary in their size, it has been hitherto troublesome and
difficult to connect and firmly secure their component parts together, and also to
protect their exposed ends, or those of such ends that are subjected to wear, to prevent
them splitting, and it is to obviate these difficulties that I have worked out this my
invention.
may
I will first describe it as applied to the covering or protection of an exposed end,
say the foot of a table &c., as seen in Fig. 12 for instance. a, is the bamboo foot.
I cut out a piece of metal of a suitable shape, similar to that shewn in Fig. 3; then
bend it around the foot a, similarly as seen in section in Fig. 4, the ends overlapping
each other. I then solder the said overlapping ends to each other at c.
further secure this band of metal d, by means of a pin or screw e if desired. The
lower edge of the band of metal is allowed to stand out a little beyond the foot of the
bamboo, to receive a blank f, which is dished or rounded somewhat. This blank is
then soldered to the band of metal d; thus presenting a complete protection to the
foot, and also a convex surface upon the foot, to facilitate its motion over a carpet
or other floor.
Fig. 5 illustrates another method of securing the foot in its position, in which the
ornamental metallic covering d', may be built up similarly as described, or stamped,
or cast, as may be best suited for the design of such covering, and the foot then
placed within such covering, leaving a space between the inside of such covering and
the foot, into which molten metal, (fusible at a low temperature) may be poured;
thus casting the covering upon the said foot; or, instead of the molten metal, may
embed the foot within the covering, in plastic cement, which when dry sets hard, and
firmly secures them together.
In Fig. 6 the ends of the bamboo b, are shown encased by this my overlapping
metal band, and then connected together by soldering at g, g. Any number of these
ends may be thus firmly connected to each other, to forin ornamental receptacles for
flowers &c. These may or may not have the concave bottom attached.
In Fig. 7, I have illustrated several kinds of joints, which facilitate the connecting
of bamboo together; in which, h is a plain parallel strip of metal, banded round and
secured to the bamboo i, after the manner before described. In order to connect the
piece thereto, a strip of metal 2, similar in shape to Fig. 8 is cut out and bent
round the said piece, and secured in the aforesaid manner, and then soldered to
the piece. In a similar manner, are the joints at k, k¹, & l, (see Figs. 7, 9 & 11,)
made and secured, the joint m in Fig. 9 being formed by a piece similar to that
shown in Fig. 10.
For such pieces of bamboo furniture as have swinging or hinged flaps, as seen for
instance at n in Fig. 12, I provide a spring or catch r, r² as seen in Figs. 13 & 14.

page_text: I cut out a piece of springy metal and bend it to the required shape, similarly as
shewn in Fig. 13, and secure it to the bamboo by pins or screws e, as seen in Fig. 14;
or, if preferred I may first secure an overlapping metallic band to the piece o, as
before described, and then solder the spring thereto. It will be observed that the
flap p having travelled or closed in the direction of the arrow, it forcibly passes the
yielding part of the spring into the position shewn, when the spring prevents its
return, except by the application of some force. In Fig. 14 q is a modified form of
this spring, made of wire, and bent round to clip the piece o, and which may be
prevented from upward or downward shifting, by providing that it shall lie in a
shallow groove made to receive it, or by a small wire staple. being driven in the
bamboo to hold it.
I have illustrated this spring in Figs. 13 & 14 as being double to lock two flaps
swinging at right angles to each other, but they may of course be made single to suit
a single flap as illustrated at r in Figs. 12, & 15; the flap in Fig. 15 being shown as
closed. This spring attachment is very convenient in keeping the said flaps from
swinging to and fro when the table &c. is being carried about, and otherwise preserves
a neat appearance, when they are not required for use.
The overlapped bands of metal before described, may be made more or less orna-
mental before being attached, such as by perforations, being ribbed, embossed &c.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The covering or protecting of the ends of bamboo or other similar canes, by the
combination therewith of a metallic band, wrapped around and secured thereto, after
the manner substantially, as hereinbefore described and illustrated upon the drawings
in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 & 12.
2. The modified method of protecting the ends of such canes, by the combination
therewith of the casting or embedding process, as described and illustrated in reference
to Fig. 5.
3. The connecting and securing of pieces of such canes together, at various angles,
by means of the combination therewith of the metallic bands, wrapped around and
secured thereto, and then soldered to each other, after the manner substantially as
hereindescribed and illustrated in Figs. 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, & 12.
4. In bamboo furniture having swinging or hinged flaps, the combination with
such flaps, of the metallic spring or catch as described and illustrated in Figs. 12, 13,
14 & 15.
Dated this 3rd day of October 1888