IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PLANING, MORTISING, AND OTHERWISE PREPARING WOOD, METALS, AND OTHER MATERIALS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PLANING, MORTISING, AND OTHERWISE
PREPARING WOOD, METALS, AND OTHER MATERIALS."-A communication
from abroad by Charles Gabriel Nicolas Schoenberg, senior,
Mechanical Engineer, of 13, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville
Clark at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 7th November 1868.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PLANING, MORTISING,
AND OTHERWISE PREPARING WOOD, METALS, AND OTHER MATERIALS," to be as
follows:-
In machines for working wood, metals, and other materials a fly wheel
is employed for storing the power during the intervals of working, to be
applied at the moment of operation."

page_text: According to this Invention 1 employ such new combination of parts
that the fly wheel used in such machines may be dispensed with,
substituting in lieu thereof a progressive diminution of the speed of
the tool while traversing the space assigned it in the machine.
I will proceed to describe the improvements as applied to a hand-
planing machine.
The two Sheets of Drawings annexed show when placed together at
the centre line 1-2 a plan of the machine. The power exerted on the
lever A by the operator is transmitted to the movable sector B for par-
tially rotating the toothed segments C, turning on a fixed point D, and
producing by its motion by means of the link O E, the horizontal
to-and-fro motion of part F, carrying the tool G above the movable
clamp H on plate I, on which is fixed the material to be operated on.
In this manner the cutter is enabled to act on the material at an average
speed of two inches per second, the lever A at same time moving at the
rate of twenty-six inches in the same interval; in other words, the
speed of the tool goes on decreasing as it approaches the end of its
.course, from which there results an augmentation of power at a time
when the operator who is not aided by a fly wheel would begin to
slacken his effort. Hence it results that the power of the motor applied
to lever A not only increases but may even diminish without pre-
judice to the work, consequently, the space traversed by lever A, its
speed, and power applied thereto remaining constant, the speed of the
operating tool G will diminish, and the power it receives will on 'the
contrary increase, the object being to operate without the aid of a fly
wheel. In the next place, if the angular speed of lever A diminishes
during its traverse from A to A¹ the speed of the tool will also be
diminished, but the power it receives will still on the contrary increase,
with the object above mentioned of operating without the aid of a fly
wheel. Lastly, it results, that as the effort of the operator becomes dimi-
nished almost immediately the tool enters the material, the arrangement
of the parts of the machine is such that it restores, in proportion as this
loss occurs, a new element of power to enable it to complete the
work, obtained by the diminition of the speed of the tool, the spaces
traversed remaining as before mentioned in the same relative proportion;
in this manner the operator is enabled to work without fatigue.
'
It will be understood that the arrangement that without the aid
of additional parts by simply varying the dimensions of the latter

page_text: I may readily graduate the power and resistance. Instead of using a
lever A applied at L, I may employ any other mode of transmitting the
motion answering the same purpose.
The Invention consists in the arrangement of the parts so as to act on
a lever D C, for the purpose of increasing the power by diminishing the
speed of the tool at the desired times for the purpose before indicated.
This arrangement of hand machine without fly wheel may be applied
for working wood, metal, and other materials, whether for planing,
mortising, filing, or other purpose.
It will also be understood that the arrangement herein described with
reference to a hand machine may also be applied, but with less advantage,
to large machines driven by motive power.
The mode of holding the material under treatment also forms part of
the present Invention. The first movement is produced by means of a
screw K acting on a screwed part placed at the centre P of movable
clamp H, H, which screw in turning at P¹ moves the said jaw, guided at
back by bolts Q, so as to hold the part sufficiently firm for the operator
to adjust it as desired. Immediately the part is so fixed it is at once
tightened by means of the nuts Q', Q', fixed at R, R', on the fixed jaw,
and sliding in the moveable jaw. The longitudinal motion of the machine
is effected in the ordinary way either by means of a ratchet brace placed
on the square part of screw S, or otherwise.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 5th May 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Alexander Melville Clark,
Her special licence that I, the said Alexander Melville. Clark, my

page_text: executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Alexander Melville Clark, 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 PLANING,
MORTISING, AND OTHERWISE PREPARING WOOD, METALS, AND OTHER MATERIALS,"
a communication to me from abroad by Charles Gabriel Nicholas
Schoenberg, senior, Mechanical Engineer, of 13, Boulevart St. Martin,
Paris, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander
Melville Clark, 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 Inven-
tion, 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 Alexander Melville Clarke, 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 three
Sheets of Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon (that is to say) :-
In machines for working wood, metals, and other materials a fly wheel
is employed for storing the power during the intervals of working, to be
applied at the moment of operation.
According to this Invention I employ such new combination of parts
that the fly wheel used in such machines may be dispensed with,
substituting in lieu thereof a progressive diminution of the speed of
the tool while traversing the space assigned it in the machine.
In the accompanying Drawings I have shown the improvements as
applied to several kinds of machines as examples of the mode of carrying
the Invention into effect.
Figure 1 shows a plan of a hand-planing machine, and Figure 2 a
front view of same. The reference letters apply to both Figures.
The power exerted on the lever A by the operator is transmitted to the

page_text: movable sector B for partially rotating the toothed segment C, turning
on a fixed point D, and producing by its motion by means of the link
OE, the horizontal to-and-fro motion of part F, carrying the tool G
above the movable clamp H on plate I, on which is fixed the material
to be operated on. In this manner the cutter is enabled to act on the
material at an average speed of two inches per second, the lever A at
same time moving at the rate of twenty-six inches in the same interval;
in other words, the speed of the tool goes on decreasing as it approaches
the end of its course, from which there results an augmentation of its
power at a time when the operator who is not aided by a fly wheel would
begin to slacken his effort. Hence it results that as the power of the
tool increases the power applied to lever A may be diminished without
prejudice to the work, consequently (the space traversed by lever A, its
speed, and the power applied thereto remaining constant) the speed of
the operating tool G will diminish, and the power it receives will on the
contrary increase, the object being to operate without the aid of a fly
wheel. In the next place, if the angular speed of lever A diminishes
during its traverse from A to A', the speed of the tool will also be dimi-
nished, but the power it receives will still on the contrary increase, with
the object above mentioned of operating without the aid of a fly wheel.
Lastly, it results that as the effort of the operator becomes diminished
almost immediately the tool enters the material, the arrangement of the
parts of the machine is such that it supplies, in proportion as this loss
occurs, a new element of power, obtained by the diminution of the speed
of the tool, to enable it to complete the work, the space traversed
remaining as before mentioned in the same relative proportion; in this
manner the operator is enabled to work without fatigue.
It will be understood that the arrangement is such that by simply
varying the dimensions of the parts I may readily graduate the power
and resistance. Instead of using a lever A. applied at L, I may employ
any other mode of transmitting the motion answering the same purpose.
The Invention thus consists in the arrangement of the parts so as to
act on the links DO, O E, for the purpose of increasing the power by
diminishing the speed of the tool at the desired times for the purpose
before indicated.
The mode of holding the material under treatment in the machine,
represented in Sheet 1, also forms part of the present Invention. The
first movement is produced by means of a screw K acting on a screwed.

page_text: part placed at the centre P of movable clamp H, H, which screw in
turning at P moves the said jaw, guided at back by bolts Q, so as
to hold the material sufficiently firm for the operator to adjust it as
desired. Immediately the material is so fixed it is at once tightened by
means of the nuts Q', Q', fixed at R', R', on the fixed jaw, and sliding
in the movable jaw at R, R. The longitudinal motion of the machine
is effected in the ordinary way either by means of a ratchet brace placed
on the squared part of screw S, or otherwise.
This arrangement of hand machine without fly wheel, shown in
Sheet 1 as applied for planing, may be applied to other machines for
working wood, metal, or other materials, whether for planing, mortising,
filing, or other purpose.
It will also be understood that the arrangement herein described with
reference to a hand machine may also be applied with advantage to large
machines driven by other motive power.
Figures 3 and 4, Sheets 2 and 3, show the improvements as applied to
a mortising machine operated by steam power. The same reference
letters serve for both Figures.
A, base plate of the machine; B, guide block, sliding longitudinally
in base A; H, support, sliding transversely in block B; I, driving
shaft; J, J, fast and loose pulleys mounted on shaft I; CD O, sector
similar to that before described, except that it is not provided with teeth;
this sector is mounted on a centre D, and receives motion direct from
shaft I by means of a crank pin running in a slot K in the lever or
sector; L, tool holder, sliding up and down in support H; M, mortising
tool; O E, lever jointed to the tool holder L and also to the sector C DO.
It will be at once seen on examining the Drawings that the action
when adapted to steam power machines is the same as in the hand
machine previously described. Although the toothed gearing is dis-
pensed with, the sector CDO and lever O E still act under the same
conditions as before, that is to say, the speed of shaft I being constant,
as also the power applied by it to sector C D O, the speed of the tool
will be gradually diminished and its power gradually increased during
each stroke. In the mortising machine represented in Sheets 2 and 3,
the return motion of the tool is also accelerated.
It will be understood that the above arrangement, although described

page_text: as applied to a steam-power machine, is equally adapted to hand
machines.
Having described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, varying
the speed of the tool in machines for working wood or metals in such
manner that from the time the tool enters the material till the termi-
nation of its course its speed becomes gradually decreased and its power
gradually increased, substantially in the manner shown and for the
purpose described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of May, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
5 Witness,
JAMES DAISH,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)