IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DECORATION OF WOOD AND IN APPARATUS TO BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Horace Saunders and Samuel Comber both of Brighton
in the County of Sussex. for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
DECORATION OF WOOD AND IN APPARATUS TO BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Horace Saunders and
Samuel Comber at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
1st March 1883.
HORACE SAUNDERS and SAMUEL COMBER both of Brighton in the County of
Sussex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DECORATION OF WOOD AND IN APPARATUS TO
BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE
"
This invention has for its object to facilitate the production of any desired design
or device upon the surface of wood by means of heated metallic dies
For this purpose we use a heated metallic bed having the pattern cast or
otherwise produced upon its upper surface On its under side the bed is made
hollow and below it are a series of gas jets each provided with a separate tap so
that the beating of the bed may be completely under control. The bed at its ends
is made to rest on cross bearing pieces fixed to a suitable frame. At the ends of
the machine the frame is carried upwards above the bed and these two end frames
are at the top connected together by a strong horizontal bar. At its centre the
bar carries a nut through which screws a vertical screw. The screw has upon it a
hand wheel or lever arms by which it may be turned. The lower end of the
screw bas jointed to it a horizontal bar which goes from end to end of the machine
and its ends lie between vertical guides in the two end frames so that the bar may
be raised or lowered vertically. On its under side it has fixed to it a bar of wood
from the bottom of which project a series of blocks of vulcanized india rubber-
these are for the purpose of pressing the strip of wood which is to be acted upon
with a uniform pressure against the surface of the heated die. In order to be able
to place the strip of wood which is to be ornamented quickly on to the die and
after it has been held there for the desired time to quickly raise it up from off the
die we place at each end of the die a yielding support held up by a spring or
weight to a height somewhat above the top of the die. The ends of the strip of

page_text: wood to be ornamented are placed on to the top of these yielding supports and the
strip is pressed endwise up to a fixed stop to bring it into proper endway
position at the same time by turning a lever arm the end of the arm is made to
bear against one side of the strip and to press the strip back against other fixed
adjustable stops so that the strip is brought accurately into place over the top of
the die.
The screw is then quickly turned and the india rubber blocks above mentioned
are thereby brought down on to the top of the strip of wood and they press the
strip downwards and hold it firmly down onto the die-the supports upon which
its ends were previously resting yield to the downward pressure and allow the strip
of wood to be thus forced downwards by the screw.
In some cases in place of using a flat heated metallic die we use an engraved
cylinder heated internally by a row of gas jets and revolved continuously at any
desired speed. The cylinder is mounted horizontally below a flat table in which is
a slot through which the upper part of the cylinder projects slightly. Above the
top of the cylinder is mounted a row of narrow rollers each one of which can rise
or fall independently of the others. Each roller is formed with a short spindle or
axis projecting from either side of it.
Between the rollers a series of horizontal bars are supported-these have in
them short vertical slots in which the spindles of the rollers are received.
Between the rollers are also other horizontal bars which at one end can turn on a
pin joint and at the other end carry a weight-these bars rest upon the top of the
spindles of the rollers and press the rollers downwards. The wood to be
ornamented is placed onto the surface of the table and moved forward to bring it
between the top and bottom rollers as soon as the edge of the wood is gripped
between the rollers the wood is drawn between them at a uniform speed by the
action upon it of the lower heated roller which revolves continuously.
In some cases in place of the engraved die being in the form of a complete
cylinder we make it in the form of a quadrant and in place of making it revolve
continuously attach to it a counterbalance weight which tends to bring one
extremity of the quadrant into a position immediately below the pressure roller or
rollers. With this arrangement when a strip of wood is pressed forward between
the quadrant and pressure rollers it will turn the quadrant and when the wood
has passed through the quadrant is brought back to its original position by the
counterbalance weight.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Horace Saunders and Samuel Comber in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 1st September 1883.
HORACE SAUNDERS and SAMUEL COMBER both of Brighton in the County of
Sussex " IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DECORATION OF WOOD AND IN APPARATUS TO
BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE
"
This Invention has for its object to facilitate the production of any desired
design or device upon the surface of wood by means of heated metallic dies.
For this purpose we use a heated metallic bed having the pattern cast or
otherwise produced upon its upper surface. On its under side the bed is made
hollow and below it are a series of gas jets each provided with a separate tap BO
that the heating of the bed may be completely under control. The bed at its ends
is made to rest on cross bearing pieces fixed to a suitable frame. At the ends of
the machine the frame is carried upwards above the bed and these two end frames
are at the top connected together by a strong horizontal bar. At its centre the
bar carries a nut through which screws a vertical screw. The screw has upon it a
hand wheel or lever arms by which it may be turned. The lower end of the screw
has jointed to it a horizontal bar which goes from end to end of the machine and
its ends lie between vertical guides in the two end frames so that the bar may be
raised or lowered vertically. On its under side it has fixed to it a bar of wood
from the bottom of which project a series of blocks of vulcanized india-rubber-
these are for the purpose of pressing the strip of wood which is to be acted upon
with a uniform pressure against the surface of the heated die. In order to be able
to place the strip of wood which is to be ornamented quickly on to the die and
after it has been held there for the desired time to quickly raise it up from off the
die we place at each end of the die a yielding support held up by a spring or
weight to a height somewhat above the top of the die. The ends of the strip of
wood to be ornamented are placed on to the top of these yielding supports and the
strip is pressed endwise up to a fixed stop to bring it into proper endway position―
at the same time by turning a lever arm the end of the arm is made to bear
against one side of the strip and to press the strip back against other fixed
adjustable stops so that the strip is brought accurately into place over the top of
the die.
machine constructed as above
In these figures A is
The screw is then quickly turned and the india rubber blocks above mentioned
are thereby brought down on to the top of the strip of wood and they press the
strip downwards and hold it firmly onto the die-the supports upon which its
ends were previously resting yield to the downward pressure and allow the strip
of wood to be thus forced downwards by the screw.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of
described and Figure 2 is a transverse section of the same.
an iron bed of an inverted trough like section having a pattern cast or cut upon its
upper surface. The bed or pattern surface has a series of burners arranged under
it. These burners which burn gas mixed with air heat the bed and each burner
has a separate tap to regulate the supply of gas to secure a complete control of the
temperature of every part of the bed or pattern surface.
B is a piece of wood upon which the design or pattern is to be produced. The
bed having been heated sufficiently to scorch or nearly to char, the piece B to be
ornamented is pressed down onto it by means of the screw C. The screw works
through a nut at the top of the frame and by turning it the cross bar C¹ is brought
down. The cross bar C₁ carries a packing piece C2 and blocks of india rubber a a a a
are placed on the under side of the packing piece C to abut upon the wood B and
ensure an uniform pressure.

page_text: W W¹ are counterpoising weights acting on the movable stops E E' shown in
detail in Figures 3, 4 and 5, in which Figure 3 is an elevation, Figure 4 a plan of
the stop E, Figure 5 is an end elevation of the stop or support E¹. These stops
are intended to facilitate the placing of the pieces of wood B, and to keep the wood
out of contact with the heated pattern surface until all is arranged. The stops
yield when the pressure of the screw is applied and afterwards immediately the
pressure is relieved they rise and lift the wood off the heated pattern and so
prevent the wood becoming overcharred. In Figures 3 and 4, 1 is a slide capable
of being set to any height required by the screw 2 it carries the pin 3 on which
the lever 4 is able to turn. It also carries immediately over the lever 4 the plate 51
which serves as an endway stop. 4* is a projecting lip on the lever 4. 6 is a cord
connecting the lever 4 with the weight W. The support E¹ at the other end of
the bed receives the piece of wood B to rest upon its upper end.
This support
slides vertically in an opening in the table of the machine. The weight W' raises
it as far as the adjustable block 7 admits but the support yields downwards when
the pressure is applied. Adjustable gauges D. D. serve to control the piece B
laterally which when in the machine is held against the gauges D by a hand
lever G in front. In working the machine the piece to be ornamented is placed
with one end abutting on the plate stop 5 and the other resting upon the support E
and then the hand lever G is turned to hold it in place. The screw is then turned
to bring the wood into contact with the heated pattern surface and it is kept there
as long as the operator considers desirable-When the pressure is relieved the
wood is lifted off the pattern surfaces by the stops as already explained. The
gauges D. D. and hand lever G are so arranged as not to interfere with the slight
up and down movement of the piece whilst in the machine.
Thus the design may be impressed uniformly on any number of similar pieces of
wood in the position desired.
In some cases in place of using a flat heated metallic die we use an engraved
cylinder heated internally by a row of gas jets and revolved continuously at any
desired speed. The cylinder is mounted horizontally below a flat table in which
a slot through which the upper part of the cylinder projects slightly. Above
the top of the cylinder is mounted a row of narrow rollers each one of which can
rise or fall independently of the others. Each roller is formed with a short spindle
or axis projecting from either side of it.
Between the rollers a series of horizontal bars are supported, these have in them
short vertical slots in which the spindles of the rollers are received. Between the
rollers are also other horizontal bars which at one end can turn on a pin joint and
at the other end carry a weight-these bars rest upon the top of the spindles of
the rollers and press the rollers downwards. The wood to be ornamented is placed
on to the surface of the table and moved forward to bring it between the top and
bottom rollers as soon as the edge of the wood is gripped between the rollers the
wood is drawn between them at a uniform speed by the action upon it of the
lower heated roller which revolves continuously.
Figure 6 is a longitudinal section and Figure 7 is a cross section of a roller
machine in which a cylindrical surface having the pattern raised upon it is used
in place of a flat pattern surface. In these figures A is a cylinder having the
pattern upon it it is generally cast on. This cylinder is mounted on an axis A¹ the
arms supporting the rim being mid distance of its length. Gas jets of the same
description as those used in the other form of machine are arranged inside the
cylinder and the flame plays against its side as shown. Pressure rollers C. C. C.
are arranged immediately over the centre of the cylinder A. Each of these rollers
has a separate spindle running in bearings E. E. E which allow of vertical move-
ment. The spindles have a downward pressure put upon them by the levers
F.F. F. and weights W. W. W. The bearings E. E. E are carried on bars E¹. E¹. E'
and these are adjusted with right and left hand screws to allow the rollers C. C. C.
to play but not sufficiently to touch the raised surface of the cylinder A.
fulcrums of the levers F can be similarly adjusted to suit the thickness of the wood
The

page_text: to be impressed. Motion is given to the cylinder A by means of a belt passing
over a pulley keyed onto its axis A¹ or by any other convenient method. Å
surface speed of two feet per minute will be found suitable.
The pieces of wood to be ornamented are pushed forward by hand along the
surface of the table B and so presented to and caused to be carried forward by the
rollers as already described.
In some cases in place of the engraved die being in the form of a complete
cylinder we make it in the form of a quadrant and in place of making it revolve
continuously attach it to a counterbalance weight which tends to bring! one
extremity of the quadrant into a position immediately below the pressure roller
or rollers. With this arrangement when a strip of wood is pressed forward between
the quadrant and pressure rollers it will turn the quadrant and when the wood has
passed through the quadrant is brought back to its original position by the counter-
balance weight.
Figure 8 is a cross section of another form of machine which is composed of a
quadrant A having a pattern raised upon its outer surface as the cylinder shown
in Figures 6 and 7. The quadrant is mounted on a spindle on which is also a
counterpoise weight tending always to bring the quadrant into the position shown
really for the machine to be put in motion. The quadrant is heated by a gas and
air flame applied in a similar manner to that used for heating the trough box A
shown in Figures 1 and 2 and the cylinder shown in Figures 6 and 7. E is a
pressure roller its axis is carried by lever arms E pivoting at E. E³ is a weight
for holding the wood down against the heated pattern surface with adequate
pressure-Motion may be given to the quadrant with a lever by hand the quadrant
being brought back again into its starting position by the weight W. A stop or
gauge a is arranged as shown to place the wood against in entering into the
machine in order that the pieces of wood B may always receive the pattern the
same distance from the edge.
. Having thus described the nature of our said Invention and the manner of
performing the same we would have it understood that we claim.
First. Our improvements substantially as described in respect to Figures 1 to 5
of the annexed drawings in which the piece of wood to be decorated is held in
position by yielding supports over a heated bed or pattern surface, is then by the
action of the press brought into contact with this pattern surface and finally is by
the automatic action of the supports removed from contact with the heated surface
substantially as described.
Second. Our improvements substantially as described in respect to Figures 6
and 7 in which the piece of wood to be decorated is pressed against the heated
surface of a rotating pattern roller by a series of narrow rollers which can rise and
fall independently substantially as described.
Third. Our improvements substantially as described in respect to Figure 8 in
which the heated pattern surface is upon a rocking quadrant or segment
substantially as described.
In witness whereof we the said Horace Saunders and Samuel Comber have
hereunto set our hands and seals this thirtieth day of August in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty three
HORACE SAUNDERS (L.B.)
SAMUEL COMBER
(L.S.)