Improvements in or connected with the Manufacture and Laying of Parquetry.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 16th May, 1889
| Complete Specification Left, 15th Feb., 1890-Accepted, 22nd Mar., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with the Manufacture and Laying
of Parquetry.
We, SAMUEL INGHAM, and WILLIAM ILLINGWORTH, both of Wellington Street,
Leeds, in the County of York, Timber Importers, and CHRISTIAN MOMBERG, of
110 Beeston Hill, Leeds, aforesaid, Designer of Parquetry, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows :-
The object of our invention is to cheapen and facilitate both the manufacture and
the fixing of such work.
The ordinary method of making and fixing Parquetry, has been to prepare the small
pieces, or patterns, in the workshops, afterwards fixing them upon the floors already
laid to receive them.
Such fixing has necessarily been laborious and costly in consequence of the workmen
being obliged to carry out skilled work in a kneeling or other inconvenient or cramped
position, and without many appliances which might be brought to bear upon the work
if prepared at the factory under our system.
Our invention obviates these inconveniences, and also greatly reduces the time
occupied in the preparation of the work, and in the laying or fixing of the same.
We carry out our object as follows:-
Selecting suitable patterns, we prepare the pieces of parquetry, and affix or attach
the same, at the manufactory, to suitable lengths of what may for the moment be
termed ordinary floor-boarding, prepared wholly or in part by machinery.
In thus affixing the Parquetry to the boards at the factory, we obtain facilities for
more carefully pressing all the paris together, so as to ensure perfect fit and contact,
and after this, the said boards, with the parquetry attached, may be passed through
machines for thicknessing and for smoothing and finishing, thus ensuring a uniform
thickness and a true and level surface when laid.
After being thus prepared the Parquetry boarding is taken to its destination and
there laid with little more labour and expense than ordinary flooring.
The Parquetry-boards may be of any convenient lengths, but, in the case of end to
end joints, or in fitting to special positions, the lengths should both begin and end at
suitable lines in the Parquetry pattern. Of course the lengths of the Parquetry-
boards may when being laid-be cut by the workman to suit special positions.
With regard to the widths of the Parquetry-boards we do not recommend them to
be wide, on the contrary the narrower they are the better, as being more likely to
successfully resist any tendency to warping and twisting out of the true plane when
laid; nevertheless the boards must either be wide enough to suit the pattern, or two
or more boards must be used to make up one width or section of the selected
pattern.
When the pattern is both too broad to make it advisable to fix it on a single board,
and is also a pattern that will not further subdivide in width; then we fix it firmly
on the face of two (or more) boards, leaving however the tonguing and grooving
between the same free to expand and contract so as to render the chance of the
Parquetry being split as remote as possible.
Another way of preventing the warping & twisting or displacement of the Parquetry
is by grooving the underside of the boards-longitudinally-so as to make them in
effect narrower ones, with freedom for expansion and contraction.
The outer edges of these Parquetry-boards may be tongued and grooved in the
usual way, nevertheless, as the nails or screws used for fixing pierce these parts it may
be advisable in some cases to adapt other forms of joints.
Such joints should be designed so as to tend to keep the neighbouring boards in
true line, i.e., flat on the joists.

page_text: Again, where it is desired to reverse certain adjacent boards for the sake of the
pattern we groove both such edges and use loose tongues or keys so as to get the
choice of reversing such patterns when required.
It must be noted that by our plan the piercing of the Parquetry itself is
avoided.
By our plan of preparing and laying these Parquetry-boards no other underfloor is
required; hence that outlay is avoided; our boards may nevertheless be laid on any
existing 'floor.
In certain cases boards may be covered with Parquetry for a certain distance only
from their ends, so as to enable an uncarpeted border of a room to be thus dealt
with in such a case by cutting down only that part which is to be covered with
Parquetry the other part of the board may be left level with the parquetry face when
all is finished.
The Parquetry-boards, which will in general be laid lengthwise across the floor
joists, may nevertheless be laid diagonally, taking care, of course, to support any end
that might unduly over-shoot the last supporting joist.
Although we speak of flooring we do not wish it to be understood that we limit
ourselves to floors only, as any class of such Parquetry woodwork may be thus
advantageously prepared and fixed, say for instance, boarding for ceilings, or wainscots,
and the like.
1
P
1000
WM. SNOWDON,
9, Beckett's Bank Chambers, Leeds, Yorks, Agent for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with the Manufacture and Laying
of Parquetry.
We, SAMUEL INGHAM, and WILLIAM ILLINGWORTH, both of Wellington Street,
Leeds, in the County of York, Timber Importers, and CHRISTIAN MOMBERG, of
110, Beeston Hill, Leeds, aforesaid, Designer of Parquetry, 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 :-
The object of our invention is to cheapen and facilitate both the manufacture and
fixing of such work.
The ordinary method of making and fixing Parquetry has been to prepare the small
picces, or patterns, in the workshops, afterwards fixing them upon the floors already
laid to receive them.
Such fixing has necessarily been laborious and costly in consequence of the workmen
being obliged to carry out skilled work in a kneeling or other inconvenient or cramped
position, and without many appliances which might be brought to bear upon the work
if prepared at the factory under our system.
Our invention obviates these inconveniences and also greatly reduces the time
occupied in the preparation of the work, and in the laying or fixing of the same.
We carry out our object as follows and in order to fully explain our meaning we
have annexed a drawing on which tig. I is a plan representing for the sake of example
certain patterns suitable for parquetry floor-boards; fig. II is a corresponding
transverse section, and fig. III a longitudinal section. Figs. IV, V and VI are
transverse sections on a larger scale showing how joints and incisions may be made in
such boarding. The same letters refer to the same parts in all the figures.
The floor joists are marked a; the parquetry work the foundation boarding b,
the grooves or incisions for counteracting the tendency to warp d, and screws or
nails may be placed at e for securing the parquetry boarding to the joists or other
adjacent main framing.
Selecting suitable patterns, preferably such as repeat themselves sooner or later,
after the manner shown at A and B fig. I, we prepare the pieces of parquetry c
and affix, or attach the same, at the manufactory, to suitable long lengths of what

page_text: may for the moment be termed ordinary floor-boarding b. prepared wholly or in
part by machinery.
In thus affixing the Parquetry to these foundation boards at the factory we obtain
facilities for more carefully pressing all the parts together so as to ensure perfect
fit and contact, and after this the said boards, with the parquetry attached, may be
passed through machines for "thicknessing" and for smoothing and finishing, thus
ensuring a uniform thickness and a true and level surface of the top parquetry
when laid.
Either before or after the parquetry is affixed to the foundation boards their
edges are tongued or grooved after the manner of floor-boarding, and other grooves
or incisions may be made on their under surface as afterwards described.
After being thus prepared the Parquetry-boarding is taken to its destination and
there laid with little more labour and expense than with ordinary flooring-boards.
The parquetry-boards may be made, stocked ready for use, and supplied to customers,
in and after the manner in which floor-boarding is made and supplied.
In case however of end to end joints, or in fitting to special positions, the lengths
should begin and end at suitable lines in the parquetry pattern. Of course the lengths
of the parquetry boards may, when being laid, be cut by the workman to suit special
positions.
With regard to the width of the face of the Parquetry-boards we do not recommend
them to be wide, on the contrary, the narrower they are the better as being more likely
to successfully resist any tendency to warping and twisting out of the true plane when
laid nevertheless the boards must either be wide enough to suit the pattern, as at A in
fig. I, or two or more boards must be used to make up one width or section of the
selected pattern, as in the upper pattern under B in fig. 1.
When the pattern is both too broard to make it advisable to fix it on a single board,
and is also a pattern that will not further suitably subdivide in width, then we fix it
firmly on the face of two (or more) boards-as shown under B fig II and also in fig V.
We leave however the tongueing and grooving between the same free to expand and
contract after the manner shown in fig. V so as to render the chance of splitting the
parquetry as remote as possible.
Another way of preventing the warping and twisting, or the displacement of the
parquetry, is by grooving the underside of the boards longitudinally so as to make
them in effect narrower ones with freedom for expansion and contraction, this is shown
in figs. IV & V where the grooves or incisions d'are clearly shown.
The outer edges of these parquetry-boards may be tongued and grooved in the
usual way, nevertheless, as the nails or screws used for fixing them to the joists pierce
these parts it may be advisable in some cases to arrange other forms of joints, say for
instance after the manner shown in figs IV, V and VI.
Again where it is desired to reverse certain adjacent boards for the sake of the
pattern we groove both such edges and use loose tongues or keys so as to get the choice
of reversing such patterns where required.
It must be noted that by our plan the piercing of the Parquetry itself is avoided-
see the positions of the screws or nails e-thus permitting laying and relaying.
By our plan of preparing and laying these Parquetry-boards no other underfloor is
required, hence that outlay is avoided :-our boards may nevertheless be laid on any
existing floor where so desired.
In certain cases boards may be covered with parquetry for a certain distance only
from their ends, so as to enable an uncarpeted border of a room to be thus dealt
with.
The Parquetry-boards which will in general be laid lengthwise across the floor joists
may nevertheless be laid diagonally-or any portion of the floor may be laid diagonally
-taking care of course to support any end that might unduly overshoot the last
supporting joist. Although we speak of flooring we do not wish it to be understood
that we limit ourselves to floors only, as any class of such Parquetry-boarding may be
advantageously prepared and fixed, say, for instance, boarding for ceilings, or wainscots,
and the like.

page_text: It may be noted that in figs IV, V and VI certain of the joints are specially
designed to hold the neighbouring board down to the proper level, although freedom
for expansion of the foundation board is afforded since the nails or screws are fixed at
one edge only, as shown.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. The process or mode of manufacturing Parquetry Boarding, consisting of affixing
suitable patterns of parquetry, at the factory, to the surface of long lengths of prepared
foundation-boarding, after which the surface of the parquetry, together with any
uncompleted portion of the work connected with the foundation boarding, is finished,
the whole being reduced to a correct and uniform thickness and size, leaving nothing
but the simple laying of the said Parquetry Boarding to be done at its final
destination after the manner of floor-boarding, with the objects and for the purposes
specified.
2. The process of manufacturing Parquetry Boarding, for easy and rapid laying,
substantially after the manner set forth herein and shown on the drawing, there being
no piercing of the parquetry by nails or screws, nor any further under boarding
required, with the objects and for the purposes specified.
3. The combination of one or more long foundation boards (taking a form more or
less similar to floor-boarding) with a suitable parquetry face, affixed thereto at. the
factory, the whole length, breadth, and depth of such combined boarding being
respectively grooved, incised, "thicknessed" and in every other way finished,
tongued, grooved, rebated, or otherwise similarly prepared for jointing, before leaying
the factory, with the objects and for the purposes specified.
4. The combination, and manner of making such combination, of parts as form
our Parquetry Boarding, substantially as described herein and shown on the drawing,
with the objects and for the purposes specified.
Dat
1900
WM. SNOWDON,
9, Beckett's Bank Chambers, Leeds, Yorks, Agent for the Applicants.