Wood to Form Boards, Staves, and the like, and to Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 16th. Nov., .1887
Complete Specification Left, 15th Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 19th Oct., 1888
Wood to Form Boards, Staves, and the like, and to Apparatus
therefor.
I, GUSTAV ADOLPH ONCKEN, of Chicago, Illinois, United States of America, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the cutting, grooving and bevelling of wood to form boards,
staves and the like and to apparatus connected therewith.
According to my present invention a continuous board (not veneer) of from 1 to 25
millimetres in thickness is cut from a round or cylindrical block or log of wood
rotating upon its axis by setting a vertical knife, which is continually displaced
towards the axis of rotation of the wood, and also the rotating wood itself, in
horizontal oscillations upon different centres for the purpose of causing a to and fro
movement of the cutting edge of the knife at the cutting line of the block and
thereby producing a better cutting effect. The breadth of the board is in this
case equal to the entire length of the block or log used. With the machine can be
connected a device for cutting on both sides a chimes (groove) and chamfer for
staves.
The main frame of the machine consists of a solid table supported upon standards.
Transverse rods form guides for the support which is provided in the middle with
a thick vertical pivot. Upon this pivot turns the knife frame to which is secured,
above the knife and below a strip that is to prevent the splitting of the board to
be cut.
The cut is effected first by the forward movement of the knife with the support,
secondly by the turning motion of the knife around the pivot, thirdly by the
rotary motion of the block or log of wood to be cut, fourthly by the to and fro
motion of the said block by means of two excentrics, as will hereinafter be set
forth.
The forward motion of the support with the knife frame and knife is caused from
the main shaft as usual by means of screws, communicating gears, worm wheels and
an endless screw.

page_text: The oscillating movement of the block of wood in the horizontal plane during the
rotation of the same is obtained by displacing the bearings in which the spindles
provided with claws that set the block in rotation turn, at the same time parallel but
in opposite directions to each other. For this purpose eccentrics are keyed upon the
said spindles; the rods of the said excentrics are fastened by means of bolts after
the manner of hinges upon the frame of the machine.
The said excentrics are accordingly set at 180 degrees relatively to each other.
The spindles receive their turning motion by toothed wheels placed upon them and
engaging with correspondingly toothed pinions upon the main shaft. In the interior
of each spindle is a pressing screw that serves to push out the claw or to press the
claw against the block of wood.
The eccentrics impart to the block of wood a rocking motion in the horizontal plane,
which motion the edge of the knife must follow as it likewise makes a rocking motion
from the pivot.
By this to and fro movement of the cutting edge of the knife, due to the rocking
movement of the block in the opposite direction, and always along the cutting line on
the block, is obtained a very good cutting.
In order that the block or log of wood shall, during its rocking motion, be held
firmly between the claws the latter are provided with a ball pivot which loosely
engages by its teeth with the teeth of the spindle. This arrangement of the claws
enables the block to assume any position in an inclined direction.
Spring forks bear against the block by reason of their elasticity, whatever be the
diameter of the latter, these spring forks rest with their heads upon the arms of a
slide. This slide is, by a forked lever arm supported in a socket in connection with a
screw and hand wheel that permits the adjustment of the block by the said wheel. By
a spring, and through the medium of the forked lever arm, the spring forks are
continually pressed against the block. The proper tension of the said spring is
obtained by the said screw.
On the heads is also arranged the device for cutting the lateral chime and chamfer
for staves. This device consists of two knives which are placed at an acute angle to
each other, and effect the two lateral incisions of the crozing. A third knife
removes the wood to the depth of the lateral incisions, whilst a fourth knife cuts
the lateral chamfer. The wood has its fixed supporting point upon a roller at the
two heads, whilst for regulating the depth and width of the chime and chamfer
each of the knives is adjustable by itself. Moreover, in order to enable the two
heads with the knives and the spring forks to be adjusted according to the length
of the block or log, they are adapted to slide in two slots in the arms of the slide. As
in the horizontal oscillation of the block the knife must of course follow, the arms of
the slide turn upon a pivot.
The machine is provided at the two ends with steam cylinders, valve chest,
distributing gear, cross head, and connecting rod which is applied to the crank pin,
and thus actuates the driving shaft direct. The advantages of this latter arrangement
do not require to be specified.
Dated thi. teth
N
.
1007
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: by displacing the bearings in which the spindles Z provided with teeth Z³, that,
engaging with the teeth of the claws » set the block in rotation move at the same
time parallel but in opposite directions to each other. For this purpose eccentrics kk¹
are keyed upon the said spindles Z. the rods 1, of the said eccentrics are fastened
by means of bolts m, m¹ after the manner of hinges, at m² upon the frame of the
machine. As the frame f of the knife g is connected by means of the screws B₁ B³
with the said bearings i,, it will partake of the oscillating movement of the latter.
For this reason the screws B₁ B³ are hinged to the bearings i, and their nuts B4 B5
engage with the brackets f¹ f2 of the knife frame f so as to permit a certain play
for the oscillating movement and the ends of the screws fit into the worm wheels c c²
so as to partake of the rotation of the same under the permission of an axial movement
within the worm wheels.
The said eccentrics are accordingly set at 180 degrees relatively to each other.
The spindles receive their turning motion by toothed wheels G G placed upon
them and engaging with correspondingly toothed pinions H¹ upon the main shaft E.
In the interior of each spindle Z is a pressing screw Z that serves to push out the
claws or to press them into the ends of the block of wood..
The eccentrics impart to the block of wood a rocking motion in the horizontal
plane, which motion the edge of the knife g must follow as it likewise makes a rocking
motion upon the pivot d.
By this to-and-fro movement of the cutting edge of the knife g due to the rocking
movement of the block in the opposite direction, and always along the cutting line on
the block is obtained a very good cutting.
9
It is of great importance however to the cutting effect of the knife as well as to the
tenacity of the wood, that a destruction of the structure of the wood during the
cutting process may be prevented by a certain construction of the cutting device and
its arrangement in relation with the rotating block or log of wood. I have found
that the axis of rotation of the block A (Figure 17) the cutting edge of the knife
and upper edge of the strip between which the cut board has to pass, must be
arranged in a plane and the rear face g of the knife must be ground so as to form a
part of a hollow cylinder, the axis of which lying within the same plane as the axis of
rotation of the block of wood, the cutting edge of the knife and the upper edge of the
strip h. By this reason the strip / receives directly the whole pressure and forms at
the same time a support for the board at that point where the wood has still its
natural structure and strength. The knife itself has only to stand the absolute
pressure against its cutting edge as its front face forms a tangent lying in the plane
of the direction of pressure against the cutting edge of the knife as well as to the
rotating block as to the board just separated from the block. The diagrams Figures
18 and 20 illustrate such positions of the strip h by which as well as a destruction of
structure of the wood as a deformation of the knife will be caused by the side
pressure
obtained by itself from the movement of the knife-support against the block. The
diagram (Figure 19) illustrates an arrangement of the strip in line with the cutting
edge of the knife, the said knife having its rear face ground from a wrongly placed
centre line. This circumstance will also cause breakage or splitting of the board.
It is further observed that on the employment of a cutting device having both the
knife and the pressure-strip h immovably fastened to the continually displaced
support the board cut off from the block will not under all circumstances keep a
uniform thickness in accordance with the distance of the knife edge from the
strip h.
To overcome this inconvenience 1 construct the pressure strip h in such a manner
that it may yield within certain limits determined by the hardness of the wood and
the distance of the knife from the axis of rotation of the block of the wood.
For this reason the strip h (Figures 14, 15 and 16) is attached to a slide h² guided
upon an adjustable plate of the frame by the bolts h³ passing through slots of the
slide. The latter bears against the arms S S' of the angle-levers SV and S¹ V1 which
are pivoted at S2 S3 and pressed under the action of a spring W against the ends of
the slide ². The tension of this spring wound around a nut W is regulated by

page_text: means of the screw W2 resting in bearings w* upon the plate c¹ and the hand wheel W³
which also serve to release the angle-levers S V and S₁ V₁ and consequently the
slide 2 entirely from the action of the spring.
The thickness of the board to be cut from the log of wood depending upon the
distance of the pressing strip h from the cutting edge of the knife g is governed by the
plate e¹ the position of which may be varied within the limits of the slots c² c² through
which the bolts, fastening the plate c¹ to the frame fare passed. In case of a block or
log of wood of conical or otherwise irregular form is to be cut into boards and the
knife frame is continually moved against the block, the strips will first yield at that
end where it first touches the block. If this would happen for instance at I the
motion of the strip would be transmitted by means of the arm S of the angle lever S V
upon the spring W which at the same time releases the angle-lever S V₁ corre-
spondingly, and consequently the opposite end II of the strip h, and the latter is
caused to move under all circumstances parallel to the cutting edge of the knife and
the axis of rotation of the block of wood notwithstanding the play permitted by the
spring W. Therefore the board to be cut from the block of wood will be from one
end to the other of uniform thickness throughout, which effect has never been gained
by any other known wood-cutting machine of this class.
In order that the block or log of wood shall, during its rocking motion, be held
firmly between the claws r (Figure 6) the latter are provided with a ball pivot Z²
which loosely engages by its teeth with the teeth Zs of the spindle (Figure 7).
This arrangement of the claws enables the block to assume any position in an inclined
direction.
The device for cutting the lateral chimes and chamfers in the wood for staves and
similar purposes, consists of two cutting heads or supports n adjustably fastened to the
arms n² and n³ and adapted to follow the horizontal oscillation of the block as well as
to be continuously elevated to the axis of the latter depending upon the degree of the
cerresponding movement of the knife g. For this reason either spring forks o, o bear
against the block on account of their elasticity, whatever be the diameter of the latter,
as shown in Figure 9, or stationary forks 2 engage with the claws of the block of
wood (Figures 10 and 11). These forks rest with their heads upon the supports n
adjustably fastened to the arms n² and n³ of a slide nt. This slide is by a forked lever
arm p guided in a socket Q in connection with a screw 9 and hand wheel t that
permits the adjustment of the block by the said hand-wheel. By means of the spring s
and through the medium of the forked lever arm p pivoted in e the forks are
continuously pressed against the clawr (Figure 12). The proper tension of the
springs is obtained by the screw q supported by the standard ao.
Instead of elastically pressing the cutter-heads or supports n towards the rotating
block of wood, the arms n² n³ may be pivoted to a screw d³ by which the necessary
forward motion is imparted to the said arms and the supports n.
The block A is carried by rollers a, journalled in these supports and the thread of
the screw d³ has exactly the same pitch as the screws B1 B2 B3 by which the forward
motion of the support c with the knife frame fis caused. On the outer end of the
screw B2 is keyed a toothed wheel p¹ which transmits a continuously rotating motion
to the shaft p by means of the gearing p² p³. This shaft p¹ carries on its opposite end
a bevel-wheel p (Figure 4) which meshes with another bevel wheel q₁ of the same
diameter journalled by the socket Q and provided with inner-thread to fit the screw d³,
so that the cutting device is moved in the direction of the radius of the block of wood
exactly in the same proportion as the knife frame f. Opposite to the bevel-wheel p³ a
second bevel-wheel p on the shaft p7 permanently engages with the wheel q¹ and a
hand wheel t¹ is keyed to the same shaft p' journailed by the standard aº. By means
of this hand-wheel the operator of the machine is enabled to adjust the block of wood in
such a position that the claws r in the axis of rotation of the block will meet the
teeth Z3 of the spindles Z while the wheel p' is out of gear with the wheel q¹. The
engaging and disengaging of the wheel p³ is effected by means of a treadle or gear-
lever e²ee turning upon the pivot e¹ of the post Q.
The heads or supports n of the device for cutting the lateral chime and chamfer

page_text: (Figures 9, 10, and 11) consists of two knives u and u¹ which are placed at an acute
angle to each other, and effect the two' lateral incisions of the crozing. A third knife v
removes the wood to the depth of the lateral incisions, whilst a fourth knife w cuts the
lateral chamfer. 'As mentioned, the wood has its fixed supporting point on the rollers
at the two heads, whilst for regulating the depth and width of the chime and chamfer,
each of the knives is adjustable by itself. Moreover, in order to enable the two
heads n with the knives and the 'driving forks o o respectively 22 to be adjusted
according to the length of the block or log they are adapted to slide in two slots in
the arnis n³ of the slide n¹.
As in the horizontal oscillation of the block this latter cutting device must of
course follow by the medium of the forks oo or 22 the arms n² n³ of the supports n,
turn as mentioned upon a pivot d² of the slide n or screw ³. The machine is
provided at the two ends with steam cylinders L valve chest M distributing gear N,
cross head P and connecting rod R which is applied to the crank pin T and thus
actuates the driving shaft direct.
Having now particularly described the nature of my said invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is
First The mode of cutting a continuous board from a rotating block or log of
wood by setting a vertical knife which is continually displaced towards the axis of
fotation of the wood, and also the rotating wood itself, in horizontal oscillations upon
different centres, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Second In a machine for cutting a continuous board from a rotating block or log
of wood in the manner as claimed before, the combination of the eccentrics k k
the bearings and the frame f supporting the knife, substantially as and for the
purpose set forth.
Third In a machine for cutting a continuous board from a rotating block or. log, of
wood the combination of 'the' knife g and the pressure-strip in such a manner that
the upper edge of the latter, the cutting edge of the knife and the axis of rotation of
the wood are lying in one plane, and the rear surface of the knife to be ground
concave after a cylindrical surface, the axis of which being placed in the same
plane as aforesaid.
'
Fourth-In combination with the knife of a machine for cutting a continuous
board from, a rotating block or log of wood a yielding pressure-strip / actuated
under the tension of spring W by the angle-levers SV and S' VI, nut W₁, screw W2
and hand-wheel W³ substantially arranged as and for the purpose set forth...
Fifth In combination with a machine for cutting a continuous board from a
rotating and horizontally oscillating block or log of wood the devices for cutting
the lateral chime and chamfer, substantially as specified.
Dated this 15th day of Anaust 1888
HASELTINE, .LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton, Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents, for,the Applicant.