IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING OR PLANING WOODEN HOOPS FOR CASKS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Morgan-Brown, Patent Agent, of 38, Southampton
Buildings, London, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
DRESSING OR PLANING WOODEN HOOPS FOR CASKS." A communication from
abroad by Henry French Campbell, of Concord, New Hampshire, United
States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Morgan-Brown at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th October 1881.
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN, Patent Agent, of 38, Southampton Buildings, London.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING OR PLANING WOODEN Hoops
FOR CASKS." [A communication from abroad by Henry French Campbell, of
Concord, New Hampshire, United States of America.]
This Invention has for its object the production of a machine for dressing the
woody or heart side of a hoop, the rounded side of which is covered with bark.
The hoop to be dressed or planed will preferably be sawed from a pole or tree
by means of a band saw which cuts the hoop therefrom parallel with the bark of
the said pole or tree notwithstanding the irregularities of its surface, but my
machine may be employed to great advantage to dress or plane hoops split from a
pole or tree.
In machines heretofore used to dress or plane the woody side of split hoops such
as have been commonly made, it has been necessary, owing to the construction of
the mechanism, to first trim the branches very closely from the body of the pole or
tree to be split in order to remove as far as possible all knots, warts, or projections
before automatically dressing or planing the woody side of the hoop to thus enable
the woody part of the hoop opposite the said knots, warts, or protuberances to be
cut smooth and uniform.
Such process makes the hoop thinner at points where by reason of imperfections
in the grain of the wood the hoop should be thicker to enable the hoop to possess
uniform strength and elasticity.

page_text: It has been attempted to sustain the bark side of the hoop upon a small roller
having its axis in a vertically movable frame supported by a spring, the latter
pressing the woody side of the hoop to be dressed upward against a fixed rest
while the woody side of the hoop is acted upon by a rotating knife cylinder, but
this in my experiments has been found very objectionable, for the blow of the
knives upon the woody side of the hoop causes the axis of the hoop supporting
roller to descend below its proper level compressing the springs, which latter in
their effort to rise and place the axis of the said supporting roller at the proper
distance from the axis of the knife cylinder causes such a variation in the position
of the hoop vertically as to make the knives nick or notch the woody side of the
hoop transversely, thus weakening it.
My experience also teaches me that like objectionable results follow mounting
the axis of the knife cylinder movable or spring held boxes.
In this my Invention I do not intend to cut closely from the bark side, as
heretofore done, the natural knots, warts, or protuberances thereon, nor do I intend
to so cut away the woody or heart side of the hoop to make the hoop of
substantially uniform thickness from end to end.
I have found by this latter method of operation that the hoop is so weakened
as to render it almost worthless, for the woody part of the hoop is made thinnest
where really to obviate the natural imperfections in the grain of the wood should
be left thickest, and such a hoop weakened opposite the knots and warts is not
uniformly elastic.
I employ an elastic bed roller to support the hoop to be dressed or planed, the
said bed roller having its axis placed in fixed bearings. The shaft of this bed-
roller made of steel or iron is so rigid that it will not spring under the blows
of the knives of the knife cylinder above it, which also has its axis in rigid
bearings.
The covering for the elastic bed-roll upon which the bark side of the hoop rests
while being dressed or planed upon its woody side by the knives is of such
thickness that the knots, warts, and protuberances are effectually buried therein
while passing under the presser bars and under the knife cylinder.
In this my machine by the method herein described it is possible to dress
smoothly and evenly the woody sides of hoops which have not first been trimmed
smoothly of the limbs, branches, or knots, which trimming weakens the hoops;
and in this my machine the occurrence of a knot, wart, or protuberance on the
bark side will not cause the knives to cut deeper into the woody side of the hoop
opposite the said knots or protuberances, and weaken the woody part of the hoop
at such a point.
This Invention in machines for dressing or planing hoops consists in an elastic
bed-roll and knife cylinder parallel therewith, having their axis in fixed bearings
combined with pressers to act upon the woody side of the hoop to be dressed and
embed the knots, warts and protuberances at its bark side into the surface of the
said elastic bed-roll, as described, whereby the hoop may be dressed smoothly on
its woody side irrespective of and without weakening it at or opposite its knots,
warts, or protuberances.
Also in an annularly grooved lower feed-roller and upper feed roller provided
with a shouldered groove to receive a sawed hoop, as described, combined with an
elastic bed-roll and knife cylinder, each having its axis held in stationary bearings
as stated, and with a presser to act upon the hoop in front of and imbed the
projections of the bark side of the hoop into the said elastic bed-roll.
Also in an annularly grooved lower feed roller and upper feed roller grooved
annularly to conform substantially in shape with and receive the hoop to be
dressed, and a guide at the rear of the said feed rolls to direct the movement of
the said hoop, combined with a presser and a knife cylinder and elastic bed-roller,
each having its axis held in stationary bearings.
Also in an elastic bed roll and knife cylinder having their axes in substantially
fixed bearings, and a presser located at each side thereof to imbed the knots, warts

page_text: and protuberances at the bark side of the hoop into the said elastic bed roll,
combined with annularly grooved feeding rollers and with drawing rollers, that
one of the drawing rollers to engage the bark side of the hoop being covered with
india rubber.
Also that improvement in the art or method of dressing flexible hoops which
consists in temporarily straightening the crooked hoop in front and at the rear end
of the top of, and imbedding the knots, warts, and protuberances at the bark side
of the hoop into an elastic bed-roll, the surface of which is made to yield to said
protuberances, and at the same time dressing or planing the bark or woody side of
the hoop by a blade which always mines in the same path with relation to the
axis of the bed-roll, whereby the proper amount of woody material is retained in
the hoop opposite the knots, warts, or protuberances thereon.
Also in a bed-roll having an elastic surface of sufficient thickness to enable the
knots, warts, and protuberances at the bark side of the hoop to be imbedded or
buried therein, and a knife cylinder and pressers to operate upon the woody side
of the hoop, combined with annularly grooved feeding-rollers and the drawing
rollers, as hereinafter shown and described.
Also, in a machine for dressing or planing hoops, a feed-roller provided with an
annular groove to receive the rounded bark side of the hoop, combined with and
an opposed feed roller having a groove inclined with relation to the axis of the
said roller, and provided at one edge with a shoulder, the said groove running out
or vanishing at its other edge at the periphery of the said roller.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Morgan-Brown in the Great Seal Patont Office on the
8th April 1882.
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN, Patent Agent, of 38, Southampton Buildings, London.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING OR PLANING WOODEN HOOPS FOR
CASKS." A communication from abroad by Henry French Campbell, of Concord,
New Hampshire, United States of America.
This Invention bas for its object the production of a machine for dressing the
woody or heart side of a hoop, the rounded side of which is covered with bark.
The hoop to be dressed or planed will preferably be sawed from a pole or tree
by means of a band saw, which cuts the hoop therefrom parallel with the bark of
the said pole or tree notwithstanding the irregularities of its surface, but my
machine may be employed to great advantage to dress or plane hoops split from a
pole or tree.
In machines heretofore used to dress or plane the woody side of split hoops, such
as have been commonly made, it has been necessary, owing to the constructing of
the mechanism, to first trim the branches very closely from the body of the pole or
tree to be split in order to remove as far as possible all knots, warts, or projections
before automatically dressing or planing the woody side of the hoop to thus enable
the woody part of the hoop opposite the said knots, warts, or protuberances to be
cut smooth and uniform.
Such process makes the hoop thinner at points where by reason of imperfections
in the grain of the wood the hoop should be thicker to enable the hoop to possess
uniform strength and elasticity.
It has been attempted to sustain the back side of the hoop upon a small roller
having its axis in a vertically moveable frame supported by a spring, the latter
pressing the woody side of the hoop to be dressed upward against a fixed rest, while
the woody side of the hoop is acted upon by a rotating knife cylinder, but this in
my experiments has been found very objectionable, for the blow of the knives upon
the woody side of the hoop causes the axis of the hoop supporting roller to descend
below its proper level, compressing the springs, which latter in their effort to rise
and place the axis of the said supporting roller at the proper distance from the
axis of the knife cylinder causes such a variation in the position of the hoop
vertically as to make the knives nick or notch the woody side of the hoop trans-
versely, thus weakening it.
My experience also teaches me that like objectionable results follow mounting
the axis of the knife cylinder movable or spring held boxes.
In this my Invention I do not intend to cut closely from the bark side, as here-
tofore done, the natural knots, warts, or protuberances thereon, nor do I intend to
80 cut away the woody or heart side of the hoop to make the hoop of substantially
uniform thickness from end to end.
I have found by this latter method of operation that the hoop is so weakened as
to render it almost worthless, for the woody part of the hoop is made thinnest
where really to obviate the natural imperfections in the grain of the wood it should
be left thickest, and such a hoop weakened opposite the knots and warts is not
uniformly elastic.
dressed or planed, the
The shaft of this bed
spring under the blows
I employ an elastic bed roller to support the hoop to be
said bed roller having its axis placed in fixed bearings.
roller, made of steel or iron, is so rigid that it will not
of the knives of the knife cylinder above it, which also has its axis in rigid
bearings.

page_text: The covering for the elastic bed roll, upon which the bark side of the hoop rests
while being dressed or planed upon its woody side by the knives, is of such thickness
that the knots, warts, and protuberances are effectually buried therein while passing
under the presser bars and under the knife cylinder.
In this my machine, by the method herein described, it is possible to dress
smoothly and evenly the woody sides of hoops which have not first been trimmed
smoothly of the limbs, branches, or knots, which trimming weakens the hoops, and
in this my machine the occurence of a knot, wart, or protuberance on the bark
side will not cause the knives to cut deeper into the woody side of the hoop
opposite the said knots or protuberances, and weaken the woody part of the loop
at such point.
This Invention in machines for dressing or planing hoops consists in an elastic
bed-roll and knife cylinder parallel therewith, having their axis in fixed bearings
combined with pressers to act upon the woody side of the hoop to be dressed, and
embed the knots, warts, and protuberances at its bark side into the surface of the
said elastic bed roll, as described, whereby the hoop may be dressed smoothly on its
woody side irrespective of and without weakening it at or opposite its knots, warts,
or protuberances.
Also in an annularly grooved lower feed roller and upper feed roller provided
with a shouldered groove to receive a sawed hoop, as described, combined with an
elastic, bed-roll and knife cylinder, each having its axis held in stationary bearings,
as stated, and with a presser to act upon the hoop in front of and imbed the pro-
jections of the bark side of the hoop into the said elastic bed roll.
Also in an annularly grooved lower feed roller and upper feed roller grooved
annularly to conform substantially in shape with and receive the hoop to be dressed,
and a guide at the rear of the said feed rolls to direct the movement of the said
hoop, combined with a presser and a knife cylinder and elastic bed roller, each
having its axis held in stationary bearings.
Also in an elastic bed roll and knife cylinder having their axis in substantially
fixed bearings, and a presser located at each side thereof to imbed the knots, warts,
and protuberances at the bark side of the hoop into the said elastic bed roll, com-
bined with annularly grooved feeding rollers and with drawing rollers, that one of
the drawing rollers to engage the bark side of the hoop being covered with india
rubber.
Also that improvement in the art or method of dressing flexible hoops, which
consists in temporarily straightening the crooked hoop in front and at the rear end
of the top of, and imbedding the knots, warts, and protuberances at the bark side
of the hoop into an elastic bed roll, the surface of which is made to yield to said
protuberances, and at the same time dressing or planing the bark or woody side of
the hoop by a blade which always moves in the same path with relation to the
axis of the bed roll, whereby the proper amount of woody material is retained in
the hoop opposite the knots, warts, or protuberances thereon.
Also in a bed-roll having an elastic surface of sufficient thickness to enable the
knots, warts, or protuberances at the bark side of the hoop to be embedded or.
buried therein, and a knife cylinder and pressers to operate upon the woody side
of the hoop, combined with annularly grooved feeding rollers and the drawing,
rollers, as hereinafter shown and described.
:
Also, in a machine for dressing or planing hoops, a feed roller provided with an
annular groove b to receive the rounded bark side of the hoop, combined with and
an opposed feed roller having a groove inclined with relation to the axis of the said
roller, and provided at one edge with a shoulder, the said groove running out or
varnishing at its other edge at the periphery of the said roller.
Figure 1 of the Drawings is a vertical section of the machine embodying my
Invention, taken on line y, y, of Figure 2; Figure 2 is a front elevation of the
machine; Figure 3 is a top plan view of Figure 1, with the upper series of rolls
and knife cylinder broken away; Figure 4 is a detail view on an enlarged scale of
the front and rear pressure bars, knife cylinder, and bed-roll; Figure 5 is an.

page_text: enlarged detail of one end of the two presser-bars, and means for holding them;
Figure 6 is a detail of the lower feed roller, the guide, and the elastic bed roller in
front of it; and Figure 7 is a perspective view of the elastic bed roller.
A represents the frame-work of the machine, similar to that of an ordinary
plaining machine, it containing a suitable plaining bed-rack a for supporting the
lower rolls hereinafter mentioned.
This bed rack supports the lower feed roll A¹, which when in position is below
the upper feed roll, and in front of the presser K and parallel therewith.
The periphery of the feed roll A¹ is provided with annular grooves b of different
curvature, to correspond approximately with the outside or bark surface of the
hoop to be dressed or planed.
Immediately behind this lower feed roll A' I have herein shown a guide plate C
inclined upward, and having spaces c corresponding substantially in width with
the annular grooves in the feed roll A¹, the said spaces c guiding and directing the
hoop properly under the knife cylinder B, and being of such depth as to prevent
the underside of the hoop from bearing upon the guide plate C in the bottom of
spaces c as the hoops pass from the lower feed roll A¹ to the elastic bed roll D,
said bed roll being located directly under the knife-cylinder B, as shewn in
Figure 1.
The bed roll D, disposed parallel with the knife cylinder B, and with its axis in
the same vertical line, is composed chiefly of india rubber upon an iron or steel
shaft of only sufficient size to furnish for the said bed roller a rigid or unyielding
axis.
In practice this roll D will be about three inches in diameter.
Its metal shaft E will be about seven eighths of an inch in diameter, thus leaving
about one and one sixteenth inch in thickness of rubber outside the axis E.
This bed roller D, having a yielding surface of the extent and nature described,
is of the utmost importance when dressing and plaining hoops having knots, knurls,
rings, or protuberances of any kind upon its bark surface, as the india rubber is
sufficiently thick to allow all such knots, warts, or protuberances upon the bark
side of the hoop undermost in the machine to be embedded into it, so that the hoop
may be dressed or planed smooth and flat upon its heart or woody side throughout
its entire length, the finished hoop however varying in thickness according to the
size of the knots, warts, or prutuberances upon its bark side.
Behind the bed-roll D are two drawing rolls F, G, for conducting the hoops from
the machine after leaving the knife cylinder, said rolls having a suitable elastic face
to prevent marring the bark of the hoops by the necessary pressure between them
and the upper drawing rolls F, G¹.
The feeding and drawing rollers are removed sufficiently from the elastic bed
roll to leave the surfaces of the sawed hoops (hoops more or less curved or bulged
by sawing parallel with the bark or splitting) free to rise or bulge up or down in
front and at the rear of the single elastic bed roll under the yielding pressers K, O,
and while the knifes cut upon the woody part of the hoop immediately above its
single point or support on the single bed roll.
At the front of the machine, over the lower feed roll A³, is secured the upper
feed-roller H, which has peculiar shaped annular or shouldered grooves.
This roller H is corrugated in its depressed portions to facilitate feeding the
hoops.
Each groove f of the feed roller H has at one side a nearly perpendicular shoulder,
and the bottom surface of the said groove from the base of the said shoulder is
inclined to meet and vanish at the periphery of the said feed roll, as shewn in
Figure 2, thus enabling the thickest edge of the hoop to be canted or to rise,
in order that the said thickest edge may be reduced to the thickness of the thin
edge.
It is obvious that the second and all subsequent hoops sawed from a pole or tree
without leaving bark between them, thus wasting stock, will have one thick and
one thin edge.

page_text: My machine is intended to so dress the woody side of such hoops as to make.
their edges of even thickness.
Poles sufficiently small to be quartered will be grasped and fed by the corrugated
parts of the grooves e of roller H.
The front presser bar K, located at the rear of feed roller H and in front of the
knife-cylinder, has its front edge projected downward and forward as near the
extreme upper portion of the bed roller D as is possible, and yet permit the knives.
of the knife cylinder to meet the hoop in front of the said presser.
The lower edge of the presser K barely escapes contact with the revolving knives
on the cylinder, presses on the said hoop only at its end, holding it as closely and
firmly as possible upon the bed roll close to the knives, embedding the knots and
projections at the bark side of the hoop into the elastic surface of the said roller,
thus securing a clean even cut at the woody side of a thin crooked or cross-grained
hoop.
This presure bar K rises and falls upon upright standards L, L, at each end
which standards pass through the pressure bar.
The downward pressure of this bar herein shewn is regulated by a spring N,
retained in place by a pin and washer (shown best in Figure 5).
An additional washer or washers h of rubber are inserted between the spring
and presser bar at both ends.
The pressure bars K and O rest upon rubber blocks i, ¿³.
The knife cylinder B is the same as that in ordinary use in planing machines,
and has at one end a suitable pulley to receive a driving-belt.
The belt drives shaft 7, having a pulley m, which by belt m' and suitable
gearing not necessary to be fully described rotates the feeding and drawing rollers.
Behind the knife cylinder B is the rear pressure bar O.
The edges of the pressure bars are in practice brought as closely together as
is possible, and permit the knifes of the cylinder B to act upon the hoop between
them, such location of the ends of the presser bars enabling the hoop to be pressed
firmly down into the material of the elastic bed roll rather that to be bent around
the said roller, as would be the case were the bars more widely separated.
The front lower edge of the presser bar O is slightly chamfered, as best shewn at
g, Figure 5, in order to facilitate the entrance under it of the end of the hoop after
passing the bed-roll.
This pressure-bar has also at the rear of the chamfer g a convex rib n, which
serves as a narrow pressing surface to come in contact with the hoop.
This rear pressure bar O is held in a yielding manner at each end by elastic
washers M on rods m³, having nuts m² by which to press the washers more or less
closely against the ends of the said presser bar, thus permitting it to adapt itself.
to the work being done.
Behind the pressure bar O are affixed the upper drawing-rolls F¹, G¹, directly
above and at suitable distances from the corresponding lower rolls F, G.
In operation one end of the hoop is inserted with the side to be dressed or planed
facing upward between the corrugated upper feed roll H and the lower feed roll A¹,
and in one of the grooves of said roll most nearly corresponding to the bark side
of the hoop.
The elastic surface or face of the roll E allows the projections at the bark side of
the hoop to be buried therein, which prevents cutting the hoop so thinly over those
points where it is weakened by knots, thus producing a hoop having the same
relative strength throughout its entire length and of substantially uniform flexibility,
or without weak points.
For the best and most economical working of the machine, two or more hoops
will be inserted at the same time at different points between the feed rolls, the
varying downward pressure of the front pressure bar K embedding the lower
surface of each in the elastic bed roll D, so that they are dressed to nearly uniform
thicknesses.
I do not broadly claim a bed-roller having a thin covering of india rubber, and

page_text: employed in connection with a knife cylinder, the axis of which is a right angle
the axis of the bed roller.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood
that what I claim is,-
1st. In a machine for dressing or planing hoops the plastic bed roll D and knife
cylinder B parallel therewith, having their axes in fixed bearings, combined with
the pressers to act upon the woody side of the hoop to be dressed, and embed the
knots, warts, and protuberances at its bark side into the surface of the said elastic
bed-roll, as described, whereby the hoop may be dressed smoothly on its woody
side irrespective of and without weakening it at or opposite its knots, warts, or
protuberances, substantially as described.
2nd. The annularly grooved lower feed roller and the upper feed roller, provided
with the shouldered groove f to receive a sawed hoop, as described, combined with
the elastic bed roll and knife cylinder, each having its axis held in stationary
bearings, as stated, and with the presser K to act upon the hoop in front of and
imbed the projections of the bark side of the hoop into the said elastic bed roll,
substantially as described.
3rd. The annularly grooved lower feed roller and the upper feed roller, grooved
annularly to conform substantially in shape with and receive the hoop to be
dressed, and the guide at the rear of the said feed rolls to direct the movement of
the said hoop, combined with the presser K and the knife cylinder and elastic bed
roller, each having its axis held in stationary bearings, as and for the purpose
described.
4th. The elastic bed roll and knife cylinder having their axes in substantially
fixed bearings, and the pressers located each side thereof to imbed the knots, warts,
and protuberances at the bark side of the hoop into the said elastic bed roll, com-
bined with the annularly grooved feeding rollers and with the drawing rollers, that
one of the drawing rollers to engage the bark side of the hoop being covered with
india-rubber, substantially as described.
5th. That improvement in the art or method of dressing flexible hoops, which
consists in temporarily straightening the crooked hoop in front and at the rear of
the top of, and embedding the knots, warts, and protuberances at the bark side of
the hoop into an elastic bed roll, the surface of which is made to yield to said
protuberances, and at the same time dressing or planing the back or woody side of
the hoop by a blade which always moves in the same path with relation to the axis
of the bed roll, whereby the proper amount of woody material is retained in the
hoop opposite the knots, warts, or protuberances thereon, substantially as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Morgan-Brown, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of April, in the year of our Lord Oue