IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR EMBOSSING WOOD AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION,
I ABRAHAM MARTIN of 177 Aston Lane, Witton, near Birmingham in the
county of Warwick, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR EMBOSSING WOOD AND OTHER SUBSTANCES,"
to be as follows:-
"
This invention relates to an improved machine for ornamenting wood, leather
and the like with designs in low relief by the combined action of heat and pressure,
the machine as hereinafter described being particularly intended for producing
wood tops for shell and other buttons.
The machine consists of a pair of pressure cylinders between which the wood or
other substance to be ornamented is passed in combination with a stationary table
and adjustable guides, all as hereafter described.
The upper cylinder by which the relief design is produced is of peculiar con-
struction being what I may term a composing" cylinder that is to say it is
furnished with removable dies or counterparts of the design to be produced, and
which may be readily changed upon the cylinder whenever the design is to be
varied. The circumference of this cylinder is provided with longitudinal dove-
tailed grooves and ribs wherein or whereon the punches or dies are set up in
parallel rows like printing type and form longitudinal or circumferential series
according to the nature of the work. They may occupy the whole or a portion of
the length of the cylinder and are locked in position by covering discs at the end
or ends of the cylinder which may be turned or adjusted so as either to coincidle
with or obstruct the dovetailed grooves or ribs as the case may be. The punches
or dies have bodies or shanks adapted to engage with and to be retained by the
dovetailed grooves or ribs and slide therein or thereon and their faces are formed
with counterparts of the design to be produced.
This cylinder is hollow being preferably constructed with a central web or disc
dividing the cylinder into two chambers and carried upon a shaft mounted above
the table in vertically adjustable bearings the shaft being hollow and communicating
with the interior of the cylinder at either side of the ceutral portion to admit air
and gas to the combustion chambers wherein the gaseous mixture is burnt for
... 011

page_text: heating the cylinder and dies. The lower or bed cylinder is mounted beneath the
table and projects through an opening therein immediately beneath the die cylinder,
and rises just sufficiently above the level of the table to take the pressure and
admit of the work being passed freely between the cylinders. Upon the table are
arranged a pair of longitudinal guide bars laterally adjustable to suit the width of
the work by means of right and left handed screws, these bars passing over the
lower cylinder and having the upper cylinder or the operative portion of its
periphery between them. Their adjusting screws pass through milled nuts held in
the forked ends of the guide bars whereby the bars may be adjusted separately
when required.

page_text: I ABRAHAM MARTIN of 177 Aston Lane Witton near Birmingham in the County
of Warwick, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINES FOR EMBOSSING WOOD AND OTHER SUBSTANCES" and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
This invention relates to an improved machine for ornamenting wood, leather
and the like with designs in low relief by the combined action of heat and pressure:
the machine as hereinafter described being particularly intended for producing
wood tops for shell and other buttons.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
Specification wherein figure 1 is an end elevation and figure 2 a side olevation of
the machine, Figures 3 and 4 show details of the die cylinder on a larger scale
a few only of the dies being shown. Figure 5 shows a piece of embossed wood and
the mode of detaching the embossed portions.
The machine consists of a pair of pressure cylinders A B between which the
wood or other substance to be ornamented is passed in combination with a stationary
table C and adjustable guides or fences D all as hereafter described.
The upper cylinder A by which the relief design is produced, is of peculiar
construction being what I may term a "composing" cylinder that is to say it is
furnished with removable dies a or counterparts of the design to be produced
which may be readily changed upon the cylinder whenever the design is to be
varied. The punches or dies are set up in parallel rows and form longitudinal or
circumferential series according to the nature of the work. The punches or dies
have bodies or shanks which are received in corresponding recesses in the circum-
ference of the cylinder and are locked therein by means of longitudinal dovetailed
keys b slid between the rows and engaging with corresponding notches a³ in the
shanks of the dies, these keys being secured in place by end screws. By this means
any die may be readily changed without disturbing the remainder.
The cylinder A is hollow being preferably constructed with a central web or disc
dividing the cylinder into two chambers and carried upon a shaft mounted above
the table C in vertically adjustable bearings, the shaft being hollow and communi-
cating with the interior of the cylinder at either side of the central portion to
admit air and gas to the combustion chambers for heating the dies.
The lower or bed cylinder B is mounted beneath the table C and projects
through an opening therein immediately beneath the die cylinder A and rises just
sufficiently above the level of the table to take the pressure and admit of the
work being passed freely between the cylinders. This bed cylinder receives a very
slow motion from the main shaft E through worm gear F G and the train of bevel
and spur gear HIKĻ. Upon the table C are arranged a pair of longitudinal
guide bars or fences D, laterally adjustable to suit the width of the work, by means
of right and left handed screws d, these bars passing over the lower cylinder B and
having the upper cylinder A on the operative portion of its periphery between
them, The adjusting screws & pass through nuts held in the ends of the guide
bars D, and the screws at the two ends of the machine are geared together by
a pitch chain d¹³ to ensure constant parallelism of the guide bars.
For making button tops, a thin sheet of wood is used and the embossed portions
are detached by planing away the under portion which unites them as shown in
figure 5. By employing suitable dies the machine might also be used for impressing
letters and desigūs in sheet metal in imitation of engraving.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1st The combination of the die cylinder constructed substantially as herein-
described, the bed cylinder, the table and the adjustable guide bars, substantially
as shown and described.
2nd The hereindescribed mode of securing the dies to the die cylinder,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
3rd The hereindescribed construction of the embossing cylinder and the com-
bination therewith of removable dies, substantially as specified.
4th The combination with the guide bars and their nuts, of the pair of right and
left handed screws geared together substantially as and for the purpose specified.
5th The general combination and arrangement of parts constituting thic machine
for making wood buttons and ornamenting wood and other substances substantially
as shown and described.