IMPROVED APPARATUS POR CUTTING WOOD INTO SMALL STRIPS, FILAMENTS, OR SHAVINGS.
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Riddell, of Crosby Hall Chambers, in
the City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS POR
CUTTING WOOD INTO SMALL STRIPS, FILAMENTS, OR SHAVINGS.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Riddell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
27th June 1870.
I, WILLIAM RIDDELL, of Crosby Hall Chambers, in the City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR CUTTING WOOD INTO SMALL STRIPS, FILAMENTS, OR
SHAVINGS," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to apparatus which is chiefly designed to effect
the separation of the fibres of wood in the preparation of the same for
the manufacture of paper therefrom, but which is a convenient and
efficient apparatus for the separation or division of wood into small strips,
filaments, or shavings for the manufacture of stuffing for beds, chairs,

page_text: sofas, and other articles, for making match splints, and for other purposes.
The said apparatus consists of rotating circular cutters and planing
knives or blades. The rotating cutters are discs with sharp edges which
are fixed on a spindle or shaft at such distances apart as will give the
required width to the strips or shavings. The said spindle or shaft is
extended across a bed or table on which is placed the beam, baulk, log,
or piece of wood from which the shavings or filaments are to be obtained.
The planing blades or knives are arranged behind the rotating cutters
and in such a position that their edges lie at a right angle to the said
cutters. By this arrangement the planes will shave transversely to the
incision of the rotating cutters, and the effectual separation of the wood,
fibres, shavings, or filaments is effectually accomplished.
When the cuttings are taken from a baulk, beam, or other large piece
of timber, I prefer that the latter should be placed on the bed of an
ordinary wood planing machine or some machine operating in a similar
manner. The spindle of the rotating cutters in this case is fitted to turn
freely in fixed bearings attached to the bed or frame of the machine, the
said bearings being provided with adjusting screws or other means for
raising the cutters more or less above the top of the bed, and thereby
regulating the depth of the incisions, The plane irons project up through
the bed and are also made adjustable so that they may be adapted to
any required depth of cut. The wood is fed forward and guided to the
cutters by revolving rollers or drums or in any other convenient manner.
It first passes over the rotating cutters which make the incisions, and
thereby divide the surface of the wood longitudinally into thin strips,
which are shaved off by the planes as the wood passes over them. By
arranging the plane irons obliquely across the bed on which the wood is
placed the shavings can be caused to curl or twist spirally and will then
possess sufficient elasticity to form a very superior stuffing for upholstery
purposes.
In cutting up small pieces of wood, such, for instance, as is commonly
called "fathom wood," I prefer that the rotating cutters and the planes
should both be arranged (in the aforesaid relative positions) upon a
reciprocating table which is moved to and fro through the medium of a
crank and connecting rod or other suitable mechanism under a stationary :
box or receptacle wherein are placed the pieces of wood from which the
strips or shavings are to be obtained. The said box has no bottom sa
that the lower surface of the pieces of wood placed therein rests upon

page_text: the table and is brought in contact with the cutters as the said table is
moved to and fro. I place a weight in the box at the top of the wood
to keep the same pressed properly down upon the table.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent;
filed by the said William Riddell in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 24th December 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
RIDDELL, of Crosby Hall Chambers, in the City of London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said William Riddell, Her special licence,
that I, the said William Riddell, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Williani Riddell, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland;
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR CUTTING WOOD INTO SMALL STRIPS, FILAMENTS; OR SHAVINGS," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Riddell, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Riddell, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawing forming a part of this Specification.

page_text: My Invention relates to apparatus which is chiefly designed to effect
the separation of the fibres of wood in the preparation of the same for
the manufacture of paper therefrom, but which is a convenient and
efficient apparatus for the separation or division of wood into small
strips, filaments, or shavings for the manufacture of stuffing for beds,
chairs, sofas, and other articles, for making match splints, and for other
purposes. In the said apparatus I combine rotating circular cutters
with fixed planing blades. The rotating cutters are discs with sharp
edges, which are secured on a spindle or shaft at such distances apart
as will give the required width to the strips or shavings. The said
spindle or shaft is extended across a bed or table on which is placed the
beam, baulk, log, or piece of wood from which the shavings or filaments
are to be obtained. The planing blades or knives are arranged behind
the rotating cutters; the latter are perpendicular to the surface to be
cut, while the planing blades are placed parallel to the said surface.
By this arrangement the planing blades will cut or shave transversely
to the incision of the rotating cutters, and the effectual separation of
the wood into uniform shavings or filaments of any desired size is
accomplished.
When the apparatus is to be employed for obtaining the shavings or
cuttings from a baulk, beam, or other large piece of timber, I prefer
that the timber should be placed on the bed of an ordinary wood planing
machine or some machine operating in a similar manner to move the
wood in a straight line across the cutting edges, or I may use a machine
of similar construction to that described in the Specification of an
Invention for which Letters Patent were granted to me bearing date
the Twenty-first day of February, A.D. 1867, No. 477, by substituting
the rotating cutters for the scorers described in the said Specification.
But for cutting up short pieces of wood I employ an arrangement
of mechanism herein-after described for moving the rotating cutters and
planing blades to and fro across the surface of the wood.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a plan or top view shewing the arrangement of the
rotating cutters and fixed planing blades; Figure 2 is a side elevation
shewing the same arranged upon an ordinary planing machine; Figure 3
is a plan of a machine illustrating a modification of my Invention;
Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line x, x, Figure 3;

page_text: Figure 5 is a transverse vertical section on the line y, y, Figure 3.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing.
The rotating cutters a and their arrangement in relation to the fixed
planes or blades is most clearly shewn in Figure 1. In Figure 2 the
spindle c of the rotating cutters a is fitted to turn freely in fixed
bearings & attached to the bed or frame A of a planing machine. These
bearings are provided with adjusting screws e or other means for raising
the cutters a more or less above the top of the bed A, and thereby
regulating the depth of the incisions. The plane irons project up
through the bed A, and are also made adjustable so that they may be
adapted to any required depth of cut. The wood is fed forward and
guided to the cutters by revolving rollers or drums farranged as shewn
or in any convenient manner. It first passes over the rotating cutters a
which make the incisions and thereby divide the surface of the wood
longitudinally into thin strips, which are shaved off by the planes bas
the wood passes over them. By arranging the plane irons obliquely
b
across the bed on which the wood is placed as in Figure 1 the shavings will
be caused to curl or twist spirally, and will then possess sufficient elasticity
to form a very superior stuffing for upholstery purposes. In cutting up
small pieces of wood, such, for instance, as is commonly called "fathom
wood," I prefer to adopt the arrangement illustrated in Figures 3, 4,
and 5, that is to say, the rotating cutters a and the plancs 6 are arranged
(in the aforesaid relative positions) upon a reciprocating table B, which
is moved to and fro through the medium of a crank g and connecting
rod or other suitable mechanism under a stationary box or recep-
tacle i, wherein are placed the pieces of wood from which the strip or
shavings are to be obtained. The said box has no bottom, so that the
lower surface of the pieces of wood placed therein lies upon the table B
and is brought in contact with the cutters and planes a and b as the
said table is moved to and fro. I place a weight in the box i at the
top of the wood to keep the same pressed properly down upon the
table.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, I wish it understood
that I claim,―
First. The rotating discs or cutters in combination with one or a
series of fixed planing knives or blades adapted to a wood planing
machine or other suitable machine whereon the wood to be cut is moved

page_text: in a straight line or direction over or under the said rotating cutters and
planing blades for the purpose specified.
Second. The rotating cutters and planing blades fixed on a recipro-
cating table arranged to operate below a box or receptacle which is
open at the bottom and arranged in relation to the said cutters and blades, a
substantially as set forth for the purpose specified.
Third. Arranging the said planing knives upon a bed or table obliquely
or at an angle to the axis of the rotating cutters for the purpose
specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Riddell, have hereunto 1
set my hand and seal, this
day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
WILLIAM RIDDELL. (L.S.)
Witness,
W. ROB. LAKE.