NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BASKETS AND WICKERWORK
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Waide Reynolds, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Manufacturer, and Enoch Dance, of Birmingham
aforesaid, Manufacturer, for the Invention of "NEW OR IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BASKETS AND WICKERWORK."
Sealed the 19th February 1861, and dated the 9th October 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Waide Reynolds
and Enoch Dance at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 9th October 1860.
We, GEORGE WAIDE, REYNOLDS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,,
Manufacturer, and ENOCH DANCE, of Birmingham aforesaid, Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "NEW OR IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BASKETS AND WICKERWORK," to be as
follows:-
Our Invention consists of the machinery herein-after described, which said
machinery is especially applicable to the manufacture of baskets and wicker-
work from cane, but may also be used for the manufacture of baskets and
wickerwork from other materials.
We will describe our machinery as constructed for the manufacture of
square or rectangular cane baskets. The "stakes" or upright canes aro
arranged by hand upon a base board supported on a platform. The said plat-
form has a reciprocating transverse motion, and the base board is connected
therewith by a pin in the platform engaging in a groove, which runs all round
the under side of the base board. The partially made basket is thus carried
backwards and forwards, although the workman has the power of sliding it

page_text: longitudinally, and turning it about on the platform. The canes forming the
randing or horizontal work of the basket are supplied through two vertical
feeding tubes, and fed by rollers at the tops of the said tubes. The whole
feeding apparatus rises slowly as the formation of the basket proceeds. As the
randing leaves the feeding tubes it takes a horizontal position, and the work-
man slides the partially formed basket longitudinally upon the platform, so as
to bring the vertical feeding tubes opposite to spaces between the stakes in
advance of those through which the randing was last passed. The platform
moving transversely the feeding tubes pass to the interior of the basket. The
workman advancing the basket again longitudinally, and the platform advancing
it transversely, the feeding tubes pass to the exterior of the basket. In this way
the randing is passed backwards and forwards round the stakes, and the basket
built up. On arriving at the corners of the basket it is only necessary to turn
the said basket on the pin which connects the base board to the platform.
When a circular basket is made the base board turns on a centre upon the
platform. The canes are softened by immersion in hot water or otherwise
before use.
Although we have described the use of two feeding tubes for supplying two
canes at a time for the randing, yet any other number of feeding tubes may be
employed as required. The several moving parts are worked from a driving
shaft by means of mechanical contrivances, which we do not consider it néces-
sary here to describe. The details of the machine require to be modified to
adapt it to manufacture different articles of wickerwork, but the essential parts
of the machine are the same in the different modifications.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Waide. Reynolds and Enoch Dance in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 6th April 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
WAIDE REYNOLDS, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Manu-
facturer, and ENOCH DANCE, of Birmingham aforesaid, Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
George Waide Reynolds and Enoch Dance, Her special licence that we, the

page_text: said George Waide Reynolds and Enoch Dance, our executors, administrators,.
and assigns, or such others as we, the said George Waide Reynolds and
Enoch Dance, our 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 "NEW OR IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF BASKETS AND WICKERWORK," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said George Waide Reynolds and
Enoch Dance, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of
us or them, 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 George Waide Reynolds, on behalf of
myself and the said Enoch Dance, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
that is to say:-
Our Invention consists of the machinery herein after particularly described
and represented in the accompanying Drawing for the manufacture of baskets
and wickerwork; which said machinery is especially applicable to the manu-
facture of baskets and wickerwork from cane, but is also applicable to the
manufacture, of baskets and wickerwork from willow or other material of
which baskets and wickerwork are or may be made.
We will describe and represent our Invention as constructed for the manu-
facture of square or rectangular cane baskets.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents our new or improved
machinery in front elevation, the said machine containing a partly made
basket; Figure 2 represents the machine in side elevation; Figure 3 is a plan
of the base of the machine; and Figure 4 is a plan with the platform herein-
after described removed therefrom. The other Figures represent detached
portions of the machine, as herein-after explained. The same letters and
figures of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts in the several
Figures of the Drawing.
a is a base board, upon which the basket b is made, the said base board
being supported upon a platform c. The base board a is represented separately
in plan in Figure 5, and in transverse vertical section in Figure 6, and the

page_text: platform c is represented separately in Figures 7 and 8, Figure 7 being a plan
of the under side, and Figure 8 an edge view. The said base board a is con-
nected to the platform ċ by means of a pin d on the latter, which said pin
either engages in a groove, which runs all round the under side. of the base
board a; or in place of a groove the base board has a rim e (see Figure 6) all
round, within which the pin d is situated when the base board is placed upon
the platform, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3. The platform e has a
reciprocating transverse motion on the bars f of the framing f, the said motion
being effected by pallets 9, 92, on the axes h, h, striking alternately against
the projections k, k, on the under side of the platform c. Motion in opposite
directions is given to the axes h, h³, by means of gearing, the construction of
which will be understood by an inspection of Figure 4.
The bottom and "stakes" or upright canes of the basket to be manu-
factured are arranged by hand, and fixed upon the base board a by means of
spikes, marked m, and by means of the mechanical arrangements already
described, the basket 6 and base board a are capable of being moved longi-
tudinally on the platform c, and are carried backwards and forwards transversely
by the motions of the said platform. The workman can also turn the basket
so as to bring each side in succession parallel with the longer sides of the said
_platform c. Thus, when the basket and base board have been moved along
the platform c until the pin d is situated in one of the angles of the base board
a, the said base board may be turned so as to bring the adjacent side of the
basket and base board parallel with the longer sides of the platform. The
angular guide n facilitates the turning of the base board upon the pin d, when
one of the angles of the base board has arrived at the said pin d. The canes
o, p, forming the randing or horizontal work of the basket are supplied through
two vertical feeding tubes q, r, the said canes o, p, being fed by a pair of
grooved rollers s situated at the top of the tubes q, r. The canes o, p, are
softened by immersion in hot water in the tank or vessel t, from which they
are drawn by the rollers; or the cane may be softened by steam or otherwise
before use. The whole of the feeding apparatus, that is, the tubes q, r,
rollers s, and parts connected therewith rise slowly as the formation of the
basket proceeds, the said parts rising at the same rate as that at which the
nearly vertical sides of the basket are formed.
to the plate u, which works in the slide v.
w, which passes over the pulleys x, and is
geared to the shaft i, by means of a worm and worm wheel z (see Figure 2).
are actuated by means of bevil gearing 2, 3, and the
The rate of motion is adjusted by means of the forked
The feeding rollers
'conical pullies 4, 5.
The feeding apparatus is fixed
The plate u is raised by the cord
wound upon the axle y, which is

page_text: lever 6, which throws the driving band 7 on those parts of the pullies 4, 5,
having, the required diameter. The bevil toothed wheel on the vertical axis
at 3 is capable of rising and falling on the said axis, being connected with the
said axis by a sliding key. The two feeding rollers s are geared together, and;
the outer roller is pressed upon the canes o, p, by means of coiled springs
8 and 10. On the main shaft i are fixed and loose pullies 11 and 12, and
the driving band 13 may be thrown on to one or other of the said pullies by,
means of the forked lever 14.
}
The action of the machine is as follows:-As the randing or canes o, p,
leave the feeding tubes q, r, they take a horizontal position, as represented in
Figure, 1, and are pressed tightly down by the workman. The workman
slides the partially formed basket longitudinally upon the platform c, so as to,
bring the vertical feeding tubes opposite to spaces between the "stakes" in
advance of those through which the randing was last, past, the said feeding
tubes being on the outside of the basket. The platform c now moves trans-
versely by the action of the machine, by which action the basket is moved so
as to bring the feeding tubes q, r, into the interior of the basket. The work-
man again advances the basket longitudinally, and presses down the randing,
which has been delivered, and the platform again moving transversely in an
opposite direction to that last described, the feeding tubes q, r, are brought
outside the basket. By this action, that is, by the longitudinal motion effected
by the workman being made to alternate with the transverse motions in
opposite directions effected by the machine, the.randing is passed backwards
and forwards around the stakes or upright canes 1, and the basket thus built
up, the feeding mechanism gradually rising, as herein-before explained. On
arriving at either of the corners of the basket the workman turns the base
board upon the pin d, and brings another side of the basket into the position
of that last operated upon. When the basket has been built up to the required
height the top or edge of the said basket may be finished in the ordinary
manner. An attendant supplies canes or other material of which the basket
is made from the tank to the feeding rollers s as required.
After the basket has been made in the manner described it is removed from
the base board a, and another bottom and stakes are fixed upon the said base
board. The feeding mechanism is then lowered by loosening the screw nut 15,
when the collar 16, through which it passes, can turn freely on the axle y.
The end of the cord w is fixed to the collar 16, and by turning the said collar
the said cord is unwound from the axle y, and the feeding mechanismi
descends. The screw nut 15 is tightened, and the basket is built up in the
manner herein-before explained..

page_text: When it is wished to make a circular basket a circular base board and
bottom are employed, the base board turning on a centre on the platform c.
In this case a reciprocating transverse motion is given to the base board by
the machine which alternates with a rotatory motion on its centre, given to it
by the workman.
Although we have described the use of two feeding tubes for supplying two
canes at a time for the randing, yet any other number of feeding tubes may be
employed as required.
We have described our new or improved machinery as employed in the
manufacture of a basket from cane, which is the most difficult to work of all
the materials employed for the manufacture of baskets and wickerwork. The
details of the machine require to be modified to adapt it to manufacture
different articles of wickerwork, but the essential parts of the machine are the
same in the different modifications, and the precise nature of the modifications
required depends upon the particular form of the basket or article of wicker-
work to be manufactured.
Having now described the nature of our Invention and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be understood that we do not limit
ourselves to the precise details herein described and represented in the
Drawing, as the same may be varied without departing from the nature of our
Invention; but we claim as our Invention, the new or improved machinery
for the manufacture of baskets and wickerwork, constructed essentially in
the manner herein-before described and illustrated in the accompanying
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Waide Reynolds, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
GEORGE WAIDE REYNOLDS. (L.S.)
Clerk to George Shaw.