IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING, HOLLOWING, AND BACKING STAVES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Stokes Cressey, of High Street, Homerton, in
the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS"
D"
Sealed the 20th January 1857, and dated the 14th October 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Stokes Cressey at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
14th October 1856.
I, THOMAS STOKES CRESSEY, of High Street, Homerton, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention. for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING, HOLLOWING, AND BACKING STAVES,""
to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for cutting,>
hollowing, and backing staves. For these purposes the wood for a stave is.
placed and securely held on a suitable carriage or bed which is moved past
a circular saw. The carriage has affixed to it a suitable template, which,
pressing against the end of the saw spindle or axis, moves the circular saw
progressively as the cut takes place. The spindle or axis of the circular saw
is capable of sliding endwise, and is pressed outwards by a spring, so that its

page_text: 'end may constantly come against the template on the carriage on which the
wood to be cut is held. The carriage is. guided by horizontal wheels at the
'front and back, which press against ledges or projections at the front and
back of the fixed table or bench on which the carriage is moved. In
hollowing and backing staves a rotatory barrel of a square section is employed,
having a cutter affixed by preference at each of its four sides. On either
side of this barrel and parallel with it are supporting rollers, the bearings
of the axes of which are constantly pressed upwards by springs. Above each
of the two supporting rollers is a pressing cylinder grooved on its surface;
these cylinders receive rotatory -motion and -move-forward..the stave to be.
hollowed or backed, according to the form of cutters for the time used.
There is also another pressing cylinder above the rotating barrel with cutters
for holding the wood- down to the cutters. The three pressing-cylinders and
the supporting rollers aro carried by a lever, which is prevented descending
too low by fixed stops, and the position to which this lever is allowed to
descend is governed by a cam surface, which acts on a roller or truck on the
end of a connecting rod attached to the lever before mentioned.
: ☑
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Stokes Cressey in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 23rd March 1857.
TO ALL TO. WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
STOKES CRESSEY, of High Street, Homerton, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth-day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand-eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Thomas: Stokes Cressey, Her special licence that I; the said Thomas
Stokes Cressey; my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Thomas Stokes Cressey, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no-others, from time to timo
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
Jawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland; the. Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
.
-

page_text: "
1-
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING, HOLLOWING, AND BACK-
ING STAVES," upon the condition (amongst others). that I, the said Thomas
Stokes Cressey, 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. Thomas. Stokes Cressey,. do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner,the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say:
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for cutting,
hollowing, and backing staves. For. these purposes the wood for a stave is
placed and securely held on a suitable carriage or bed which is moved past u
circular saw. The carriage has affixed to it a suitable template, which, press-
ing against the end of the saw spindle or axis, moves the circular saw pro-
gressively as the cut takes place. The spindle or axis of the circular saw is
capable of sliding endwise, and is pressed outwards by a spring, so that its end
may constantly come against the template on the carriage on which the wood
to be cut is held. The carriage is guided by horizontal wheels at the front
and back, which press against ledges or projections at the front and back of
the fixed,table or.bench on which the carriage is moved. In hollowing and
backing staves a rotatory barrel of a square section is employed, having a
cutter affixed by preference at each of its four sides. On either side of this
barrel and parallel with it are supporting rollers, the bearings of the axes of
which are constantly pressed upwards by springs. Above each of the two
supporting rollers is a pressing cylinder grooved on its surface; these cylinders
receive rotatory motion and move forward the stave to be hollowed or backed,
according to the form of cutters for the time used. There is also another
pressing cylinder above the rotating barrel with cutters for holding the wood
down to the cutters. The three. pressing cylinders and the supporting rollers
are carried by a lever, which is prevented descending too low. by fixed stops,
and the position to which the lever is allowed to descend is governed by a
cam surface, which acts on a roller. or truck on the end of a connecting rod
attached to the lever, before mentioned.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.

page_text: Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a machine for cutting the edges of staves
by means of circular saws; Figure 2 is a plan thereof; and Figure 3 is a
transverse section of the machine. The machine is arranged with two
circular saws, and apparatus for cutting two staves at the same time, or either
saw may be in use when the other is at rest. The saws a, a, are fixed at the
ends of axes b, b; the axes b; b, slide in and rotate with the tubular axes c, c,
in the bearings d, d. Rotatory motion is given to the saws by means of straps
acting on the drums or pullies e,.e. The saws are capable of moving to and
fro in their tubular axes, and they are constantly pressed outwards by springs
ff, against the guides or templates, g, g, fixed to the carriages h, h, on which
the word i, i, is, fixed, by the teeth and the clamps, as shown by the
Drawings.,, are adjustable stops to determining the position of the staves
on the carriage. The carriages h, h, are slided by hand along the table, and they
are guided by projecting ribs h', ', at the edges of the table. The carriages
hold the wood in an inclined position in order to obtain the bevil cut to the
edges of the wood. I would remark, in respect to this machine, that I make
no claim to any of the mechanical parts separately. Figure 4 shows a side
elevation, and Figure 5 an end elevation, of a machine for hollowing and
backing staves. 7, j, is a framed lever which, moves on an axis k. This framed
lever carries the bearings of the three rollers 1, m, n, and also the bearings of
the two rollers o and p. The bearings of the rollers and p are capable of
sliding up and down in the slots of the frames j', j', carried by the lever j, j,
and such bearings of the rollers o and are constantly pressed upwards, by
springs, as shown by the Drawing. q is a cutter frame, on the sides of which
are fixed proper knives or cutters 7, 7, for hollowing or backing staves. The
axis of the cutter frame ġ receives rotatory motion by a strap from a steam
engine or other suitable power acting on the drum q' on the axis of the
cutter frame. The framed lever j, j, is prevented descending too low, by the
stop or uprights, and the extent to which the wood shall descend towards the
cutters is governed by the rod t' and the camt on the axis u, which axis
receives motion by a gut or band a driven by a pulley or drum v, the axis k
of which receives motion by a strap v¹ from a steam engine or other power;
and from the axis k motion is communicated to the axis of the rollers and m
by a strap or band w, the axis of the rollers 7, n, being connected by
another endless strap, by which means the stave a is caused to be moved
through the machine; the cam t is arranged for hollowing staves, suitable
cam surfaces being applied to it when required for backing them. I would

page_text: state that I make no claim to any of the mechanical parts separately; but
what I claim is,-.
First, the combination herein described in respect to Figures 1, 2, and 3.
And, secondly, I claim the combination herein described in respect to
Figures 4 and 5.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Stokes Cressey, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred fifty-seven.
0 Witness,
J. G. TONGUE.
THOMAS STOKES CRESSEY. (L.S.).