Improvements in Machinery for Chopping, Bundling, and Tying Chips and other similar Substances.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Feb., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 18th Dec., 1893-Accepted, 27th Jan., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Chopping, Bundling, and Tying
Chips and other similar Substances.
I, ROBERT THOMAS HESELWOOD, of 127 and 129 St. James' Street Burnley
in the County of Lancaster, Tailor and Clothier do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is,
1st: To split up the chips in a horizontal position, and not vertical as in
other machinery ;
2nd: To dispense with the carrying rollers in the delivery trough in order to
obviate or minimise the difficulty experienced in preventing the chips from being
thrown at random beyond the end of the trough on to the ground, where they have
to be picked up again, causing unnecessary labour and expense;
3rd-To prevent the chips from assuming an angular position as they leave the
splitting motion, and to carry or advance them forward by means of the blocks
drawn in by the feed rollers, and an endless belt or conveyor, afterwards mentioned,
in attitudes approximately parallel to each other, and without having their relative
positions materially disturbed;
4th-To carry the chips by means of a suitable continuously travelling endless
belt or conveyor from the splitting mechanism to the bundling and tying portion of
the machinery direct and in an uninterrupted course or a modification of this
arrangement can be made to enable the attendant to take the desired number of
chips required for each bundle from the end of the delivery trough as they are fed
forward, and deposit them in receptacles or dishes attached to an endless and con-
tinuously travelling conveyor which passes under the bundling and tying portion of
the machinery and into which the chips are lifted from the dishes by hand;
5th To compress and bind the bundles firmly together, ready for sale, and,
6th To reduce the large blocks of wood before they enter the said splitting
mechanism, by chopping them into the required size, in the manner hereinafter
described.
My invention consists in a suitable frame or support carrying driving shaft, fly
wheel, fast and loose pulleys, and crank, the latter being attached to one end of a
connecting rod, the other end being coupled to a sliding piece, which carries the
knife blades for splitting up the blocks, such slide piece working in a suitable
horizontal slide.
Instead of the slide piece being actuated in a vertical position as in other
machinery, I prefer to arrange it horizontally in order that the blocks may be
severed or split into chips in a horizontal position instead of vertically, for the
reasons stated.
After the large blocks have been chopped into suitable pieces, for being reduced
into chips, they are fed into the machine by hand, and drawn forward by feed
rollers to be split by the knives or blades in the slide piece previously mentioned.
The endless belt or conveyor into which the chips are delivered automatically or
placed in by hand carries the chips under the bundling and tying mechanism, and is
àriven by gearing connected to a suitable moving part of the machinery.
The bundling mechanism consists of suitable supports carrying two cross shafts,
preferably one above the other; on the lower shaft, which is driven by bevel
gearing to obtain a rotary motion, a cam or other equivalent is situated with its
periphery engaging or coming in contact with a weighted lever or the like above.

page_text: One end of this lever carries a balance weight, the opposite end being connected
to a vertical rod having at its lower extremity a pair of jaws capable of being
expanded and contracted and of such shape or configuration as to assume a
concentric form when under compression and in unity with the jaw below.
These upper jaws are deflected upon, and clamp or compress the chips which
have been previously placed in the jaw immediately underneath.
A piece of wire is now placed round the chips by the attendant and held with
the two ends crossing each other and pointing in an upward direction.
Immediately above the top pair of jaws, and situated on a separate vertical shaft,
a nipping mechanism is arranged as follows:-
A loose cone made to slide up and down on one leg of a pair of nippers, is deflected
by means of a forked lever working on a centre pin or pivot and connected by rods
and levers to a treadle below.
The act of deflecting this cone, causes it to come in contact with a bowl at the
extremity of the other leg of the nippers which distends it, and, as it works on a
centre pin or pivot, its jaw is closed on the two ends of wire which are gripped and
held firmly between both jaws of the nippers.
. By the aid of a hand wheel and suitable bevel gearing the nippers are caused to
revolve and to twist the two ends of wire together until it encircles the chips and
compresses them into a compact cylindrical bundle.
When the foot lever or treadle is released, the fork lever is caused to return to
its former position by means of a balance weight, the sliding cone rises and the
jaws of the nippers are separated by means of a rubber spring encircling the two
arms.
The mechanism for bundling and tying the chips can be multiplied at pleasure.
The rough blocks are chopped into suitable sizes before being split into chips by
knives contained in a slide, working in a vertical slide piece, actuated by a pinion
aud gear wheel in a similar manner to the one previously described.
I prefer to drive the machinery at three different speeds, and, instead of using
pulleys and driving straps, other than for the fast and loose pulleys, I prefer to use
wheel gearing in order to obtain the maximum of power.
Dated this 18th day of February 1893.
JOS. T. PEARSON,
Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Chopping, Bundling, and Tying .
Chips and other similar Substances.
, ROBERT THOMAS HESELWOOD of 127 and 129 St. James Street, Burnley
in the County of Lancaster, Tailor and Clothier, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention, and in what manuer the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and, ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is to construct an apparatus for continuously
chopping, bundling and tying chips and other similar substances, ready for sale.
:

page_text: UN
Fig. 5. is a side elevation of mechanism for measuring chips and the like.
Fig. 6. is a side elevation of mechanism for bundling same.
Fig. 7. is a cross section of Fig. 6.
Fig. 8. is a cross section of Fig. 5.
Upon a suitable frame or support A, I mount a suitable slide A¹, carrying the
knife B, such knife working horizontally upon the said frame A, and is operated
by a disc or crank C, and connecting rod C₁, upon a suitable driving shaft D,
mounted in suitable bearings D¹ upon the machine frame.
In front of the said knife or cutter is fixed a trough or conveyor E, in which are
fed the blocks of wood E' to be split, such feed mechanism consisting of preferably
two sets of vertical feed rollers F, having roughened peripheries operated by
gear wheels F¹, ratchet wheel F2, ratchet F³, connecting rods F, and crank or
eccentric F³, upon the driving shaft aforesaid, the movement of the feed rollers
varying according to the thickness of chips required.
In order to allow of the expansion of the wood, immediately and during the
splitting of the block of wood into chips by the knife or cutter, I provide a
loose iron plate G to fit on the top of the feed bed or trough E immediately
above the place where the knife cuts or cleaves the blocks of wood into chips;
such loose plate being provided with a suitable spiral spring G³, secured on and
to suitable guides and rests G2.
The action of splitting the wood causes the plate to expand, while the withdrawal
of the knife causes the plate (by the pressure of the spring or springs upon same)
to recede or fall down.
Also in order to prevent damage to the splitting part of the machine through the
accidental feeding in of pieces of iron or other hard substances, to hard to be split,
I preferably place a bar or other spring H, at the side of the feed trough E, where
the wood is being split, such part of the trough or conveyor being capable of
moving endways for a short distance, and being retained in its normal condition by
means of the above mentioned spring, which is made sufficiently strong to resist the
ordinary pressure of the knife or cutter against the wood, whilst being split, but
capable of yielding to a sufficient extent, if a material incapable of being split is
present.
When the blocks of wood have been chopped, they are moved along the trough
or conveyor to that part of the said trough hereinafter known as the delivery and
measuring trough J, the bottom of which may consist preferably of two rods, or
two endless moving chains J', with roughened surfaces, such rods or chains being of
suitable distance apart to allow of the smaller pieces or splinters unsuitable for
bundling purposes, to fall through.
In order to measure or separate the said chips in the said trough, I employ
preferably a rod, bar, or slide K, moving vertically, and operated by means of a
tappet K¹ and gearing K, from the driving shaft of the machine. This bar rises
and separates the chips as they are carried forward at stipulated intervals according
to the sizes of bundles required.
Above this trough and upon each side is mounted preferably a pair of worms or
screwed shafts L, the grooves of which operate upon a series of carriers L', placed
sufficient distances apart, such distances varying according to the size of the bundles
required, as these carriers L' arrive at the end of their traverse upon the 'said
worms or screws L, they are lifted or raised by means of revolving fingers or
projections L on the bottom screwed shafts L, and simultaneously pressed into
gear (by means of a pivotted spring lever or finger M¹) with a second pair of
worms or screws M, mounted above and moving in an opposite direction to the
bottom pair of screws L, carrying the said carriers back, when they arrive at the
end of these worms they are knocked out of contact with same, by means of
suitable revolving fingers or projections M³, on the top shafts M and falling are

page_text: simultaneously pressed into gear with the bottom screws, by means of pivotted
levers or fingers L' as before described.
The chips are sieved or cleaned in passing along the said delivery and measuring
trough as the smaller pieces of wood which are unsuitable for bundling purposes
fall through either on to the floor or into any suitable receptacle placed to receive
them.
As the carrier which has arrived at the end of its traverse upon the bottom
screws of the measuring trough is raised, the separated chips are taken up by one
of another series of carriers N upon the top screwed shafts N¹ of the bundling
trough N2, such carriers having two pairs of prongs N³ at right angles, and are
carried forward raised and lowered as before described, this is repeated con-
tinuously as each carrier arrives at the end of its traverse upon the bottom screwed
shafts L of the measuring trough, the separated chips are taken out by the
attendant and placed within a series of apparatus for compressing and tying same
placed immediately in front of the bundling trough, ready for sale.
This bundling and tying apparatus consists of a suitable frame R, carrying a
suitable slide S, mounted upon this slide is a shaft T, upon one end of this slide is a
pair of jaws or grippers S', hinged or pivotted upon same at S' and capable of
being expanded or contracted, and of such shape or configuration as to assume a
concentric form when compressed, the slide is operated and these jaws deflected
upon and clamp or compress the chips (which have been previously placed in the
jaw or bowl S³ immediately underneath) by means of connecting rod R', pivotted
weighted lever R', and cam R³.
A piece of wire is then placed around the chips and held with both ends crossing
each other, immediately above the compressing jaws, and upon the aforesaid shaft
is a nipping mechanism, consisting of a pair of hinged jaws or tongs U, a loose
cone U, operated by a pivotted forked lever V, working within a groove Vi
of the said cone, and connected (by means of connecting rods V*) to a treadle V'
below.
The pivotted forked lever V is operated by the treadle, and causes the loose
cone U to come in contact with a bowl or antifriction runner W, upon the other
leg of the nippers or tongs U, compressing the jaws and holding the wire firmly
between them, the jaws are then caused to revolve by means of a hand wheel X,
and suitable bevel gearing Y, thus effectively making up and tying the bundles
ready for sale.
.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is -
1. In machinery for chopping bundling and tying chips, the use and employment
of a trough or conveyor E having suitable spring sides, and top G opposite the
cutter B as and for the purposes shown and described.
2. In machinery for chopping and bundling firewood, the troughs E J and N'
with rods or endless chain J¹, two series of fallers or carriers L' and N with
prongs N³ operated by screws L, M and N' and fingers L' and M' or their
equivalents, as and for the purposes substantially as shown and described.
3. In machinery for chopping and bundling firewood, the use and employment of
the separating bar or lever K, (operated by tappet K₁ or other means) in com-
bination with the troughs E J and N2 and carriers L' and N as and for the
purposes substantially as shown and described.
4. The use and employment of a cutter B working horizontally, with feed
rollers F, trough or conveyor E, separating bar or lever K operated by tappet K¹
the endless chain or rods and carriers L, and N all operated in the manner and
for the purposes, such as shown and described.
5. For compressing and tying bundles of wood and chips, the use and employment
of pivotted jaws S₁, upon the slide S, the said jaws working with the shoe or

page_text: bowl S3, nippers U, cones U¹ upon shaft T, with bevel or other gear Y, weighted
lever V and treadle V³, as and for the purposes substantially as shown and
described.
Dated this Sixteenth day of December 1893.
JOHN E. WALSH,
Crossley Street, Halifax, Patent Agent for the Applicant.