Improvements in Machinery for Shaping Corks.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Apr., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 13th Jan., 1899-Accepted, 14th July, 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for Shaping Corks.
I, JOHN EISENHARDT HOWARD, of "Fairoaks," Chislehurst, Kent, Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
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This invention relates to the manufacture of corks and has for its object to
form or shape the cork from lengths or other pieces of cork-wood such as are
known as cork "squares' or quarters in a rapid and easy manner by com-
paratively simple and inexpensive machinery and having many advantages in
use and consists essentially in sawing the piece of cork into shape instead of
cutting or grinding same into shape as heretofore.
My present invention is as follows:-
In any suitable machine or frame-work I arrange and mount any suitable
cork gripping or cork-holding appliance (adapted to be revolved and to hold
and thereby revolve the piece of cork) advantageously small chucks or gripping
faces of a size less in diameter than the piece of cork to be shaped and one or
both of which chucks may advantageously be spring-mounted or otherwise
suitably arranged so as to facilitate the fixing of the cork in said chucks or grips
and its quick removal therefrom.
The cork gripping devices or appliances as aforesaid are arranged or mounted
in any suitable manner so as to be adapted to move towards and away from the
shaping device that is the saw according to my present invention as hereinafter
described or if desired the parts may be arranged vice versa i.c. the cork-gripping
devices may be stationary (but adapted to be revolved) and the saw moved
towards and away from same.
The rotary motion being applied to said chucks intermittently or otherwise
either by hand or mechanically.
Motion may be imparted to the. cork-gripping or holding devices towards and
away from the saw or to move the saw towards and away from the piece of cork
(or both) by any known or other suitable means advantageously automatically
or same may be actuated by hand.
The saw may be of any desired form or description suitable for cutting cork
for instance it may be a circular saw or a band saw or a reciprocating saw or
any other arrangement of saw teeth operated in any suitable manner by any
suitable mechanism so that when the piece of cork is brought against said teeth
(or said teeth brought against the cork) it will rapidly and easily cut away
the portions which it is desired to remove in order to make a cork of the required
shape.
When using a band saw (such as an endless band passing around two drums
or pulleys) according to my present invention I find it advantageous to use in
conjunction therewith means to support or steady said band saw at a point or
points between said drums or pulleys at or near the point where the piece of
cork is to be operated on and such means may advantageously consist of two
idle rollers or drums respectively mounted or carried on arms or other suitable

page_text: support the latter being adjustable at right angles to the path of travel of the
saw at such point or capable of adjustment in any other direction or directions
and provided with means to secure said rollers or drums in any position desired.
I may carry my present invention into practice by means of a circular hollow
saw (something like an ordinary hollow punch or hollow cutter) which I will
term a tubular saw and which is caused to rapidly revolve and has saw teeth on
the end of the tube or hollow cutter according to my invention in such manner
that when the length or other piece of cork is forced against same (for instance
by suitable feeding and holding rollers) or when said tubular saw is forced
against the piece of cork (which latter would be suitably held or gripped) there-
upon the saw teeth on said tubular saw will cut out a circular cork or rod of
cork which passes up through said tubular saw and is afterwards finished or
cut off into shorter lengths and finished in any desired manner.
Corks thus formed into shape according to my present invention by sawing in
any of the above manners may be smoothed or polished or finished in any suit-
able manner as desired for instance by a suitable grinding machine.
By my invention the cork may be cut (i.e. sawn) while dry and thus avoid the
necessity of steaming or damping the cork as usual when cutting cork by knife.
Dated this 14th Two of Annil 1000
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
I, JOHN EISENHARDT HOWARD, of "Fairoaks," Chislehurst, Kent, Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed. to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:―
66
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6
This invention relates to the manufacture of corks and has for its object to
form or shape the cork from pieces of cork-wood (such as are known as cork
squares or quarters") in a rapid and easy manner by comparatively simple
and inexpensive machinery and having many advantages in use and consists
essentially in sawing the piece of cork into shape instead of cutting or grinding
same into shape as heretofore.
My present invention is as follows;-
In any suitable machine or frame work I arrange and mount any suitable
cork gripping or cork-holding appliance (adapted to be revolved and to hold
and thereby revolve the piece of cork) advantageously small chucks or gripping
faces of a size less in diameter than the piece of cork to be shaped and one or
both of which chucks may advantageously be spring-mounted or otherwise
suitably arranged so as to facilitate the fixing of the cork in said chucks or grips
and its quick removal therefrom.
The cork gripping devices or appliances as aforesaid are arranged or mounted
in any suitable manner so as to be adapted to move towards and away from the
shaping device that is the saw according to my present invention as hereinafter
described or if desired the parts may be arranged vice versa i.e. the cork-gripping
devices may be stationary (but adapted to be revolved) and the saw moved
towards and away from same.
The rotary motion being applied to said chucks intermittently or otherwise
either by hand or mechanically.

page_text: Motion may be imparted to the cork-gripping or holding devices towards and
away from the saw or to move the saw towards and away from the piece of cork
(or both) by any known or other suitable means advantageously automatically
or same may be actuated by hand.
The saw may be of any desired form or description suitable for cutting cork
for instance it may be a circular saw or a band saw or a reciprocating saw or
any other arrangement of saw teeth operated in any suitable manner by any
suitable mechanism so that when the piece of cork is brought against said teeth
(or said teeth brought against the cork) it will rapidly and easily cut away
the portions which it is desired to remove in order to make a cork of the required
shape.
When using a band saw (such as an endless band passing around two drums
or pulleys) according to my present invention I find it advantageous to use in
conjunction therewith means to support or steady said band saw at a point or
points between said drums or pulleys at or near the point where the piece of
cork is to be operated on for instance the band saw may run over a flat piece
of white metal or other non-conducting substance placed immediately opposite
the cork and on the opposite side of saw to the cork, with means to adjust this
piece towards or away from saw at an angle or otherwise or instead thereof I
may employ two idle rollers or drums respectively mounted or carried on arms
or other suitable support the latter being adjustable at right angles to the path
of travel of the saw at such point or capable of adjustment in any other direction
or directions and provided with means to secure said rollers or drums in any posi-
tion desired.
I may carry my present invention into practice by means of a circular hollow
saw (something like an ordinary hollow punch or hollow cutter) which I will
term a tubular saw and which is caused to rapidly revolve and has saw teeth on
the end of the tube or hollow cutter according to my invention in such manner
that when the length or other piece of cork is forced against same (for instance
by suitable feeding and holding rollers) or when said tubular saw is forced
against the piece of cork (which latter would be suitably held or gripped) there-
upon the saw teeth on said tubular saw will cut out à circular cork or rod of
cork which passes up through said tubular saw and is afterwards finished or
cut off into shorter lengths and finished in any desired manner.
Corks thus formed into shape according to my present invention by sawing in
any of the above manners may be smoothed or polished or finished in any suit-
able manner as desired for instance by a suitable grinding machine.
By my invention the cork may be cut (i.e. sawn) while dry and thus avoid the
necessity of steaming or damping the cork as usual when cutting cork by knife.
In the drawings hereunto annexed I have illustrated one form of machine for
carrying my present invention into practice but I do not in any way limit myself
to this form of machine.
Fig. 1 is a view in elevation looking in the direction of the arrow 1 Fig. 2,
and
Fig. 2 is a plan-partly in section on line 2-2 Fig. 1.
a is table or supporting frame.
bare guideways provided on said support a.
e is slide adapted to travel on said guideways b-for instance like a slide rest
for lathes.
dis upright fixed to or formed on said slide c and having lateral exten-
sions thereon in which latter is journalled the spindle e of the chuck or
cork grip y said spindle e having a collar such as el fixed thereon between which
and the bearing a coiled spring is mounted which normally presses the
chucks y firmly in a downward direction.
f is a second upright formed on or fixed to the said slide c.
gis spindle journalled in said upright f and carrying at one end thereof the
second chuck and at the other end carries the pinion h which gears with the

page_text: constantly revolving pinion i (operated as hereinafter described) when the slide c
is moved towards the circular saw as hereinafter described.
jis lever pivoted at a to the frame a and also connected to the slide c by
means of a pin or bolt c-fixed in or to said slide-passing through a slot
in said lever arm j.
The spindle g (of the chuck ) passes freely through a slot 6 provided for
same in the guideway on the table a.
m is a circular saw the spindle m* or shaft by which same is revolved being
journalled in suitable bearings fixed to the table a said saw m being adapted
to be revolved at a suitable-advantageously a very high-speed by any suitable
means such as the "fast and loose" belt pulley n n.
m i.e. bevel spur wheel fixed on the shaft m of the circular saw said spur
wheel m meshing with the spur wheel o¹ on a vertical shaft o on the lower end
of which latter is fixed a small sprocket wheel pa sprocket chain passing
round same and round a larger sprocket wheel fixed on the spindle to which
is fixed the aforesaid toothed wheel by which means the said toothed wheel i is
caused to constantly revolve; or instead of the sprocket wheels and chain I
may use a belt and belt pulleys or any other suitable means in order to con-
stantly revolve said toothed wheel i.
is the cork blank ("square'
chucks y and z.
The operation is as follows:-
39
or "quarter") gripped between the said
The circular saw m is revolved at a suitable speed the operative by means of
the lever moves the slide c along guideways (towards the quickly revolving
saw m) and in so doing the pinion his brought (moved) into gear with the con-
stantly revolving pinion i, and consequently the spindle g and chuck z are slowly
revolved and thereby the cork blank is slowly revolved (while held by the
grips y and z) as same is forced against the teeth of the circular saw m and thus
the cork blank is quickly and easily cut by the saw m into a cylindrical shape.
Or if desired by mounting or arranging the chucks and z with their common
axis other than perpendicular or by mounting the circular saw m with the plane
thereof other than perpendicular i.e. so that the common axis of the chucks y
and is other than parallel with the plane of the circular saw m thereby cork
blanks may be cut into other than cylindrical shape for instance I may thus
cut taper corks.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:--
1. In machinery for shaping corks-the employment of a saw for sawing the
pieces of cork into shape in combination and acting in conjunction with suitable
mechanism to grip, hold, rotate and advance each said piece of cork for said
saw to operate thereon and saw same into shape.
2. In machinery for shaping corks the employment of a saw for sawing the
pieces of cork into shape in combination and acting in conjunction with suitable
mechanism to grip, hold, rotate, and advance each said piece of cork for said
saw to operate, thereon substantially as and for the purposes described.
Dated this 12th dox of Januaw 1800
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.