Improvements in or relating to Seasoning Timber and in Means and Appliances for Effecting the same.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Apr,, 1899 -Accepted, 17th June, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Seasoning Timber and in Means and
Appliances for Effecting the same.
We, FRANCIS SPAIGHT & SONS, LIMITED, of Bedford Row, Limerick, Ireland, and
THOMAS JAMES FERGUSON, of No. 6, Lower Mallow Street, Limerick aforesaid,
Managing Director of the said Company, do hereby declare the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of our invention is to effect improvements in or relating to the
seasoning of timber, more especially but not exclusively applicable to timber in
boards & scantlings, staves, & other short timber newly sawn.
According to our invention we fit a suitable shed or other building with a
number of air trunks lying upon a suitable foundation. Each of these air trunks
protrudes beyond the front wall of the house, the outer end being open to the
atmosphere. The sides of the air trunks are perforated along their whole lengths,
and their inner ends are closed.
Transversely to these air trunks, near to & parallel with the front & back walls
of the house, two steam pipes or receivers (preferably of about seven inches
diameter) are laid. These steam pipes are connected by means of a number of
smaller steam pipes (preferably three-quarters of an inch in diameter & spaced one
inch apart, giving two inch centres) forming a floor of small steam pipes securely
screwed at each end into the large steam pipes, immediately above the air trunks.
The steam receiver pipe on the inner side of the house is elevated a few inches
above that at the front end to provide for drainage. The inner steam or receiver
pipe is stopped at one end; the outer pipe exhausts from both ends. The inner
steam pipe receives steam (exhaust or live) which passes through the small steam
pipes simultaneously to the front main receiver pipe, from which the steam and
water of condensation are carried away. Suitable drain cocks are fitted to the
large pipes. Above the small steam pipes we construct an open floor of one and
a half inch square scantlings laid upon suitable joists, leaving openings between
the scantlings about one and a half inches wide.
and
or
Through upon this open floor we place the freshly sawn or other timber
to be seasoned. Air enters by means of the trunks & passing upwards between
the steam pipes becomes heated; the heated air then by its contact with the timber
seasons the same & finally passes away through suitable openings formed in the
roof of the building. We do not confine ourselves to the use of steam as a means
of heating the pipes and air for the purpose aforesaid, as hot water or hot air may
be used instead of steam, such hot water or hot air being caused to circulate in
the pipes by means of pumps or otherwise.
And in order that our said invention may be particularly described & ascertained
reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawings, in which similar figures of
reference indicate corresponding parts.
Fig. 1 is an elevation & Fig. 2 à plan illustrating my invention. 3 is the outer

page_text: wall of a suitable building which may be of any required dimensions 4, 4, are a
number of inlet air trunks, open to the atmosphere at their outer ends 4ª, and
closed at their inner ends 4b. The sides of these trunks are perforated with a
number of holes 4° through which air is admitted to the building. 5 is an inlet
steam pipe, having a steam supply pipe, 6 for the admission of steam, the end 5ª
being closed. is a similar steam pipe having eduction pipes 8 at each end.
The pipes 5 & 7 are connected together by a number of steam pipes 9 throughout
their whole lengths, as shown in elevation in Fig. 1 & partly in plan in Fig. 2, the
joints being made steam tight. The pipes 9 are laid on an incline, as shown in
Fig. 1, to provide for draining away the water of condensation, suitable cocks
being also fitted to the pipes 5 & 7 for that purpose. 10, 10, are joists laid
transversely above the steam pipes 9, and upon these are laid small scantlings 11,
forming an open floor into or upon which the wood to be seasoned is laid or
otherwise placed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention & in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
-
1. The improved method of laying the floor of heated pipes for heating air for
the purpose of seasoning timber substantially as described.
2. In appliances for seasoning timber, the combination of air trunks 4; steam,
hot water, or hot air pipes 5, 7 & 9, joists 10 & open scantlings floor, for sustaining
and or supporting the timber to be seasoned, substantially as herein before
described and illustrated by the drawings.
Dated the 25th day of innil 1800
WM. JORDAN,
120, Chancery Lane, London, Agent for the Applicants.