IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING OR SHAPING MASTS, SPABS, AND OTHER BEAMS AND ARTICLES OF WOOD
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Harvey, of Clerkenwell, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR CUTTING OR SHAPING MASTS, SPABS, AND OTHER BEAMS AND ARTICLES OF
WOOD."
Sealed the 24th October 1865, and dated the 27th April 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Harvey at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th
April 1865.
I, SAMUEL HARVEY, of Clerkenwell, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR CUTTING OR SHAPING MASTS, SPARS, AND OTHER BEAMS AND
ARTICLES OF WOOD," to be as follows:-
Upon a frame or bed I mount a horizontal cylinder, made to rotate upon
its axis by a worm in gear with teeth on the cylinder or otherwise. One end of
this cylinder is flanged, and the flange carries six or other convenient number
of lugs to receive pins, on each of which a lever is free to turn in order that
the levers may approach nearer to or recede from the centre of the cylinder,
according to the diameter of the mast or other article to be formed The
inner ends of the levers carry horizontal spindles on which loose pulleys are

page_text: mounted; some of these spindles, by preference four, carry circular saws
secured to the pulleys, while on each of the other two spindles flying cutters
are mounted. The pulleys, saws, and cutters are driven by bands or other-
wise, and another band passes round all the pulleys or spindles to keep the
saws and cutters to their work. On each spindle I cast a groove or grooved
wheel to receive a plummer block which carries a guide roller, the distance
of which from the spindle can be regulated by screws and nuts, or otherwise.
On the end of the timber to be shaped I fit a template corresponding to the
form of the mast or other article to be produced; I mount this timber on a
travelling platform, and bring the end carrying the template to the end of the
cylinder on which the saws and cutters are fitted; I then bring the guide
rollers against the template while the saws approach it, so as almost to touch
it, and as the timber is caused to advance in the cylinder the first saw forms
a spiral cut thereon, then the other three saws successively act upon the
timber in a similar manner; next the flying cutters cut or clear off the wood
remaining between the spirals formed by the saws, so that this portion of the
timber is cut to the shape and taper of the template; this portion of the
timber acts as the template to the next section of timber, and so on until the
whole length of timber is cut to the required shape. Where swells or enlarge-
ments are required, as in ships' yards, I cause the saws and cutters to recede
from and again approach the timber at the proper time. I prefer to accom-
plish this by making the guide rollers approach nearer to each other, and then
again recede.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Samuel Harvey in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
27th October 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUE
HARVEY, of Clerkenwell, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Samuel Harvey, Her special licence that I, the said Samuel Harvey,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Samuel Harvey, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any

page_text: time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING OR SHAPING MASTS, SPARS, AND OTHER BEAMS
AND ARTICLES OF WOOD," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Samuel Harvey, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, should par-
ticularly 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 Samuel Harvey, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say:
Upon a frame or bed I mount a horizontal cylinder made to rotate upon
its axis by a worm in gear with teeth on the cylinder or otherwise. One end
of this cylinder is flanged, and the flange carries six or other convenient
number of pins, on each of which a lever is free to turn in order that the
levers may approach nearer to or recede from the centre of the cylinder
according to the diameter of the mast or other article to be formed. The
inner ends of the levers carry horizontal spindles on which loose pulleys are
mounted; some of these spindles, by preference three, carry circular saws
secured to the pulleys, while on each of the other three spindles flying cutters
are mounted. The pulleys, saws, and cutters are driven by bands or other-
wise, and another band passes round all the pulleys or spindles to keep tho
saws and cutters to their work. On each spindle I cast a groove or grooved
wheel or flanges to receive a plummer block which carries a guide roller, the
distance of which from the spindle can be regulated by screws and nuts or
otherwise. On one end of the timber to be shaped I fit a template corre-
sponding to the form of the mast or other article to be produced. I mount
this timber on a horizontal travelling platform, and bring the end carrying
the template to the end of the cylinder on which the saws and cutters are
fitted.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings is an elevation of the front end,
and Figure 2 a side elevation of a machine for cutting or shaping masts and
similar articles constructed according to my Invention. A, A, is a frame,

page_text: and B, a horizontal cylinder mounted thereon; C, is a transverse shaft driven
by a band passing over che pulley D; the shaft C carries a worm E, which
gears into teeth F, on the cylinder B, whereby rotary motion is imparted to
the cylinder. The front end G of the cylinder is flanged, and the flange
receives six pius H, H, formed on one end of levers I, I, which are free to
turn on the pins in order that they may approach nearer to or recede from
the centre of the cylinder B. The other ends of the levers carry horizontal
spindles J, J, on which loose pulleys K, K, are mounted; three of the
spindles J carry circular saws L, secured to the pulleys K, and the other three
spindles have flying cutters M mounted thereon. Springs may be fitted on
the flange G to act on the levers L, so as to keep them continually pressed
towards the centre of the cylinder; or an elastic band may be passed over
a pulley on each of the spindles J for the same purpose. The pulleys K, and
with them the saws L, and cutters M are driven by a band N from any prime
mover, and another band O passes round and over all the pulleys K to keep
all the saws and cutters in work. On each spindle between flanges P, P, I
fit a plummer block Q, not shewn in Figures 1 and 2, but represented
detached in face view in Figure 3, and in side view in Figure 4; a is the
aperture in the plummer block which is passed over the spindle J, the plummer
block carries a guide roller b, the distance of which from the spindlo J can
be regulated as follows:-The roller bis fitted in a plate c, carrying two
threaded rods e, e, on which worm wheels fare mounted; these worm wheels
are geared into by a worm on a spindle g, by turning which in one direction
or the other the plate c and roller bare caused to approach nearer to or
recede from the plummer block, and consequently from the spindle J. Some-
times I provide each plummer block with two guide rollers, one moving after
or bebind the other. The plummer blocks must be fitted in such manner that
a line drawn through the centre of the aperture a, parallel to the rods e, will
always point to the centre of the cylinder B. R is a travelling platform on
which the timber to be cut is mounted; this platform is formed on its under
side with a rack, geared into by a pinion S, on a rod T'; the rod T carries
a toothed wheel U, geared into by a worm V, on the shaft of a pulley W,
driven by a band or otherwise. The pulley W is held in a bracket X, fixed
to the frame A. The worm V may be thrown out of gear when required by
moving a plate Y from one to the other of two notches h, in the bracket X.
The action is as follows:-The end of the timber carrying the template is
brought to the front end of the cylinder B, the guide rollers 6 are then
brought against the template while the saws L approach it so as almost to
touch it, and as the timber is caused to advance in the cylinder the saws form

page_text: spiral cuts thereon, and the flying cutters M cut or clear off the wood
remaining between the spirals formed by the saws, so that this portion of the
timber is cut to the shape and line of taper of the template; this portion of tho
timber acts as the template to the next section of timber, and so on, until the
whole length of timber is cut to the required shape. Where swells or
enlargements are required, as in sbips' yards, I cause the saws or cutters to
recede from and again approach the timber at the proper time. I prefer to
accomplish this by making the portion of the plummer blocks which carries
the worm wheels f and spindle 9 recede from and again approach nearer to
the centre of the cylinder B; for this purpose I impart rotary motion
to the spindles g by means of a band passed round and over all the spindles g.
The travelling platform R which carries the timber is supported in any
ordinary manner, and the timber rests on saddles pivoted to the plat-
form R in such manner that on each saddle approaching the saws and
cutters the attendant may depress it by a lever or otherwise, and after it has
passed the cylinder again bring it into position to support the timber. For
making articles with spiral flutes the saws, cutters, and guide rollers are
canted according to the direction and pitch of the spirals.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim constructing
machinery for cutting or shaping masts, spars, and other beams and articles
of wood substantially as herein-before described and represented in the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Harvey, have hereunto set my
band and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of October, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-five.
SAMUEL HARVEY. (L.S.)