IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING SPLINTS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edmund Pace and James Henry Howard, both
of Bow Common, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING SPLINTS."
•
Sealed the 25th June 1872, and dated the 29th April 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edmund Pace and
James Henry Howard at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 29th April 1872.
We, EDMUND PACE and JAMES HENRY HOWARD, both of Bow
Common, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR
CUTTING SPLINTS," to be as follows:-
The Invention has for its object improvements in machinery or
apparatus for cutting splints, and relates to that class of machinery for
which Letters Patent were granted to Frederic Tillett, dated March 23,
1859, Number 746, in which a series of lancets or scoring knives are
caused first to cut or score the wood to the depth of a splint, and then
a slicing knife is made to act at or about right angles to the path of such
lancets or scoring knives to cut off the splints from the wood.

page_text: Instead however of operating the lancets or scoring knives and the
slicing knife as described in Tillett's Specification, we operate the slicing
knife by means of a beam or lever connected thereto at one end, and
operated by a crank from the main shaft, whilst we operate the frame
carrying the scoring knives or lancets by a crank or eccentric on the
same shaft; or, if desired, the slicing knife may be operated direct by a
crank or eccentric on the main shaft, whilst by suitable gearing from the
main shaft a crank or eccentric may be caused to operate the lancets or
scoring knives.
Our improvements further consist in so mounting the frame of the
lancets or scoring knives that by means of a detent fixed thereto and
coming at the required time when travelling in one direction in contact
with a stop or projection on the frame of the machine to cause the
lancets or scoring knives to protrude above the surface of the plane in
which the slicing knife acts to cut the wood, whilst in travelling in the
other direction such detent comes in contact with another stop or pro-
jection to cause the lancets or scoring knives to retire beneath the
surface of such plane; or the frame of the scoring knives or lancets may
be mounted in and controlled by suitable guides to cause the lancets to
come into and out of position for work, as may be required.
As the splints are cut they pass through and out of a prolonged
mouth picce or spout fixed to the frame of the slicing knife, and moving
up and down therewith. This spout or mouth piece is jointed or con-
nected in any suitable manner with a long guide or trough, which is
open at its outer end, where it is hinged or pin-jointed to a suitable
support or table. The upper side of the spout or mouth piece is covered
by a band or strip of india-rubber or other suitable material, such band
or strip at the upper end being fixed to the frame of the slicing knife,
and at the lower end to a fixed support, under which the splints pass in
their passage out of the trough or guide; or, if desired, the support to
which the lower end of the band or strip is fixed may be acted upon by
a spring or springs to cause it to stretch or to assist in stretching the
band or strip covering the trough or guide.
By these means the splints as they are cut are kept in correct position
and are delivered at the lower end of the trough or guide, where they
may be readily gathered and removed.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edmund Pace and James Henry Howard in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, EDMUND
PACE and JAMES HENRY HOWARD, both of Bow Common, in the County
of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in tho
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Edmund Pacc and James Henry
Howard, Her special license that we, the said Edmund Pace and James
Henry Howard, our executors, administrators; and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Edmund Pace and James Henry Howard, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING SPLINTS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Edmund Pace and James Henry Howard, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our or
their hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us or them,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 Edmund Pace, on behalf of myself
and the said James Henry Howard, 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 :-

page_text: which Letters Patent were granted to Frederic Tillett, dated March
23rd, 1859, No. 746, in which a series of lancets or scoring knives arc
caused first to cut or score the wood to the depth of a splint, and then
a slicing knife is made to act at or about right angles to the path of
such lancets or scoring knives to cut off the splints from the wood.
Instead however of operating the lancets or scoring knives and the
slicing knife as described in Tillett's Specification, we operate the slicing
knife by means of a beam or lever connected thereto at one end, and
operated by a crank from the main shaft, whilst we operate the frame
carrying the scoring knives or lancets by a crank or eccentric on the
same shaft, or if desired the slicing knife may be operated direct by a
crank or eccentric on the main shaft, whilst by suitiable gearing from
the main shaft a crank or eccentric may be caused to operate the
lancets or scoring knives.
Our improvements further consist in so mounting the frame of the
lancets or scoring knives that by means of a detent fixed thereto, and
coming at the required time, when travelling in one direction, in contact
with a stop or projection on the frame of the machine to cause the
lancets or scoring knives to protrude above the surface of the plane in
which the slicing knife acts to cut the wood, whilst in travelling in the
other direction such detent comes in contact with another stop or pro-
jection to cause the lancets or scoring knives to retire beneath the
surface of such plane. Or the frame of the scoring knives or lancets
may be mounted in and controlled by suitable guides to cause the
lancets to come into and out of position for work as may be required.
As the splints are cut they pass through and out of a prolonged mouth
piece or spout fixed to the frame of the slicing knife and moving up and
down therewith. This spout or mouth piece is jointed or connected in
any suitable manner with a long guide or trough which is open at its
outer end, where it is hinged or pin-jointed to a suitable support or table.
The upper side of the spout or mouth piece is covered by a band or strip
of india-rubber or other suitable material, such band or strip at the upper
end being fixed to the frame of the slicing knife, and at the lower end to
a fixed support, under which the splints pass in their passage out of the
trough or guide; or if desired the support to which the lower end of the
band or strip is fixed may be acted upon by a spring or springs to cause

page_text: may be readily gathered and removed.
And in order that our said Invention may be more clearly understood
and readily carried into effect, we will proceed, aided by the accom-
panying Drawings, more fully to describe the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a plan having some of the parts removed; Figure 2 is
a side elevation; and Figure 3 is a front elevation of machinery or
apparatus for cutting splints constructed according to our Invention ;
Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are detail views of parts thereof drawn to larger
scales.
a, a, is the framing of the machine; b is the driving shaft or axis
which is mounted thereon in suitable bearings, and is driven by a strap
or band from a steam engine passing around a drum or pulley b' fixed
on such shaft or axis b. Formed on or fixed to the shaft or axis b are a
crank band a crank disc b. c is the slicing knife fixed to the slide d,
which works up and down in vertical guides a' and receives its motion
from the crank in the following manuer :-On a standard a³ is pin-
jointed one end of a lever e, the opposite end of which is by a link e
connected to the slide d. The centre of the lover e is pin-jointed to one
end of a link e, the other end of which is operated by the crank b³,
which thereby gives the required motions to the slicing knife c. fis a
slide capable of moving to and fro in horizontal guides a³, and has pin-
jointed thereto one end of a link or connecting rod ƒ³, the other end of
which is carried by the crank pin &, by which means the slide receives
its required to-and-fro motion. In this slide fis mounted, with capability
of rotating therein, a frame or box g, in which the lancets or scoring
·knives g'are fixed, as will be more clearly seen by reference to Figures 4,
5, and 6, and this frame or box g has fixed thereto a stud or detent g², which
when the slide ƒ is travelling from right to left, and is nearly at the end
of its traverse in that direction, comes against a stop or projection on
the main frame, and turns the box or frame ŋ in its bearings so as to

page_text: cause the lancets or scoring knives g' to project beyond the face of the
slide f, as shown in black lines in Figure 6, whereby as the slide f
traverses towards the right hand and as the lancets or scoring knives g'
pass the block of wood A being cut into splints, the lancets gl cut or
score such block of wood A to the depth required, and after having
passed the block of wood A the stud or detent g" comes in contact with
another stop or projection on the main frame and causes the box or
frame g to be turned in its bearings, so that the lancets or scoring
knives shall assume the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 6.
The plane of action of the slicing knife c is a little in advance of that of
the outer face of the slide fand of that of the block of wood A, by which
it will be seen that in traversing in one direction the lancets or scoring
knives g' project as far as the plane of action of the slicing knife c in
position to act upon the block of wood A, but that in traversing in the
reverse direction the lancets or scoring knives g' retire beneath the face
of the slide and pass the block of wood A without touching it, by
which means the lancets g' are prevented from acting upon the same
portion of the block of wood A more than once.
Instead of operating the frame or box g, as above described, a pro-
jection or projections therefrom may be mounted in suitable guides or
cam grooves to cause the lancets to come into and out of position for
work, as may be required. As the splints are cut they pass through an
opening in the slide d and through and out of a prolonged spout or
mouth picce (shown more clearly at Figures 7 and 8) fixed to the
slide d, and moving up and down therewith. This spout or mouth
piece may be jointed in any convenient and suitable manner to the
long guide or trough i, but the mode we prefer is that shewn in the
Drawing, in which a pair of rollers carried by the spout or mouth
piece work between guides fixed to one end of the guide or trough i,
which at its other end is hinged to the standard j. The upper side of
the spout or mouth piece and trough i are covered by a band or strip
of india-rubber , or other suitable material, such band or strip at the
upper end being fixed to the slide d, and at the lower end to a fixed
support or standard & through an opening in which the splints pass in
their passage out of the trough or guide i, and over the tablo a*.
If desired the support or standard k may be acted upon by one or
more springs to cause it to stretch or assist in stretching the band or
3

page_text: strip, but this arrangement is especially applicable to cases where
other material than india-rubber is employed in the construction of such
band or strip ³.
By these means the splints as they are cut are kept in correct position
by the band or strip, and are delivered on the table a' at the lower
end of the trough or guide i, where they may be readily gathered
together and removed.
The block of wood A to be cut into splints is placed upon the table a³,
and is pressed forward towards the slicing knife c by the pushing block 1,
which is acted upon by the weight m; and in order to hold the block of
wood A firmly in position it is placed between the guides n, n', the
guiden being fixed whilst the guide is adjustable by means of the
screw and wheel »³, by which means lateral movement of the wood A. is
prevented. A block o mounted on a hinge o¹ rests upon the upper
surface of the block of wood A, and is pressed down by a latch or
lever o acting upon inclines o' on the upper surface of the block o,
whereby the block A is prevented from moving vertically whilst being
cut.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and the mode
) in which we carry the same into effect, we would have it understood that
what we claim is,—
First. The novel combination and arrangement of means for actuating
the slicing knife c and lancets, or scoring knives g', by separate cranks
or eccentrics mounted on the same or on different shafts in manner
3 substantially as herein shown and described.
Secondly. We claim the mode herein described, or any mere equiva-
lent therefor, of mounting and actuating the box or frame g of the
lancets or scoring knives g³, so as to cause the lancets or scoring
knives to act in the one direction of traverse of the frame g, and to be
) withdrawn from action in the return traverse of such frame g in manner
substantially as herein shown and described.
And thirdly. We claim the apparatus substantially as herein shown and
described, or any mero equivalent therefor, for collecting and delivering
the splints as they are cut, such apparatus consisting of a prolonged
spout or mouth piece h, a rocking or vibrating trough or guide i, and a

page_text: band or strip with parts connected therewith acting together in
manner substantially as herein shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edmund Pace, have hercunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
Witness,
B. J. B. MILLS,
Patent Agent,
35, Southampton Buildings,
London.
EDMUND PACE. (L.S.)