An Automatic Grooving, Tenoning and Bevelling Machine for Barrel Staves or the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Feb., 1899-Accepted, 2nd June, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Automatic Grooving, Tenoning and Bevelling Machine for Barrel
Staves or the like.
I, ERNST PAUL BÖTTCHER, of 12-14, Markenstrasse, Altona, Germany, Engineer,
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:-
--
The object of the present invention is the construction of a machine which will
cut entirely unsorted or even, so called, dull-edged staves and boards for barrel
staves not only with parallel but also with curved longitudinal edges, and which
will automatically adjust itself in such manner that, according to the narrowest
width of the wood stave, only the portions absolutely necessary to be removed
will be cut away.
By means of this machine, (which only requires one man in attendance for the
purpose of feeding in the boards) grooves and tongues are simultaneously cut in
the boards or staves as the case may be.
The essential features of the invention are, the contrivance by which the boards
which are of irregular shape are fed centrally through the machine; the saws or
knives by which the boards are evenly cut and which are under the influence of the
said contrivance; the transporting arrangement by means of which the staves are
carried from one part of the machine to the other; and the arrangement of jointed
suspension levers provided with sloping side cheeks or jaws.
By means of suitable transmission mechanism the jointed suspension levers
aforesaid are made to influence a second set of jointed suspension levers having in
connection with them a slide working within a perpendicular guide said slide being
moved in such a manner, by means of lever connections from a cam, that the space
which is left between the cutters and which is occupied by the staves to be operated
upon is varied, so that, as a consequence, the shape of the joint cut by the cutters
is affected which shape is caused to vary in proportion to the greatest breadth of the
staves. The cutter heads can also be provided with groove and tenon cutters.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I have hereunto
appended two explanatory sheets of drawings which show, by way of example, a
convenient method of carrying out the invention.
Referring to the drawings:-
Fig. 1 is a cross section of the machine taken at a point just in advance of the
grooving and tenoning cutters.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the machine with part in section.
Fig. 4 is a cross section through the feeding mechanism.
Fig. 5 is a section through the saws which cut the rough side edges of the
staves.
Figs. 6 and 8 are sections through the table of the machine.
Fig. 7 is a partial plan view showing the contrivance for guiding the staves as
they pass through the machine.
Fig. 9 is a plan view of the contrivance which influences the cutter levers.

page_text: Fig. 10 is a side view of the same.
Fig. 11 is a diagram of the lever systems carrying the cutters.
The machine, in accordance with the functions which it has to perform, possesses
the following principal parts:-
The arrangement for transporting the staves which arrangement is carried
within the framework.
The arrangement for guiding the staves centrally when being put into the
machine.
The saws, which can be acted upon by the immediately aforesaid arrangement,
for the purpose of cutting away the irregular edges of the boards.
The guide organs (which influence the cutter spindles) for guiding the boards,
whose edges have already been smoothly cut, as they move forward.
The cutting arrangement for finishing the boards.
The transporting arrangement consists of an endless chain having stop pieces M
on it, at certain distances apart, and which is operated by means of the spur wheel
gearing Z, Z, Fig. 3.
At the front end of the machine are two longitudinal shafts W', W2, which are
situated below the endless chain and one at each side of the centre line of the
machine. Two upright levers H', H2, are fitted upon the shaft W1 whilst a single
upright lever H3 is fitted upon the shaft W2. As will be seen the lever H³ is at
a point on the shaft W2 midway between the other levers. These levers are so
arranged that they can be adjusted, in the longitudinal direction of the shafts,
so as to suit varying lengths of boards, staves, or the like, laid upon the machine,
and they are also capable of moving outwards or to one side to exactly the same
distance from the centre line of the machine. This equal deflection, on both sides,
of the levers is due to the fact that the shafts W1, W2, are geared together by
means of toothed segments or such like X1, X2, (Fig. 6) so that they are bound
to work together; whilst springs, or weights, which are not shown upon the
drawings, cause the levers to have a tendency to approach one another.
The heads of these levers H1, H2, H3, are provided with tappets K¹, K², K³,
which are turnable and are retained in their proper positions by means of spiral
springs f, f, f³. These tappets, whose sides point towards the centre of the
machine, project upwards in the form of horns and the distance the tips of these
horns are apart from one another, when the levers H are in their farthest in position,
corresponds to the greatest breadth that can be given to the pieces of wood laid
upon the machine.
The insertion in the machine of flat pieces of wood which are only slightly
irregular or rough at the sides is effected by laying them upon the horns (see
dotted lines Fig. 6) and pressing them down on to the table. Owing to the fact
that the strip of wood D lies with its one side bearing against two points and its
other side bearing against only one point it follows that it is automatically
adjusted to and held at the centre line of the machine. If the transporting chain
is now put into operation the wood strip which has been laid upon the table is
caught by one of the stop pieces M and carried forward under the pressure shoe P¹
(see Figs. 2 and 5) which holds it in position and prevents it moving sideways.
The spring arrangement of the tappets K1, K2, K is provided for the purpose of
preventing any irregular projection upon the boards acting as a check or stop;
when the tappets meet with a projection they turn to one side and further away
from each other, and, after the passage of the projection, return to their normal
positions. If the board is very irregular at the edges instead of using the
tappet K3 a gauge or .alidade L (Figs. 7 and 8) may be fitted, by means of a
jointing piece, upon the lever H. The end of this gauge is in line with the
saw S2. The gauge moves over the stave and indicates and prescribes the irregular
parts which have to be removed.
The gauge L permits of the boards being laid on quite straight, as can be
seen from Fig. 7, but a little more trouble is occasioned when inserting the boards.
The levers N N2, which possess hook shaped heads are rigidly connected, see

page_text: Figs. 3 and 5, with the shafts W1 W. A movable lever system g¹, g² is situated in
rear of the levers N1 N2 on the bed of the machine and carried by an adjustable
fulcrum block G in the upright g³. This system is balanced by counterweights
(see Fig. 5) and has bearings in which the spindles of the saws S, Scan revolve.
These spindles are revolved by means of belt pulleys and driving bands which
latter are not shown upon the drawings.
The saws work with their cutting teeth in the line of the heads (when in their
normal position) of the tappets K¹, K³, K³. Owing to the fact that the saws
are suspended from the fulcrum block G they are inclined at an angle and thereby
give the proper bevel to the edges of the stores which bevel is necessary when the
staves are to be used for making cylindrical barrels or casks. The hook shaped
heads of the levers N1, N2 catch in the notches A', A of the levers carrying the
bearings of the saw spindles, and, as a result, the distance between "the saw
blades St, S is varied according to the motions of the horns K1, K2, K³ (through the
medium of the shafts W, W2 and the levers N1, N2) and the breadth of the boards.
By the action of the endless chain the board is carried forward, and under
pressure of the pressure shoes P1, P2, P3, to the cutting apparatus by means of
which the grooves and tenons are made. This apparatus consists of freely swinging
jointed levers 1, 2, 3, 4, suspended from a fulcrum b carried by the frame.
upper levers 12, constitute guiding rods or legs upon which the guide jaws B1, B²
are arranged. The levers 3 and 4, which are jointed to these legs, are brought to
the centre of the machine and connected to a sliding block B which works in a
guide F, see Figs. 4 and 9. The block B is connected by means of a link 5 to the
lever 6 which swings freely upon the shaft V.
The
The lever 6 carries a projecting holder (see Fig. 9) which catches below a similar
holder on a lever 7 which latter is provided with a binding screw C. The lever 7
is rigidly connected with a friction clutch c and also with a coupling link 8 the end
of which is connected with the jointed levers 9, 10, 11 and 12 by means of a
sliding block B° which works in the guides F.
On the levers 11 and 12 are situated the cutter spindles I¹, I2 which are provided
with pulleys whereby they can be driven by bands so as to operate the cutters 01, 0².
The levers 11 and 12 are connected with a slide A, which works in a vertical
guide in the machine frame, by means of a fulcrum pin a. The slide A can be
adjusted vertically by means of the hand wheel h and screwed spindle s, in order
to adapt the cutters for cutting staves for different sized casks or barrels. The
fulcrum a should not be raised higher than the height of the fixed fulcrum b
or the levers 1, 2, 3, 4.
The slide A and the levers 9, 10, 11 and 12 are moved automatically up and
down by means of a cranked lever 15 which is, on the one hand, connected to
the spindle S (Fig. 2) and on the other hand to rods 16, 17, receiving motion from
a cam E.
The friction cone c¹ of the clutch c (Fig. 9) is connected, at one side, by means
of a lever 13 and link 14 (see Figs. 1, 2 and 9) with the slide A.
By means of the cranked lever 18 (Fig. 2) and a cam E¹ the friction cone c¹ can,
once in each revolution of the cam, be clutched to the box c, which latter can
again, when the cam reaches the proper position, be automatically released by the
action of a spring g or a counter-weight.
The cutter spindles I, I³, which carry the cutters 01, 02, by means of which the
staves 1) are properly cut, are operated by bands, as afore described, from a driving
gear which is not shown on the drawings. These spindles I¹, I², rest. upon
rollers R1, R2, (Fig. 10) running in the channel guides Q1, Q2, whilst the action of
the levers 11 and 12, carried through the bearings J, gives the direction, corre-
sponding to the centre angle, for the staves when fitted together in the finished
barrel. The guides Q1, Q2, allow the spindles of the cutters 01, 02, to move laterally
but not in an upward direction relatively with the flat side of the staves. According
as to whether the staves D are flat (Figs. 1, 6, and 11) or curved (Fig. 10) the
guides Q, Q must be made either straight (but with a corresponding inclination to

page_text: the horizontal) or curved. The bearings J¹, J, at their upper ends work on curved
guide arms T, T.
Shortly before reaching the cutters 01, 02, the stave D is pressed down on both
sides by means of the rod U and a pressure apparatus P5 (Fig. 10) in order that a
clean cut may be made and splintering of the wood prevented. Owing to the weight
of the spindles of the cutters, of the bearings, and the rods, the cutters will tend
to move as close together as possible and, as soon as the clutch is disengaged, they
will approach each other as far as the construction will permit. This takes place
whenever the end of a stave has passed through the cutters and up till the passage
of the front end of a fresh stave through the guide jaws B¹, B².
The board D carried forward by the chain and the irregular edges of which have
been previously cut off passes through the guide jaws B1 B2 and forces them apart,
in accordance with its breadth, and thereby moves the jointed levers 1, 2, 3, 4, the
link 5 and the lever 6, which latter grasps, by means of its holder, the lever 7,
with the result, that, through the action of the link S, the second set of jointed
levers 9, 10, 11 and 12, which is connected to the bearings J1, J2, of the spindles I¹, I²,
of the cutters, is also moved and the cutters forced apart to an extent corresponding
to the movement of the jaws B¹, B³.
The lengths of the levers of each set of jointed levers are exactly the same
but the fulcrums a, b, however, are displaced, during the insertion of the boards,
to allow for the difference between the head and centre radii of the barrel to be
made.
The angle formed by the levers 1, 2, and which alters according to the breadths
of the staves, is equal to the angle formed by the levers 11, 12 (see diagram
Fig. 11).
The transition from the beginning of a stave to the centre and then again to the
end is effected by the perpendicular movement of the jointed levers 9, 10, 11, 12,
after they have been once properly adjusted, by means of the levers 15, 16, 17
actuated by the cam E which is properly shaped for the purpose.
In order to combine the movement of the slide A with that of the jointed
levers 9, 10, 11, 12 the slide is connected, by means of the link 14, with the
shaft V, the rod 8, and the block B° of the jointed levers so that, when the clutch
is engaged, the motion of the slide will correspond with that of the fulcrum a of
the levers 9, 10.
In lieu of the levers 5, 8, 14, movably connected with the levers 6, 7, and 13.
toothed rods and segments may be used as shown at Fig. 10.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I consider novel and desire to claim is:-
1. An automatic grooving, tenoning, and bevelling machine for barrel staves
and the like characterized by a guiding device for the staves as they are fed to
the machine, a sawing or cutting device (such as S1, S2) adapted to work concur-
rently with the guiding device, guide organs which are actuated by the staves
themselves, and a cutting device for shaping the wood staves said cutting device
being controlled by the movements of the guide organs, substantially as herein-
before set forth.
2. An arrangement of the machine claimed in Claim 1, characterized by the
board laying device consisting of the three upright levers (H1, H2, H³) arranged
two on one side and one on the other side of the centre line of the machine, the
movable tappets (K1, K2, K³) at the upper ends of the levers, the longitudinal
shafts (WW2) for the levers, cutting tools (such as saws, cutters, or the like S1, S2)
connected to fulcrumed levers (g', 92) and which are made to move in accordance
with the movements of the tappets (K1, K2, K³) by means of levers (N¹³, N2) con-
nected with the said shafts (Wi, W2), the guide jaws (B1, B2) connected with the
jointed levers 1, 2, 3, 4, cutters (01, 0%) for shaping the wood connected with
the jointed levers 9, 10, 11, 12, the movements of said cutters being controlled by

page_text: the movements of the said jaws (B1, B2), and a clutch arrangement, for regulating
the size of opening between the cutters, actuated by a cam E and connecting
rods 15, 16, and 17, all substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to
the drawings annexed.
3. A modification of the machine claimed in Claim 1 in which a gauge L is
used instead of the tappet K³, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference
to the drawings annexed and for the purpose set forth.
4. In a machine such as claimed in Claim 1, the use of rollers R, R¹, to which
the spindles of the cutters are connected said rollers running in channel
guides Q, Q' which are shaped in accordance with the shape of the stave being
operated upon, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the draw-
ings annexed and for the purpose set forth.
Deted this 15th day of February 1899.
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
100. Wellington Street, Glasgow, Agent.