IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING MATCH SPLINTS AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to François de Bowens, of Philadelphia, Penn-
sylvania, United States of America, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING MATCH SPLINTS AND OTHER SIMILAR
ARTICLES."
Scaled the 20th July 1869, and dated the 23rd March 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said François de Bowens at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 23rd March 1869.
I, FRANÇOIS DE BOWENS, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Iм-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING MATCH SPLINTS AND OTHER SIMILAR
ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
The nature of my Invention consists in cutting match splints and
other similar short sticks by securing the blocks of wood from which they
are cut to a large rotating wheel. The length of these blocks is equal to
the breadth of the face of the wheel, and the breadth of the block about
five inches equal to twice the length of a match stick. These blocks

page_text: with the grain of the wood in a line with the plane of rotation are glued
to the face of the wheel or to short segments which are bolted all round
the face of the wheel. I place between 40 and 50 blocks round the
wheel. This wheel is mounted on an axle in a frame, and at one end
of the frame is a slide rest having a motion across the face of the wheel,
and another slide at right angles by which the cutters or knives arc
forced up to the work. The knife is hexagonal so as to cut out hex-
agonal sticks and use up all the wood without any waste; half round or
other shaped knives may be used and several knives in a line may be
cutting at once. The wheel is turned and the knives are worked back-
wards and forwards across the face of the wheel until all the wood is
cut up. The motion is given to the knives by a rack and pinion
operated by two ratchets, the ratchets being moved by pawls in contrary
directions. When the knife has travelled across the face of the wheel
in one direction the other ratchet is thrown into gear and the knife
makes the return cut, this time taking off all the ridges left by the
previous motion, thus completing the stick. The pawls are operated by
a tappet on the wheel axle. I can also operate the knives by a screw
as in a screw-cutting lathe. In this case the upper slide rest is dis-
engaged from the screw after making its first cut and returned by hand
to its first position, it is then thrown into gear again with the screw and
the knife commences to make a second cut. At the commencement of
every cut either from one end or the other the knife must be moved
sideways about the breadth of a stick to be cut. The screw is operated
by gearing connected with the main axle and turns with the main
wheel. By this machine I can cut shoe pegs, pencil sticks, and other
similar short sticks.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said François de Bowens in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 22nd September 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANÇOIS
DE BOWENS, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of March, in the year

page_text: of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said François de Bowens, Her special licence
that I, the said François de Bowens, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said François de Bowens, my 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 FOR MAKING MATCH SPLINTS AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES," upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said François de Bowens, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly 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 Scal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said François de Bowens, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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 nature of my Invention consists in cutting match sticks and other
similar short sticks from blocks of wood secured to a large rotating
wheel; also in the shape of the cutting knives and the arrangement of
the cuts, the operation of the mechanism for giving motion to the knives,
and the mode of depositing the sticks in the dipping frames as they fall
from the knives.
In the accompanying Drawing Figure 1 is a plan of the machine;
Figure 2 is an elevation; Figure 3 is another modification of the
machine in plan; Figure 4 is an elevation of the same; Figure 5 is a
side view of the frames; Figure 6 shews the hexagonal knife full size;
Figure 7 shows the face of the block with the match sticks in section;
Figure 8 shews the block cut into sticks of another sectional form.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2 A is a large wheel about 12 feet in
diameter by 2 feet six inches or more wide. It is mounted on a centre
shaft B carrying the band wheel '. Upon the face of the wheel A are
glued the blocks of wood C from which the sticks are cut; these block+

page_text: are about two feet long, eight inches thick, and five broad; this makes
a match stick twice the required length for the convenience of dipping,
it is afterwards cut in two pieces. Instead of glueing these blocks to
the wheel A I prefer to glue them to segments C', and bolt these
segments to the wheel by bolts C. These blocks can also be let into
mortices in the wheel and secured there by the wedges d'or some
similar clamping device. These blocks, about fifty in number, are placed
around the wheel as close as they can be set and with the grain in a line
with the plane of rotation.
Figure 6 shows the knife d full size, made hexagonal with the flat
side dat the end; they are secured to a slide rest E by which they
are advanced to the work. The rest E slides upon the saddle II which
is carried by the bed plate G, one end bearing upon the V-block g',
the other sliding upon the shaft g. A lever terminating in a handle g³
is used for elevating the knives and releasing the saddle from the
serew K. By this device as soon as the knives have traversed the
length of the block C they can be returned to the commencement of
another series of cuts without stopping the wheel. The pitch of the
screw K is five or six threads to the inch according to the size of the
stick to bo cut. This screw is operated direct from the main shaft B
by the bevel wheels M and makes one turn for every turn of the
wheel A.
Figure 7 shows the arrangement of the cuts on the face of the block,
full size. The first passage of the knife makes a series of grooves x
half the size of a stick; the next following knife is so set as to cut out
the ridge left standing, thus forming the hexagonal stick. Two,
four, six, or more knives are placed in the rest E and traversed across
the face of the block till it is all cut up. This form of stick, hexagonal,
utilises all the wood and makes a strong stick elegant in appearance at
one cut of the knife. Instead of the screw movement the knives can be
operated by a rack and pinion so that cach turn of the wheel causes a
tappet to strike a rachet wheel connected with this pinion, I prefer
however the screw movement as being the most accurate. I also when
using four or more knives place them one above the other out of the
same horizontal plane so that they do not all strike the block at the same
instant. The match sticks C as they fall from the knives are deposited
in the box T, or on a running belt by which they are carried forward into
a box. The wheel A can also be constructed as a disc wheel with the

page_text: blocks secured to its side or face, the same general features and knife
movements being adopted.
I will now describe the machine when constructed horizontally, as shown
in Figures 3 and 4. A is the horizontal circular disc or table secured
to the framing beneath, through the centre turns the upright shaft B
upon the pivots N. A horizontal arm P projects on one side carrying
the knife d and slide rest movements similar in general features to that
previously described. A small pinion R carried by the saddle gears into
a rack upon the bed G and by which the knife is returned at the end of
cach series of cuts. An arm S connects the saddle with the screw K.
As only one knife is used in this case it is necessary that the second
series of cuts be at half way distances to the previous series. This I
accomplish by uscing two nuts, or by moving the screw K endwise. The
screw K carries a bevil wheel M gearing into a stationary bevil wheel
upon the table A. is the main driving wheel. Fig. 3 shews the
arrangement of the blocks upon the wheel A; a space is left between
cach block for the dipping frames W which are placed one upon the
other to the height of the block. The sticks as they fall from the knife
are deposited in the said frames which are taken away as filled. It may
appear at first incredible that straight sticks can be cut by a rotary
motion, but it is by the large diameter of the wheel and the inclination
of the knives which brings the stick out straight enough for practical
purposes.
The machine constructed as shewn in Fig. 1 will cut from 500,000
to one million sticks per hour according to the number of knives
employed. Pencil sticks and shoc pegs may be cut by this machine.
What I claim as my Invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent
is,-
1st. I claim making match sticks by securing the blocks from which
they are cut to a large rotating wheel or to a wheel with revolving
knives, substantially as herein described.
2nd. I claim cutting blocks of wood into match sticks by the
hexagonal arrangement of cuts herein described.
3rd. I claim advancing the kuives in duplicate across the face of the
block as herin described.
1th. I claim depositing the sticks in frames in the manner shown.

page_text: 5th. I claim the combination of the rotating wheel A, splint blocks C,
and knives d arranged as shewn and operated by mechanism giving
them the motion herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francois de Bowens, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of May, in the year
of our Lord 1869.
FRANÇOIS DE BOWENS. (L.S.)
Witness,
EDWP. BROWN.