IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PLANING THIN BOARDS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR SHARPENING THE CUTTERS FOR THE SAME
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Leonard Chapman, of 135, Fenchurch Street, in the City
of London, for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PLANING
THIN BOARDS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR SHARPENING THE CUTTERS FOR THE
SAME."
"
ealed the 30th September 1876, and dated the 31st July 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Leonard Chapman at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st July 1876.
"
LEONARD CHAPMAN, of 135, Fenchurch Street, in the City of London. IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PLANING THIN BOARDS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR
SHARPENING THE CUTTERS FOR THE SAME."
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for planing thin
boarrls, and in apparatus for sharpening the cutters for the sainc.
The machine consists of a frame with a table-like top and there are two parallel
rollers mounted in bearings on the frame in such manner that the tops of the
rollers are flush with the surface of the table. Between these rollers there is an
opening in the table which receives a drawer-like slide in which a plain cutter is
mounted, the construction of this slide is herein-after more fully described. It can
be drawn out in a direction parallel to the axes of the rollers for the purpose of
adjusting or sharpening the cutter.
Above the rollers already mentioned are two other rollers the axes of which are
carried by radial arms capable of turning about studs fixed in the frame, so that
tho rollers can rise and fall. These upper and lower rollers form the carriers by
which the boards are propelled through the machine to be acted upon by the plane iron
or cutter. Four rods descend from the extreınities of the axes of the upper rollers
to the ends of a bar which passes across the frame near the ground, on this bar two
levers carrying weights rest and so the upper rollers are forcibly drawn down towards
the lower, but they are not allowed to come into contact, a rest adjustable by means
of a screw and hand wheel being provided to support the weighted levers before
the rollers come into contact.
Between the upper carrying rollers and over the plane cutter there is a pressure
roller, the spindle of this roller is carried by two levers one on either side, and the
levers can turn upon studs which are adjustable in slots formed in a portion of the
[Price 8d.]

page_text: framing, so as to bring the pressure roller exactly to the best position for working.
The levers have weights suspended from their ends but to prevent them from des-
cending so low as to bring the roller down on the cutter a stop rod is provided to
limit the descent of the weights, it is adjustable with a hand wheel and screw. All
the rollers, including the pressure roller, are driven so that very short pieces of board
can without difficulty be passed through the machine. The driving gear is so
arranged that the three upper rollers are free to play without interfering with the
action of the driving mechanisın. Upon the axis of the main shaft there is a
pinion driving an intermediate wheel on the frame, and this gears with spur wheels
on the axes of the two lower carrying rollers. The intermediate wheel also gears
with another intermediate wheel on the portion of the frame above the table, and
The
this gears with wheels on the axes of the two upper carrying rollers.
pressure roller is driven on the other side of the machine. A pinion on the axis
of one of the carrying rollers gears with another pinion on a link which is free
to turn on the axis of the roller, and this pinion gears with another on the axis of
the pressure roller with which also it is connected by a link so that these gear
wheels will remain at correct distances apart notwithstanding the independent rise
and fall of the rollers.
The drawer in which the plane cutter is carriod is fitted accurately into the
recess in the table, the sides of which are inclined so that looking at the end it is
of dovetail form. The drawer has an opening in it to receive the plane cutter,
and a portion of its face in front of the edge of the cutter is made separate and
movable, so that the width of the opening through which the cutter projects can
be accurately adjusted. When this adjustinent has been made the inovable part
of the drawer is clamped fast. For the purpose of adjusting the plane cutter it
has a bar fixed to it parallel to its edge, and the bar is formed at the ends with
spanner-like jaws. At the ends of the drawer studs are fixed and links are hung
on the studs. The stem of the link at each end is received into the jaw of the
bar which is then gripped between nuts screwed on to the stem of the link. By
means of these nuts the height of the cutter can be accurately adjusted, and then
by locking screws it is locked fast. As in some planes a second iron is fixed on
the face of the cutter to direct the shavings and bend them away from the cutting
edge.
For the purpose of grinding the plane cutter I clamp it upon a carriage which
can slide truly along guides, and in so doing it carries the knife past an emery
wheel having a conical face against which the grinding takes place. The axis of the
emery wheel is carried upon a saddle which is adjustable by a screw movement to
and from the guide along which the slide traverses.
The saddle in addition to carrying the axis of the emery wheel also carries an
axis on which a fine polishing stone is mounted. This stone is of the same form
as the emery wheel and after the cutter has been ground by the emery wheel as
the slide is moved further along the guide the cutting edge is set by the polishing
stone. The axis of the polishing stone can by a fine screw adjustment be set
forward or back on the saddle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the 4
said Leonard Chapman in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 31st January
1877.
LEONARD CHAPMAN, of 135, Fenchurch Street, in the City of London. "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PLANING THIN BOARDS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR
SHARPENING THE CUTTERS FOR THE SAME.'
"
My Invention has for its main object improvements in machinery for planing
thin boards, such as laths or lats of Venetian blinds.

page_text: A machine constructed according to the Invention is shown on the Drawings
annexed.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, Figure 2 is an end elevation, and Figure 3 is a plan
of the machine.
a, a, is the main frame, it has a table-like top, and the two rollers b and c are
mounted upon it in such manner that the tops of the rollers are flush with the
surface of the table there being openings in the table through which the rollers
appear. Between these rollers also there is an opening in the table which receives
a drawer-like slide, in which a plane cutter is mounted. The construction of this
slide is shown by the Figures 4 to 9, which are herein-after fully described. The
slide can be drawn out from the table endwise in a direction parallel to the axes
of the rollers for the purpose of adjusting or sharpening the cutter. Above the
rollers b and c are two other rollers d and e, their axes are carried by radial
arms d¹ and e¹ which are capable of turning about studs f, these studs are fixed in
bridge pieces f¹, f¹, bolted to the surface of the table. The rollers d and e are thus
free to rise and fall. As a convenient method of construction I form the arms in
pairs; an arm & and an arm e I form from one piece of metal, I bore in it truly and
at the proper distances apart three holes, a central hole to receive the stud ƒ, and
two holes at the extremities to receive the axes of the rollers, I then cut the piece
in halves through the centre hole. The arms d¹ and e¹ are lield in their places in
the machine by caps g, g, which embrace bosses formed around the central holes,
these bosses are truly turned before the pieces are cut apart. The caps y are held
on by nuts f screwed on to the ends of tho studs f. The rollers b, c, d, and e form
the carriers by which the boards are propelled through the machine to be acted
upon by the plane iron or cutter. Four rods h, h, descend from the extremities of
the axes of the upper rollers & and e to the ends of a bar i which passes across the
frame near the ground. On this bar a lever ke having its fulcrum at k³ rests. The
lever is forked at the end, and embraces loosely the upright rod upon which the
weight holder and weights m and m¹ are able to slide freely. The weight holder m
rests on the end of the lever, and so the upper rollers are forcibly drawn down
towards the lower but they are not allowed to come into contact, the boss of the
hand wheel n forming a rest which supports the lever k before the rollers can come
into contact. The hand wheel n is carried upon the rod and this has a screw
thread cut upon it on which the hand wheel works as a nut, and by turning it the
hand wheel can be raised or lowered. Between the rollers d and e and over the
plane cutter there is a pressure roller o. It is covered with vulcanized india-rubber
so that it may apply an uniform pressure all across the width of the board, even if
the thickness should be uneven. The spindle of the roller o is carried by two
levers o¹, o¹, one on either side, and these levers can turn upon studs o*, o², which are
adjustable in slots formed in the bridge pieces f³, so as to bring the pressure roller o
exactly to the best working position; o³, o³, are rods descending from the levers o¹
to the cross bar o' which forms a weight holder and supports weights o³.
prevent the levers o' descending too low so as to bring the pressure roller down
on to the cutter a hand wheel 0° is provided to form a rest for the bar o' and so to
limit the descent of the weights. The hand wheel o" can be screwed up or down
upon the rod in the same way as the hand wheel n. The rollers b, c, d, e, and o
To
are all driven so that very short pieces of board can without difficulty be passed
through the machine. The driving gear is so arranged that the rollers d, e, and o
are free to play without interfering with the action of the driving mechanism.
Upon the axis of the main shaft p there is a pinion p¹ driving an intermediate
wheel on the frane, and this gears with spur wheels b' and ' on the axes of
the two lower carrying rollers. The wheel q also gears with another intermediate
wheel which is mounted upon a stud on one of the bridge pieces f¹ of the frame
and gears with wheels on the axes of the rollers d and c. The pressure roller is
drivon on the opposite side of the machine, a pinion on the axis of the roller d
gears with another pinion the stud axis of which is carried on a joint formed
between a pair of links & and s¹. The link a is mounted so as to be able to turn

page_text: upon the spindle of the roller d, whilst the link s¹ is similarly mounted on the
spindle of the roller o. The pinion carried by the links 8 and 8¹ gears with and
drives a toothed wheel on the axis of the roller o. These gear wheels will remain
at the correct distances apart noth withstanding the independent movements of the
rollers and o.
Figure is a front clevation of the drawer or slide in which the plane cutter is
carried. Figure 5 is an end elevation of the same, and Figure 6 is a transverse
section of the same taken on the line 1, 1, in Figure 4.
The slide consists of a casting t, t, which is fitted accurately into the recess in the
table. The piece t has a slit or opening in it to receive the plane iron u, u, which
when adjusted to its proper height is clamped in its place by the screws u¹, u²
A part forming a portion of the face of the slide is moveable and can be adjusted
to and from the cutting edge and then clamped in position by the screws v¹, thus
the width of the opening through which the cutter z projects can be accurately
adjusted. For the purpose of adjusting the plane cutter it has a bar u² fixed to it
and the ends of this bar project conveniently to be tapped to raise or lower the
iron, w is a second iron clamped by screws to the face of the first iron u, it serves
to direct the shavings and bend them away from the cutting edge.
Figures 7, 8, and 9 represent another form in which I make the drawer or slide
carrying the plane cutter.
In this arrangement the inclination of the cutter can be varied at pleasure to suit
different qualities of wood and descriptions of work.
Figure 7 is a front elevation, one half in section; Figure 8 is an end elevation, and
Figure 9 is a transverse section on the line 2, 2, in Figure 7.
This drawer or slide differs from that already described, mainly in that the plane
iron in place of being bolted to the piece t is attached to a separate piece which
has at its ends two quadrant shaped necks a¹, and these are received into
corresponding recesses at the ends of the piece t. Thus the part a is able to rock in
the piece t and it can be locked in any position by means of the set screws a³, a².
In this way the inclination of the cutter may be varied as desired without altering
the position of its cutting edge. The iron is clamped to the part in the manner
already described, but in place of being set by tapping, screws are employed for the
purpose. These screws are marked a,, they are fixed into the piece and pass
through nuts which are held by and are able to turn within eyes formed at the ends
of the bar fixed to the cutter iron.
Figures 10, 11, and 12 reprosent a double machine constructed according to my
Invention, this machine is intended to take two cuts, a first cut to true the surface
and a second very light cut to give a smoother face than that left by the truing
cutters.
Figure 10 is a side elevation, Figure 11 is an end elevation, and Figure 12 is a
plan of the machine.
•
a, a is the main frame, it has mounted upon it two other frames b and c which
are holders for the slides or drawers d and e carrying the plane cutters as already
described.
The rollers and their gear in this machine are carried by the inain frame whilst
the draw holders b and c are mounted on the main frame in such manner that they
can be slidden upon it a short distance horizontally to or from each other. They
are adjusted and clamped in position by means of the screws and nuts f. f. In this
manner the edges of the cutters are set to their proper positions in relation to the
pressure rollers.
g is the main driving shaft having belt pulleys upon it, by which it can be
driven at different speeds as may be required, and from one of which also it drives
a corresponding shaft at the other end of the machine. The driving gear at the
two ends of the machine is similar; the driving shaft has a pinion upon it gearing
with a spur wheel. This wheel is on the axis of the lower carrying roller h, and
on the same axis there is a pinion taking into the teeth of the large dish like
wheel. The wheel is also provided with a ring of internal teeth which drives

page_text: the pinions and 7 on the axes of the upper carrying roller ¹, and the pressure,
roller respectively. The axes of the rollers k, l, are carried in long bearings ², 12,
which are provided with arms or links connecting them with a standard or e¹
forming part of the frame ( or e, as the case may be. These arms or links are
formed in one piece and afterwards divided, as already explained; they are held to
the joint pin in the standard by rings in the manner shewn to a larger scale in the
Figures 13 and 14.
It will be seen that the rollers ¹ and can rise and fall independently without
deranging the driving gear.
From the axis of the roller k¹ a rod descends to the weighted lever m, having
its fulcrum at m¹, and so the roller is pressed downwards towards the
roller, but it is prevented from coming into contact with it by the adjustable
screw stop n. The pressure roller on the entrance side of the machine is
held down by a weighted lever o having its fulcrum upon the standard d³, but
on the other side of the machine a lesser pressure being required weights are
simply applied directly to the bearing of the pressure roller; jis a stop to limit
the descent of the pressure roller; p, p, are rotating saw-like cutters to true up
and smooth the sides of the boards; their axes are mounted in sliding bearings
on one of the castings forming a drawer holder, and they are adjustable to and
from each other by the screws p¹, p¹; q is an adjustable fence or guide for the
boards passing through the machine; and is a pad to keep the board against
the fence. This pad is furnished with an india-rubber washer, which admits of its
yielding slightly; & is a scraper to remove resinous matter which may adhere to the
carrying roller.
Another and subsidiary part of my Invention (but in respect to which I do not
desire to make any claim) relates to the apparatus for sharpening the cutters for
machines such as those just described.
For the purpose of grinding the plane cutter I clamp it upon a carriage which
can slide truly along guides, and in so doing it carries the knife past an emery
wheel having a conical face, against which the grinding takes place. The axis of
the emery wheel is carried upon a saddle, which is adjustable by a screw movement
to and from the guide along which the slide traversers.
The saddle in addition to carrying the axis of the emery wheel also carries an
axis on which a fine polishing stone is mounted. This stone is of the same form
as the emery wheel, and after the cutter has been ground by the emery wheel as
the slide is moved further along the guide the cutting edge is set by the polishing
stone. The axis of the polishing stone can by a fine screw adjustment be set
forward or back on the saddle.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I claim-
First. The arrangements in connection with the pressure rollers, the same
being driven by gearing which allows them to rise and fall, and being covered with
elastic material so that pressure may be applied continuously across a board of
uneven thickness, and means of adjustment being provided to vary the relative
positions of the cutting edge and the nip of the pressure roller, substantially as
described.
Second. The arrangement of the driving gear shown in Figures 10, 11, and 12
for actuating the rollers, substantially as described.
Third. The arrangements in connection with the drawer-like slide, carrying the
plane cutter, and especially the shifting plate for varying the opening in front of
the cutting edge, the rapping bar rivetted to the knife, and the means of altering
the inclination of the cutter iron, substantially as described.
Fourth. The arrangements for carrying the bearings of the top rollers, and the
method of hinging the radial bars in connection therewith, substantially as
described.

page_text: Fifth. The construction of machinery for planing thin boards, substantially as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Leonard Chapman, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirty-first day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
LEONARD CHAPMAN. (LS.)