IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING, BUNDLING, AND TYING OR BINDING FIRE WOOD, AND A NEW MODE OR MEANS OF TYING OR BINDING SUCH WOOD, PARTS OF THE INVENTION BEING ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES.
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Lambie, of Kennington, in the County of Surrey,
and Byron Clifford Evers, of Mark Lane, in the City of London, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING, BUNDLING, AND
TYING OR BINDING FIRE WOOD, AND A NEW MODE OR MEANS OF TYING OR
BINDING SUCH WOOD, PARTS OF THE INVENTION BEING ALSO APPLICABLE TO
OTHER PURPOSES.
,,
Sealed the 5th August 1879, and dated the 8th February 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Lambie and Byron
Clifford Evers at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th
February 1879.
JOHN LAMBIE, of Kennington, in the County of Surrey; and BYRON CLIFFORD
EVERS, of Mark Lane, in the City of London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR CUTTING, BUNDLING, AND TYING OR BINDING FIRE WOOD, AND A NEW MODE
OR MEANS OF TYING OR BINDING SUCH WooD, PARTS OF THE INVENTION BEING
ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES."
:
This Invention relates primarily to machines for cutting, chopping, or splitting
fire wood, gathering it or forming it into bundles when cut, and tying or binding
these bundles when formed. The Invention also includes certain new or improved
methods of tying or binding the bundles.
In our improved machine the wood to be split having been previously cross-cut
the required length with a circular saw or otherwise, is placed in a hopper or
receptacle, so as to fall freely by its own gravity on to a gauge that has a
reciprocating motion imparted to it either by a cam, crank, excentric, or other
contrivance, but by preference fixed to the slide which carries the cutter, cutters,
knife, or knives for splitting the wood into slabs or slices, and moving a little in
advance of the said cutter or cutters and lower down to an extent equal to the
thickness of the slice required. The above cutters move in a horizontal position
but may be made to move in any other position, and they receive their motion from
a cam, crank, or excentric. The wood to..be cut falls on to the gauge as the
returning cutter leaves it, the gauge being set in advance of the cutter when
entering must necessarily be behind it in leaving as it moves in unison with the
cutter, and it passes out of the back of the hopper while the cutter enters the wood

page_text: which presses it against the wall or back of the hopper until the cutter has passed
completely through it.
The slices or slabs thus formed drop or fall on to a grating or gridiron bed
through which pass a series of rotary knives or cutters moving in advance of each
other, and placed a distance from each other equal to the thickness of the sticks
required. Each stick-or-slice is. thus cut or partially cut before the following
cutter enters the wood. The cutters are preferably curved, but they may be
straight, and are secured or clamped to a drum or section or portion of a drum
which is driven from the crank shaft by suitable gearing, and they commence
cutting immediately the slicing-knife or cutter leaves off..
- There is also an appliance which may conveniently be in the form of a slide for
delivering the sticks and clearing the gridiron at each-stroke of the machine. This
appliance derives its motion from a cam, crank, or excentric on the crank or drum
spindles, and is at rest during the operation of cutting; during the period of time
that elapses between the circular cutters leaving off cutting, and the slicing cutter
entering the wood again, this appliance delivers the cut sticks to a table or plat-
form, or preferably to an endless web or band of canvas; leather, or other suitable
material. This band passes over two drums or pulleys fixed to the side of the
machine; at or under one of these pulleys is a hopper for receiving the cut wood,
where it will be clamped or shaken down so that the sticks may lie closely; they
are secured by such clamps or other devices and are pushed out of the same by
means of a plunger or piston, or it may be done by the following method:-The
table above mentioned to which the sticks are delivered has fitted on the under
side two slides whose upper edge is flush with the surface of the table; from these
slides project two semicircular jaws which face each other, so that when they come
together they form a circle; motion is given to these jaws by which after the sticks
have been delivered on to the table they advance to meet each other, simul-
taneously gathering the sticks as they advance into a bundle. When they have
met in the centre of the machine one of them gives way to the other, and recedes
with it, carrying the already formed bundle to the side of the machine, where the
bundle is pushed half way out of the jaws by a plunger or piston to permit of its
being tied or bound.
Another method is as follows:-When the wood is delivered after having been
cut on to or into a table or suitably shaped bopper, which causes the sticks to
slide towards a centre, under this table or hopper is a drum or wheel with a
number of recesses in its periphery to suit the size of the bundles required; this
wheel when it has received the sticks discharged. from the cutting apparatus moves
or makes part of a revolution, so as to bring the next recess opposite the opening
in the bottom of the hopper; during such movements of the wheel the sticks are
held in their place by jaws formed to meet the requirements of the machine, and
which move freely in a concentric groove formed on each side of the drum or wheel
and prevent the falling out of the sticks.
The sticks may also be kept in their place by a band or hoop passing nearly
round the drum, and having openings where the wood is admitted and discharged
from the drum.
As this drum passes or revolves round, a shuttle containing a reel or spool of
tarred twine or string is thrown or carried across the path of the drum, leaving
behind it a thread or string; as the drum revolves the string is caught by the
bundle which depresses the string or doubles it up in the form of a U or bow, the
shuttle then returns and passes through a loop or rather a double loop which has
been formed by a looper or hook while the before mentioned operation was taking
place. The tension on the reel or spool being sufficient to draw the string tight,
the string is then cut off by an automatic knife cutter or shears; the binding thus
formed is a reef knot, and cannot readily be untied or shipped. According to
- another method a large reel or bobbin filled with the twine or string is mounted
on a stud or spindle fitted with a friction break so as to insure the string not
running out too freely, also to give the proper amount of tension to the string in

page_text: tying or binding the bundles; the end of the string is caught by grippers mounted
on an arın, lever, or wheel, and caused to revolve round the bundle; the end of the
string is then taken hold of by a second pair of grippers, while a looper having a
reciprocating circular motion takes the end of the string from the last mentioned
grippers which immediately let go, and the looper passes it above and under a
loop and back through the said loop; the loop or bow thus formed in the string is
between the reel and the bundle; by means of a second hook it is then pulled tight
by the last named gripper and cut off in a similar manner to that described with
reference to the last mentioned method. This also is a reef knot.
Another method of securing the bundle is to tie or bind the string after having
been passed round the bundle by a piece or strip of lead or other soft metal or
material, such as gutta percha, rubber, or any combination of them, or any other
substance that can be compressed or heated so as to unite securely two or more
strings. The piece of lead or other material is pressed round the ends of the string,
and closed securely by means of two jaws; the material is so compressed with tho
strings in its centre that it cannot come undone.
A bobbin or reel is mounted similarly to that in the last mentioned method, and
a gripper takes hold of the string and revolves one or more times round the bundle,
or it may only pass in a straight line under or over the bundle, while two arms with
a suitable motion bring the string round the bundle until they meet, thereby binding
the bundle tight. The before mentioned material is fed in by means of a pair of
small rolls, and may be partly cut off by projecting cutters on the rolls of the
desired lengths, so as to allow of only one piece being curved at a time; these rolls
are grooved so as to be male and female, and the material passed through them is
curved or formed into a semicircular form or groove.. The string is brought into
this groove, while two jaws advance and close in on it, which compress it securely,
on the string, at the same time cutting off the string and remaining part of the
binding material. The gripper, immediately before the string is cut, releases itself
and returns and lays hold of the string, and is ready to tie another bundle.
The jaws which close the material in on the string now release their hold, and
the bundle drops finished, or it may be taken and dipped in rosin, or pitch, or other
inflammable material, such as paraffin, for example.
"
The material for uniting the string, and rolled to the width and thickness required,
can be taken from reels on which it is coiled ready for use.
The material may be fed in by any other method, for instance, the strip may be
fed in sideways, and a hook be formed on the end by a plunger punching it against
a die, and partly or wholly cutting it off. This part of the Invention consists in
tying bundles of wood by means of a string and a piece of soft metal or other
material, which can be compressed with or without heat, so as to unite, tie, or secure.
two or more pieces of string together.
The methods herein before described of tying or binding bundles of fire wood may
also be used for tying or binding other articles or things; they may, for instance, be
applied as sheaf binding attachments in reaping machines.
:

page_text: CROSS, III the same County,.HU DYRƠN
- of London.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING, BUNDLING, AND TYING
OR-BINDING FIRE WOOD, AND A NEW MODE OR MEANS OF TYING OR BINDING
SUCH WOOD, PARTS OF THE INVENTION BEING ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER
PURPOSES."
This Invention relates primarily to machines-for-cutting, chopping, or splitting
fire wood, gathering it or forming it into bundles when cut, and tying-or-binding
these bundles when formed.
The Invention also includes a new or improved method of tying or binding the
bundles.
In our improved machine the wood to be split having been previously cross cut
the required length with a circular saw or otherwise, is placed in a hopper or recep-
tacle.so as to fall or move freely by its own gravity or otherwise on to a gauge
which has a reciprocating or a rotary motion imparted to it either by cam, crank,
eccentric, or other. mechanical contrivance, but which is by preference fixed to the
drum or drums which carry the splitting knives or cutters, and moves in advance of
the slicing knives or cutters, and a little lower down to an extent equal to the
thickness of the slice required. The slicing knives are placed on and secured to a
crosshead which has a reciprocating motion imparted to it either by cam, crank,
eccentric, or other mechanical contrivance, and they work in a horizontal position,
but may be made to work or move in any other position. It will be seen from the
annexed Drawings, which are hereinafter described, that when the slicing cutters
enter, the wood the gauge passes from under the slice, and allows it to fall or move
on to the drum or, table, in which are fixed or secured the cutters for dividing the
slice into sticks, such cutters being placed apart sideways a distance equal to the
thickness of the sticks required, and preferably in advance of each other, so as not
all to be in the wood at once, and to give the necessary clearance so as not to be
bound or locked in the wood, in order to reduce the friction to a minimum. The
cutters are slightly curved or look forward in a slanting position so as to draw the
wood down to the drum while they pass through it. The drum or drums are pre-
ferably of such a diameter that the small portion, say 6 inches, which the wood
occupies is almost a straight line. The slice as it falls from the first cutters moves
with the drum a little forward when it is brought to a stop against an abutment
(but not necessarily so), in which are cut a series of slots corresponding to the
number of cutters operating at one time in the drum, and through which the said.
cutters pass.
After these cutters have passed completely through the slice the
abutment then rises or moves to allow the sticks and also the gauge to pass, and
falls or moves back again just before the succeeding slice is cut off; or instead of
the abutment being made to rise and fall there may be recesses in the periphery
of the drum, into which the sticks fall so as to pass under the abutment. The
abutment when made to rise and fall receives its motion from a cam shaped projec--
tion fixed to each of the side connecting rods, which give motion to the crosshead
carrying the slicing cutters; or it may be moved by a cam on any of the shafts or
otherwise. The drum or drums may have any number of gauges and sets of cutters
as their circumference will admit of, and they are geared so that the number of
strokes of the slicing cutters may correspond with the gauges and sets of cutters.
The cut sticks may be delivered onto a suitable table or platform, but by preference
onto an endless web or band of canvas, leather, or other material; this band passes
over two or more drums or pulleys fixed to the end of the machine. At or under
one of these pulleys is a suitable hopper for receiving the cut wood, where it is

page_text: shaken down in such a manner as to get the sticks to lie closely; it is then pushed
out of the hopper by means of a plunger or piston, and clamped while being tied.
Or the following method may be adopted-The table to which the sticks are
delivered has fitted on the under side two slides, whose upper edges are flush with
the surface of the table. From these slides project two pairs of semi-circular jaws,
which face each other so that when they come together they form a circle with a
horizontal axis. Motion is given to these jaws by which, after the sticks have been
delivered on to the table, they advance to meet each other, simultaneously gathering
the sticks as they advance into a bundle. When they have met in the centre of
the machine one of the pairs gives way to the other, and recedes with it, carrying the
already formed bundle to the side of the machine, where the bundle is pushed half
way out of the jaws by a suitable plunger or piston to permit of its being tied or
bound. Another method is as follows:-When the wood is delivered after having
been cut it falls into or on to a suitably shaped table or hopper, which causes the
sticks to slide towards a centre. Under this table or hopper is a drum or wheel
with a number of horse shoe shaped recesses in its periphery to suit the size of the
bundles required. This wheel when it has received the sticks discharged from the
cutting apparatus moves or makes part of a revolution so as to bring the next recess
opposite the opening in the bottom of the hopper. During such movements of the
wheel the sticks are held in their place by jaws, which move freely in concentric
grooves formed in each side of the drum or wheel and prevent the falling out of the
sticks. These jaws, of which there are two pairs for each recess, are operated by
means of a cam or otherwise, so as to move forward and clamp the bundle, and
again recede, and release the bundle at the proper times; or the sticks may be held
in the recesses by a fixed band or hoop fitted round the drum, and having openings
where the wood is admitted and discharged.
One method we adopt for securing the bundles is to tie or bind the string after
having been passed round the bundle by means of a piece of lead or other soft metal.
or material such as guttapercha, rubber, or any combination of them, or any other
substance that can be compressed either cold or when heated so as to unite two or
more strings securely. The piece of lead or other material is passed round the ends
of string and closed securely by means of two jaws. The material is so compressed
with the strings in its centre that it cannot come undone. A bobbin or reel filled
with the proper twine or string is mounted on a suitable stud or spindle fitted with
a friction break so as to ensure the string not running out too freely and to give
the proper amount of tension to the string in binding or tying the bundles; or the
string may pass through a hollow spindle. A gripper is caused to take hold of the
string, or a flyer is threaded with it, and revolves one or more times round the.
bundle, or it may only pass in a straight line under or over the bundle,
while one or more arms with a suitable motion bring the string round the
bundle until they meet, thereby binding the bundle tight. The lead or other
material before mentioned is fed in by means of a pair of rolls, and may be partly.
cut off by projecting cutters on the rolls to the desired lengths so as to allow only
one piece being curved at a time; these rolls are grooved so as to be male and.
female, and the material passed through them is curved or formed into a semi-
circular.or borse shoe form or groove; the string is brought into this groove while
two jaws advance and close the lead or other material on it, compress it securely
on the string, at the same time cutting off the string and remaining part of the
binding material. The gripper immediately before the string is cut releases itself
and returns and lays hold of the string and is ready to tie another bundle.
The material for uniting the string, and rolled to the width and thickness
required, can be taken from reels or bobbins on which it is coiled ready for use.
The material may be fed in by any other method, for instance, the strip may be fed
in end-ways and a hook be formed on the end by a plunger punching into it against.
die and partly or wholly cutting it off.
a
After the bundles are finished they may be dipped into rosin, pitch, or other
inflammable material such as paraffin for example.

page_text: In order that our Invention and the manner of carrying the same into effect
may be fully understood wé annex two Sheets of Drawings to illustrate the same,
and which we now proceed to describe.
.
Figure 1 is a side view, Figure 2 a plan and Figure 3 an end view of the
cutting and splitting machine. .
The wood-to-be cut-and-split-into-sticks-having-been first sawn into suitable
lengths by a circular saw or otherwise, the blocks are then placed in the compart-
ments of the hopper a, and fall by their own gravity or otherwise on to one of the
gauges b.secured to the drum-or wheel-h, and set so as to allow the slicing knives c
attached to a suitable crosshead d, caused to reciprocate by the cranks-e, e, connecting
rods ff, and gear wheels g, gl, to cut off slabs or slices of the wood of suitable
thickness. After the slicing knives e enter the wood the gauge b, owing to the
revolution of the drum, becomes gradually withdrawn, allowing the slicing knives
to clear themselves and the slabs or slices to fall on to the drum h, which carries
them forward a short distance until stopped. by the grids or abutments j. These
grids have slots or openings in them corresponding to the splitting knives & which
are fixed in or on the periphery of the drum h. These are set apart.a distance equal
to the width of the sticks required and so as to clear themselves and not to become.
bound or jammed in passing through the slice. After the splitting knives have
passed through the wood and through the grids or abutments j, the latter are raised
by the cam shaped projections on the connecting rods f sufficiently to allow the
sticks and the end of the next following gauge b to pass; the grids are then again
lowered ready to retain the next slices or slabs until divided into sticks when they.
are again raised as before. Figure. 4 is a side view, and Figure 5 an underneath
plan of one of the slicing knives.c of this machine; they have grooves or slots to
allow the ends of the splitting knives, which are shown in Figures 6 and 7, slightly.
to enter the slicing. knives, and thereby ensure the complete separation of the
sticks.
l
-
=
-
"
The sticks having passed the abutments before described are delivered on to the.
endless band m which carries them to the bundling or binding machine.. Figure 8
represents the bundling machine in side view and section through the hopper n;
Figure 9 is a side view with the hopper removed; Figure. 10 an end view, and
Figure 11 a section through A, B. The sticks are delivered by the endless band m into
the hopper n (as shewn in Figure 10) which has imparted to it a rocking or shaking
motion by a cam or cams or any other suitable mechanical contrivance to cause the
sticks to be parallel with its axis and with one another. When a sufficient number.
of sticks are collected in n the plunger p is caused to advance, so as to force as many
of the sticks as will enter the pipe q, which must be slightly conical or tapered
towards its outward end through it until they project rather more than half their
length beyond the steel spring, ring, or band k. This ring or band is then caused
by a suitable lever worked by a cam on any of the shafts to compress the sticks into
a tight bundle; the crank or flyer 8 then passes the string or binding material with
which it is threaded (as shewn by the dash and dot line thus
.).
round the bundle and comes to the position shewn in the Figures, and while
so doing a small piece of lead or other material, -as-hereinbefore-described,-is-
fed from the roll or reel y, Figure 9, through two rollers (one of which is
shown at w) formed male and female so as to bend the lead into a semi-circular
or horse-shoe form, as seen in Figures 9 and 10, between the nipper or jaws a³.
The pinion t is then thrown out of gear by the cams u and v, Figure 10, which
retain the flyer in the same position until the string is fastened; the jaws a².
are now caused to advance by the cam 62 and shear off the projecting piece of
lead, and as they advance, carrying it with them; the claws c² draw the string
tight by means of the compresser d², the jaws are then closed by the striker e
coming in contact with the stop f, thereby closing the lead or other material tightly.
round the strings; the jaw g carrying a cutter then rises and shears both strings off,
retaining the one attached to the flyers in its grasp. The plunger p now advances,
as before described, and forces the ready tied bundle out of the collar or band k
.

page_text: (which has been released to allow it to do so) with the next bundle of wood, which
it forces forward until ready for tying, when the operation is repeated. Figure 12
is an enlarged section through the jaws a² and g², the tightening claws and the
end of the tubular flyer s, showing the lead in black which has just been tightened
round the string by the jaws a² and cut off by the shearing blade attached to the
jaws g², shown by small crossed section between the jaws g² and a².
Figure 13 (Sheet 2) is a longitudinal section, and Figure 14 a plan of a splitting
and cutting machine with reciprocating slicing knives and gauges, fixed or stationary
splitting knives, and a reciprocating grid or slotted plunger. The blocks of wood
are placed in the compartments of the hopper a, as before described, and fall or are
fed on to the reciprocating gauge b, which is actuated simultaneously with the
splitting knives c, a crosshead d³s being attached to the crosshead d which carries
the slicing knives, and is caused to reciprocate by an excentric or other suitable
means, moves the gauges by means of links, or distance pieces, or rods d'. The
gauges are set below the cutting edge of the slicing knife at a distance equal to the
thickness of the slice required. As the slicing knife enters the wood the gauge
recedes and allows the slab or slice to fall on to the table or platform h* in which
are fixed the splitting knives k. The grid or slotted plunger j (which has grooves
or slots in its underside corresponding with the splitting knives) attached to the
crosshead jis then caused to advance by the cam or crank e carrying with it the
slice or slab of wood and forcing it against the splitting knives le divides it into
sticks, which it carries forward with it and delivers them over the edge of the table
or platform hat m; while the plunger has been performing this operation the
gauge b has returned underneath the hopper a ready for the next slice.
Figure 15 is a section of an arrangement similar to Figure 14, but instead of
the splitting knives being fixed or stationary, as in the last described machine,
they are attached to the travelling table or crosshead B connected with the cross-
head, which is actuated in the same manner as in the last machine by the con-
necting links j, and instead of a reciprocating grid or plunger it has a fixed grid j
with slits in it corresponding to the splitting knives k. After the slab has been
deposited on the table or crosshead h, as before described, the crosshead is caused
to travel towards the grid j, carrying with it the slab or slice until the slab is
stopped by the grid, which holds it until all the splitting knives have passed
through it, when the sticks fall or are delivered over the end m. Figure 16 is a
side view, shewing a set of rotary splitting knives affixed to a small quadrant or
boss, and set apart between the bars of a suitable grid ; the thickness of the sticks
required, as before described, and shaped so as to shear the wood on or against the
said grid.
Figure 17 is a side view, and Figure 18 is a plan shewing a raking carrier or
elevator, which may be used in lieu of the endless bands before described, either
obliquely or horizontally; it is shown delivering the wood into the hopper n of the
bundling apparatus.
The method herein before described of tying or binding bundles of fire wood may
also be used for tying or binding other articles or things. It may, for instance, be
adapted as a sheaf binding, attachment for reaping machines.
And having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, we declare that we claim,―
First. The several combinations or arrangements of parts forming improved
machines for cutting or splitting fire wood, substantially as hereinbefore described,
and represented in the annexed Drawings.
Second. The employment in fire wood cutting machines of a number of slicing
cutters to act upon separate blocks of wood, substantially as hereinbefore described,
and shewn in the annexed Drawings.
Third. The employment in fire wood cutting machines of gauges, either rotary
or otherwise, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described, and shewn
in the annexed Drawings.
Fourth. The employment in fire wood cutting machines of slotted abutments,

page_text: against which the slices or slabs are cut into sticks, substantially as herein before
described, and shown in the annexed Drawings.
Fifth. The employment in fire wood cutting machines of splitting knives working
through a grid, and of a plunger to clear the grid after each action of the knives,
substantially as described with reference to Figure 16 of the annexed Drawings.
Sixth The several arrangements for gathering or forming the cut wood into
bundles, substantially as herein before described, and represented in-the-annexed.
Drawings.
Seventh. The mechanism for-tying-or binding the bundles of wood or other
articles or things, substantially-as-hereinbefore. described, and represented in the
annexed-Drawings.
Eighth. The mode of tying or binding the ends of the string after having been
passed round the bundle of wood or other article or thing by means of a piece of
lead or other suitable soft material, substantially as herein before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Byron Clifford Evers, for myself and on
behalf of the said John Lambie, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
Eighth day of August, One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
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