AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF TENON, AND OF MACHINERY FOR FORMING THE SAME, APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF BOXES AND OTHER ANALOGOUS USES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alfred Vincent Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughts
man, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF TENON, AND
OF MACHINERY FOR FORMING THE SAME, APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF
BOXES AND OTHER ANALOGOUS USES."-A communication..
man, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF TENON, AND
OF MACHINERY FOR FORMING THE SAME, APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF
BOXES AND OTHER ANALOGOUS USES."-A communication..
Sealed the 7th November 1854, and dated the 17th May 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alfred Vincent Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th May 1854.
I, ALFRED VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, do hereby declare the.
nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF TENON, AND OF
MACHINERY FOR FORMING THE SAME, APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF BOXES
AND OTHER ANALOGOUS USES," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to produce a cheap and secure tenon or
dovetail fastening for boxes and other articles; for this purpose the following.
contrivance is adopted :-The cutters are arranged on conical mandrils at,
right angles to the line of their axle, and the cutting edges are made to.
follow the inclination of the cones. These cutters, in working perpendicularly,
will cut the tenons in an oblique direction, equalling the direction of the cones,

page_text: and of the tables which carry the boards. The boards may be packed into
frames in any quantity or size, and brought gradually under the operation of
the cutters. The knives or chisels on the mandrils are arranged either on two
or four faces of a square, and are of such size and number as may be found
convenient.
The machine already constructed has 16 of these knives or chisels, four on
each face, cutting tenons ths in. breadth, and to any depth from ths to 1
inches. If any 'thinner timber be used, it is desirable to have the chisels
only equal in breadth to the thickness of the timber, with spaces of similar
breadth.
The table on which the timber to be cut is brought up to the knives is
adjustable, so as to be raised or lowered at pleasure, giving a deeper or shal-
lower cut, as desired. The tables which carry the work are raised and lowered
by a screw motion. The operation of this machine is to cut tenons at a double
obliquity, that is, the face or side of the tenoned board will shew oblique cuts,
and so also with the tenoned edges; when, therefore, boards thus prepared'
are put together they will make a firm and secure joint.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed by
the said Alfred Vincent Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office on thé
17th November 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALFRED
VINCENT NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Mechanical Draughtsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Alfred Vincent Newton, Her special license that I, the said Alfred
Vincent Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, 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
"AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF TENON, AND OF MACHINERY FOR FORMING THE

page_text: SAME, APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURE OF BOXES AND OTHER ANALOGOUS USES,"
being a communication from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, 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 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 Alfred Vincent Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, relates
to a novel mode of forming the tenons or dovetails of boxes and other carticles
of joinery, the chief object being to facilitate the operation of cutting the
tenons, and effect a firmer junction between the sides of the box than can be
obtained by the ordinary construction of tenon. These advantages are obtained
by reason of the sides of all the tenons in one row being cut parallel to each
other, and with a double obliquity, that is, an obliquity in their length as well
as in their cross section. When the side and end pieces to form a box are
thus tenoned and fitted together, the joints will, after the bottom is attached,
bear any amount of thrust or pressure, either from within or without the box,
short of breaking the wood without starting; but when the bottom and lid are
removed, the sides and ends of the box may be readily separated, and the
whole packed closely together for the purpose of transport. A great advantage
will thus ensue in the transport of empty packing cases, the detached parts of
which may be readily put together by any inexperienced person when they are
again required for use.
I will now describe the machinery which the Inventor employs for cutting
this novel form of tenon, and which, by the expedition and economy of its
operation, permits of tenoned or dovetailed boxes being used for the transport
of merchandize, as above indicated.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 shews the tenon cutting machine in
front elevation; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same; and Fig. 3 is a sectional
elevation taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1. The tenons cut by this machine
are shewn on an enlarged scale at Figs. 4. a, a, is the foundation plate of the
machine; b, b, is a moveable bed or table which carries the wood to be tenoned.
The bearing surface of this bed or table 6 is made on a double incline; that

page_text: is, it is inclined both in its horizontal and its vertical plane, and for the reason
hereafter explained, it is made double, that is, one half of it is a counterpart
of the other half. The angles of inclination of the face and sides of the table
are determined by the amount of. obliquity required to be given to the tenons.
From the foundation plate rise two standards c, c, which are provided with V
edges, that form guides for a vertical traversing frame d. To the back of this
frame vertical racks e, e, are bolted, and into these racks gear pinions f, keyed
fast to a horizontal shaft g. This shaft has its bearings in the standards c, c,
and rotary motion is communicated to it by a band from a pulley on the shaft
h, passing over a pulley keyed to the shaft g. The shaft h is driven by means
of bands from a pulley on a distant driving shaft (not shewn in the Drawing),
which bands pass respectively over the pulleys i, ", mounted loosely on the
shaft. Between these pulleys a clutch box k is mounted, which, by being
slidden on the shaft by the hand lever 1, will lock into the boss of either of
the pulleys i,, and cause the pulley so locked to impart its rotary motion to
the shaft h. This arrangement is provided for the purpose of imparting rotary
motion to the pinions fin either direction, as required, and thereby through
the racks e, raising or lowering the sliding frame d. Mounted in bearings in
the front part of the sliding. frame d is a horizontal shaft m, which carries the
rotary tools for forming the tenons. These cutters may either consist of a
series of circular saws, set at equal distances apart, and varying in diameter, so
.as to present a conical cutting surface, which is parallel to the angle of incli-
nation of the bed or table 6; or they may be made of adjustable steel plates,
with projecting flat tines or chisel edges, as shewn in the Drawing, the cutting
edges of each set of plates following each other in the same plane, like the
teeth of a rotary saw. ni, n, are four sets of chisel-edge cutters tangentially
arranged around the bosses o, o, which are keyed to, the shaft m. These, sets
of cutters are so formed as to present an angular cutting edge parallel to the
inclination of the table b, shewn by the plan view. A driving pulley p is keyed
to the cutter shaft, and over it a band passes from a pulley of the distant
driving shaft, before mentioned. The wood to be tenoned is cut up into pieces
of the required size, and the pieces, which are of uniform size, are piled up
one above the other to a convenient height in a clamping frame q, and held
fast therein by clamping screws, as shewn. These clamping frames are used
for the purpose of presenting several thicknesses of wood to the descending
cutters, to facilitate which operation they are caused to slide upon a V formed
on the face of the bed or table 6, and they are held fast in position by means
of latches or spring bolts r, which fit into slots cut in the face of the table.
4+

page_text: .
The wood having been set on the table:in a line with the cutters, the attendant
next, by means of the hand-wheels of a propelling screw t, advances the table
6 towards the cutters, until the work is in the position for the descending
cutters to enter the wood to the depth, which the tenons are required to be
cut, a stop provided for the purpose will then arrest the further advance of the
table. A rapid rotary motion is now communicated to the pulley, whereby
the cutters will be caused to rotate in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3, and
the clutch box k is thrown into contact with the pulley i, to impart rotary
motion to the shaft h, and so through the bands and pulleys, before
noticed, to the pinions f, which, gearing into the racks e, e, will cause
the frame d to move down slowly, and bring the cutters into action.
The cutters will continue their slow descent until they have operated upon
all the thicknesses of wood piled up in the clamping frames; at which time,
the clutch is to be, disengaged from the pulley ; and when the cutter
frame is required to be raised, to repeat the cutting operation, the clutch is.
thrown into contact with the pulley. *,, which will reverse the direction of
rotation of the shaft h, and consequently of the pinions.f, and thereby cause.
the pinions to raise instead of depress the cutter frame. It will be seen
that the conically-arranged cutters are set on the cutter shaft with the apex of
one cone in an opposite direction to that of the other, and also that the angle
formed by that inclination of the table b, which is visible, in plan view, corre-
sponds thereto. This arrangement is adopted, because it is desirable in putting
the boxes together that the tenons should incline upwards from the bottom,
as shewn in the perspective view,. Fig. 5, Sheet II. of the Drawings, and that
cannot be effected if both edges of the tenoned pieces, forming the box are cut.
on the same cone. To enable the cutters to operate upon a length of wood
greater than their breadth; the clamping frames should be made sufficiently long
to permit of the wood being shifted forward on the bed or table b, to bring a
fresh surface into a line with the cutters. The frames when so shifted are. to
be secured to the table by the spring, bolts, as explained. It is desirable,.
therefore, to form in the face of the table a series of notches for receiving the.
spring bolts, in order to suit the varying positions of the work upon the table.
From the relative positions of the wood and the cutters, when the operation.
of tenoning is proceeding, it will be understood that the cut must necessarily
have an obliquity, with respect both to the plan and edge views of the tenoned
piece.
"
"
I will now explain some slight modifications of the apparatus, which may
in some cases be adopted with advantage. Instead of making the table 6.

page_text: moveable, it may be found more convenient, especially where heavy work is to
be performed, to make the table a fixture, and to give the clamping frame a
traverse motion towards or from the cutters, by mounting it on a frame which
slides in a carriage, supported by and capable of sliding in a dovetailed groove
made in the face of the table. This arrangement is shewn in several views in
Sheet II.; Fig. 6 being a plan view; Fig. 7, a front elevation; Fig. 8, a side
view; and Fig. 9, a partial cross section. u, u, is the clamping frame; and v,
the carriage, with its dovetail v projecting into a corresponding groove made
in the face of the table 6. The clamping frame is provided with a threaded
lug u', through which passes a threaded shaft v², supported in bearings in the
carriage v.. This threaded shaft carries a bevil pinion, into which gears a
bevil pinion v, keyed to a shaft, supported also in bearings attached to the
carriage v. A hand-wheel is keyed to the extremity of this shaft, by turning
which the threaded shaft is caused to traverse the clamping frame on its
carriage, and carry the wood up to or withdraw it from the action of the
cutters. To facilitate the packing of the wood in the frame u,. and bringing
the edges to be tenoned flush with each other, the frame is provided with
adjustable flanges w, w, of metal, which extend the whole depth of the frame..
The flanges may be advanced in front of the wood, and will then form abut-
ments, against which the planks or pieces are to be driven before clamping
down. After the clamping has been effected, these pieces may be slidden back
clear of the wood. By forming the dovetailed slot in the middle of the table b,
as shewn at Fig. 6, and the corresponding dovetail projecting from the under
side of the carriage being central also, the necessity for having two carriages
and frames for one machine (the object of which arrangement is explained
above) will be obviated; as the one carriage with its frame may be slidden
out and turned round, so as to present the opposite sides of the wood succes-
sively to the action of the same cutters. Fig. 10 shews the mode of securing
the carriage on the inclined bed or table. As it is designed to turn this.
carriage on its bed, it will be necessary to provide spring catches x at both
ends thereof. The same remark also applies with respect to the abutments.
w, w, of the clamping frame, which frame must be provided at its four corners.
with sliding flanges, as shewn in the plan view, Fig. 6.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "An Improved
Construction of Tenon, and of Machinery for Forming the same," as com-
municated to me by my foreign correspondent, I wish it to be understood that,
under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim, the employment in the
manufacture of boxes, and other articles of joinery to which the same is

page_text: applicable, of the construction of double oblique tenon, as described and shewn
in the Drawings.
And, secondly, I claim the employment of suitably-shaped conical rotating
cutters, or their equivalent, set at such an angle to the wood to be tenoned as
to form by one continuous straight cut the double oblique tenon, as herein-
before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alfred Vincent Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, the Seventeenth day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
A. V. NEWTON. (L.S.)