Improvements in Article-holding Tables for Polishing Machines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 30th June, 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Article-holding Tables for Polishing Machines.
A communication by THE MOORE CARVING MACHINE Co., of 1919, Portland
Avenue, Minneapolis, in the County of Hennepin and State of Minnesota,
United States of America.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S. M.I.M.E. of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6 Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and 323 High Holborn in the
County of Middlesex, Civil 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 invention relates to a table or frame adapted for holding an article, such as
a dresser or bureau, while its surface is being polished by the buffer or polisher of
a polishing machine. It is especially adapted for use with a polishing machine in
which a reciprocating polisher is used..
The object of the invention is chiefly to provide a table or frame to hold a
bureau or dresser or similar article while being polished, which apparatus is
provided with means for raising or lowering the article supported, and for clamping
it securely in position in proper manner for taking the polisher and without injury
to the article.
The invention consists of the apparatus and its parts, hereinafter described and
claimed, and their equivalents.
Figure 1 is a top plan view of the complete apparatus, a part being broken
away for showing the construction below the omitted part;
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the complete apparatus ;
Figure 3 is an elevation of the front end of the apparatus ;.
Figures 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are details.
In a general way the apparatus consists of a main frame mounted on wheels
adapted to travel on a track; a movable frame mounted and capable of being
raised and lowered on the main frame; a table mounted removably on the movable
frame; and elevating and clamping devices.
The main frame A is supported on wheels, and is adapted to travel end wise on a
suitable track therefor at a right angle to the reciprocating motion of the polisher,
used with it for polishing the article supported on the frame. The movable
frame B fits and telescopes vertically in the main frame. The top frame or table C
rests and is supported detachably on the frame B.
The main frame A is fixed to and is supported directly on the doubly cranked
axles 10 provided with wheels 11 which travel on the track, preferably consisting
of two inverted Trails 12, 12.
These frames A and B each consist chiefly of side and end rails and corner
posts, and are of such considerable length and width as to provide a large central
space adapted on occasion to receive therein a dresser, bureau or similar article of
furniture, for being polished. These frames A and B may properly be described
briefly as quadrangular open frames.
For elevating and lowering the frame B four screws 13, 13, and 131, 13', one
located near each corner of the frame, are footed and supported vertically, in
bearings therefor on the main frame. Brackets 14, 14 are secured rigidly to the
frame B, and the screws 13, 131, pass loosely through them. Nuts 15 located
below the brackets 14 take the thread of the screws, and support the brackets and
the frame thereto affixed thereon. Each nut 15 is provided with a projection or
tang 16 (Figures 4 and 5) which is received between depending fingers 17 on the

page_text: The
bracket 14, whereby the nut is prevented from rotating with the screw.
screws 13 at the rear of the frame, have no bearing on the main frame near their
upper extremities, and they are prevented from being lifted out of their footings
in the brackets 18, secured to the main frame by pin-pointed screws 19 (Figure 8)
turning through the brackets 18 into an annular groove therefor in the cylindrical
lower extremities of the screws 13'. The screws 13 are prevented from being
elevated out of their footings by collars 20 secured conveniently by set screws to
the screws 13 immediately below the boxes or bearings 21 secured to the main
frame in which the screws 13 rotate.
For rotating the screws 13, 131, and thereby elevating or lowering the frame B,
the screws 13 near the front of the frame, are each provided with a toothed
wheel 22, which meshes with a pinion 23 fixed on a short vertically disposed
shaft 24 revoluble and detachable in bearings therefor on the main frame. These
shafts are each provided with a detachable crank handle 25. These shafts 24 may
be lifted out of their bearings on the main frame and thereby removed from the
frame, when desired. The screws 13, 13', are provided with toothed wheels 26,
near their lower extremities, and a sprocket chain 27 runs on and about these
wheels, compelling concurrent revolution of the screws.
It will be understood that the operator may, at will, raise or lower the frame B
by rotating either one of the screws 13, thereby compelling the rotation of the
four elevating screws, by turning its crank handle 25.
The frame C, preferably somewhat longer than the transverse width of the
frame B, rests and is supported on the top of the frame B, being secured detachably
in position by dowels 28 that enter the top of the frame B. This frame C is
provided with a slatted removable top or table 29, which rests on the frame C.
The slatted table 29 is especially adapted to receive thereon for being polished
thin articles, such as panel doors, or the flat removable tops of desks, or similar
articles. When articles of greater thickness are to be polished, such as a bureau,
the table 29 may be removed and placed on side rails or end rails of the frame B
nearer its bottom, or other removable temporary tables 291 (Figure 3) may be used
instead. In this manner the bureau may be so supported on the frame that its top
surface, which is to be polished, will be in or near the plane of the top of the
frame.
For clamping and holding the article to be polished on the table, three
independent sets of devices are provided. One set consists of the two parallel
clamping bars 30, located parallel to, and equidistant on each side of, the central
longitudinal line of the frame. These bars are each provided near both extremities
with dowels 31, (Figure 6) which are integral with the plates 32 secured rigidly to
the bars 30. These dowels enter loosely recesses therefor in projections on the
travelling nuts 33. The nuts 33 travel in opposite directions on the shafts 34,
reversely screw-threaded from their centres, which shafts are revoluble in bearings
therefor fixed on the frame C. These shafts 34 are each provided, at its rear
extremity, with a fixed toothed wheel 35, and are connected operatively together
by the endless sprocket chain 36. At their front extremities, each shaft is
provided with a crank handle 37. The nuts 33 are located near to the sides of the
frame C, and are faced, and bear loosely against the sides of the frame whereby
they are prevented when the clamping bars are removed, from rotating with the
shafts 34. It will be understood that the operator by rotating one or the other of
these handles 37 will compel the concurrent movement of the clamping bars 30
towards or from the central line of the table, whereby the article supporte
thereon may be clamped in position centrally against lateral movement, or release l
therefrom.
Another set of clamping devices consists of the clamping bars 38 arranged parallel
to each other and equidistant from the shorter transverse axis of the table, and at
right angles to the clamping bars 30. These clamping bars are mounted so as to be
movable concurrently toward and from each other on the reversely screw threaded
shafts 39 in substantially the same manner that the clamping bars 30 are mounted

page_text: on the shafts 34. The shafts 39 are mounted revolubly on the frame C, and are-
These shafts 39
connected together operatively by the endless sprocket chain 40.
are also provided with detachable crank handles 41. By means of these clamping
bars 38, an article being polished may be clamped against endwise movement on
the frame.
Another set of clamping devices consists of the clamping bars 42 supported
directly ou the frame B below the frame C. These bars may be used, when the
table 29 is removed and the article to be polished is supported on the table 291 or
even when the frame C is removed from the frame B. The bars 42 are parallel and!.
equidistant from the longitudinal axis of the frame, and are mounted so as to move-
concurrently toward and from each other on the reversely screw threaded shafts 43.
in substantially the same manner as the bars 30 are mounted on the shafts 34. The
shafts 43 are mounted revolubly in bearings therefor on the frame B and are
connected operatively, so as to have concurrent revolution, by the endless sprocket.
chain 44. These shafts are also provided with crank handles 45.
Foot boards 46, at the ends of the frame, are supported by brackets 47 fixed on
the frame A. These are for the convenience of the operator.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is-
1. The combination of a main frame of the character described having supporting
wheels travelling on a track thus providing for the movement reciprocally of the
frame horizontally in one direction, another frame substantially as large horizontally
as and telescoping vertically in the main frame, means for raising and lowering the
telescoping frame, and opposite parallel clamping bars, substantially as long as the:
frames mounted on the telescoping frame, and means whereby the bars can be
coincidentally moved towards and from each other, said bars by their length an
adjustments being adapted to clamp large articles of furniture on the frame, as set.
forth.
2. The combination of a quadrangular open main frame, a quadrangular open
frame telescoping vertically in the main frame, means substantially as described
for elevating and lowering the latter frame, clamping bars mounted in the telescoping
frame below its top arranged to move concurrently towards and from each other,
means for operating the clamping bars and a table or bottom in the telescoping
frame below the clamping bars, substantially as described.
3. The combination of a quadrangular open main frame, a quadrangular open
frame telescoping vertically in the main frame, an independent removable frame.
supported on the telescoping frame, said last mentioned frame having a removable.
table or top and independent clamping devices, substantially as described.
4. In an article-holding quadrangular open frame for a polishing machine, the
combination with the article-supporting frame, of parallel clamping bars above and.
substantially as long as the frame, mounted on a plurality of reversely screw
threaded shafts connected with each other operatively, and means for rotating the
shafts, substantially as described.
5. In an article-holding frame for a polishing machine, the combination with the
article-holding frame, of a plurality of parallel clamping bars above the frame,
mounted on a plurality of reversely screw threaded shafts connected with each
other operatively, and other parallel clamping bars also above the frame mounted
at right angles to the first mentioned set of clamping bars, on a plurality of
reversely screw threaded shafts connected to each other operatively substantially
as described.
6. In an article-holding frame, the combination with a quadrangular open main
frame and a quadrangular open frame telescoping vertically in the main frame, ot a
plurality of vertically disposed screws footed and mounted on the main frame at.
the corners thereof respectively, a sprocket chain connecting the screws operatively

page_text: with each other, nuts travelling on the screws, which nuts support the telescoping
frame thereon and movable vertically therewith, substantially as described.
7. In an article-holding frame, the combination with a quadrangular open main
frame and a quadrangular open frame telescoping vertically in the main frame, of a
plurality of vertically disposed screws footed and mounted on the main frame at
the corners thereof, respectively, a sprocket chain connecting the screws operatively
with each other, nuts travelling on the screws, which nuts support the telescoping
frame thereon, and a vertical shaft having bearings on the main frame and provided
with a crank handle and with a pinion meshing with a toothed wheel on one of the
vertical screws, substantially as described.
8. The combination with a quadrangular open main frame and a quadrangular
open vertically telescoping frame, of a screw 13 having its bearings revolubly in
the main frame, a bracket 14 on the telescoping frame through which the screw
passes loosely, a nut travelling on the screw which nut is provided with a tang 16,
and fingers 17 on the bracket adapted to receive the tang and prevent the nut from
rotating with the screw, substantially as described.
Dated this 5th day of March 1894.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.