IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PLANING WOOD
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Casson, of No. 10, Saint James's Street,
: in the Parish of Sheffield, in the County of York, Mechanical
Draftsman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
PLANING WOOD."
Sealed the 2nd October 1868, and dated the 6th April 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Casson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
6th April 1868.
I, JOHN CASSON, of No. 10, Saint James's Street, in the Parish of
Sheffield, in the County of York, Mechanical Draftsman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR PLANING WOOD," to be as follows:-
The objects of my Invention are to execute by means of the machinery
herein-after described any kind of planing that can be executed with the
ordinary bench planes, and also to plane lengths of wood into cylindrical,
elliptical, or conical forms. The said machinery consists essentially of
the following parts, that is to say, a disc plane, an adjustable fence
for holding the wood to be planed, a compound travelling carriage

page_text: upon which the said fence is mounted, and a fixed horizontal bed upon
which the said carriage is caused to slide for the purpose of bringing the
wood up to the cutters inserted in and carried by the disc plane. The
compound travelling carriage is made in two parts, the lower part being
furnished with a rack, into which gears a pinion carried by a shaft,
which turns in bearings in the bed of the machine, and receives motion
from a worm driven by reversing pulleys, which worm gears into a
worm wheel on the said shaft. The carriage is thus caused to traverse
backwards and forwards, and bring the wood up to the cutters in either
direction. The upper part of the carriage is pivotted at its centre to
the under part so as to be capable of limited radial motion in a horizontal
plane, being adjusted to the required angle by means of a pinion and
winch at one end of the said upper part of the carriage, which pinion gears
into a rack formed on the lower part of the said carriage. By this
arrangement the wood can be presented obliquely to the cutters for the
purpose of being planed into a taper or a pyramidal figure. The
adjustable fence consists of a plate or frame, supported at each end by
horizontal centres carried by the upper part of the travelling carriage;
the said fence is provided with a series of "dogs" by which the wood to
be planed is held. These "dogs" slide in and out of guide blocks which
are capable of adjustment in vertical guides in the fence, being caused
to recede from or to approach each other by means of screws, which turn
in bearings in the fence, and are worked by means of hand wheels, each
of which screws passes through and works in two of the said blocks, and
is so jointed at its middle as to allow of its upper and lower portions
being turned as required independently of each other. By this arrange-
ment the "dogs" can be brought to bear upon rough-hewn timber or
other wood of an irregular form. A toothed quadrant is affixed to the
back of the fence, in the teeth of which quadrant gears a pinion on a
shaft, which turns in a bracket or arm on the upper part of the travelling
carriage, and receives motion from a worm turned by a winch, which
worm gears into a worm wheel fixed on the said shaft. The fence can
thus be brought to any required angle within a quarter of a circle facing
the disc plane, being fixed at such angle by means of set screws carried
by the bracket herein-before referred to, which screws pass through slots
in the quadrant aforesaid. By this arrangement I am enabled to
square-up" the sides of any polygon. The disc plane consists of a
revolving metallic disc, the edge of which is rounded off from the front
to the back of the said disc, the rounded off portion being equal to about
66

page_text: one quarter of the radius of the disc. In the rounded off or curved
portion of the disc "jacking," or roughing cutters, having cutting edges
of suitable curve are fixed at an angle of about 35° to the radial line of
the disc, and in the flat face of the said disc smoothing or finishing
cutters are fixed at an angle of about 30° to the said radial line. By this
arrangement the wood is first acted upon by the roughing cutters which
take off at a stroke any depth of cut from a fine shaving to a portion
equal in depth to the thickness of the disc (according to the adjustment
of the machine), and then comes under the action of the finishing
cutters, which give it the requisite smoothness, and owing to all the
cutters being set at an angle as aforesaid, each of them is caused to act
obliquely on the wood having what I may term a slicing rather than a
chopping action, so that a smaller expenditure of power is required to
work the plane than would otherwise be required. The said plane is
carried by a horizontal shaft furnished with band pulleys, and turning in
bearings in a headstock, which slides on a fixed bed at right angles to the
carriage herein-before referred to, so that the said headstock can be made
to recede from or to approach the fence according to the thickness of the
wood to be planed. The headstock is adjusted as required by means of a
screwed shaft which turns in bearings in the bed, and is worked by a
winch, and passes through a female screw affixed to the said headstock. In
connection with the said screwed shaft I arrange an index for the purpose
of measuring and indicating the distance between the disc plane and the
face of the fence. This index consists of a fixed pointer and a revolving
dial, the circumference of which is divided into inches and eighths of
inches, or otherwise as required. The said dial is carried by a worm
wheel, which turns on a shaft to which the pointer is affixed, which said
wheel receives motion from a worm carried by a shaft, on which a
toothed wheel is so fitted, as to be capable of sliding thereon; this
wheel is driven by another toothed wheel similarly fitted on the
screwed shaft herein-before referred to, so that as the headstock is adjusted
by means of the said screwed shaft the distance to which the disc
plane is moved from the fence is indicated by the dial and pointer.
The arrangement of machinery herein-before described is applicable
to the planing of wood into flat or angular forms. When, however, it
is required to plane wood into cylindrical elliptical or conical forms, I
affix to the fence herein-before referred to brackets which receive centres
or chucks on which the wood to be planed is caused to revolve as it
passes the disc plane, the revolution of the wood being effected by

page_text: means of a band passing over band pulleys. The planing of masts and
other like articles can be thus effected; when the wood is to be planed
into an elliptical form I use chucks of the kind known as the "oval
chuck."
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Casson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 6th October 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
CASSON, of No. 10, Saint James's Street, in the Parish of Sheffield, in the
County of York, Mechanical Draftsman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said John Casson, Her special licence that
I, the said John Casson, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said John Casson, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 PLANING WOOD," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John Casson, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particu-
larly 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 John Casson, 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 thereof, that is to say :-

page_text: The objects of my Invention are to execute by means of the machinery
herein-after described any kind of planing that can be executed with the
ordinary bench planes, and also to plane lengths of wood into cylindrical,
elliptical, or conical forms. The said machinery consists essentially of
the following parts, that is to say, a disc plane, an adjustable fence for
holding the wood to be planed, a compound travelling carriage upon
which the said fence is mounted, and a fixed horizontal bed upon which
the said carriage is caused to slide for the purpose of bringing the wood up
to the cutters inserted in and carried by the disc plane. The compound
travelling carriage is made in two parts, the lower part being furnished
with a rack into which gears a pinion carried by a shaft which turns in
bearings in the bed of the machine, and receives motion from a worn
driven by reversing pulleys, which worm gears into a worm wheel on
the said shaft. The carriage is thus caused to traverse backwards and
forwards and bring the wood up to the cutters in either direction. The
upper part of the carriage is pivotted at its centre to the under
part, so as to be capable of limited radial motion in a horizontal
plane, being adjusted to the required angle by means of a pinion and
winch at one end of the said upper part of the carriage, which pinion
gears into a rack' formed on the lower part of the said carriage. By this,
arrangement the wood can be presented obliquely to the cutters for
the purpose of being planed into a taper or pyramidal figure. The
adjustable fence consists of a plate or frame supported at each end by
horizontal centres carried by the upper part of the travelling carriage.
The said fence is provided with a series of "dogs," by which the wood
to be planed is held. These "dogs" slide in and out of guide blocks.
which are capable of adjustment in vertical guides in the fence, being
caused to recede from or to approach each other by means of screws
which turn in bearings in the fence, and are worked by means of hand
wheels, each of which screws passes through and works in two of the
said blocks, and is so jointed at its middle as to allow of its upper and
lower portions being turned as required independently of each other.
By this arrangement the " dogs" can be brought to bear upon rough-
hewn timber or other wood of an irregular form.
A toothed quadrant
is affixed to the back of the fence, in the teeth of which quadrant
gears a pinion on a shaft which turns in a bracket or arm on the
upper part of the travelling carriage, and receives motion from a worm
turned by a winch, which worm gears into a worm wheel fixed on the
said shaft. The fence can thus be brought to any required angle within

page_text: "
a quarter of a circle facing the disc plane, being fixed at such angle by
means of set screws carried by the bracket herein-before referred to,
which screws pass through slots in the quadrant aforesaid. By this
arrangement I am enabled to " square up "the sides of any polygon.
The disc plane consists of a revolving metallic disc, the edge of which
is rounded off from the front towards the back of the said disc, the
rounded off portion being equal to about one quarter of the radius of the
disc. In the rounded off or curved portion of the disc "jacking ог
roughing cutters having cutting edges of suitable curve are fixed at an
angle of about 35° to the radial line of the disc, and in the flat face
of the said disc smoothing or finishing cutters are fixed at an angle
of about 30° to the said radial line. By this arrangement the wood is
first acted upon by the roughing cutters, which take off at a stroke any
depth of cut from a fine shaving to a portion equal in depth to the
thickness of the curved part of the disc (according to the adjustment of
the machine) and then comes under the action of the finishing cutters,
which give it the requisite smoothness, and owing to all the cutters
being set at an angle as aforesaid, each of them is caused to act
obliquely on the wood, having what I may term a slicing rather than a
chopping action, so that a smaller expenditure of power is required to
work the plane than would otherwise be required. The said plane is
carried by a horizontal shaft furnished with band pulleys, and turning
in bearings in a headstock which slides on a fixed bed at right angles to
the carriage herein-before referred to, so that the said headstock can be
made to recede from or to approach the fence according to the thickness
of the wood to be planed. The headstock is adjusted as required by
means of a screwed shaft which turns in bearings in the bed, and is
worked by a winch, and passes through a female screw affixed to the
said headstock. In connection with the said screwed shaft I arrange an
index for the purpose of measuring and indicating the distance between
the disc plane and the face of the fence. This index consists of a fixed
pointer and a revolving dial, the circumference of which is divided into
inches and eighths of inches, or otherwise as required. The said dial
is carried by a hollow axis furnished with a worm wheel which turns
on a shaft to which the pointer is affixed, which said wheel receives
motion from a worm carried by a shaft, on which a toothed wheel is so
fitted as to be capable of sliding thereon. This wheel is driven by
another toothed wheel similarly fitted on the screwed shaft herein-before
referred to, so that as the headstock is adjusted by means of. the said.

page_text: screwed shaft the distance to which the disc plane is moved from the
fence is indicated by the dial and pointer.
The arrangement of machinery herein-before described is applicable
to the planing of wood into flat or angular forms. When however it is
required to plane wood into cylindrical, elliptical, or conical forms I
affix to the fence, herein-before referred to, brackets which receive
centres or chucks, on which the wood to be planed is caused to revolve
as it passes the disc plane, the revolution of the wood being effected by
means of a band passing over band pulleys.
gther like articles can be thus effected.
planed into an elliptical form I use chucks of the kind known as the
"oval chuck."
The planing of masts and
When the wood is to be
Having now described the nature of my Invention I will proceed to
describe the manner in which the same is to be performed, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and
letters marked thereon, that is to say:-
Figure 1 represents in side elevation machinery constructed according
to my Invention, and Figures 2 and 3 represent the said machinery in
plan and end elevation respectively; Figure 4 is an end elevation of the
said machinery, illustrating its adaptation to the planing of wood into
cylinders and other like forms, the said elevation being taken from the
opposite point of view to that from which the elevation, Figure 3, is
taken. Figure 5 is a side elevation of part of the machinery arranged
for planing wood into cylinders as aforesaid. Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11,
and 12 illustrate details herein-after referred to. The same letters of
reference indicate the same parts in all the Figures.
:
A is a bed bolted to foundations A', A', on which bed the compound
travelling carriage B, C, slides; the lower part B of the said carriage is
furnished with a rack 6, into which gears a pinion d' carried by a
shaft D turning in bearings d², d². E is a shaft turning in bearings q, q;
this shaft carries reversing pulleys e, e¹, by which it is driven, and a
worm which gears into a worm wheel d³ keyed to the shaft D. The
part C of the travelling carriage turns on a pivot b' carried by the part B
(which pivot is shown dotted in Figure 2) and is brought to the angle:
required by means of a pinion c¹ which gears into a rack 6* on the
part B, the end of the axis on which the said pinion is fixed being
squared so as to receive a winch, by means of which the said axis can:
be turned when required. is a slot, through which passes a set-

page_text: screw 6³ carried by the part B, by means of which slot and screw the
part C may be fixed at the angle to which the said part may have been
brought as aforesaid. F is the fence which is mounted on centres G, G,
passing through susports 9, 9. H, H, are "dogs," which slide in guide
blocks h¹, h', being projected from or withdrawn towards the face of the
fence (according to the thickness of the wood to be planed) by means of
worms I, I, which engage with teeth h³, 12, formed on the said "dogs."
J, J, are screws which pass through female screws in the blocks h', h',
and turn in bearings in the fence. j, j, are hand wheels, by means of
which the said screws are turned as required. Each of the said screws
is formed in two parts jointed as indicated in dotted lines, so that either
half of the screw can be turned independently of the other, and thus
bring the guide block through which it passes to the required position.
The dogs H, H, and the parts in connection therewith are shown on a
large scale in plan in Figure 6, and in side elevation in Figure 7. K is a
toothed quadrant affixed to the back of the fence. c is a bracket formed
on the upper part C of the travelling carriage, in which bracket a
shaft L turns; this shaft carries a toothed pinion and a worm wheel P.
The pinion gears into the toothed quadrant K. M is a shaft which
turns in the bracket c³ and carries a worm m¹ which engages with the
teeth of the worm wheel, the said shaft being turned as required by
means of the cross handle m². k, k, are slots, through which pass set
screws c, c', by means of which screws the quadrant K can be fixed in
any position to which it may be brought by the gearing above described.
N is the disc plane, portions of which are represented on a larger scale
in Figures 8, 9, and 10, Figure 8 being a side elevation of a portion of
the edge of the said plane with one of the "jacking" cutters fixed
therein; Figure 9, a back elevation of a portion of the said plane, and
Figure 10, a section taken on the line 1, Figure 9. The edge of the said
plane is rounded off at n' and is furnished with roughing or "jacking"
cutters n³, n³, the edges of which have a curve corresponding to that of
the part n'. The part n' is turned or set down as shown, and the roughing
cutters are fixed in the said part with their edges projecting slightly
therefrom; that portion of the edge of each of the said cutters which is
next to the flat polished face of the plane lying flush with the said
face n³, n³, are the finishing or smoothing cutters, which are set in
the flat portion of the plane, as shown. All the cutters are inserted in
the plane, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, the edges of the said cutters.
passing through slots n, nt, the adjustment of the said cutters being

page_text: effected by means of set screws n³, n", passing through slots no, no, in the
said cutters, and screwing into inclines n' at the back of the disc. The
disc plane N is affixed to a shaft O which turns in bearings p, p, on the
headstock P, and is driven by means of a fast pulley o¹; o³ is a loose
pulley, to which the driving strap is shifted when it is required to stop
the plane. The headstock P slides on the bed Q bolted to the foun-
dation A³, and is adjusted as required by means of a screwed shaft R,
furnished with a hand wheel r¹, which said screwed shaft turns in bearings
in the bed Q and engages with female screws p², p², (see Figure 11)
fixed in a bracket p on the headstock P. S is an index dial, the
circumference of which is divided into inches and eighths of inches, or
otherwise as required. The dial S is carried by a tubular axis 8, on
which is keyed a worm wheel 8', which turns on a shaft & carrying a
fixed pointers. T is a shaft which turns in bearings in the bed Q and
carries a toothed wheel and a worm 2, which latter drives the worm
wheels. The toothed wheel t is driven by a toothed wheel carried
by the screwed shaft R, which screw has a longitudinal groove 2 formed
in it, in which groove a rib or feather on the interior of the wheel
engages. The wheel is similarly fitted upon the shaft T. Both wheels
thus turn with their respective shafts, and also slide upon them when
the headstock P is moved nearer to or further from the face of the fence.
The details of the mechanism, by means of which the headstock P is
adjusted on the bed Q and the distance of the plane from the fence is
indicated are shown in the sections Figures 11 and 12. The section,
Figure 11, being taken on the line 2, Figure 2, and the section,
Figure 12, being taken on the line 3, Figure 11.
The action of the machine is as follows:-The wood to be planed
having been fixed on the fence F by means of the dogs H, the said fence
is set at the required angle by means of the toothed quadrant K, and the
gear in connection therewith, the hand wheel is turned until the
index S shows that the headstock has been brought to the proper
position according to the thickness of the wood to be planed. The
shafts D and O are then set in motion and the wood is brought up to
the revolving disc plane N, the jacking cutters n³ taking off in thin
shavings any required thickness not exceeding the depth of the rounded
off portion of the disc plane, in which the said cutters are set, and the
finishing cutters 2 planing the wood to a smooth surface. When the
carriage B, C, has arrived at the end of its traverse the machinery is

page_text: stopped, and the wood (if it be a plank) is removed from the fence and
refixed therein with its unplaned side towards the disc plane. The
machinery is then again put in motion, the band pulleys e¹, e', being
reversed so as to drive the carriage B, C, back past the disc plane. It
will thus be seen that the wood is planed whilst the carriage is travelling
past the disc plane in either direction. When the wood has to be planed
into a polygonal form it is re-adjusted in the fence after each traverse.
When it is required to plane wood into a cylindrical form I lower
the fence into the position shown in Figures 4 and 5, and affix to the
said fence brackets U, U, having centres or chucks u', u', between which
the wood V (previously reduced to a polygon) is held, the said wood
being caused to revolve as it passes the disc plane by means of band
pulleys u, u, fixed on one of the centres u¹, u; these pulleys are driven
by a strap W passing over a revolving cylinder X equal in length to the
traverse of the carriage B, C. When it is required to plane the wood
into a taper or conical form the fence F is set at an angle to the plane
(according to the amount of taper to be given to the wood) by means of
the rack b, pinion c³, and nut 6 (see Figures 1 and 2) and the carriage
is caused to traverse past the plane in the manner herein-before described
with the exception that the wood is to be subjected to the action of the
plane on the forward traverse only of the said carriage. When it is
required to plane wood into an elliptical form I use chucks of the kind
known as the "oval chuck," which being well known I do not consider
it necessary here to describe.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that
I do not limit myself to the precise details hercin-before described, as
the same may be varied without departing from the nature of my said
Invention, but I claim as my Invention,―
1. The general construction and arrangement of the machinery for
planing wood, herein-before described and illustrated in the accompany-
ing Drawings.
2. The compound carriage and fence herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, that is to say, a sliding
carriage, the upper part of which can be set at an angle to the lower
part, so as to present the wood obliquely to the plane and a fence jointed
to the said upper part of the said carriage, so as to hold the wood to be
planed at any required angle.

page_text: 3. The "dogs" as adjusted in manner herein-before described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings.
4. The disc plane herein-before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say, a plane consisting essentially of a
rotating disc having a curved edge or circumference furnished with
curved roughing cutters and a flat polished face furnished with finishing
cutters.
5. The means herein-before described and illustrated in the accom-
panying Drawings, of planing wood into a cylindrical or other like
form.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Casson, have hercunto set
my hand and seal, this Second day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.
15 Signed, sealed, and delivered
in the presence of
H. W. BRIERLEY.
JOHN CASSON. (L.S.)