Improvements in Carving Machines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Carving Machines.
We, HENRY MARLES, of 72, Cobden Road, Brighton, in the County of Sussex,
Mechanic, and GEORGE WELLER BUTT, of Wilbury, Littlehampton, in the
County of Sussex, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:
This invention relates to improvements in machinery and apparatus for carving
or engraving; being preferably adapted to the production of ornament or enrich-
ment on wood mouldings and the like. The said carving or engraving being done
by reciprocating cutters or chisels, and punches.
Or, the same machinery may be fitted with revolving cutters to work in con-
junction with the aforesaid reciprocating cutters.
The moulding to be operated on being preferably first struck or worked in an
ordinary moulding machine, is made to move and stop alternately in front of the
cutters as required, by means of the feed apparatus hereinafter described; or by
means of any other suitable feed apparatus that may be preferred.
The patterns which may be carved being necessarily of a running or repeating
type such as dentils or egg and tongue ornament.
The chisels or cutters which are suitably shaped at their cutting ends to pro-
duce the required pattern, are held by an arrangement of adjustable setscrews in
a box or chuck which is of sufficient size to hold the required number of cutters.
The latter preferably having parallel shanks or ends which fit into the said chuck
side by side and are held thus or adjusted by means of the aforesaid set screws.
The said chuck being itself held to the reciprocating slide by suitable nuts and
bolts or adjustable set screws.
The machine may be fitted with any number of these chisel boxes with their
necessary chisels and slides, each slide working on separate slide arms or brackets,
which latter are adjustably connected to the bed or body of the machine by an
arrangement of screws or nuts and bolts working in slotted holes. So that either
of the said slide arms or brackets may be seperately adjusted in any direction
or set at any angle to the bed of the machine upon which the moulding travels.
The said slide arms or brackets being so adjusted that their slides and cutters
converge towards the said moulding.
The slides being operated by adjustable connecting rods from suitable eccentrics
or cranks on the driving shaft of the machine. The said eccentrics or cranks
being so arranged that the cutters on the respective slides are brought into con-
tact with the aforesaid moulding alternately. This alternate action being, how-
ever, only necessary when the said cutters on different slides converge towards

page_text: the same point on the said moulding so that when one set of cutters has left
the wood another set enters. Two or more cuts thus made at different angles by
suitably shaped converging cutters meet in the wood and detach the superfluous
parts of the said wood leaving only the required pattern.
In some cases certain parts of the said pattern would be punched or pressed in
below the surface of the moulding by suitably shaped punches. The outline of
the said pattern being preferably first cut by the aforesaid chisels or cutters.
Another effect may be obtained by first staining or colouring the surface of the
moulding, or covering the same with veneer or other suitable material and then
cutting out the pattern therefrom, or stamping in the same as before described and
cleaning off the veneer or colour from the remaining surface of the said moulding.
When the several sets of chisels or cutters have each entered and left the wood,
thus finishing their work on that part of the moulding, the said moulding is
automatically moved along until its immediately adjoining part comes opposite
to the cutters, where it is held until the said cutters have all performed their
work as before, and so on throughout the length of the moulding.
This alternate moving and stopping of the moulding is preferably effected by
means of an irregular worm on the aforesaid driving shaft operating a worm
wheel, which latter is connected by variable gear wheels with the feed rollers. The
said feed rollers, against which the moulding is held by suitable presses, being
toothed or roughened sufficiently to hold the said moulding in position or propel
it forward when required. The aforesaid irregular worm on the driving shaft
having part of the length of its thread running in a plane perpendicular, or at
right angles, to its axis. The remaining part of the said thread being pitched
obliquely thereto. Thus, when revolving, the right angled part of the thread in
passing between the teeth of the worm wheel, hold the same stationary, but when
the pitched part of the thread is passing between the said teeth, the said worm
wheel is caused to rotate. The worm being so arranged on the driving shaft that
its pitched or oblique part comes into operation only when the chisels or cutters
are out of the wood. The right-angled or perpendicular part of the worm passing
between the teeth of the said worm wheel while the said chisels are cutting the
wood moulding serves to hold the same in position.
A modified form of the foregoing feed arrangement may be made by sub-
stituting a ratchet wheel for the aforesaid worm wheel and using therewith a
reciprocating lever and pawl, the said lever being operated by a connecting rod
from an eccentric or the like on the driving shaft.
The slides and chisels herein before described may be further supplimented
by additional chisels or cutters attached to suitably shaped levers and connecting
arms adjustably pivoted to the bed or body of the machine, or to either of the
slide arms or brackets, in such a way as to operated by either of the reciprocating
slides.
When a curved or convex cutting action is required as in the case of an egg and
tongue pattern, the same may be obtained by attaching suitably shaped cutters to
a curved slide, which latter is made to work in a curved channel or slideway.
The said curved slide being connected to either of the aforementioned main slides
by means of a suitable connecting rod, or the said curved slide may be worked
direct by an eccentric or the like on the driving shaft.
A small rotary fan may also be provided on the machine for blowing away the
chips of wood that might otherwise interfere with the proper working of the
cutters and punches.
The said fan being preferably provided with a nozle and flexible tube which
may be placed in any required position.
Or a suitable fixed or rotary brush may be employed for clearing away the said
chips or for cleaning the said moulding in front of the cutters.
Dated this 30th day of November 1897.
HENRY MARLES.
GEO. W. BUTT.

page_text: Improvements in Carving Machines.
We, HENRY MARLES, of 72, Cobden Road, Brighton, in the County of Sussex,
Mechanic, and GEORGE WELLER BUTT, of Wilbury, Littlehampton, in the
County of Sussex, Manufacturer, 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:-
This invention relates to improvements in machines for carving or engraving
repeat ornaments on wood mouldings and the like where two sets of reciprocating
tools are used viz. one for incising the contour of the ornament or part of it, and
another for making a cut meeting the incision at an angle. The invention con-
sists in improved means for actuating the toolholder slides whereby the machine
can be driven and maintained at a very much increased speed; secondly in improved
means for feeding the moulding uninterruptedly consecutively through the
machine whereby the machine can be kept continuously running while the
attendant merely pushes in one moulding after, and against the end of, the other,
so that the daily yield of the machine is greatly increased; thirdly in means for
holding the tools, the toolholder chuck being easily removable whereby the
machine needs only to be stopped while one toolholder chuck is taken out in
order to be replaced by another the tools of which have meanwhile or previously
been sharpened without being removed from their chuck. The above improve-
ments thus all tend to enormously increase the yield of the machine and to enable
it to be worked by one attendant. Fourthly the invention comprises means for
altering the angle at which the tools act on the moulding and means for adapting
them to mouldings of various widths and thicknesses.
Fig. 1 of the drawings is an end view, Fig. 2 a front elevation, Fig. 3 another
end view and Fig. 4 a back elevation of such a machine adapted to carve o
ornament wood mouldings.
Fig. 5 is a plan view, Fig. 6 a side view and Fig. 7 a front view of a tool chuck.
Fig. 8 is a side view of a moulding with the incisions made therein by one tool
and Fig. 9 a side view of the moulding as it comes finished from the second tool.
Fig. 10 is a front view of the outlines of a machine for doing another form of
moulding ornament, and Fig. 11 a plan of such a moulding.
Fig. 12 is an end view of a machine for doing another form of moulding orna-
ment, and Fig. 13 a plan of such a moulding.
Fig. 14 is a back view in outline of a machine with modified form of tool
reciprocating gear and feed gear and Fig. 15 an end view of a double crank thereof.
Fig. 16 is a back view in outline of a machine with another modified form of
cutter reciprocating gear and Fig. 17 an end view.
Fig. 18 is an end view of part of a machine for cutting circular ornaments,
Fig. 19 a longitudinal section and Fig. 20 an end view of a tool therefor. Fig. 21
is a front elevation partly in section of a toolholder with tubular rotatory tool.
Referring now to Figs. 1 to 4 upon the machine framing A are arranged two
tool-chuck-carrying slides C and D). The slide C works in a dovetail guide E¹ on
the top of the table E which latter can be shifted in or out and also set at various
angles as required for the work, because it is fixed adjustably to a bracket A¹ on
the frame A, by means of screw bolts E2 passing through horizontal slots in the
bracket A¹ the latter being fitted with an adjusting screw A** for bodily raising
or lowering the table E to suit different thicknesses of moulding. Similarly the
slide works in a dovetail guide F on the side of a bracket F which can be
shifted up or down or set at various angles as required for the work because it

page_text: is adjustably fixed to a bracket A³, bolted or cast on to the frame A, by means of
screw bolts passing through vertical slots in the bracket A². By reason of these
horizontal and vertical slots in the brackets A¹ and A2 respectively the slides Û
and D can be shifted angularly to suit the carving required on the mouldings and
shifted bodily horizontally or vertically to suit various widths and thicknesses of
moulding. The moulding is guided against a usual adjustable fence A*.
The slides C and D are reciprocated by the eccentric rods C and D which are
fitted with sleeves C2 and 3D having right and left hand threads for length
adjustment. The eccentrics are on a shaft G fitted with fly wheel G¹ and fast
and loose belt pulleys G2 and G³. The eccentrics are by preference arranged as
shewn so that the tools on the respective slides are alternately brought into con-
tact with the moulding or other work but this alternate action is only necessary
when the slides and their tools converge towards the same place on the moulding,
so that when one set of tools has left the moulding another set enters it. Two
or more cuts thus made at different angles by suitably shaped converging tools
and meeting in the wood make and detach chips of the wood and produce the
desired pattern. When thus two sets of chisels or cutters have in turn entered
and left the wood and thus finished their work, the moulding is automatically
moved along until the immediately adjoining parts come opposite to the cutters,
where it is held until the cutters have performed their work and so on the whole
length of moulding. By reason of the direct connection between the common
driving shaft G and the slides C and D the machine can be worked steadily and
economically at a greatly increased speed.
The construction of the toolholding chucks on the slides C and D will be clearly
understood by reference to Figs. 5, 6 and 7. The body H of the chuck is formed
with a groove H¹ along each side and is adjustably held in a longitudinal
groove in the slide C (or D) by means of the V shaped clamps I and the set
screws I. Or the body H might be made of ordinary dovetail shape and the
clamp 1 of a shape to suit. The chuck body. H has upstanding side pieces H³
between which the four tools KK¹ K2K³ (or a less or greater number of such)
are located, resting it may be on packing pieces L L L L and with intermediate
blocks, all as required. The tools at their back ends abut against set screws K*
in the upstanding flange H³. The tools are held down by set screws M¹ tapped in
the cross bars M which latter are fixed to the side pieces H2 by means of screws H.
The tools are set forward severally by means of the set screws K*. The whole chuck
with its tools is set up to the work by the screw H³ which at one end is attached to
the chuck and passes between lugs C on the slide C and is adjusted and fixed by
nuts H. The distinguishing feature of this chuck is that it can be bodily removed
for sharpening the tools in a quick and convenient manner without disturbing the
adjusted position of the tools, that is to say by merely slackening one of the
nuts Hand screwing back two set screws I¹ on the same side. It is usually more
advantageous to employ duplicate chucks with tools, so that when the tools in
ene chuck have lost their sharp cutting edges, the entire chuck is removed and
at once replaced by the duplicate one having tools already sharpened, so that no
time is lost.
Fig. 8 shews as an example a moulding T into which one set of tools has made
vertical incisions of the form shewn in dotted lines, and Fig. 9 shews in plan the
finished moulding after the second operation consisting of the horizontal scooping
out of hollows that at the back terminate with the aforesaid vertical incisions.
In Fig. 7 are shown as an example two tools K and K so set as to scoop out a
first chip, and two tools K¹ and K³ following for deepening the notches by scooping
out next a second chip, the moulding being fed along stepwise at the rate of the
distance from centre to centre of the tools. These tools thus complete the pattern
not by one operation but by successive cute.
The uninterruptedly consecutive feeding on of the moulding is by preference
effected by intermittently rotated gripping rollers acting against the underside
of the moulding and plain rollers acting against the upper side of the moulding,

page_text: while the moulding is held down by a spring actuated pad or roller. The machine
continues to work all the time, and all that the attendant practically has to do is
to push in a fresh moulding when the one that at the time is being fed through
the machine has almost passed through the feed rollers, because the fresh moulding
being pushed into the grip of the feed rollers will push the yet remaining length
of the other moulding through the machine while this length is held properly
down by the aforesaid spring actuated pad or roller. The intermittent rotation of
the feed rollers may be effected by any suitable well known means but for giving
a soft and noiseless motion with a machine running at a very high speed we prefer
the means shewn in Fig. 4 viz.: by an irregular worm N on the shaft G, said worm
having part of its thread straight that is to say running in a plane perpendicular
to the axis of the shaft, and the other part being pitched helically or obliquely
thereon. These when rotating, the right angled part of the thread in passing
between the teeth of the wormwheel O, holds the same stationary, but when the
pitched part of the thread is passing between the said teeth the worm wheel is
caused to rotate, the worm being so arranged on the driving shaft G that its
pitched or operative part takes effect only when the tools are out of the wood.
By this means we ensure a soft intermittent motion of the worm wheel O. The
change wheels and 0³ transmit motion intermittently to the spindle O* which
by a tooth wheel in gear with tooth wheels on the feed spindles P P Figs. 2 and 3
rotate the feed wheels P" P' fixed thereon; these latter are formed with fine teeth
or otherwise roughened sufficiently to hold the moulding or propel it forward
when required. The feed roller shafts P P rotate in the same direction being
connected by a spur wheel on each and another spur wheel intermediate thereto
but not shewn on the drawing. Q Q are upper smooth rollers which are held
down against the moulding by a weight Q' suspended by a cord Q2 from lever Q3 Q³
having their fulcrum in standards A3 on the frame and jointed to yokes Q* Q+
wherein the spindles of the rollers Q Q have their bearings. In order to hold
down the moulding while being operated upon from one extreme end of the moulding
to the other without leaving any uncurved wasted ends we provide flat springs R R
having wooden pads or rollers R R at their bottom ends; these springs are
adjustable in the socket brackets A A which are fixed to the bracket F on the
machine frame.
The slides (two or more in number) and tools as heretofore described may be
further supplemented by additional tools such as chisels and cutters attached to
suitably shaped levers and connecting arms adjustably pivoted to the bed or body
of the machine or to either of the aforesaid slide arms or brackets in such a way as
to be operated by any one of the reciprocating slides.
Fig. 10 illustrates one example where for instance a curved cutting action is
required as in the case of a moulding T¹ shewn in plan in Fig. 11. A cutting
tool K is attached to one end of a double armed lever S having its fulcrum on
one of the brackets A2 on the frame A of the machine here only shewn in bare
outline, such brackets being for the purpose carried up higher. The lever S is
reciprocated by being connected to the slide 1 by the rod S¹. The slanting
chipping action on the moulding is performed by the tool K after a vertical
half round incision has been made by a tool on the slide D.
Fig. 12 shews an arrangement for the case where a curved or convex cutting
acting is required as in the case of the egg and tongue pattern shewn on the
moulding T2 Fig. 12 18. For this purpose a suitable cutter K5 (or cutters) is attached
to a curved slide U which is made to work to and from a curved recess in a
bracket U attached to the frame A. of the machine; the slide U is connected by
the rod U2 to the slide C (or it might be to a vertical slide D); or the slide U may
be worked directly from the driving shaft by an eccentric and rod or the like.
Fig. 14 shews another means for working the feed rollers. For the wormwheel
is substituted a ratchet wheel 01 with pawl lever N¹ and paul N2 the pawl lever
being reciprocated by an eccentric rod N³ from an eccentric on the driving shaft G.
In this case we have also as an example shewn the shaft G fitted with two cranks V

page_text: and which are connected by a link V2 provided with slots for relative adjust-
ment of the two cranks; C¹ and D₁ are the connecting rods for actuating the
aforesaid slides C and D of the machine described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4.
Figs. 16 and 17 shew an arrangement of one crank on the driving shaft G and
another crank on a shaft G* which is driven from the former by the tooth
wheels X X.
It must be understood that we do not bind ourselves to the particular means
here shewn for driving the tool slides C and D; thus for instance in the machine
shewn in Figs. 1 to 4 the slides may be driven from eccentrics on two separate
shafts geared together by means of tooth wheels. Any number of such slides may
be arranged in one machine according to the requirements of different designs of
mouldings.
Any wellknown means such as a fan or rotary brushes may be used for removing
the chips or for cleaning the moulding in front of the tools.
The machine fitted with reciprocating tools as described may in some cases as
required for some kinds of mouldings be provided with rotating cutters adapted to
work in conjunction with the reciprocating tools.
Fig. 18 shews such an arrangement where a rotating toolholder H is mounted
upon the reciprocating slide D and rotated by a strap and pulley device. Figs. 19
and 20 shew in longitudinal section and end view one form of tool Ko.
In some cases we employ tube ended rotating or nonrotating tools for making
circular or other contour incisions and use punching tools for depressing the
part within the said contour below the surface of the moulding. In such a case we
may first colour the surface of the moulding or cover it with veneer and after such
coloured or veneered surface has been depressed in places, as just described, we
may remove the colour or veneer from the rest or raised surface of the moulding, so
that an effect is produced by the contrast in colour and appearance of the high
and the low part of the surface.
Fig. 21 shews a tubular tool K' mounted in a holder H which would be mounted
on a reciprocating slide of the machine, the tool being moreover rotated as is
expedient or necessary for many kinds of wood in order to execute clean sharp work
without splinters.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
1. In a machine for carving wood mouldings or the like the combination of a
frame, a bracket angularly adjustable thereon in a more or less upright position,
a bracket angularly adjustable thereon in a more or less horizontal position, said
brackets having guides lengthways thereon, slides adapted to work along the
said guides, toolholding device adjustable on each slide, a shaft rotating in bear-
ings on the frame, means for reciprocating the slides, and means for intermittently
holding the moulding and feeding it through the machine substantially as set
forth.
a
2. In a machine for carving wood mouldings or the like the combination of a
frame, two brackets angularly adjustable towards each other and also adjustable
respectively in a horizontal and in a vertical direction, and having guides
lengthways, thereon, slide adapted to slide on each bracket and
provided each with an adjustable tool-holder and tools, a shaft rotating
in bearings on the frame, means therein in combination with connecting
rods for reciprocating the slides, said rods provided with means for length
adjustment to suit varying positions of the brackets, means for intermittently
feeding the moulding through the machine, and elastic means for holding down
the moulding, substantially as described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4.
3. In a machine for carving wood mouldings or the like the combination of two
smooth upper weighted rollers acting on the top of the moulding two lower rollers
with toothed or roughened surfaces acting on the bottom of the moulding, toothed

page_text: change wheels for causing the lower rollers to be rotated, a worm wheel for operat
ing said toothed change wheels, a worm with part straight and part helical thread
for intermittently rotating the worm wheel, a presser pad, and springs for holding
the pad against the moulding, substantially as described with reference to Figs. 2,
3 and 4.
4. In a machine for carving wood mouldings or the like the combination of a
reciprocated slide, a toolholding chuck formed with V grooves on two opposite
sides, V pieces adapted to said grooves, cheeks on the slides and set screws therein
for adjusting and fixing the V pieces in the desired position, said chuck formed
with a recess for receiving the tools, transverse clamping bars and set screws therein
for holding down the tools in the recess when they have been adjusted in position,
a transverse flange on the chuck and set screws passing therethrough for setting
the tools up to the work, two lugs on the slide, and a set screw attached to the
chuck and passing between the lugs and provided with nuts for pushing forward
or drawing back the entire chuck with tools adjusted and fixed therein, said chuck
heing removable bodily for sharpening the tools by merely loosening one of the
said nuts and by setting back one of the V pieces, substantially as described with
reference to Figs. 5 to 7.
5. The construction of carving machine described with reference to Fig. 10.
6. The construction of carving machine described with reference to Fig. 12.
7. In machines such as herein above claimed the The means for driving the slides
and feed rollers as described with reference to Figs. 14 to 17.
S. The construction-of-carving-machine-described-with-reference-to-Figs.-18-to-21.
Dated this Second day of Sentombor 1808
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Patent Agents.