Improvements in or relating to the Construction of Built-up Articles, such as the Covers of Ships' Hatches, Tanks and the like.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Oct., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 21st July, 1900-Accepted, 20th Oct., 1900
Improvements in or relating to the Construction of Built-up Articles,
such as the Covers of Ships' Hatches, Tanks and the like.
I, WILLIAM MILNE WEBSTER, Assistant Shipyard Manager, of 23, North View,
Heaton, in the City and County of Newcastle-on-Tyne, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the construction of built-up articles, such as the
covers of ships' hatches, tanks and the like.
Articles of the kind referred to are composed of two, three or more elements
or wood boards fastened together by bolts passed through previously bored
holes; and according to the usual practice in vogue their construction involves
the expenditure of a large amount of time and labour, consequently their pro-
duction is rendered comparatively costly.
The object of my invention is to expediate and cheapen the construction,
by entirely obviating the customary method of "marking off" the position of
every bolt hole on the several elements or boards constituting the article, or a
part thereof, the boring of each board separately, clamping them together, and
driving the connecting bolts by hand, and for this purpose I provide for the
several elements or boards being bored together, and, after a simple displacement
succeeding the boring operation, being mechanically bolted together.
To this end, I furnish on, or provide as attachments to, the ordinary boring
machine having one or more boring spindles, a reciprocatory frame or slide or
frames or slides and a percussive or hammer device or devices, the frame or slide
or frames or slides being adapted to receive the several elements or boards and
have them clamped or fastened thereto so that they may be all bored in the
one position, and the percussive or hammer device or devices being designed to
drive the bolt or bolts into the hole or holes just formed, on the movement of
the frame or slide or frames or slides into another position or positions.
In carrying my invention into practice, according to one way suitable for a
single spindle boring machine, I construct a frame with a vertical part or limb
and a horizontal part or limb, or like a right angle. I locate the vertical part
alongside, and transversely to, the pillar of the machine frame upon whose foot
the horizontal part is supported. The said parts are maintained in position in
appropriate manner, and they are disposed to permit the free movenient of the
frame to and fro; this may be conveniently accomplished by shaping the upper
end of the vertical limb to engage or slide in or upon a guide bar fixed to the
aforesaid pillar. The frame or slide, may, of course, be disposed in other suitable
ways giving the requisite maintenance and movability; for instance it may be
mounted on rollers."
Upon the horizontal limb of the frame I secure a standard or bracket carrying
a clamping plate movable to and from the vertical limb by suitable means, such
as a lever-operated cam or cams arranged to force the clamping plate into the

page_text: operative position and retain it there against the pressure of a conveniently
situated spring adapted to accomplish the return of the clamping plate to the
original position on the release of the cam or cams; or a screw may be adopted
for moving the clamping plate.
To the movable head of the machine I attach a suitable percussive device
preferably at that side remote from the boring tool. The percussive device may
be operated by hydraulic power in which case it will consist of a cylinder en-
closing a ram having fixed to its outer or lower end a hammer for driving the
connecting bolts. Of course, this device may be actuated by steam, gas, com-
pressed air or otherwise; or it may be arranged to be hand operated, the mech-
anism in any event being of the known kind suitably disposed for use.
At each extremity of the aforementioned guide, or upon the machine frame,
I dispose a stop which may conveniently be an adjustable screw for determining
the reciprocations of the movable frame or slide, one stop being arranged at
the side of the machine adjacent to the boring tool while the other is disposed
in contiguity to the percussive device, these particular locations serving to stop
the frame or slide in the proper position to permit the elements or boards carried
thereby being operated upon by either the boring tool or the percussive device.
The operation of a machine having my invention or attachments applied
thereto, as just described, is as follows:-
The boards are laid on edge and secured between the clamping plate and the
vertical limb of the frame or slide; then the latter, if its end is not in contact with
the stop at the same side of the machine as the boring tool, is moved to abut
thereon, whereupon the tool is actuated to make the required hole in all the
boards. This completed, the frame, with the boards clamped to it, is slid until
its opposite end bears against the opposite stop, and on this occurring, the bolt
is inserted in the hole just made and driven home on the operation of the
percussive device. Thus the boards are fastened together at one end whereby
they may be easily adjusted in position on the frame or slide to permit the bor-
ing and the driving of the succeeding holes and bolts in the manner already
explained.
In this way, it will be seen it is only necessary to "mark off" the uppermost
board, or place the boards to a mark on the frame, while the coincident holes
in all the boards are bored simultaneously, and the bolt is driven into position
immediately after, on sliding the frame carrying the boards.
As will be evident, my invention is capable of various modification without
departing from its nature. For example, I may mount several boring spindles
and percussive devices on one head or stand, and extend the frame or slide so
that all the holes can be made at one time and all the bolts driven together,
whereby the necessity of adjusting the boards on the frame or slide is avoided.
Dated this 20th day of October 1899.
Improvements in or relating to the Construction of Built-up Articles,
such as the Covers of Ships' Hatches, Tanks and the like.
I, WILLIAM MILNE WEBSTER, Assistant Shipyard Manager, of 23, North View,
Heaton, in the City and County of Newcastle-on-Tyne, do hereby declare the

page_text: 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:-
My invention relates to the construction of built-up articles, such as the
covers of ships' hatches, tanks and the like.
Articles of the kind referred to are composed of two, three or more elements
or wood boards fastened together by bolts passed through previously bored
holes; and according to the usual practice in vogue their construction involves
the expenditure of a large amount of time and labour, consequently their pro-
duction is rendered comparatively costly.
The object of my invention is to expedite and cheapen the construction,
by entirely obviating the customary method of "marking off" the position of
every bolt hole on the several elements or boards constituting the article, or a
part thereof, the boring of each board separately, clamping them together, and
driving the connecting bolts by hand, and for this purpose I provide for the
several elements or boards being bored together, and, after a simple displacement
succeeding the boring operation, being mechanically bolted together.
To this end, I furnish on, or provide as attachments to, the ordinary boring
machine having one or more boring spindles a reciprocatory frame or slide or
frames or slides and a percussive or hammer device or devices, the frame or
slide or frames or slides being adapted to receive the several elements or boards
and have them clamped or fastened thereto so that they may be all bored in
the one position, and the percussive or hammer device or devices being designed
to drive the bolt or bolts into the hole or holes just formed, on the movement
of the frame or slide or frames or slides into another position or positions.
In order that my invention may be fully understood I will now describe one
way of carrying it into practice suitable for a single spindle boring machine,
and in so doing I will refer to the accompanying drawings, whereof Fig. 1 is a
front elevation of such a machine with the aforesaid attachments, and Figs. 2
and 3 are side elevations of same at the right and left hand sides respectively.
According to the example, I construct a frame A with a vertical part or limb a
and a horizontal part or limb a¹, or like a right angle, the two parts or limbs
being integral as shown, or appropriately fixed together. I locate the vertical
part a alongside, and transversely to, the pillar B of the machine frame upon
whose foot the horizontal part a is supported. The said parts are maintained
in position in appropriate manner on the foot b, and they are disposed to permit
the free movement of the frame, which they form, to and fro like a slide. This
may be conveniently accomplished by shaping the upper end of the vertical
limb a to engage or slide in or upon a guide bar fixed to the aforesaid pillar B,
though the frame or slide may, of course, be disposed in other suitable ways
giving the requisite maintenance and movability; for instance it may be mounted
on rollers. I prefer the latter plan as I find it very effective, consequently I
illustrate it, CC designating the rollers which are carried by brackets c, e
which in turn are arranged upon the foot 6 of the machine, and adapted-for the
purpose I will hereafter explain to be slid or adjusted along same by a screw cl
supported by the pillar B and the adjoining bracket, as indicated in Figs. 2
and 3.
The brackets c, c, as shown in Fig. 1, are notched or slotted to receive
gudgeons on the rollers C-C which are retained in place by loose covers ², c
fitted over the brackets. The frame or slide A bears upon the rollers, and thus
can be easily moved thereover; and for guiding or maintaining it in position, I
form each cover with a projecting part under which a corresponding part on
the frame A fits and slides, as will be at once seen on referring to Figs. 2 and 3.
The function of the frame A is to hold the elements or boards during the
operations of boring and bolting, and to this end, upon the horizontal limb a¹
of the frame I secure a standard or bracket a² carrying a clamping plate D
movable to and from the vertical limb a by suitable means, such as a lever-

page_text: operated cam or cams arranged to force the clamping plate D into the operative
position and retain it there against the pressure of a conveniently situated spring
adapted to accomplish the return of the clamping plate to the original position
on the release of the cam or cams; or a screw or other means may be adopted
for moving the clamping plate as will be obvious.
The use of two double cams d, d and two spiral springs d, is illustrated.
The cams are fitted on the standard a² and are rotated by levers de, d, the top-
most of which is furnished with a handle, and both of which are connected by
a link, so that simultaneous actuation obtains. The springs d, are
arranged to act between the standard a² and heads on rods , fixed to the
clamping plate D and projecting through and beyond the standard, the springs
encircling the portions of the rods beyond the standard.
e
To the machine I attach a suitable percussive device E in convenient position
as regards the boring tool F, which is operated in the ordinary way. This
device may be arranged on the movable head of the machine when such is
provided, preferably at that side remote from the boring tool; but for con-
venience of construction, when the brackets c, c are used and arranged as de-
scribed, I prefer, as illustrated, to dispense with the movable head and mount
the tool F on a bracket f fixed to the pillar B to which I also secure the device E,
the purpose of the movable head being served by the brackets as will presently
be quite clear. The percussive device E may be operated by hydraulic power,
as in the arrangement exemplified, in which case it will consist of a cylinder
enclosing a ram el having fixed to its outer or lower end a hammer e for driving
the connecting bolts, conducting pipes and controlling means for the fluid being
applied as usual. Of course, this device E may be actuated by steam, gas,
compressed air or otherwise; or it may be arranged to be hand operated, the
mechanism in any event being of the known kind suitably disposed for use.
At each extremity of the aforementioned guide, or upon the machine frame,
or, as in the example, upon the covers ², for the rollers C-C, I dispose a
stop G, which, as shown, may conveniently be an adjustable screw, for deter-
mining the reciprocations of the movable frame or slide A, one stop being
arranged at the side of the machine adjacent to the boring tool F, while the other
is disposed in contiguity to the percussive device E, these particular locations
serving to stop the frame or slide A in the proper position to permit the elements
or boards carried thereby being operated upon by either the boring tool For
the percussive device E.
To enable one machine to be used in the manufacture of articles of varying
thickness, and to permit their constituents being connected centrally of the
thickness, is the reason of adapting the brackets c, e to be slid or adjusted, for, as
will now be evident, by operating the screw c¹ the brackets c, c, and hence the
rollers C-C and frame A, can be moved laterally to bring the elements or
boards centrally under the tool For device E.
The operation of a machine having my invention or attachments applied
thereto, as just described is as follows:-
The elements or boards, designated H-H, are laid on edge and secured be-
tween the clamping plate D and the vertical limb a of the frame or
slide A, the frame or slide being adjusted laterally, if necessary, by means of the
screw then the frame A, if its end is not in contact with the stop G at
the same side of the machine as the boring tool F, is moved to abut thereon,
whereupon the tool F is actuated to make the required hole in all the boards.
This completed, the frame A, with the boards H-H clamped to it, is slid until
its opposite end bears against the opposite stop G, and on this occurring, the bolt
is inserted in the hole just made and driven home on the operation of the per-
cussive device E. Thus the boards H-H are fastened together at one end
whereby they may be easily adjusted in position on the frame or slide A to permit
the boring and the driving of the succeeding holes and bolts in the manner
already explained.

page_text: In this way, it will be seen it is only necessary to "mark off" the uppermost
board, or place the boards to a mark on the frame A, while the coincident holes
in all the boards are bored simultaneously, and the bolt is driven into position
immediately after, on sliding the frame carrying the boards.
As will be evident from the foregoing, without the need for specific illus-
tration, my invention is capable of various modification without departing from
its nature. For example I may mount several boring spindles or tools such as F,
and percussive devices, such as E, on one head stand or pillar of one machine, and
extend the frame or slide A so that all the holes can be made at one time, and all
the bolts driven together whereby the necessity of adjusting the boards on
the frame or slide is avoided. Again, when several boring spindles or tools and
percussive devices are employed in one machine, a frame or slide may be used in
conjunction with each spindle or tool and device, as will be obvious.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In the construction of built-up articles, such as the covers of ships' hatches,
tanks and the like, boring the several elements or boards together, and, after a
simple displacement succeeding the boring operation, mechanically bolting
them together, substantially as set forth.
2. In the construction of built-up articles, such as the covers of ships' hatches,
tanks and the like, the combination with the ordinary boring machine, of a
reciprocatory frame or slide or frames or slides and a percussive or hammer
device or devices, the frame or slide or frames or slides being adapted to receive
the several elements or boards and have them clamped or fastened thereto so that
they may be all bored in the one position, and the percussive or hammer device
or devices being designed to drive the bolt or bolts into the hole or holes just
formed, on the movement of the frame or slide or frames or slides into another
position or positions, substantially as described.
3. In the construction of built-up articles, such as the covers of ships' hatches
tanks and the like, the combination with the ordinary boring machine of a
reciprocatory frame or slide and a percussive or hammer device, both arranged
and adapted for use, substantially as described in reference to the accompanying
drawings.
4. A machine for use in the construction of built-up articles, such as the
covers of ships' hatches, tanks and the like, arranged and adapted for use, sub-
stantially as described in reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 20th day of Jul 1900
th day of July 1900
For the Applicant,
J. A. HARVEY,
Chartered Patent Agent,
3, St. Nicholas' Buildings, Newcastle-on-Tyne.