IMPROVE- MENTS IN CERTAIN, WOOD-CUTTING MACHINES
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANTONIO
JAMES, MAYER, of Ashley Crescent, City Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-fifth day of February, in the ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Antonio James Mayer, Her especial licence, that I, the said Antonio James
Mayer, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Antonio
James Mayer, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in Her
Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and also in all Her
said Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CERTAIN, WOOD-CUTTING MACHINES;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso obliging me, the said Antonio James Mayer, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain
the, nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in. Her said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being. thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, 1, the said
Antonio James Mayer, do hereby declare that the certain wood-cutting
machines alluded to in the said Letters Patent are the machines used for
cutting what are called splints from blocks of wood for the making of matches,
firewood, and other articles even of larger scantling, and that the nature of my
said. Invention consists,
First, in causing the cutting knife or blade (which in splint-cutting
machines has heretofore been called the following blade (and which term I
shall therefore adopt in this Specification,) to be acted upon by two forces
applied in different directions, instead of by one force only, and applied in one
direction as heretofore; that is to say, the cutting edge of the blade passes
from top to bottom, or from bottom to top, or from side to side, as the case
may be, as well as from end to end of the block. And,
Secondly, in causing the fibre of the wood which is to be cut into splints to
be, moreover, presented to the following blade in a different position to that
adopted in the old machines.
And in further compliance with the said proviso, I, the said Antonio James
Mayer, do hereby describe the manner in which my said Invention is to be
performed by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon; that is
to say:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
In Sheet 1, Figure 1 is a front view, and Figure 2 a plan, of a splint-
cutting machine fitted with my said improvements, and with the ordinary
lancet blades, feeding table, and driving gear complete, the knife or following
blade being here shewn at its extreme point of elevation and retreat.
Figure 3 is a front view of the machine without the driving gear or feeding
table, the following blade being on the descent and advance, or half way
through two blocks of wood to be operated upon. Figure 4 is a transverse
section taken at a, a, on Figure 3, shewing also a section of the feeding table.
Figure 5 is a back view of the machine, only with the following blade at its
extreme point of elevation, or the same as in Figure 1. Note, all the
figures on this Sheet are drawn to a scale of one and a half inch to a foot, and
similar letters are used to denote similar parts in them all.
and 6 the upper framing of the machine. care cast-iron strips screwed on to
the upper framing of the machine to form V, in which the sliding piece.d
travels horizontally backwards and forwards. Upon this sliding piece da
box e is cast, which serves not only to carry the ordinary lancets f, as
shewn in the enlarged section at Figure 6, but forms also a stop for the
a is the lower

page_text: blocks of wood g to be pressed forward against while under the operation
of the lancets f and following blade h.. This blade is secured to brackets i
by means of two set screws ; which pass through two slots k in the
blade h, which, together with the set screws at the back of the blade,
enable the blade to be properly adjusted. On the brackets i is also fixed a..
cast-iron slip immediately below the blade h, which not only forms an eye.
or mouth through which the splints are to pass, but forms also a stop for the
blocks of wood g with which it comes in contact immediately on the with-
drawal of the other stop e. The parts which form this mouth are shewn,
drawn to a larger scale at Figure 7. The brackets i which carry the blade
h are securely fixed to a sliding piece m, which travels backwards. and
forwards in an oblique line of motion (thus giving the blade at the same time
an alternate upward and downward motion) in V, which are formed by the
cast-iron strip n and gun-metal strip o. This gun-metal strip o is secured to
the upper framing 6 by means of set screws p, which pass through slots in
the framing b, which enables this gun-metal strip to be adjusted when
required. Upon the sliding piece m a strip of cast iron 7 is securely fixed,
which works in a V formed by the gun-metal strip o.. The two sliding
pieces d and m are connected by means of a rod r, better seen in Figure 5,
which gives them a simultaneous motion when the machine is set in action.
A is the ordinary feeding table, supported by means of a cast-iron pillar and
frames, which is secured to the ground, and also by two brackets t, which are
screwed on to the lower framing of the machine. The block of wood to be
operated upon is held in place in the usual manner by a toothed clip u, which
is elevated and depressed by the handle screw v. The wood being fixed in
the clip it is then moved forward towards the blade also in the usual manner
by means of the rack and pinion w, there being on the same spindle as the
pinion a hand wheel x. The splints after being cut fall down through the eye
or mouth and are received by a wooden shoot y, which conducts them into the
wooden trough z. Now it will be evident from this arrangement of machinery
that if motion is given to it by the ordinary driving wheel, excentric and
connecting rod, shewn to the left of the machine, the sliding plate d will
move the lancet blades f along the face of the wooden blocks, while the sliding
plate m, being connected with it by the rod r, will at the same time move
the following blade h, which is fastened to it, and cause it to pass downwards
and forwards through and along the blocks from their upper surface, thus
cutting off one splint before it engages with the next, and finally slicing off
the whole face of the block which has previously been cut by the lancet
blades; the fibres of the block being presented (as regards the following blade)

page_text: sideways to it during the operation of cutting, instead of end on to it as
heretofore, whereby all bending of the splint across the grain in the process of
cutting is avoided..
In Sheet 21 have shewn a mode of carrying my improvements into effect
with a rotary cutting knife or following blade so placed as to have nearly the
same effect as that shewn in Sheet No. 1, and cutting off the splints nearly in
the same manner as the machine there described, the fibres of the block being
presented sideways also to the following blade, or nearly so, and not directly
end on as heretofore. Figüre 1 shews a front view of the machine with the
feeding apparatus attached, the two boxes of dividing lancets being placed
horizontally, for in rotary machines I have two sets of lancet blades and two
following blades, one at each side of the disc, the one being merely a repetition
of the other. a, a, represent the two following blades, which are placed
excentrically on a circular disc, as here shewn. b, b, are the dividing lancets,
which in the circular machines are placed in the disc, and are carried round
by it. c, c, c, c, pieces forming the dovetailed slide in which the slip d moves,
carrying the lancets with it. It is evident that if the lancets maintained a
fixed position the rotation of the disc would cause the line or path of motion
of their cutting points over the face of the wooden block to be segments of
circles; and the splints when cut off would present a similarly curved form,
to obviate which the lancets are set in the dovetailed sliding slip d, which is
furnished with a guide pin r at its outer end, that takes into a perpendicular
groove or slot g, and is kept in the said slot while the lancet points pass through
the block k, thus causing the lancet points to move in a straight line while cutting
the face of the block. g is the slot for correcting the motion of the lancets while
travelling through the wood. h, h, hollow cast-iron columns for supporting
the framing r. e, the wheel for working the slide and rack f of the feeding
apparatus. m, column for supporting the end of the feeding table. Figure 2
shews a back view of the machine in the same position. The letters a, a,
b, b, g, h, h, and m, denote the same parts as in Figure 1. p is the driving
drum or pulley. 0, 0, 0, are set screws for regulating the position of the
following blades, and x is the bracket for supporting the end of the shaft.
Figure 3 is a transverse section of the machine through a vertical diameter of
the disc. b, b, are the boxes containing the lancets; h, the section of columns
showing holding-down bolt; r, the framing; p, p, the drums or pullies; x, the
back bracket; k, the block of wood to be operated upon; n, the clip for
holding it in position; and e the wheel for moving the rack and slide f.
Figure 4 shows a plan of the machine while in the position of Figures 1 and 2.
b, b, the boxes of lancets; g, the slot or guide for altering their motion from a

page_text: curve to a right line while passing through the wood; k, the block to be cut
up; n; the clip for holding it; and e the wheel for moving the slide f; r, the
framing supported on the columns; p, p, the drums; and y, y, the plummer
blocks for carrying the shaft. Figure 5 represents the following blade as
engaged in "the block. The dotted lines give it in another position. Figures
1, 2, 3, and 4 are drawn to a scale of one inch to one foot, and Figure 5 to a
scale of two inches to one foot. Now it is evident that the effect of a
following blade placed on a disc in the position here shewn will be that the
cutting edge will advance through the block from side to side at the same
time that it descends from end to end of the block, for in this case the block
is set upon its end in order to present the fibre sideways to the cutting edge of
the following blade; and it will be seen by Figure 5 that under this arrange-
ment one splint and parts of three or four more are engaged at a time with
the blade; it is not; therefore, so perfect a machine as that shewn on Sheet
No. 1, so far as it regards the bending of the splints' across the grain in the
process of cutting, but is nevertheless a great improvement in the machines
now in use.
Now, whereas I have shewn the lancet blades, driving gear, and feeding
table in both Sheets of Drawings, to make the Drawings more complete,
but have not deemed it necessary to describe them in detail, because they
are similar to those now in use, and form no part of my said improvements,
which relate only to the mode of applying the following blade to the block to
be cut into splints, and to the position in which that block is presented to the
following blade in order to be cut: And whereas I claim as my improvements,
first, the giving of such a motion to the following blade, when applied to
slice off the splints, as will cause its cutting edge to pass from top to bottom,
or from bottom to top, or from side to side, as the case may be, as well as
from end to end of the block to be cut; secondly, the presenting of the block
to be cut with the side of the fibre to the cutting edge of the following blade
instead of end on as heretofore; thirdly, the giving of the effect of the motion
obtained by my first improvement to the following blade, or nearly so, by
mounting the said blade on a revolving disc, as shewn on Sheet No. 2, and in
this case placing the block on its end to be cut, which thus brings the side of
the fibre to the cutting edge of the blade instead of the end of the fibre as
heretofore; and such my improvements being, to the best of my knowledge
and belief, entirely new, and never before used within that part of Her said
Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her
Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, nor in the Islands of
Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, nor in any of Her said Majesty's

page_text: Colonies or Plantations abroad, I do hereby declare this to be my Specification
of the same, and that I do verily believe this my said Specification doth
comply in all respects, fully and without reserve or disguise, with the proviso in
the said herein-before in part recited Letters Patent contained; wherefore I do
hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and privilege to my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Antonio James Mayer, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-six.