Improvements in the Manufacture of Wooden Blocks for Paving and Flooring.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 14th July, 1894
mplete Specification Left, 13th Apr., 1895-Accepted, 18th May, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Wooden Blocks for Paving
and Flooring.
I ROBERT YOUNG ARDAGH, of Oakland Villa, Bransford Road, Saint Johns.
Worcester, Factor, Timber Agent, and Contractor, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention consists in certain improvements in connection with wood blocks
such as described in the Patent granted to me and being No. 17698 of 1890 that is
to say, wood blocks made up of bars or prisins of wood so placed together as to form
blocks of a suitable size for use as wood block paving and flooring,
My first improvement consists in cutting the rectangular bars used in the formation
of each block from strips of wood of various cross sectional sizes so as to break the
joints between the various pieces.
My second improvement consists in dispensing with the clips of hoop iron to bind
together the bundles of bars forming the block and in the place thereof attaching
the bars to one another by cutting grooves in each corresponding in position to
grooves in its neighbour and placing therein strips of hoop iron thus tonguing
together the whole bundle forming the block; and it is not necessary to compress
the blocks as mentioned in the Specification of my before named Patent No. 17698
of 1890.
Or I may use wire in the grooves in place of the hoop iron. Or hold together
any desired number of bars cut with grooves as described, by means of wire laid
within the grooves and twined round the bundle forming the block, thus binding
them all together.
When using wire within grooves I may when desired place therein strips of metal
to prevent the possibility of the wire cutting through the grain of the wood.
Or I may pierce the bars with holes and thread them on wire in any desired
lengths and form blocks by clamping together with strips of hoop iron two or more
sets of bars thus threaded. Or instead of using lengths of wire I may use wire
spikes or nails and hammer down their points after passing them through the blocks
and hoop iron.
When using wire I may employ it so as to construct the whole of an area or space
continuously of these rectangular bars instead of forming them into bundles or
blocks. This I do by constructing a rectangular frame over which are stretched
parallel rows of wire placed say about one inch apart. Grooves are then cut in the
bars so that when they are placed upon the wires they can be slid up into position
by reason of the wires entering the grooves or slits. By this method floors of a
moderate size, trap door lids and spaces requiring to be covered with flooring may
be laid in one piece or in sections where larger areas require it.
By using framework and wire as above described and making the wire perfectly
taut this system of flooring may be used for suspended floors and bridging, and when
so applied I may place across the frame at convenient intervals bars of metal having
upon them indents or siukings which will fit over the wires and keep them rigidly
equidistant.
In some instances after having formed the bars into suitably sized blocks I may
bore or mortice the blocks so as to be able to thread them onto wire or steel rods

page_text: stretched between framework or girders and by clamping them together construct
a suspended roadway.
Dated this 12th day of July 1894.
HENRY F. TALBOT,
7, Cherry Street, Birmingham, Agent for the Applicant.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Wooden Blocks for Paving
and Flooring.
I, ROBERT YOUNG ARDAGH, of Oakland Villa, Bransford Road, St. Johns,
Worcester, Factor, Timber Agent and Contractor, 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:-
My invention consists in certain improvements in connection with wood blocks
such as described in the Patent granted to me and being No. 17698 of 1890, that is
to say wood blocks made up of bars or prisms of wood so placed together as to form
blocks of a suitable size for use as wood block paving and flooring.
In order to assist in the description of the invention reference may be had to the
accompanying drawings upon which similar letters of reference relate to similar
parts.
My first improvement consists in cutting the rectangular bars a a' Figs. 1 to 8
used in the formation of each block, of various cross sectional sizes, such for instance
as shewn in Figs. 1, 3, 5 and 7, thereby breaking the joints bb between the
various pieces.
My second improvement consists in dispensing with the clips of hoop iron for
binding together the bundles of bars forming the blocks, as described in my
Specification No. 17698 of 1890 and in the place thereof attaching the bars to one
another by cutting grooves in each, corresponding in position to grooves in its
neighbours and placing therein strips of hoop iron hard wood or the like, thus
tongueing together the whole bundle forming the block. c Figs. 2, 4 and 6 shews
grooves in the bars to receive the hoop iron as shewn at d Figs. 1, 3 and 5
respectively.
Or I may form grooves as at c¹ Fig. 8 round the outer faces of the bars and lay
therein wire as d' Fig. 7, fastening the ends of the wire by twisting them together
and hammering them into the grooves.
Or I may fix the bars together to form the block by piercing them with
holes e, e, e, Fig. 10, and passing through the holes wire spikes or nails Fig. 11
hammering down their points after passing them through the bars.
Or I may pierce the bars with holes as for instance as shewn in Fig. 10 and
thread them together upon wire in any desired lengths, clamping them together (or
not as desired) with hoop iron in grooves as before described, thus forming a
continuous paving of the wood consisting of the bars of wood instead of forming
them into separate blocks.
Or grooves may be cut in the bars as at c¹ Fig. 12 so that they may be slid upon
the wires into position. The wire may be stretched in any convenient way upon a
framework of metal. When sliding the bars on wire in the manner described. may
place within the grooves strips of metal such as shewn in enlarged view Fig. 9, to
prevent the possibility of the wire cutting through the grain of the wood.
By the means above described floors of moderate sizes, trap door lids, and the
like may be laid in one piece if desired.
By using framework and wire as above described and making the wire perfectly
taut this system of flooring may be used for suspended floors and bridging, and when

page_text: 80 applied I may place across the frame metal spacing bars with indents or sinkings
to fit over the wires and keep them rigidly the required distance apart to receive
the bare when threaded on.
In some instances after having formed the bars into suitably sized blocks such as
illustrated by Figs. 1 & 3 I may bore or mortice them as shewn at f Fig. 13 so as to
be able to thread them upon wire iron or steel rods or bars s and by clamping them
together construct a suspended roadway.
The blocks constructed in the manner described in this Specification do not
require to be compressed by machinery as was the case with my previous invention
described in Specification No. 17698 of 1890.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In the formation of wood paving blocks made up of a number of small bars of
various cross sectional sizes so arranged as to break the joints between the bars,
attaching them together by inserting hoop iron, hard wood, wire and the like in
grooves or through holes in the bars substantially as herein described.
2. Forming continuous flooring of small bars or prisms of wood by attaching them
together as described without previously making them up into separate bundles
or blocks.
3. Forming floors by carrying the bundles or blocks upon wire or metal bars as
set forth and described.
11005
HENRY F. TALBOT,
7, Cherry Street, Birmingham, Agent for the Applicant.