AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OUT AND REPLACING IMPERFECT PORTIONS OF VENEERS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London,
for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR
CUTTING OUT AND REPLACING IMPERFECT PORTIONS OF VENEERS." -A
communication from abroad by Aaron Hall Allen, of Boston,
Massachusetts, United States of America.
Sealed the 27th June 1873, and dated the 13th May 1873.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake,
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
and Declaration, on the 13th May 1873, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLLAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OUT AND REPLACING IMPERFECT PORTIONS
OF VENEERS," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my

page_text: executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for
the same, and have made solemn Declaration that that it has been
communicated to me from abroad by Aaron Hall Allen, of Boston,
Massachusetts, United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
scal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing forming
a part of this Specification:-
The appearance of veneers is nearly always marred or injured by
loose knots or imperfect or decayed portions, and as the veneers are
often made of rare and costly woods it is customary to remove these
imperfect portions and substitute new pieces therefor. Much time, skill,
and labor are however required to cut and fit these picces, and notwith-
standing the care used it is almost impossible to make a perfectly close
or tight joint.
'
My Invention is designed to overcome these difficulties, and consists
in a peculiar method of cutting out imperfect portions of vencers and
replacing them with new pieces, in which method I avail myself of the
principle that wood when compressed in a dry state will if wetted return
to its original size and shape, whereby an ordinary mechanic can readily
perform the operation in so perfect a manner that the joint is rendered
nearly or entirely invisible.

page_text: Figure 5 represents a piece cut out by the same punch to be fitted
into the opening in the veneer shown in Figure 4..
Figure 6 is a section through a vencer having a new piece fitted
therein in accordance with this Invention.
Figure 7 is a plan of the under side of a punch of a different form and
construction to that shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3.
Figure 8 is a vertical section on the line x, x, Figure 7.
A, Figure 4, represents a veneer from which an imperfect portion has
been cut by means of a punch; B, Figure 1, when the wood is in a dry
state leaving an opening b. This punch which may be round, oval,.or. of
other form and of any required size is made inclined or wedge shaped
from the cutting edge upward, both on the outside and inside, as seen in
Figure 2; and thus when the punch is forced through the vencer to cut
out its imperfect portion the wood all around the edge of the opening bis
compressed or forced outward, as seen in Figure 2, so that the size of the.
opening will slightly exceed that of the cutting edge of the punch.
A picce C, Figure 5, is then cut by the same punch out of a dry veneer
of the same thickness as the vencer A, the wedged shaped form of the
interior of the punch causing the wood to, be compressed or forced
inward, as seen in Figure 3. The piece C when cut is forced out of the
punch by a plunger D which is operated by a cross bar c, projecting
through slots & in the sides of the shank or stem of the punch; or the
plunger may be dispensed with and the piece of wood forced out by a
rod or other instrument inserted through an opening in the top of the
punch. The veener is now laid on a table or other smooth surface (I
prefer marble) and the piece C dropped into the opening b, after which
a picce e of paper or other suitable material having its surface covered
with thin glue or other wet adhesive compound is placed over it
and held down by a glass or other suitable weight. The paper e is of
sufficient size to overlap the edges of the opening 6 and serves to hold
the piece C in place.
The moisture of the glue on the paper e serves to damp that portion
of the veener A around the edge of the opening b which was compressed
by the punch, and also the piece C; this moistening of the wood
previously compressed causing it to expand and return to its original
size and shape when the piece C will completely fill the opening b, the
edges of the wood being forced by its expansion so tightly together that
,

page_text: the joint is rendered nearly or entirely invisible. If the wood should
not be rendered sufficiently wet by the glue on the paper e water may
be used if desired.
In order to still further guard against the detection of the line of the
joint the cutting edge of the punch is made with a series of curves or
corrugations which cause the edges of the opening 6 to conform as
nearly as possible to the curved or wavy lines of the grain of the wood
of which many vencers are composed. I therefore provide a number of
punches having differently curved or corrugated cutting edges, (Figures 1
and 7 illustrate two different forms) in order that one may be selected
whose cutting edge corresponds nearly to the lines of the particular
veneer to be cut.
From the foregoing description it will be seen that an ordinary
mechanic can easily and in a very short time remove an imperfect portion
of a vencer, and replace it with a new piece in so perfect a manner that
the joint cannot in a majority of cases be detected at all, thus not only
giving the work a superior finish but also effecting a very great saving
of time, labour, and expense. If desired the punch can be made
inclined or wedge shaped from the cutting edge upward on either the
inside or outside, only instead of both on the inside and outside, as shown,
without departing from the spirit of this Invention, and the cutting
edge can be made of any desired irregular shape instead of being
corrugated if desired.
Instead of the plunger D a plate G may be used as seen in Figure 7.
This plate G is on a level with the cutting edge of the punch, and is
attached thereto by screws f which are surrounded by rubber springs 9.
When the punch is forced through a veneer the wood raises the plate G
against the resistance of the springs g, the heads of the screws passing
up through the openings h, and on the withdrawal of the punch the
plate G is returned to its original position by its springs, causing the
piece cut by the punch to be instantly thrown out as desired.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the
same, I wish it understood that I claim, the method of cutting out
imperfect portions of veneers and fitting new pieces therein, substantially
as herein described, I also claim the punch B having its inside or
outside or both made inclined or wedge shaped from its cutting edge

page_text: upward, and with a corrugated or irregular shaped cutting edge in
combination with a plunger D or plate G operated by one or more
springs or otherwise, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of May,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-three.
Witness,
JAS. EDWARDS,
8, Southampton Buildings, .
London.
WN. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)