IMPROVED MACHINERY POR CUTTING DOVETAILS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY POR CUTTING DOVETAILS."-A com-
munication from abroad by Thomas Haley Burley, Charles Henry
Phelps, and William James Lowerra, all of New York, in the United
States of America.
Sealed the 29th June 1860, and dated the 31st January 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st January 1860.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING DOVETAILS," to be as
follows:-
The object of this Invention is to obtain a machine for cutting dovetails
such as extend entirely through the work, and are used for securing together
the sides of boxes and similar purposes.
The Invention consists in the employment or use of rotary cutters arranged
with moveable beds on which the work is placed, whereby the dovetails may be
rapidly and perfectly formed, and applied to cheap work, such as common boxes,
which could not hitherto be done on account of the expense of forming the
dovetails.

page_text: The machine consists of a rectangular frame on which two parallel shafts
are mounted, and run in suitable bearings. To one shaft a series of arms are
attached radially or at right angles. These arms are of equal length, and
project from the shaft at opposite points in two rows. To the end of each arm
a cutter is attached obliquely. These cutters are of chisel form, and are
connected to the arms by set screws which pass through slots in the cutters,
and adinit of the adjustment of the same. In the main frame is placed a
vertical frame, which has a vertical rack at each side of it, and on the top of
this frame a tilting bed is placed to receive the wood to be operated upon.
This tilting bed is fitted on centres so that it may be inclined in either direction.
The front edge of the bed is recessed in order to allow the cutters to pass
through and permit the bed to thoroughly support the work while being acted
on by the cutters. Another shaft is mounted on the main framing in suitable
bearings, and is provided at two opposite points with radial plates which each
have arms at their outer edges, and to each arm a cutter is attached; the
cutters are precisely similar to the cutters of the other shaft, but they have a
different position relatively with their shaft, the cutters of the shaft with radial
plates being placed in oblique planes, such position being due to the taper form
of the radial plates. On the main frame and at the outer side of the last-
mentioned shaft is placed another bed to receive the work. This bed has
racks attached to its under surface, one at each side, and into these racks gear
pinions on a horizontal shaft below. The inner edge of this bed is notched or
recessed to allow the cutters to pass through while acting on the work. The
inner edge of the bed is oblique and parallel with the planes in which the rows
of cutters are placed. The outer part of the bed is attached to the racks by
pivots, and through the inner part of the bed set screws pass in order to adjust
the position of the bed as circumstances may require.
By the inclined position of certain of the rotary cutters and the oblique
direction in which the wood is brought to be operated upon by the cutters, the
tongues and dovetails will be cut out in the required form.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters, Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 31st July 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the, County 3
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said
William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Edward Newton, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING DOVETAILS," being a communi-
cation from abroad, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Edward Newton, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
The object of this Invention is to obtain a machine for cutting dovetails of
the ordinary form which extend entirely through the work, and are used for
securing together the sides of boxes and similar articles.
The Invention consists in the employment or use of rotary cutters arranged
with moveable beds on which the work is placed, whereby the dovetails may be
rapidly and perfectly formed, thus rendering them applicable to cheap work,
such as common boxes, to which they could not hitherto be applied by reason
of the expense of forming the dovetails.
In the accompanying Drawing, Figure 1 is a plan or top view of the machine;
Figure 2, a side elevation of the same; Figure 3 is a horizontal section of the
framing of the machine, showing a plan of the arrangement for feeding;
Figure 4 is an end view of the framing; and Figure 5 is a perspective view
of the dovetail joint formed by the improved machinery, the joint being discon-
nected. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several
Figures.
A is a rectangular frame, which may be constructed in any suitable way to

page_text: support the working parts of the machine. On the upper part of this frame A,
To one shaft B
two parallel shafts B, C, are mounted in suitable bearings a.
a series of arms 6 are attached radially or at right angles; these arms are of
equal length, and project from the shaft at opposite points in two rows,
as shown in Figure 1. To the end of each arm a cutter c is attached obliquely..
These cutters are of chisel form, and are connected to the arms by set screws d,
which pass through slots in the cutters, and admit of the adjustment of the
same to compensate for wear. The position of the cutters c, relatively with their
arms b, is plainly shown in Figure 2. In the frame A and at the outer side of
the shaft B, there is placed a vertical frame D, which has a vertical rack e at
each side of it, and on the top of this frame D a tilting bed E is placed, said
bed being to receive the wood to be operated upon. This tilting bed is fitted
on centres f, f, so that it may be inclined in either direction, as shown in black
and red in Figure 4, and secured in either position by a catch g. The front
edge of the bed E is recessed, as shown at h, Figure 1, in order to allow the
cutters to pass through, and permit the bed to thoroughly support the work
while being acted on by the cutters. Into each rack e, e, of the frame Da
pinion i gears. These pinions are placed on a shaft F, on which are also placed
two toothed wheels j, k, one of which, j, is considerably larger than the other,
k, as shown in Figure 3. Into the large wheel j gears a pinion 1, which is
mounted on a sleeve m, that turns loosely on a shaft G. On this shaft there
is another sleeve n, with a pinion o on it, the pinion o being connected by a
train of wheels p with the smaller wheel k on the shaft F. To the inner end of
the sleeve a conical head q is attached, and to the inner end of the sleeve m
there is secured a socket r. On the shaft G, between the head q and the socket »,
a sleeve s is placed loosely, but connected to the shaft by a feather and groove.
This sleeves has a socket t at one end and a conical head at the other, and
by adjusting this sleeves, either sleeve, m or n, may be connected and made to
turn with the shaft G as desired. To the shaft C radial plates a' are attached
at two opposite points. These plates are each provided witli arms at their
outer edges, and to each arm a cutter c' is attached. The cutters c' are pre-
cisely similar to the cutters c of shaft B, but they have a different position
relatively with their shaft, the cutters c. being placed in 'oblique planes, as
shown in Figure 2, in consequence of the taper form of the radial plates a'.
On the frame A, and at the outer side of the shaft C, a bed H is placed.
This bed has racks d attached to its under surface, one at each side, and into
these racks gear pinions e¹, e¹, on a shaft I below. The inner edge of the bed
I is notched or recessed, as shown at f', to allow the cutters c¹ to pass through
while acting on the work. The inner edge of the bed II is oblique and parallel

page_text: with the planes in which the rows of cutters c¹ are placed.
The outer part of
the bed H is attached to the racks d' by pivots 9', and through the inner
part of the bed EI set screws h¹ pass, in order to adjust the position of the bed
as circumstances may require. On each bed E, H, a clamp bar J is placed;
and these bars rest on springs, and have their ends fitted on guides o³, on
which nuts are fitted.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-In order to cut the pins ¹ of
the dovetail, the board is secured on the bed E by its clamp bar J, the inner
edge of the board being flush with the inner edge of the bed E. The
frame D is lowered to the extent of its downward movement, and motion is
given to the shaft G by any convenient power. The operator, by actuating a
lever m' and shifting the sleeve s, connects the sleeve m with the shaft G, and
the pinion rotates the shaft F through the medium of the wheel j. The
pinions i, i, in consequence of gearing into the racks e, e, of the frame D, elevate
this frame and the bed E, and the latter is inclined so that the cutters c as
they rotate will cut the inner edge of the board 1, and form rectangular
recesses with oblique sides, the obliquity of the sides being due to the incli-
nation of the bed. When the recesses are cut the operator, by shifting the
sleeves, connects the other sleeven, and consequently the pinion o, with the
shaft G, and the frame D and bed E are fed downwards, and when fully
depressed the sleeve s is again shifted so as to connect the pinion with the
shaft G. The operator then shifts the position of the bed E, so that it will be
iuclined in an opposite position, and as the bed E ascends, the sides of the
recesses in the board ', acted on by the cutters, will be cut in an opposite
oblique position with the ribs first cut, and the pins will be formed as
shown in Figure 5. In order to cut the recesses a* of the dovetail that receive
the pins, the board 6* is secured on the bed H in an oblique position, which
is determined by guides (see Figure 1). The inner edge of the board bis
adjusted flush with the inner edge of the bed H, and the bed H, as the cutter c'
rotates, is fed by turning the shaft I toward the cutters, which will cut in the
inner edge of the board recesses with parallel sides. When the first cut is
made the bed II is moved back, the board is inverted on the bed II, and a
succeeding cut is made. By this arrangement the recesses are made in dove-
tail form, as shown at a, Figure 5, to receive the pins . This machine
performs its work rapidly and well, and all dovetailing which extends
entirely through the work, such as dovetailing for boxes, may be done at a
small expense.
Having now described this Invention of improved machinery for cutting
dovetails, and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, as

page_text: communicated to me by my foreign correspondent as aforesaid, I claim as the
Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as aforesaid, the combined use of
the rotary cutters c in connection with the rising and falling tilting bed E, and
of the rotary cutters c¹ (placed in planes baving oblique positions with their
shaft C) in connection with the horizontally moving bed H, provided with an
oblique inner edge or an edge parallel with the planes in which the cutters c¹
work, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Thirty-first day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)