IMPROVEMENTS IN PLANING MACHINES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Ford Smith and Arthur Coventry,
of Gresley Iron Works, Salford, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineers and Tool Makers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN PLANING MACHINES."
Sealed the 12th July 1872, and dated the 31st January 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Ford Smith
and Arthur Coventry at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 31st January 1872.
We, WILLIAM FORD SMITH and ARTHUR COVENTRY, of Gresley Iron
Works, Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Engineers and Tool
Makers, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN PLANING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention consists in an improved arrangement and combination
of the mechanism.
The table does not work in V's as in ordinary machines, but on a
horizontal flat surface, lateral movement being prevented by vertical

page_text: surfaces formed upon two projections from the bed, and play is removed
by an adjustable rib or piece secured in the side of one of the projections
that comes against the corresponding vertical face upon the table, which
is actuated by a toothed rack.
Oil or lubricating matter is applied to each of the vertical slide faces
(and from thence it readily flows to the flat surfaces) by a disc pulley on
an inclined axis, so that its own weight tends to keep its face against the
slide, the lower edge of the disc working in a reservoir of oil. The discs
rotate against the vertical slide faces, and this keeps them supplied with
lubricating matter. In place of these discs any ordinary method of
lubricating may be used..
The mechanism for reversing the driving gear and self-acting the tool
slides is as follows:-The two finger projections against which the stops
on the table come at the end of each stroke, are placed upon a vertical
shaft having bearings in brackets secured to the side of the bed. This
vertical shaft has an arm which is connected by a rod with a slide carry-
ing the guide for traversing the belt to and fro on the driving pulleys.
The whole of this reversing mechanism may be mounted on the foot of
the bed.
The said vertical shaft has also another arm upon it that is connected
by a rod with an arm on an upright shaft in suitable bearings, which
thus receives the necessary. oscillating movements for traversing the tool
slide after each cut, and lifting the tool away from the work.
Another improvement which may be used in combination with those
above described consists in arrangements for readily changing the cutting
speed of the table when required, its back speed remaining constantly
the same.
This improvement is carried into effect by using two or more wheels
connected together to slide on a. fixed key on the driving shaft.. These
wheels are, or may be, moved by a clutch lever or other means to slide
one wheel out of gear, and bring the required wheel into gear with its
corresponding wheel on the driven shaft, which gives the cutting motion
to the table of the machine.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Ford Smith and Arthur Coventry in
the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th July 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS, SHALL COME, wc, WILLIAM
FORD SMITH and ARTHUR COVENTRY, of Gresley Iron Works, Salford,
in the County of Lancaster, Engineers and Tool Makers, send greeting.
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 seventy-two, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said William Ford Smith and Arthur
Coventry, Her special license that we, the said William Ford Smith
and Arthur Coventry, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said William Ford Smith and Arthur Coventry,
our 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 Invention .for
IMPROVEMENTS IN PLANING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said William Ford Smith and Arthur Coventry, by an
instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand
and seal of one of us, 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 Scal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
66
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said William Ford Smith and Arthur
Coventry, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement and accompanying
Drawings (that is to say) :-
Our Invention consists in an improved arrangement and combination
of the mechanism.

page_text: The table does not work in V's, as in ordinary machines, but on a
horizontal flat surface, lateral movement being prevented by vertical
surfaces formed upon two projections from the bed, and play is removed
by an adjustable rib or piece secured in the side of one of the projections
that comes against the corresponding vertical face upon the table, which
is actuated by a toothed rack.
Oil or lubricating matter is applied to each of the vertical slide faces
(and from thence it readily flows to the flat surfaces) by two or more disc
pulleys, each of which is placed so that its boss part is kept by a weight
or spring against the under face of the slide, the lower edge of the disc
working in a reservoir of oil. The discs rotate nearly close to the
vertical slide faces, and this keeps them supplied with lubricating
matter. The boss part of each disc also acts as a roller to carry oil to
the flat horizontal faces. In place of these discs any ordinary method
of lubricating may be used.
The mechanism for reversing the driving gear and self-acting the tool
slides is as follows:-The two finger projections, faced with steel, against
which the stops (also faced with steel) on the table come at the end of
each stroke, are placed upon a vertical shaft having bearings in brackets
secured to the side of the bed. This vertical shaft has an arm keyed
upon it, which is connected by a rod with a slide carrying the guide for
traversing the belt to and fro on the driving pulleys by a joint pin or
bolt, which also secures the strap guide, which is curved to an arc con-
centric with the driving pulleys. The whole of the reversing mechanism
may be mounted on the foot of the bed.
The said vertical shaft has also another arm upon it (solid with the
two fingers or tumblers) that is connected by a rod with an arm on an
upright shaft in suitable bearings, which thus receives the necessary
oscillating movements for traversing the tool slide after each cut, and
lifting the tool away from the work.
Another improvement which may be used in combination with those
above described consists in arrangements for readily changing the cutting
speed of the table when required, its back speed remaining constantly
the same.
This improvement is carried into effect by using two or more wheels
connected together to slide on a fixed key on the driving shaft. These
wheels are or may be moved by a clutch lever or other means to slide

page_text: press the boss part of the disc upwards against the under face of the
table in place of using a lever weight.
The adjustable stops d and d' for the reversing gear act horizontally,
their faces being formed of hardened cast-steel pieces, secured to the stops
by screws so as to be readily replaced or packed out when worn. These
stops act upon the two fingers e of a tumbler piece, which are each faced
with a hardened cast-steel piece, secured by screws or rivets. The
tumble piece has an arm e¹, solid with the two arms (e), acted upon by
the stops, which is jointed with one end of a rod e³, also jointed at its
other end with an arm f, keyed or otherwise secured on a vertical
shaft f, having bearings on the side framing. Upon the vertical shaft
there is a mitre wheel, having bearings in the cross slide g, or it is
arranged between projections from the said slide to slide on a fixed key
up and down the vertical shaft f. This mitre wheel geers with the
segment of a mitre forming one end of a lever centred on a stud in the
cross slide, the end of this arm or lever (g¹) being connected by a rod g²
with another arm g³, secured to one of the pulleys for producing the
feeding and tool lifting movements in the ordinary manner.
The shaft e³ to which the tumbler is secured works in bearings attached
to the framing, and to its lower end an arm or lever et is secured, and
the end of this arm is slotted to facilitate the adjustment of the move-
ment to be imparted to the strap guide. In the said slot in the arm a
pin or stud is secured, to which one end of a rod e³ is jointed, the other
end being jointed with a pin or bolt, secured in a bar e, made to slide in
bearings in suitable brackets or standards.
The stud or bolt forming the joint pin or bolt for the connecting rod
passes through a slot in the part e (see detached plan view, Fig 7),
carrying the belt guide, so that this pin can be screwed tight to secure
the belt guide when adjusted, in the length way of the slide bar e³.
The part e carrying the belt guide is formed to a curve, which is
annular to the driving pulleys, and is slotted so that the guide es can be
adjusted to any required position to suit the inclination of the driving
belt. This guide piece has a slot in it for the belt to pass through
(see detached plan section, Fig. 8), and it can be turned on its axis in the
curved part e to diminish the width of the space through which the a
belt can pass clear, thus preventing it from twisting under the action of
the guide, as happens when the belt is left free, and is only acted upon

page_text: by the guide at its two edges.. h is the driving pulley working loose on
the shaft i, having a pinion on its boss that is geered with the wheel on
the shaft a³, this driving pulley being the one which causes the table to
move back after each cut; is the loose pulley upon which the belt
works when the machine is stopped; ; is the driving pulley fast on the
shaft i, which has two or more wheels upon it, connected together by
their bosses, and which can be slided upon the shaft i upon a fixed,
key.
Two wheels are shown, one of them (j) being in geer with a.
wheel (¹) on the shaft k, which has a pinion upon its end that geers.
with the wheel on the end of the shaft a³. The wheel j' can be slided
out of geer with the wheel k¹, and the other wheel j* into geer with the.
wheel ², also on the shaft k. This may be done by means of a part ³,,
secured upon a bar k', sliding in suitable bearings, which bar is moved
to effect a change of geer by a handle k³ on a suitable fulcrum. The
machine is stopped. by means of the handle f, by bringing the driving
belt upon the middle pulley (¹), and the reversing geer is held in this
position by a screw eº, which acts upon a dic to force it against the
upright shaft, this screw being turned by a handle ex, and thus the
geering is held from moving by friction.
Friction may be applied to any other convenient part of the reversing
geering for the purpose of holding it.
The object attained, by using friction for the purpose above named,
being to prevent the breakage which frequently occurs when rigid stops
or catches are used to hold the mechanism, which rigid stops do not givo
way like a friction arrangement when the stops on the table are brought
by its momentum accidentally against the tumbler.
We have now particularly described the nature of our said Invention,
and the mode of carrying it into effect, and claim as our Invention,―
Firstly. The arrangement and combination of the table and bed of
planing and like machines, so that the slides and slide ways are formed
by flat horizontal and vertical surfaces, the table being actuated by one
or more racks and pinions, substantially as herein-before described and
illustrated by the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly. The system or mode of lubricating the sides of the planing
machines referred to in our first claim by means of rotating discs,

page_text: arranged substantially as herein-before described and illustrated by the
Drawings.
Thirdly. The combination and arrangement of the reversing geer, as
herein-before described and illustrated by the Drawings; the hardened
steel faces to the stops and tumbler, the making of the tumbler
fingers (e) and arm (e¹) in one solid piece, the arrangement and mode of
constructing the parts e³, e³, e³, e³, and e³, and the system of holding the
geering by the screw eº and handle e*, or other equivalent friction
arrangement, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated by
the Drawings.
Fourthly. The arrangement for readily changing the cutting speed of
planing machines, while the back speed remains constant, substantially
as herein-before described and illustrated by the Drawings.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Ford Smith and Arthur
Coventry, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty- ]
fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-two.
W. FORD SMITH.
(L.S.)
ARTHUR COVENTRY. (L.S.)