Improvements in Wood Planing and Moulding Machines with both Rotary and Fixed Knives or Cutters.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 15th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 4th Feb., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wood Planing and Moulding Machines with both
Rotary and Fixed Knives or Cutters.
THOMAS JAMES WILKIE 83 Quicks Road South Wimbledon Surrey Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
This invention has for its object improvements in planing & moulding machines,
having fixed knives or cutters, as well as rotary cutters, (in the same machine)
& relates more particularly to the arrangement of the feeding or propelling rollers,
for the timber to be planed, or moulded, whereby greater propelling power is
obtained; & much greater thickness of timber can be planed, or moulded, by such
machines, than heretofore.
The invention is applied to machines, in which 4 feeding rollers are driven by a
train of gearing, driving 2 rollers above, & 2 rollers below, the material to be fed.
Instead of mounting the bearings for the 2 top feed rollers in hinges or carrying
arms, which said arms, are free to move around one fixed axis, common to both,
mount the bearings for the 2 top feed rollers, in one frame or carriage, in which
the bearings for these rollers are at a fixed distance apart, corresponding to the
distance between the 2 lower feed rollers, thus the upper or top feed rollers, are
always directly above the lower feed rollers, no matter what thickness of timber is
being passed through the machines.
My object in thus carrying the 2 top feeding rollers, is to obtain greater
propelling power, for forcing the timber to be planed or moulded, through the
machine, & also to permit of timber of much greater thickness, being passed
through planing & moulding machines having fixed knives as well & rotary cutters
(in the same machine) than has heretofore been the case, in such machines."
The frame or carriage, in which the bearings for the top feed rollers are mounted,
can be raised or lowered to suit for timbers of various thicknesses either by racks
& pinions, or by screws, but I prefer to use racks & pinions.
The gearing for connecting the 2 upper feed rollers, with the 2 lower feed rollers,
can be arranged in any suitable manner.
Dated this 1st day of March 1892.
THOMAS JAMES WILKIE.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wood Planing and Moulding Machines with both
Rotary and Fixed Knives or Cutters.
I, THOMAS JAMES WILKIE, of Grosvenor Road, St. Albans, Herts, late of
83 Quicks Road South Wimbledon, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, 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 :—
This invention relates to wood planing and moulding machines, and more
particularly to such machines wherein in addition to rotary chipping cutters, fixed
knives or cutters are employed for taking off shavings of the whole width or thickness
of the plank or piece of timber to be planed or moulded. Heretofore it has been
customary to feed or propel the material to be planed or moulded past the cutters
by two or four pairs of revolving feed rollers driven by suitable gearing, the said
feeding rollers acting upon the upper and lower faces of the material.
These feeding rollers are so arranged that the upper edges of the lower rollers
Pine Rd 1

page_text: are level with the fixed table or bed of the machine upon which the board to be
planed or moulded is supported, while the upper rollers can be raised or lowered by
suitable mechanism to accomodate boards of different thicknesses.
Hitherto it has been the practice to couple each pair of upper feed rollers by
suitable links to the axis carrying the wheel by which motion is communicated to
the said rollers, and around this axis which is intermediate of the two rollers the said
links are able to turn freely. This system is open to the objection that for only one
thickness of timber are the axes of the top rollers directly over those of the bottom
rollers which position is the most effective for exerting the greatest propelling power,
and moreover this arrangement has the further disadvantage that it limits the
thickness of material that can be fed through the machine.
I will now proceed to describe my invention with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which
Figure 1 is a side elevation of so much of a wood planing machine fitted with my
improvements as is necessary to illustrate my invention.
Figure 2 is a transverse section on the line, a of Figure 3.
Figure 3 is a plan of the machine.
A is the bed of the machine. B B are the stationary knives. CC are the rotary
knives. DD are the top feed rollers. EE are the bottom feed rollers.
Instead of mounting the said top feed rollers D in bearings on radial arms or links
I carry each pair in a rigid frame F the roller bearings in which are so placed that
the axes of the two top rollers are the same distance apart as the axes of the two
lower rollers. I mount the said frame between upright guides G fixed to the main
frame of the machine and provide for raising and lowering the said frame F by
means of racks H and pinions I or by screws or equivalent means to accommodate
timber of different thicknesses. Thus for any and every thickness of timber
between the extreme limits of movement of the frame F the axes of the upper pair'
of feeding rollers are always directly over the axes of the lower pair of feeding
rollers and are able to exert the maximum of propelling power. The thickness of
timber which can be fed in such machines is practically unlimited, as the moving
roller frame can be constructed to have any desired lift. A thick plank J is shown
passing between the rollers D and E.
Motion is communicated to the lower pair of feeding rollers E by a shaft K
placed between them, which shaft is driven by a shaft K° having on it suitable
driving pulleys. A gear wheel K on the shaft K engages with a gear wheel L
fixed on each of the roller shafts E' of the rollers E and from the said driving shaft
motion is communicated to the upper pair of feeding rollers D preferably by
an idle gear wheel M arranged to gear with a wheel on the driving shaft K
and another wheel O on the shaft of one of the upper feeding rollers. The two
upper feed rollers are geared to each other by an intermediate pinion O' turning in
bearings on the frame F, and gearing with the wheels 0 0 on the shafts of the
rollers. The spindle on which the idle wheel M revolves is linked by links P P1
to the driving shaft and to the shaft of the upper feed roller to which motion is
first communicated. The idle wheel is thus maintained in gear with the upper feed
roller driving wheel and with the driving shaft while the frame carrying the upper
rollers is quite free to be raised and lowered. I may employ in the same machine
one or more sets of upper and lower feed rollers arranged and driven as above
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
First. In wood planing and moulding machines of the kind herein referred to,
mounting the upper feeding rollers in pairs in such a manner that the axes of each
upper pair of rollers are directly above the axes of the lower pair of rollers for any
and every thickness of timber, for the purpose specified.
Second. In wood planing and moulding machines of the kind herein referred to,
mounting the upper feeding rollers in pairs in a rigid frame which is capable of

page_text: rising and falling between guides, substantially as described, for the purpose
specified.
Third. In wood planing and moulding machines of the kind herein referred to,
the combination, with pairs of lower stationary feeding rollers, of upper feeding
rollers mounted in a rigid frame, rack and pinion gear for raising and lowering said
frame, and intermediate gear connected by links to the axes of the driving shaft
and the driven wheel of the feed roller to which motion is first cominunicated
substantially as described, for the purpose specified.
Fourth. A wood planing and moulding machine of the kind herein referred to
having my improvements incorporated therewith or embodied therein, substantially
as described.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.