IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY POR CUTTING VENEERS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Florentin Garand, of Paris, in the Empire of France,
and of 46, Regent Street, Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY POR CUTTING VENEERS."
Sealed the 7th March 1856, and dated the 7th September 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Florentin Garand at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th
September 1855.
I, FLORENTIN GARAND, of Paris, in the Empire of France, and of 46, Regent
3 Street, Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
'IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY POR CUTTING VENEERS" to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to a novel construction of machinery for cutting
logs or blocks of wood into veneers by means of a plane, bit, or knife, so as to
avoid the waste of material attendant upon the mode of skimming the wood,
as usual.
The machine, which is especially designed for severing or disintegrating
fibrous wood, is shewn on the annexed Drawings, Sheet 1, where Fig. 1 is a top
plan of my improved machine; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal elevation; and Fig. 3
is a section, shewing the way in which the wood is supported, and also the
knife holder in the act of cutting. The same letters of reference stand for like
parts in the different Figures.
This machine consists of a strong framing, with four sides a, a, resting upon
and secured to heavy foundations in the ground. The two sides a, a, serve to

page_text: the same.
support the plate or table b, upon which the log of wood x is held; this plate is
maintained from behind by means of brackets 6', so as to resist the action of
the blade; the blade is mounted in a carriage c, which slides on the frame
sides a.
The two sides a¹ support the bearings of a shaft carrying pulleys.
The pulleys d, d, are loose on their shaft, and between them I place a clutch
box e, which is made to gear at will with either one or the other of the pulleys
d, d'. The pulley shaft also carries a pinion f, which gears into a wheel g on a
shaft, each end of which carries a pinion h, both these pinions gearing into two
strong racks i, which are secured to the carriage c, for the purpose of moving
The counter shaft above has two pulleys, which, by means of an
open and crossed strap, respectively drive the pulleys d, d¹, in opposite direc-
tions; hence, by throwing the clutch box e into gear with one or the other of
these pulleys, the blade carriage c is moved either in one way or in the other.
The racks pushing the carriage, a leaf is cut off the log of wood a, this leaf
issuing through an opening in the carriage; and in order to bring the carrage
back, the clutch box e is thrown into gear with the other pulley by means of
the levers. The log of wood a rests upon the plate a', which is mounted
upon four screws k, passing through large nuts, which are toothed and set in
motion by an endless chain, that is driven by a shaft 7 by means of a pinion
gearing into the endless chain, thus affording the means of raising or lowering
the wood equally throughout. In order to render this contrivance self-acting,
I secure a star wheel on the shaft l, and a tappet or finger being fixed
to the blade carrier c, the wood is raised a little at each to and fro motion of
the carriage.
Another machine, which I use for knotty or fibrous wood, is shewn on
Sheet 2 of the annexed Drawings, where Fig. 1 is a plan of the veneer-cutting
machine; Fig. 2, a longitudinal elevation of the table part; Fig. 3, a vertical
section, taken through the middle of the plate or table; and Fig. 4 shews a
section of the circular table with two kinds of knives.
This machine consists of two supports a, on the upper portion of which the
blade holder slides to and fro. The carriage receives a rectilinear recipro-
cating motion, which is given by means of the connecting rods C, and also
another motion perpendicular to the former is given to it by means of the con-
necting rod d. The pulley e is loose upon the shaft, and is driven by means of
a strap, and its boss is thrown into gear with a clutch box e. The shaft
carrying these two parts has at each end a pinion gearing each into a large
wheel; on the arm of both these pinions there are studs that act like crank
pins, for setting in motion the connecting rods c, for giving rectilinear motion
to the knife. The shaft carrying said two wheels acting like cranks, also

page_text: gear
carries two wheels f and that
9,
a second shaft, which is placed under the first. The diameter of the wheel
which gears into f is only half the diameter of the same, and the wheel gearing
into g has the same diameter, and either one or the other of these wheels f
and g may be driven by a clutch box; and a bevel wheel i being fixed upon
the second shaft, whatever motion be given to the said bevel wheel, the said
shaft will always drive the crank i', by means of the wheel j on the shaft j¹
and the two bevel wheels k. This circular motion of the crank is converted
into a reciprocating to and fro motion by the connecting rod d, so as to move
the blade carriage 6 transversely. The diameter of the wheelf being twice as
large as that into which it gears, it is evident that the crank ¹ causes two
complete motions to be performed by one revolution. By this arrangement,
then, the blade carriage 6 receives simultaneously two motions, viz., one which
is. parallel to the axis of the machine, and the other perpendicular to it, thus
facilitating the action of the knife, and allowing it to cut even the most knotty
or toughest kinds of wood. In this machine the wood that is to be cut is
secured to a plate or table m by means of a press, which is actuated by four
pinions gearing into the four racks m², the pinions are driven by means of
gearing and a crank in. The plate or table m is confined in a drum n, which
is supported at the circumference by means of supports o; in the inside of this
drum the plate m is sustained by four screws p, which fit into four nuts that
gear into the centre wheel q, by driving which the wood fixed upon the, plate
or table m may be raised or lowered. This motion may be produced by means
of the winch 1, or by the star wheels, which is secured on the winch shaft.
This wheel, the same as shewn above, receives a portion of a turn by means of
finger on the carriage. It is obvious, that in order to change the thickness
of the leaves there cut, nothing but the pitch of the star wheels need be altered.
I also fix a toothed arc of a circle upon one portion of the circumference of the
drum n, and by means of this sector and a pinion that is driven by a winch,
the wood may be inclined so as to assume the best position for cutting. The
blade must be thick enough for cutting into it dovetailed slots t close to each
other, as shown at Figs. 5 and 6, Sheet 2, in side and end view; and into
These
these slots fit uprights t', which pass through the blade holder.
uprights are screwed at their upper parts, and carry nuts, by which the blade
is firmly secured to the blade carriago. The latter is mounted upon two
points, upon which it can turn, and is maintained in its exact position by
means of set screws u', Fig. 4; but near the upper portion the blade holder
is united to the carriage by means of a row of screws, one half of which bear
against the blade holder and the other screws into it; upon these screws I fix
into two other wheels that are loose upon

page_text: bevel wheels v, into which the bevel wheels v¹ gear, the latter being mounted
upon a shaft that may be driven by means of a handle v. The bevel wheels v
upon the set screws gear with a set of wheels that are keyed in the opposito
direction to those that gear into the bevel wheels upon the other screws v², so
that by turning the shaft of the bevel wheels v' some screws are screwed in
and others out, thus modifying the position of the blade with respect to the
wood to be cut by merely turning the handle a little to the right or left. In
front of the machine there is a box, Fig. 4, filled with water or steami, and
the bottom of this box being perforated, the wood is softened by the application
of steam previously to being cut.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Florentin Garand in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th March 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FLORENTIN
GARAND, of Paris, Empire of France, and of 46, Regent Street, London, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Florentin Garand, Her special licence that I, the said Florentin Garand,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Florentin
Garand, 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 Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR CUTTING VENEERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Florentin Garand, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Florentin Garand, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-

page_text: formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
These improvements relate to a novel construction of machinery for cutting
logs or blocks of wood into voncers by means of a plane, bit, or knife, so as to
avoid the waste of material attendant upon the mode of sawing the wood, as
usual. For this purpose I generally use two kinds of machines, which I will
now fully describe, reference being had to the annexed Sheets of Drawings.
The machine, which is especially designed for disintegrating comparatively
soft or plain kinds of wood, is shewn on the annexed Drawing, Sheet 1, where
Fig. 1 is a top plan of my improved machine; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal eleva-
tion; Fig. 3 is an end view of the machine, from the end where the wood is
held; Fig. 4 is a front clevation of the same; Fig. 5 is a section, shewing the
way in which the wood is supported, and also the knife holder in the act of
cutting. The same letters of reference stand for like parts in the different
Figures.
This machine consists of a strong framing with four sides a, a', resting upon
and secured to heavy foundations in the ground. The two sides a, a, serve to
support the plate or table b, upon which the log of wood a is held; this plate
is maintained from behind by means of brackets b', so as to resist the action of
the blade. The blade is mounted in a carriage c, which slides on the frame
sides a. The two sides a' support the bearings of a shaft carrying pulleys d, d',
both of which are driven from any suitable driving shaft. The pulleys d, d',
are loose on their shaft, and between them I place a clutch box e, which is
made to gear at will with either one or the other of the pulleys d, d'. The
pulley shaft carries a pinion f, which gears into a wheel g on a shaft, and on
each end of this shaft there is a pinion h, both these pinions gearing into two
strong racks i, which are secured to the carriage c for the purpose of moving
the same. The driving shaft above mentioned has two pulleys, which, by
means of an open and crossed strap, respectively drive the pulleys d, d', in
opposite directions; hence, by throwing the clutch box e into gear with one or
the other of these pulleys, the blade carriage c is moved either in one way or in
the other. The racks pushing the carriage, a leaf is cut off the log of wood a;
this leaf issues through an opening in the carriage, and in order to bring the
carriage back the clutch box e need only be thrown into gear with the other
pulley by means of the levers j. The log of wood a rests upon the plate a',
which is mounted upon four screws k, passing through large nuts, which are
toothed, and set in motion by an endless chain, that is driven by a shaft / by
means of a pinion gearing into the endless chain, thus affording the means of
raising or lowering the wood equally throughout. In order to render this con-

page_text: trivance self-acting, I secure a star wheel l'on the shaft l, and a tappet or
hinged finger being fixed to the blade carrier c, the wood is raised a little at
cach to and fro motion of the carriage.
I would also here observe, that instead of the clutch box e, above described,
any other usual and convenient mode of reversing the motion may be used.
The machine which I use for knotty, tough, or rooty wood is shewn on
Sheets 2 & 3 of the annexed Drawings; where Fig. 1 is a plan of the veneer-
cutting machine; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal elevation; Fig. 3 is a vertical section,
taken through the middle of the plate or table; Fig. 4 is an elevation of
the machine, from the driving end; Fig. 5 shews a section of the circular
table, with the ordinary knife, the same as that of the first machine, and in the
same position as at Fig. 1 (Sheets 2 & 3), and also a novel kind of kuife
(Fig. 5) in the act of cutting.
This machine consists of two supports a, on the upper portion of which the
blade holder slides to and fro. The carriage here receives a straight recipro-
cating motion, which is given to it by means of the connecting rods c, and also
another motion perpendicular to the former is given to it by means of the
connecting rod d. The pulley e is loose upon the shaft, and is driven by means
of a strap, and its boss is thrown into gear with a clutch box e'. The shaft
carrying these two parts has at each end a pinion gearing each into a large
wheel; on the arms of both these large wheels there are studs that act like
crank pins for setting in motion the connecting rods c, and thus imparting
rectilinear motion to the knife. The shaft carrying the said two wheels acting
like cranks, also carries two wheels f and 9, that gear into two other wheels
that are loose upon a second shaft, which is placed under the first. The
diameter of the wheel which gears into f is only half the diameter of the same,
and the wheel gearing into g has the same diameter, and either one or the
other of these wheels gearing into ƒ and g may be driven by means of a clutch
box on the second shaft, and thus double or single speed may be obtained for
the transverse motion, as the nature of the wood may require. A bevel wheel i
is fixed upon the said under shaft, and gears into a similar bevel wheel on the
shaft ; thus, whatever motion be given to the bevel wheel i, which is on
the said shaft, the crank is driven by means of the wheel jon the shaft j' and
the two bevel wheels k. This circular motion of the crank is converted into a
rectilinear to and fro motion by the connecting rod d, so as to move the blade
carriage transversely once or twice at each longitudinal stroke. By this
arrangement the blade carriage b receives simultaneously two motions, viz.,
one which is parallel to the axis of the machine, and the other perpendicular
to it, thus facilitating the action of the knife and allowing it to cut even the

page_text: most resisting kinds of wood. In this machine the wood that is to be cut is
secured to a slotted plate or table m by means of a press m', which is actuated
racks m³; the pinions are driven by
The plate m is confined in a drum n,
by four pinions gearing into the four
means of bevel gearing and a crank m³.
which is supported at the circumference by means of uprights o (Fig. 1); the
plate m is sustained inside this drum by four screws p, which fit into four nuts
that gear into the centre wheel q, by driving which the wood fixed upon the
plate or table m may be raised or lowered. This motion may be produced by
means of the winch 2, or by the star wheel s, which is secured on the winch
shaft. This wheel, the same as shewn above, receives a portion of a turn by
means of a finger s' on the carriage. It is obvious, that in order to change
the thickness of the leaves thus cut, only the pitch of the star wheels need be
altered. I also fix a toothed arc of a circle upon one portion of the circum-
ference of the drum n, and by means of this sector and a pinion that is driven
by a winch r', the wood may be turned horizontally, so as to assume the best
position for cutting. The improved construction of the knife above alluded to
consists in making the blade thick enough for cutting into it dovetail slots t
close to each other, as shewn at Figs. 6 and 7, Sheet 3, in side and end
view, and into these slots I fit uprights t', which pass through the blade;
these uprights aro screwed at their upper parts and carry nuts, by which the
blade is firmly secured to the blade carriage. The latter is mounted upon
two points u, upon which it can turn, and is maintained in its exact position
by means of set screws ', Fig. 5*, but near the upper portion the blade
holder is united to the carriage by means of a row of screws, one
half of which bear against the blade holder, and the other screw into it.
Upon these screws I fix bevel wheels v, into which the bevel wheels v'. gear,
the latter being mounted upon a shaft that may be driven by means of a
handle v. The bevel wheels v upon the set screws gear with a set of
wheels that are keyed in the opposite direction to those that gear into the
bevel wheels upon the other screws, so that, by turning the shaft of the
bevel wheels v', some screws are screwed in and others out, thus modifying
the position of the blade with respect to the wood to be cut, by inerely
turning the handle a little to the right or left. In front Z of the blade
carriage there is a box z, Fig. 5*, filled with water or steam, and the bottom
of this box boing perforated, the wood is softened by the application of steam
or water previously to being cut.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be carried into effect, I wish it to be distinctly
understood that I do not confine myself to any particular combination of

page_text: the constructive details herein-before set forth; but what I claim as the
distinctive features of the above-described improvements in veneer-cutting
machines, and as therefore being secured to me by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the oblique position and action of the cutting knife, as described with
reference to the machine, represented on Sheet 1.
Second, the use and application to both the machines described of a perfo-
rated vessel or box z, containing steam or water, for the purpose of constantly
moistening the wood and softening the same.
Third, the use and application of a knife consisting of one blade only instead
of three, as usually employed in veneer-cutting machines, the said knife being
either made entirely of steel or of steel welded upon iron, and there being a
thin fillet or gorge along the cutting edge, by which the leaf is taken off the
knife edge as the cutting action goes on.
Fourth, the mode of mounting the said knife in the holder by means of
uprights, and dovetailing the knife blade, as shewn at Figs. 6 & 7, Sheet 3.
Fifth, the mode of mounting the said knife holder upon two points or centres
,, Fig. 5, Sheet 3, for the purpose of bringing the cutting edge to bear upon
the wood in a more or less oblique position.
Sixth, the method of obtaining the said inclination of the knife blade and
holding the same firmly by bevel gear mounted on the upper part of the
carriage, the axes of the said bevel wheels alternately screwing into and
bearing against the blade holder, substantially as described with reference to
Fig. 5º, Sheet 3.
Seventh, the means of obtaining a simultaneous longitudinal and transverse
motion in the second machine, above described.
Eighth, the means, described with reference to Fig. 1, Sheet 2, for bringing
the wood into the best angular position for cutting knotty wood.
Ninth, the mode of holding the log by means of racks m² and a press, as
shown on Sheets 2 & 3.
In witness whereof, I, the said Florentin Garand, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this First day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
FLORENTIN GARAND. (L.S.)
F. TOLHAUSEN.