Improvements in or relating to Joints for the Planking of Wooden Structures.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Jan.. 1895
Complete Specification Left, 30th Sect.. 1895-Accepted, 2nd Nov., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Joints for the Planking of Wooden
Structures.
A communication from S. LLOYD WIEGAND, of 146 South Sixth Street,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to joints for the planking of wooden structures, as for
instance the joints of ships planking, and has for its object the formation of
durable water-tight joints and the stiffening and strengthening of such structures.
To this end this invention consists in a new and improved method of inserting
metallic tongues into the edges of the planking, which improved method produces
durable and strong water-tight joints and firmly braces the parts to each other.
This invention further embraces as a new and useful article of manufacture,
strips of ductile metal of lenticular cross-section having thin edges, adapted to be
inserted in incisions formed in the edges of planks, by forcing the wood of the sides
of the incision apart.
This invention is applicable to the vertical as well as the lengthwise seams in
the planking and keels of ships.
The metallic strips are easily produced by rolling a soft ductile wire between
rollers with a pass formed between them.
The planks are prepared to receive the strips by scoring a groove in them with
a tool similar to a carpenter's scribe gauge; the blade of the gauge does not remove
any of the wood, but simply opens the kerf by pressing the wood apart, and this
should be done parallel to the inner surface of the plank, such result being obtained
by pressing the shoulder of the tool against the inner edge of the plank; the edges
of the plank are planed to form joints of close contact of surfaces.
The elasticity of the wood tends to close the kerf and presses it firmly against
the sides of the strip.
Having prepared the planks by making the kerfs in the edges thereof, the strip
is inserted and the joint surfaces of the wood coated with white lead putty, or any
plastic cement, the joint between the planking is then closed by pressure exerted
by clamps or wedges in the usual manner, and the wood at the kerf by its elasticity,
presses with a fluid tight contact against the metallic strip, and forms a perfect joint
requiring no caulking, and is of such depth and elasticity that it remains tight
under any changes in hygrometric condition, producing either shrinkage or swelling
of the wood; as above described only a single tongue and single groove in the edge
of each plank is referred to, but two and three tongues may be used, and the
implement for cutting the kerfs for these has two or three blades.
The strips for the multiple grooved form of joints may be united by a thin
inetallic web but that involves increased expense in their production.
The multiple tongued joints are desirable in cases of thick planking, the single
tongued form of the invention is adequate and fully efficient in light planking, not
only as a fluid-tight substitute for caulking, but as a stiffening and strengthening of

page_text: the entire structure, and for ships permits the use of planking thinner than can be
safely caulked in the usual manner.
Dated this 28th day of December 1894.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in or relating to Joints for the Planking of Wooden
Structures.
A communication from S. LLOYD WIEGAND, of 146 South Sixth Street,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 323 High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, 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 joints for the planking of wooden structures, as for
instance the joints of ships planking, and has for its object the formation of durable
water tight joints and the stiffening and strengthening of such structures.
To this end this invention consists in a new and improved method of inserting
metallic tongues into the edges of the planking, which improved method produces
durable and strong water tight joints and firmly braces the parts to each other.
This invention further embraces as a new and useful article of manufacture, strips
of ductile metal of lenticular cross section having thin edges, adapted to be inserted
in incisions formed in the edges of planks, by forcing the wood of the sides of the
incision apart.
This invention is applicable to the vertical as well as the lengthwise seams in the
planking and keels of ships.
The construction of the joints or caulking, and the method of making the same
is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and hereinafter fully described.
Referring to the drawing;-
Fig. 1, shows an elevation of part of the planking of the hull of a boat, with the
invention applied thereto,
Fig. 2 a section thereof in the plane indicated by the dotted line xa in Fig. 1,
Fig. 3 is a section thereof in the plane indicated by the dotted line y y in Fig. 1,
Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse section of parts of two planks, with this joint
formed between them,
Figs. 5 and 6 are similar views of modifications thereof,
Figs. 7, 8 and 9 show cross sections of different forms of the metallic tongue used
in this method, and
Figs. 10, 11 and 12 show the method of preparing the planks for the insertion of
the tongues.
1 and 2 represent the ends of planks with a vertical joint 3, made in accordance
with this invention, formed between them.
4 represents a portion of two planks having a horizontal joint 5, embodying this
invention formed between them, and the lower edges of the planks 1, and 2, 6, 6, 6,
represent strips of metal (copper answering the purpose satisfactorily).
The metallic strips 6, 6, are of ductile metal, and in cross-section as shown
in Fig. 7, like a lentil with thin edges. These are easily produced by rolling a
soft ductile wire between rollers with a pass formed between them, a counterpart of
the shape shown in Fig. 7.
The planks are prepared to receive the strips by scoring a groove in them, as
shown in Fig. 10 with a tool similar to a carpenter's scribe gauge; the blade 9 of
the gauge, does not remove any of the wood, but simply opens the kerf 8, by

page_text: pressing the wood apart, and this should be done parallel to the inner surface 10 of
the plank 1; such result being obtained by pressing the shoulder 11 of the tool
against the inner edge of the plank, the edges of the plank are planed to form joints
of close contact of surfaces.
The elasticity of the wood tends to close the kerf 8, and presses it firmly against
the sides of the strip 6.
Having prepared the planks by making the kerfs 8, in the edges thereof, the
strip 6 is inserted, and the joint surfaces of the wood coated with white lead putty,
or any plastic cement, the joint between the planking is then closed by pressure
exerted by clamps or wedges in the usual manner, and the wood at the kerf 8, by
its elasticity, presses with a fluid tight contact against the metallic strip 6, and on
being secured to the frame of the vessel, forins a perfect joint requiring no caulking,
and is of such depth and elasticity that it remains tight under any changes in
hygrometric condition, producing either shrinkage or swelling of the wood; as
above described my correspondent has referred to only a single tongue and single
groove in the edge of each plank; in Figs. 5 and 6 respectively two and three
tongues are shown and the implement for cutting these kerfs is shewn in Figs. 11
and 12.
The strips for the multiple grooved form of joints may be united by a thin
metallic web, 12, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, but that involves increased expense in
their production.
The multiple tongued joints as depicted in Figs. 5 and 6 are desirable in cases of
thick planking, the single-tongued form of the invention is adequate and fully
efficient in light planking, not only as a fluid-tight substitute for caulking, but as a
stiffening and strengthening of the entire structure, and for ships permits the use of
planking thinner than can be safely caulked in the usual manner.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner
the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The improved method of making water-tight joints between wooden planks
by first forming kerfs in the opposing edges of the planking by cutting and forcing
apart the wood without removing any material part thereof then placing one or
more ductile metal strips in the kerfs and closing the planks firmly together with
the strip embedded in the wood substantially as shown and described.
2. An improved fluid-tight joint for planking consisting of one or more thin
edged ductile metallic strips of lenticular cross section combined with planks
having kerts formed in their opposite edges by incision and compression of the wood
laterally on the sides of the kerf without removal of said wood said planks being
pressed together with said metallic strip or strips inserted in said kerfs with the
wood of said kerfs pressing laterally against the sides of said metallic strips
substantially as set forth.
3. An improved fluid-tight joint for planking consisting of one or more thin edged
ductile metallic strips of lenticular cross section combined with planks having kerfs
formed in their opposite edges by cutting the compression of the wood laterally on
the sides of the kerf without removal of said wood said planks being pressed
together with said metallic strip or strips, inserted in said kerfs with the wood of
said kerfs pressing laterally against the sides of said metallic strips with a plastic
cement interposed between the contiguous wood surfaces substantially as set forth.
4. An article of manufacture consisting of ductile metallic strips having a
lenticular cross section with thin edges adapted to be inserted in kerfs in contiguous
planks for the forming of fluid-tight joints substantially as described.
Dated this 20th day of September 1895.
BOULT & WADE,
Agents for the Applicant.