IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CASKS OR BARRELS
Year: 1885

page_text: UDAD
DUTTO
I ALEXANDER DUNBAR of the City of Guelph, Province of Ontario, Dominion
of Canada, but at present at the Bee Hotel St John's Lane, Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, Barrister-at-Law, do hereby declare the nature of the said
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE
OF CASKS OR BARRELS, to be as follows:―
This invention relates to improvements in machinery or apparatus for the
manufacture of casks or barrels of the kind described in the Specification of
Letters Patent, granted to me and numbered 8760. of 1884.
According to the first part of my invention in place of an elastic collapsible
barrel form or drum of the construction described in the above mentioned specifi-
cation I now employ a collapsible drum the periphery of which is formed of elastic
bars or springs, sufficient in number to give an adequate support to the barrel rim.
These bars or springs are mounted on segments which can be made to approach
towards or recede from the shaft or axis around which they are arranged.
Each segment is secured to a bent or doubly inclined bar guided endwise
between plates or discs, and capable of being moved inwards or outwards by means
of other plates or discs which can be traversed lengthwise of the central shaft or
axis by means of screws.
These latter plates or discs are suitably formed to bear against the bent bars and
effect their motion.
According to one arrangement the collapsible barrel form is mounted on the end
of a hollow shaft, one guide plate or disc being keyed directly to the shaft, and the
other being carried by stays or supports projecting from the first.
Through the hollow shaft there passes an internal shaft which projects beyond
the said hollow shaft for a length about equal to that of the collapsible barrel
form.
This internal shaft has cut upon it a right and left handed screw, and upon each
screw there is mounted one of the plates or discs by which the bent or inclined
bars are moved inwards and outwards.
The bosses of these plates or discs are internally screw threaded to suit the
screws, and the plates themselves are prevented from being rotated by the friction

page_text: of the screw threads by the aforementioned stays or supports. At its remote end
the central shaft is provided with means whereby it can be rotated independently
of the hollow shaft.
The second part of my invention relates to the method employed for cutting the
end of the barrel rim.
In my before mentioned specification I stated that I employed revolving circular
cutters for the purpose of cutting and croizing the ends of the staves, and that
I rotated the trussed barrel rim slowly, but I now find for the manufacture of
some classes of casks or barrels that revolving circular cutters are inapplicable or
inconvenient.
Therefore instead of using revolving circular cutters and rotating the trussed rim
slowly, I now employ fixed knives or tools and revolve the elastic collapsing drum
and trussed barrel rim at a rapid rate at the same time bringing the turning tools
in contact with the staves.
The turning tools may be held in position by a slide rest or other holder, and
may be so arranged that they can be brought into action simultaneously or
successively to cut, croize, and chamfer the ends of the staves, ready to receive
the heads.
The third part of my invention relates to the improved form of trussing head
employed in the manufacture of small casks or barrels where fixed tools are used.
Suitable fixings or pedestals for the central or barrel shaft to revolve in, may be
provided and fixed to the trussing heads or other convenient position so as to
retain the barrel rim firm and in a central position whilst being operated on by the
turning tools.
It will be evident that the means adopted for effecting the movement of the
segments in expanding or collapsing the elastic form may be modified without
departure from the essential features of my invention.

page_text: Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for the Manufacture
of Casks or Barrels.
I, ALEXANDER DUNBAR of the City of Guelph Province of Ontario, Dominion
of Canada, and late at the Bee Hotel St Johns Lane Liverpool in the County
of Lancaster, but at present at 25 Belmont Road New Brighton in the County of
Chester, Barrister at Law, 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 improvements in machinery or apparatus for the
manufacture of casks or barrels of the kind described in the specification of
Letters Patent granted to me and numbered N° 8760 of 1884. for the manufacture
of casks or barrels.
According to the first part of my invention in place of an elastic collapsible
barrel form or drum of the construction described in the above mentioned specifi-
cation, I now employ a collapsible drum the periphery of which is formed of
elastic bars or springs sufficient in number to give an adequate support to the
barrel rim.
Referring to the accompanying three sheets of drawings Fig. 1 shews in section
an elastic collapsing drum; the upper half is supposed to be in such a position
that the drum is expanded and the trussing heads drawn together for, say, the
smallest size of cask, barrel, or keg, for that diameter of elastic collapsing drum,
whilst the lower half represents the drum partially expanded for, say, the largest
size of cask, barrel, or keg, that may be conveniently formed with the same
trussing heads. In this half view packing pieces are inserted between the double
bent bars and the elastic bars or springs.
Fig. 1. also represents in section the friction driving gear employed for rotating
the elastic drum and barrel rim, also the pinion for driving the trussing screws.
At one end of one of the trussing heads the guide for carrying the cutter or tool
slide rest is shewn partially in section.
Fig. 2. is an end elevation shewing the elastic drum and the trussing head.
Fig. 3. represents a complete plan or top view of a machine according to my
invention for the manufacture of small casks, barrels, or kegs. In this view the
trusser heads are supposed to be opened out ready for releasing and swinging back
the end trusser head as shewn in the detached view, Fig. 4. and withdrawing the
trussed barrel rim and two trussing hoops off the elastic drum.
Fig. 4. shews in plan, or top view the end trusser head with cross bar attached
slide rest and tool holders swung back.
Fig. 5. is an end view shewing a hand wheel for expanding or collapsing the
elastic drum.
The dotted circles represent toothed wheels on the trussing screw shafts.
Fig. 6. is a side elevation of the machine with the trussing heads drawn together
ready for revolving and cutting the ends of the trussed staves.

page_text: Fig. 7. shews the taking off end of the machine with the cutting tool holders
and slide rests.
The elastic bars or springs A. are mounted on segments or packing pieces A'
which can be made to approach or recede from the shaft or axis around which
they are arranged. These segments or packing pieces A¹ are secured to doubly
inclined bars B. or the bars may be so formed that the elastic bars or springs A.
may be secured directly thereto as shewn in the upper portion of Fig. 1.
The doubly inclined bars B. are made somewhat shorter than the full length
of the staves to be used and of the shape shewn, their ends are bent at right angles
and parallel to each other so as to take and be guided endwise between the plates
or discs C. and C¹
The bars are capable of being moved inwards or outwards by means of other
plates or discs D. D. which are moved lengthwise of the barrel form axis by means
of a screw shaft E.
The plates or discs D. D. are notched to the same angle as the inclines of the
• bars B. B. so as to form a fair bearing for them to slide on as they are caused to
approach or recede from each other and are retained in their proper positions by
means of an outer hoop D¹ which may conveniently be made in segments and
secured to the periphery of the discs so as to draw the inclined bars and elastic
bars or springs together as the discs are forced further from each other.
According to the arrangement illustrated the collapsible barrel form is secured
to one end of the hollow shaft F. which as shewn in Fig. 1. is flanged to such a
diameter as to enter a recess in one of the end discs C. arranged centrally therewith.
The attachment is effected by four stay bolts or guides G. which project outwards
a sufficient distance to carry the other end disc C¹.
Through the hollow shaft F. there passes a shaft E. which projects beyond the
said hollow shaft sufficiently, to pass through the end disc, C₁ and through a
bearing H. Fig. 1. in a support which is bolted to the outer end of the trussing
head I.
The internal shaft E has cut upon it a right and a left handed screw, and upon
each screw there is mounted one of the notched discs or plates D. D. by which the
inclined bars B. B. are moved inwards and outwards.
The bosses of these notched dises or plates D. D. are either internally screw
threaded or fitted with internally screw threaded brass nuts J. J. to suit the
screws, and the plates or notched discs are prevented from being rotated by the
friction of the screw threads by the aforementioned stays, bolts, or guides G. G.
At one end of the internal shaft E a hand wheel R is provided for the manu-
facture of small casks, or kegs, but in machinery for the manufacture of large or
heavy casks, or barrels, I prefer to employ power and extend the shaft end
sufficiently to admit of two suitable flanged strap driving pulleys having a friction
coupling inserted between them similar to the friction driving gear shewn in Fig. 1.
for rotating the barrel rim and for actuating the trussing screws as shewn in
Fig. 6. so that the internal shaft E. can be rotated independently of the hollow
shaft F. A collapsing drum constructed with a number of segments as described
will retain its approximately circular form whether expanded to its full capacity
or only partially, to suit the different diameters of barrels to be made thereon and
it will remain fixed at any diameter to which it is set, It will grasp and hold
a set of staves between itself and the central hoop whether they be of the size
indicated in the upper or that indicated in the lower half of Fig. 1. or of some
intermediate size.
Thus by changing the central hoop G₁ and liners I² 12 and inserting packing
pieces A¹ between the inclined bars B. B. and the elastic bars or springs A. a
variety of sizes of casks may be constructed with the same machine and elastic
collapsing drum.
I will now describe my method of cutting the ends of the barrel rim by means
of fixed knives or tools the elastic collapsing drum and trussed barrel rim being
caused to rotate at a rapid rate.

page_text: The turning tools L. L. are secured in suitable tool holders M. M. held in
position by compound slide rests N. N. which are adjustable by means of right
and left hand screwed spindles N¹ N¹ and hand wheels O. O. so that by turning
the hand wheels in one direction, the slide rests approach one another and bring
the cutting tools L. L into action simultaneously, thereby cutting, croizing, and
chamferring the ends of the staves to receive the beads.
For rapidly rotating the trussed barrel rim, liners and elastic drum, a flanged
strap pulley P. is provided, which runs loose on a bush P¹ secured to the hollow
shaft F. as shewn in detail in Fig. 1.
This pulley has V shaped concentric annular, recesses formed in its face into
which take corresponding rings or annular projections formed on the face of a
friction coupling provided with a disc at its opposite end and arranged to slide
on countersunk keys Q' let into the beforementioned bush P¹ so that when the
coupling is caused to rotate by being pressed by the lever Q2 into contact with
the rotating strap pulley P. the barrel rim will also rotate and when required to
stop, the hand lever Q2 is forced in the opposite direction so as to bring the
coupling out of gear with the pulley P. and the flat disc comes in contact with
another flanged strap pulley S. employed for rotating the trussing screws T. T. and
which revolves in the opposite direction, thus forming a brake for stopping the
barrel rim and elastic drum.
In my improved form of trussing head to be employed in the manufacture of
small casks or barrels where fixed tools are used, suitable cross bars or pedestal
fixings H. and H¹ Fig. 3. for the central barrel shaft to revolve in, are provided
and fixed to the trussing heads so as to retain the trussed barrel rim firm and in a
central position whilst being operated on by the turning tools.
The fixings H and H' are prepared to receive suitable compound slide rests and
screw N. N. and N¹ which may be moved inwards or outwards to suit the diameter
of the barrel ends.
By securing the crossbars H and H to the trusser heads I and I as before
described and shewn in Fig. 7. instead of the trussing screws being placed on each
side of the elastic drum as before described in my former specification I find it
advantageous to place the trussing screws vertically above and below the central
shaft as shewn in Figs. 3. 5. 6. and 7. as by this arrangement the heads work more
steadily and are less liable to jar or jump.
Instead of bolting or latching the trussing head at the front side as described in
my former specification I now employ two bolts or latches U. U. attached by a
bar U which has one end of a short link pivotted to it, whilst the other end is
pivotted to a hand lever U* as shewn in Figs. 6 and 7.
For rotating the trussing screws rapidly in either direction two flanged strap
driving pulleys S and S' are employed the one nearest the toothed wheels V. V.
and pinion V₁ revolving in the same direction as the pulley P. whilst the middle
one S. revolves in the opposite direction for the purpose before described.
It will be understood that the means adopted for effecting the movement of the
segments in expanding or collapsing the elastic form may be modified, thus for
small kegs, a hand wheel R may be employed and in treating heavy barrels a
friction gear arrangement as before described may be employed without departure
from the essential features of my invention.
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
1. In a machine for the manufacture of casks, or barrels, the use of a collapsible
barrel form constructed with doubly inclined bars operated by discs or plates
caused to approach or recede from each other for the purpose of expanding or
contracting the barrel form substantially as described.
2. The construction of collapsible barrel form or drum shewn in and described
with reference to Figs. 1. and 2. of the drawings.

page_text: 3. In a machine for the manufacture of casks or barrels the use for chiming and
crozing the ends of casks or barrels rims of adjustable stationary cutters and means
for imparting rotary motion to the barrel rim or cask substantially as described.
4. In a machine for trussing and crozing casks, or barrels, providing the trussing
heads with knives or cutting tools L. L. arranged in sliding rests substantially as
described and illustrated and for the purpose specified.
5. The improved machine for the manufacture of casks or barrels constructed
arranged and operating as hereinbefore described with reference to and shewn in
the drawings.