AN IMPROVED TENNONING AND SHOULDERING MACHINE
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Henry Couch, of Croydon, in the County of
Surrey, Practical Carpenter and Joiner, now a Commercial Traveller and
General Merchant, for an Invention of "AN IMPROVED TENNONING AND
SHOULDERING MACHINE."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Henry Couch at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th June 1881.
GEORGE HENRY COUCH, of Croydon, in the County of Surrey, Practical Carpenter
and Joiner, now a Commercial Traveller and General Merchant. ." AN IMPROVED
TENNONING AND SHOULDERING MACHINE."
It consists in improvements in tennoning and shouldering machines of the kind
described under Couch's Patent, No. 1983 (1866). In the said machine, the planes,
to the sides of which was attached saws, each of which said planes received a
separate reciprocating motion in a separate frame, the said frames being moved
vertically by an attendant turning a hand wheel, or by lever and treadle; it was
found under the said arrangement that the planes and frames had more oscillation
than was desirable, and where not sufficiently rigid to have the effect of cutting
the tennon and shoulders so perfect as desired. Now under my Invention of this
date, the wood is firmly fixed by means of clamping screws to a vertical table or
fence, and is operated upon as required on each side by planes; to the side of the
said planes are fixed saws, the said planes to form the tennon and the saws the
shoulders, both being completed simultaneously, the said planes being held in
position by bolts at one end (which also acts as pivots for each of the said planes
to move on at one end) to a sliding plate or frame, the said sliding plate or frane
receiving a reciprocating vertical motion by manual or mechanical power; the said
planes are adjusted laterally (or horizontally) by means of a right and left handed
screw or screws and lever, the said screw or screws and levers being acted upon by
geared wheels fixed on a round rod, the said rod being fixed to the reciprocating
sliding plate or frame; through the said rod passes a feather or key which turns
the said rod and screws, which moves one end of each of the said planes by an
224

page_text: an attendant turning a hand wheel fixed to the side of the machine (see plans and
detailed Specifications), or both ends of each plane may be adjusted laterally (or
horizontally) by screws or levers; the desired thickness of tennon is obtained by a
slot through the side of each plane, the end of the said slot coming in contact with
an adjustable bolt through the reciprocating sliding plate or frame, the said bolt to
be fixed before the machine is set in motion. To cut shoulders of unequal lengths,
loosen the bolts at both ends of either plane, and place a similar thickness of wood
corresponding to the desired length of the unequal shoulder between the sides of
either plane and the sliding plate or frame.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I hereby declare the main points to be the combination
and attaching of the said two planes (the faces of which is to be opposite each
other) to one sliding plate or frame (instead of being separated), the said sliding
plate or frame receiving a reciprocating motion, and the said two planes to have a
lateral sliding motion to each other by means of screws or levers; by this arrange-
ment through the planes and sliding plate or frame not being separated great
rigidness and completeness is attained over the tennoning and shouldering machine
of the kind described under Couch's Patent, No. 1983 (1866), also over all the
tennoning and shouldering machines hitherto in use, the mechanism of which has
been arranged to operate on the wood by means of revolving cutters, the effect of
which has been to make very incomplete work through the oscillation of the
spindles (on which are fixed the cutter blocks and cutters) and wood.

page_text: .
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said George Henry Couch in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th December 1881.
GEORGE HENRY COUCH, of Croydon, in the County of Surrey, Practical Carpenter
and Joiner, now a Commercial Traveller and General Merchant. "AN IMPROVED
TENONING AND SHOULDERING MACHINE."
My Invention consists in improvements in tenoning and shouldering machines of
the kind described under Couch's Patent, No. 1983 (One thousand eight hundred
and sixty six). In the said machine the planes, to the sides of which were attached
saws, each of the said planes received a separate reciprocating motion in a separate
frame, the said frames being moved vertically by an attendant turning a hand
wheel, or by levers and treadle. It was found under the said arrangement that
the planes and frames had more oscillation than was desirable, and were not
sufficiently rigid to have the effect of cutting the tenon and shoulders so perfect as
desired. Now under my present Invention the wood is firmly fixed by means of
clamping screws to a vertical (or horizontal) table or fence, and is operated upon
as required on each side by planes; to the side of the said planes are fixed saws,
the said planes to form the tenon and the saws the shoulders, both being completed
simultaneously, the said planes being held in position by bolts at one end (which
act as pivots for each of the said planes to move on at one end) to a sliding plate
or frame, the said sliding plate or frame receiving a reciprocating, vertical, or
horizontal motion by manual or mechanical power. The said planes are adjusted
laterally (vertically or horizontally) by means of a right and left handed screw or
screws and levers, the said screw or screws and levers being acted upon by geared
wheels fixed on a round rod, the said rod being fixed to the reciprocating sliding
plate or frame. Through the said rod passes a feather or key which turn the said
rod and screws which moves one end of each of the said planes by an attendant
turning a hand wheel fixed to the side of the machine, or both ends of each plane
may be adjusted laterally or horizontally by screws or levers.
•
The desired thickness of tenon is obtained by a slot through the sides of each
plane, the end of the said slot coming in contact with an adjustable bolt through
the reciprocating plate or frame, the said bolt to be fixed before the machine is set
in motion. To cut shoulders of unequal lengths, loosen the bolts at both ends of
either plane, and place a similar thickness of wood corresponding to the desired.
length of the unequal shoulder between the sides of either plane and the sliding
plate or frame.
In order however that my said Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe it more particularly by the aid of the
accompanying Drawings, in which is represented a machine constructed in the
manner above referred to.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation, Fig. 2 a front elevation with the fence removed, and
Fic 3 a plan or horizontal view of the weching. Wi A Panasonto the fonoa
Fig. 1 is a side elevation, Fig. 2 a front elevation with the fence removed, and
Fia 3 a plan or horizontal view of the meching; Fig 4 represents the fouce
detached, and Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line C, D, of Fig. 1. In
these several Figures the same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A, A, is the frame or standards of the machine firmly secured to the foundation
plate B; C is the main or driving shaft mounted in plummer blocks fitted to
hanging brackets D, D, fixed to the underside of the foundation plate. The shaft
may be driven either by turning the fly wheel E or by means of a band pulley F

page_text: worked by a steam engine or other prime mover; G is a rod connected at one end
to the crank disk H on the end of the shaft C, and at the upper end of the reci-
procating slide I which carries the two planes J, J, and saws K, K.
By this
arrangement, on the rotation of the crank disc H a reciprocating motion is imparted
to the slide I, which is mounted so as to be capable of moving up and down in
guides L, L, fitted to the main standard, which may be formed as shewn or
otherwise.
M is a stationary fence firmly secured to the foundation plate B, against which
fence the piece of wood to be operated upon is placed and firmly held by clamping
screws fitted into a frame N connected to the fence M. The piece of wood may
also be fixed at an angle, if required, by the insertion of a wedge or wedges between
it and the fence.
The two planes J, J, are arranged side by side on the slide I, and suspended
by bolts O, O, passed through slots at the upper end of the slide, by which in
combination with a guide P at the bottom the planes are held in position as
required.
QQ, are two nuts fitted into the lower ends of the planes, through which passes
the right and left handed feed screw R which is connected by bevil wheels S, S,
to a vertical spindle T, carried by brackets fixed at each end of the slide I. The
spindle T passes through a bracket U bolted on to the main standard A, the spindle
having a key groove formed in it from end to end, and the bevil wheel V.having
a feather fitted, as shewn in section at Fig. 5.
It will be obvious that on turning the hand wheel W (when the machine is in
motion) the spindle T, which passes freely through one of the bevil wheels S, will
be caused to revolve by means of the connection formed by the feather in the
wheel S, and thereby communicate motion to the double feed screw R with the
effect of moving the planes towards each other simultaneously, until they come
in contact with the stop bolt Y by which the depth of shoulder required is
regulated.
From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the main feature of the
Invention consists in having the two saws and planes fitted to one slide or sliding
plate or frame, with their faces opposite to each other, such sliding plate or frame
having a reciprocating motion imparted to it, and the saws and planes being
moved laterally towards each other by means of a right and left handed screw or
levers, in such a manner as to complete the tenoning and shouldering by the
combined action of the saws and planes.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I hereby declare that what I claim as of my Invention is,
the construction of an improved tenoning and shouldering machine in which two
saws and planes are fitted to one sliding or reciprocating plate or frame and moved
laterally or vertically thereon, as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Henry Couch, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty third day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
Witness,
WILLIAM SPENCE,
8, Quality Court,
Chancery Lane.
G. H. COUCH. (L.S.)