IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING TENONS AND MORTICES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Baptiste, Mechanician, of Toulouse, (France,)
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING
TENONS AND MORTICES," partly a communication from Pierre Maijbon, of
Toulouse.
Sealed the 11th July 1856, and dated the 1st April 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Baptiste at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 1st
April 1856..
I, CHARLES BAPTISTE, Mechanician, of Toulouse (France), do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES
FOR MANUFACTURING TENONS AND MORTICES, being partly a communication of
Pierre Maijbon, of Toulouse," to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to an arrangement for cutting mechanically
mortices and tenons in pieces of wood. The same consist of a frame, in which
a carriage moves forward and backward by proper gearing. This carriage may
be placed in any suitable horizontal or inclined position, and on the same is
fixed the piece of wood in which the mortice or the tenon is to be cut. Under
the carriage is situated a bit, auger, or gouge, to which, by means of a handle,
suitable lever, and proper gearing, a vertical up and down and at the same
time a horizontal rotatory motion may be given, in order to cut suitable round

page_text: holes in the under side of the wood, which latter is afterwards turned upside
down, in order to submit these round holes to the vertical up and down motion
given to a square hollow chisel, by which the mortice is complete. When the
chisel moves upward, a wire introduces itself in the same, and carries down the
cuttings or borings, which are prevented from falling back in the mortice hole
by means of an arm which in proper time is caused to vibrate horizontally
under the chisel. The entire receives motion by proper gearing levers and
pulleys from any suitable prime mover. When a tenon is to be cut, instead of
the square hollow chisel, one or two ordinary cutting chisels are inserted in
the machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles Baptiste in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st October 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
BAPTISTE, Mechanician, of Toulouse, France, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Charles
Baptiste, Her special licence that I, the said Charles Baptiste, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles Baptiste, 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 MACHINES FOR MANUFACTURING
TENONS AND MORTICES, which Invention is partly a communication of Pierre
Maijbon, of Toulouse, who is a foreigner residing abroad, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Charles Baptiste, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under ny, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Baptiste, do hereby declare...
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be.
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement:-
The Invention has for its object certain, mechanical arrangements for cutting
tenons and mortices in such manner as to save much labour and cost, and to
offer a great precision in the workmanship; the arrangements may be applied.
for cutting all sorts of mortices and tenons in wood, or any other suitable.
material that is easily to be cut, and they may be worked by hand, or by any
other suitable prime mover. The machines intended to be worked by hand;
are of such dimensions and construction as to be moveable from one spot
to another, and when required to work they may be fixed in any suitable
manner to the floor.
In the annexed tracings, the Figures of Sheet 1 & 2 represent different
views and detached parts of my machine, whereas those of Sheet 3 represent
certain modifications of the same.
I now will describe the arrangements of Sheet 1 & 2. In this Sheet, Fig. 1
represents the base plate of the machine, furnished with a suitable number of
castors A, A', A", A", in order to offer facility for removing the machine if
required. Fig. 2 is a side view of the machine over the line A, A"", of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 shows different parts of the machine according to the line A, A', of
Fig. 1; and Fig. 4, according to the line A", A". The Figs. 5 to 17 repre-
sent detached parts of the machine. In all these Figures corresponding parts.
are indicated by the same letters of reference. The apparatus may be made of
wood, cast or wrought iron, or any other suitable material. B, B', B", repre-
sent two uprights kept together by cross bars; they carry a truck C, which
may be placed in any suitable angular position by means of the shaft E, E',
shown in horizontal sectional view in Fig. 7. This truck C may be set nearer
to or placed further apart from the uprights B, B', B", by means of the
screw D, and. the same may glide to-and-fro in a slot F made in each
of the blocks F', F", by means of the indented wheel R, moved by the handle
R', and taking into the teeth of the toothed rack fixed on the base of the truck
C. A chisel G, having the form of a hollow square, the four sides of which
are made cutting, and which is seen from below in Fig. 5, is contained in a
sort of a box and introduced in the part H, H', in which the same is fixed by
means of screws, as shown in Fig. 6, which Fig. represents a horizontal
sectional view of this part at the height of H, H'. Before the hollow chisel is
brought into action the hub or other piece of wood to be operated upon
is solidly fixed against the side u by means of the set screws I, I, while the.

page_text: handles D and R' allow of bringing the required part of the hub at any suitable
angle under the chisel. Fig. 7 represents a horizontal sectional view of the
machine at the height of the upper side of the base of the carriage; p, p,p",
is a copper plate inserted flush into the piece E, E, to which the same is
fixed by means of screws; the middle part of this plate glides in grooves.
pp, represents a second plate, arranged in a similar manner to that just
described, fixed to a fillet, which may be fixed at pleasure to the piece E, E,
by the two wings p'; by this contrivance, whatever may be the inclination of
the carriage, the parts p, p, of the two plates may be set more or less far
apart, so as to leave only the necessary distance for the passing of the chisel.
In a vertical line under the chisel is situated an augur L, represented
in its highest elevation in Fig. 4; this augur may be moved up and down by
means of the lever arm M, Fig. 2 and 4, fixed to a rod, the under part of which
is connected to a cylindrical part M'; gliding up and down in a socket M", fixed
to the cross bar M"; this cylinder M' has a projecting arm N, to which is
fixed the pivot N', on which turns the case O for the augur L, which case or
holder turns in another collar P, fixed also to the arm N. It will be evident,
that by this contrivance, at the moment the workman by pressing on the lever
arm causes the augur to rise or to fall, this latter receives a revolving motion,
by means of the wheel gear Q, Q, Q", worked by the handle fixed to the fly-
wheel Q. In order to obtain this revolving motion, a bit or pin O' is intro-
duced into the groove with which the boss 0" fixed to the pinion Q" is
provided; by this double movement a hole will be cut from the bottom upward
by the augur, after which the chisel G is put into operation by means of the.
handle S, fixed to one end of the crank shaft S", the other end of which carries
a fly wheel S'; this crank shaft moves a connecting rod T', the lower end T
of which is connected to the treadle U, and also to the cross piece V, to which
latter are bolted two rods X, gliding vertically in guiding boxes y, whereas the
upper part of these rods X is bolted to the upper cross piece H, H', carrying
the chisel, which latter, on being lowered on the hub, comes to act in the round
hole already fornied from beneath by the augur, and consequently gives a
square form to this hole, after which the traversing piece H, H'; and the chisel
rise again. During the time the chisel rises, a rod z, playing in the interior
of this latter, moves downward, and thereby, cleans, the interior of the chisel
of the shavings; this up-and-down motion is transmitted to the rod by means
of the bell crank levers a, a, a set of which is situated on each side of the
machine, each of these two sets consisting of a lever a, turning on a fulcrum
a', fixed to the frame of the machine; the end of the longer arm of this;
lever a is connected to a vertical lever or rod 6, the upper end of which being

page_text: fixed to the cross piece d, forces this latter to follow its up-and-down motion;
which is imparted to the rod b and longer arm of the lever a by the rising of
the short arm of this lever a, which short arm being acted upon by a pini m
fixed to the rod and playing under the short arm; whereas ä piece a' serves
as a guide. In order to prevent the shavings from falling down into the
hole already forined, a sort of a pallet e plays horisontally under the chisel
presenting itself immediately under this latter in the moment the rod
pushes down the shavings, which by this means are prevented from falling
into the hole formed by the chisel; after which tlic pallet recedes, and thereby.
allows to the chisel of executing again its downward motion. This pallet e.
forms tlie end of a strong wire, bent in the form shown in the Drawing,
and is acted upon by a gudgeon g fixed to the rod X, and which on moving
up and down rubs against the wire, thereby imparting the required to-and-fro
motion to the pallet e. It is evident that the same might be obtained
by different other means. This operation being finished, the handle S makes
a second revolution, whereby the chisel descends and comes to work against
the hub, but not at the same point as before, the hub having been caused to
advance towards F" by means of the following arrangement:-The gudgeon
f fixed to the rod X, during the rising motion of this latter, is forced
to work against the under side of the lever h, h', the other end of which acts as
a catch in the teeth of the spur wheel i, from which the same is afterwards
released by means of the spring r; the extremity having thus taken into the
teeth of i, the consequence of the rising of the gudgeon f will be, that the wheel
will be caused to revolve, whereas another lever h" serves to stop the returning
motion of the wheel till a new turn of the handle S will cause this latter to
revolve again. To the axis j of this wheel i is fixed a cylinder K, provided with
a chain passing over a pulley K', and having its other end attached to the
under side of the truck C, which latter, consequently, is drawn by the chain,
while the other end of this latter winds itself round the cylinder K, and thus
follows the motion of the wheel i, the teeth range of which is made to
correspond with the advancing of the truck. A small platen, of a size to cover
three teeth of the wheel i, may be fixed on any required point of the periphery
of this wheel; if then we suppose this plate placed under the end of the lever
h', in the moment the truck is in the position shown in the Drawing, and if
it should be wished to make, for instance, a mortice of 2 inches in length, then
it is necessary to set the truck likewise at 2 inches by means of the tooth wheel
R, which may be done with great precision by means of the hand W gliding
along the scale W fixed to the side of C. Having thus set the truck, the spur
wheel i on revolving will not resume its present position, but after the machine

page_text: will have cut a mortice of 2 inches in length, when the plate n coming again
uider the end h¹ of the lever, the action of the lever on the wheel is prevented,
and the revolving motion of this latter stopped. In order to permit of cutting
mortices to a still greater precision, the length of the chain may be adjusted by
means of a screw gudgeon. In case the mortice was not to penetrate entirely
through the hub, this latter is first to be submitted to the action of the augur,
after which the hub is turned upside down and the hole presented to the action.
of the chisel, which in that case is to descend only to the required depth. The
two thumb screws with which the piece H, H', is provided, may in most
cases serve for regulating the length of the chisel, instead of which latter also
shorter or longer ones may be substituted, according to the work to be
done; in all events, sets of chisels and augers of different sizes, and also of
plates p, p, p, p, p, Fig. 7, are required. For making tenons the fol-
lowing alteration is to take place in the machine:-Instead of the square
chisel G, a tool fixed in a carrier of the same dimensions as that carrying
the chisel is inserted in H, H'. This tool is represented in front view
in Fig. 10 and in side view in Fig. 11; the same consists of two ordinary
chisels, fixed by thumb screws into the carrier, and kept apart from each other
by iron wedges at a distance corresponding with the thickness of the tenon to
be cut; they are, moreover, guided in their stroke by means of the gudgeons
fixed in the groove made in the bearers q, q, fixed to the cross piece T, Fig. 2.
Instead of the plate p, p', p", Fig. 7, is put another plate with a groove, per-
mitting to push the under side of the hub or other piece of wood on which the
tenon is to cut to the vertical plan in which each chisel moves. If it be
required to make forked bonds, then instead of the chisels of Figs. 10 and 11,
those represented in front view in Figs. 12 and 13, and in side view in Fig. 14,
are to be employed. If mortices are to be cut with other than rectangular
cuts, such, for instance, having the two short sides rounded off, then a hollow
circular chisel is to be employed. It is often required to make on one or on
different pieces of wood several mortices at a certain distance apart, or to cut
mitre bonds, in which case the arrangement represented in side view in Fig. 15
and in end view in Fig. 16 is made use of. The plate n, Fig. 15, is bolted
to the inner side of the truck, Fig. 3, and the sole (Fig. 15) forms the
prolongation of the sole of tlie trucks. The side b, d, b, d, (Fig. 15) has a
groove c, in which glides a fillet e, introduced from the; this fillet e bears a
second fillet f, f, having two arms f and f' at right angle, the arm f gliding
into a groove made in e, whereas the other arm f¹ is provided with a groove
into which glides another fillet f", which by this means may be brought nearer
to or set further apart from f. The two fillets f and fare provided at

page_text: their upper ends with a double metal plate g, placed in such position as to
incline towards the sole b under an angle of 45°; these plates serve as guides
for the saw represented in Fig. 16, the blade of which is put between the two
plates g, by which means, consequently, inclined grooves or mitre bonds may
be cut with great quickness at the required points of the pieces of wood, which
latter is fixed to the truck. In order to make the machine also serve for cutting
pannel or compartment mortices, the middle part of the sole b, Fig. 16, has a
large groove with a plate, in which glides in the direction of a, b, a nut,
provided with a screw, which may rise above the sole. This nut is put at
such distance from the mortizing chisel, that the first mortice being executed,
the screw has only to be introduced in this latter, when the hub will find itself
exactly at that spot under the chisel as will be required for the passage of the
tool which has to begin the next mortices; by means of the arrangement
represented in Fig. 17, which is fixed under the sole of the truck, by attaching
in F", Fig. 3, to one of the arms of the bearer the fillet t, through which
pass three screw gudgeons V, V, V", and to the sole the fillet t, which
comes to strike against the end of one of those gudgeons, the projecting of
which latter is regulated according to the length of the mortices to be cut.
The annexing of the arrangement represented in Fig. 17 to that represented
in Figs. 15 and 16, which latter is fixed to the ends of the truck, will offer a
great facility for making the wood bonds. If the piece H, H', instead of being
fixed to the moveable cylinders X, was gliding by means of grooves along these
cylinders, and the ends of these latter were by means of rods connected to two
circular platos receiving a revolving motion from the arbor S, which latter,
instead of being cranked might be straight, then the wimble and the parts
V, T, T', T", and U might be dispensed with, and the arrangement would
allow of employing chisels G of any length, as it would be possible in that case,
by changing on the revolving plates the points where the connecting rods are
fixed, to elongate or shorten the stroke of the chisel. I now will describe the
arrangements represented on Sheet 3, being a modification of those of Sheet
1 & 2 of the tracings. In this Sheet 3, Fig 1ª represents a front view of the
macbine; Figs. 2 and 3* are side views of the same; Fig. 4* is a horizontal.
section of the truck P turning on the two trunnions P' of the bearer of the
truck, inserted in p in the uprights or standards A; Fig. 5ª represents a side
view of a part of the truck. In these Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5*, corresponding
parts are indicated by the same letters of reference. The hub or other piece
of wood to be morticed is placed on the truck against the moveable cheek Q,
which latters glides in the graduated grooves q, q', whereas the cheek Q', which
moves also in the same grooves, is kept in position by means of the screw Q.

page_text: N is the part by which the holes are drilled in the wood, the augur being per-
mitted to rise and fall by means of the articulated levers N, while this augur
receives at the same time a revolving motion by means of the pulley N", fixed
to the socket N, and is connected by an endless band with the pulley N,
fixed to the arbor turned by the handle n. If the piece of wood is to be pierced
from above instead of from below, the arrangement represented by a is made.
use of, which may at pleasure be connected by an endless band to the arbor of
the handle n, and receive its motion from this latter. B is a circular revolving
plate, of cast iron or any other suitable material, which plate is fixed to an arbor
revolving in proper bearings in the standards A, and is actuated by the handle C,
which latter may be fixed in different points of the length of the radius of the
plate, and thereby communicate to the connecting rods D the motion of the
crank, by which the up-and-down motion of the cast-iron box E is obtained,
which box may be fixed to different points of the plate G by means of a set
screw working in the groove F. H are parts furnished with proper set screws
for fixing them in a vertical position, and thus form the grooves in which glides
the plate G; I is the mortising chisel, which has the same form as has been
described in the first part of this Specification, viz., a hollow square form
offering four cutting edges; the same is fixed in a solid manner by four screws
in the under part of the plate G, in which plate may also be fixed chisels for
making the tenons. J is a rod introduced in the interior of the hollow chisel I,
which rod by its up-and-down motion delivers the interior of the chisel from the
shavings, which otherwise would accumulate therein. This up-and-down motion
is transmitted to this rod J by means of the lever J', acted upon by the rod J",
the height of which latter is regulated, and the under end of which forms a
fork for holding the piece D', which is lifted by the rod D, connecting this
part D¹ with the crank handle. J" is the counterweight for the lever J'; K is
a pallet for carrying off the wood cuttings; the same is moved by one of the
arms of the piece L fixed to the plate G, whereas a spring K' causes the rod
to which the handle of the pallet K is fixed to return backwards after having
been pushed forward under the chisel by the piece L, which latter piece also
moves the truck P, and makes this latter advance at each turn of the disc B by
causing the rod M to be lifted by the screw nut M', the inferior extremity of
the rod M forming a hook or tooth taking into one of the eight teeth of a tooth
wheel, in which works the screw R, which latter being fixed to the carrier of
the truck, causes this latter to advance, the screw being connected with the truck
by the piece R', which latter serves as a nut for the screw. M is a helical
spring for carrying back the rod M to its original position; S is a screw, pro-
vided with washers S', S", S", for regulating the length of the mortice; these

page_text: washers coming to strike against one of the spring studs with which the piece T
is furnished, and thus produces a pression against the short arm of the bell
crank lever V, the long arm of which pushes aside the rod M, and thus prevents
the hook, with which the lower extremity of this rod is provided, to act on the
teeth of the above-mentioned wheel. X, X, is a tooth wheel and its pinion,
the wheel having a crank handle, the entire serving for placing the truck in
any suitable angular position in respect to the chisel; P"" is a piece fixed to the
uprights of the carrier of the truck, which piece has three plates gliding at
pleasure flush with the truck, and serving for keeping the hub or other piece of
wood under the cutting edges of the chisel; Z is a frame carrying the loose and
fast pulleys Z, Z", Z, fixed to the main driving shaft, and serving for trans-
mitting the motion from the prime mover to this shaft whenever the machine
is to be driven by power instead of by hand. The pulley Z is connected with
the tooth wheel O', but fits loose on the shaft, and this pulley consequently
transmits the motion by the tooth wheel O' to the chisel, whereas the pulley Z"
being fixed to the shaft transmits the motion to the pulleys O" and O
respectively, working the upper and lower augurs. The pulley Z' is a loose
pulley.
Fig. 5 represents the fixing part for the hub or other piece of wood in case
mitre cuts are to be made on the same, and serving also for regulating the
distance between the mortices; this part must be made to adjust itself exactly
to the part Q.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in
which the same acts, I declare that I do not intend to claim as my Invention
any of the separate parts of the same; but that what I claim as of the said
Invention consists in the general arrangement of machinery herein described
for cutting mortices and tenons.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Baptiste, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
CHARLES BAPTISTE. (L.S.)
Witness,
A. G. BRADE.