Improvements in. Means Employed in Laying Wood Block Pavements or Flooring.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Sept. 1894-Accepted, 13th Oct., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in. Means Employed in Laying Wood Block
Pavements or Flooring.
I, JAMES GODFREY WILSON of Fort Washington, in the City, County and
State of New York, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention has reference to improvements in means employed in laying wood
block pavements or flooring.
In carrying out my improvements I proceed as follows :—
way,
The substructure of hydraulic cement having been floated on in the usual
I form upon its surface, by the means hereinafter described while the cement is in
a plastic condition, a series of channels, grooves or chases. After the substructure
has hardened, asphalt mastic is applied hot, and enters these channels, grooves or
chases, and in this hot mastic the wood blocks are laid.
The general nature of the substructure, as well as that of the implement for
forming the grooves or chases, will best be understood when described in connection
with the annexed drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 represents a perspective (inverted) view of an implement for forming
dovetail grooves into the substructure according to my invention.
Figure 2 is a cross-section, on an enlarged scale, in the plane 2-2, Figure 1.
Figure 3 is an end view of part of the implement.
Figure 4 is a perspective (inverted), on an enlarged scale, of one of the
cutters.
Figure 5 is a sectional elevation illustrating the first stage in the formation of
the grooves in the substructure, the line of section being on 5-5, Figure 2.
Figure is a similar view illustrating the second stage, the line of section
being on 6--6 Figure 2.
Figure 7 is a sectional view of the finished flooring.
Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the
several views of the drawings.
Referring at present to Figure of the drawings, the letter W designates the
finishing layer built up of blocks of wood. S S₁ is the substructure composed,
as usual, of a cement concrete bed S and a bed of tile, brick or coarse concrete S';
and P is the asphalt mastic, bitumen, or other suitable material securing the blocks
to the bed S of the substructure. After the concrete cement has been floated on
in the usual manner, I form on its surface while still plastic, by the use of a suitable
implement, hereinafter to be described, series of parallel channels, grooves or
chases s preferably dove-tailed.
After the substructure has hardened, the cementitious material P is applied
while hot, and on hardening is securely bonded to the cement bed by the part filling
the channels, grooves or chases in the latter. The finishing layer of wood blocks
provided with dovetail grooves w, is laid, as usual, while the cementitious material
s still in a plastic condition.

page_text: Instead of forming the bed with dovetail grooves, channels inclined in opposite
directions may be cut therein to form the anchor.
By forming dovetail grooves or chases or inclined grooves as described, into the
substructure and blocks, the same are doubly keyed together and held fast, the
one to the other, by the intermediate plastic material entering said grooves or
keyways.
In laying the blocks it is not my intention to preserve anything like uniformity
of position with respect to the direction of the channels cr. grooves in the founda-
tion and those in said blocks. They may run in parallel directions or may cross
each other at different angles, but whatever their relative direction may be the
double key will be formed as described.
Referring now to the Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings for a description of the
implement, the letter A designates a receptacle adapted to receive the material
removed from the substructure S in forming the grooves s.
In its bottom a' is formed a series of rectangular orifices a and beneath the
same is located a series of cutters C of peculiar construction and having for their
object to form the dovetail grooves s, by cutting and removing the material to form
rectangular grooves s, which are converted immediately thereafter into dovetail
grooves, by reason of the form of the cutter and the downward pressure of the
implement upon the substructure.
The construction of said cutters is as follows:-
At the forward end of each cutter are two cutting edges c. c Figures 2 and 4,
forming the terminals of the sides of the cutter, and a third horizontal cutting
edge formed at the front end of the flat bottom c² of the cutter. The sides of
the cutter project beyond the cutting edge c¹ so that the material is cut laterally
before being lifted.
The edges cc are preferably inclined to insure perfect cutting. The forward
end of the cutter is therefore constructed to cut a rectangular groove, such as s
(Figure 5), having nearly the same width as the bottom of the finished dovetail
groove s.
The interior lower side of the cutter is bevelled to gradually carry the severed
material upwardly into the receiver A.
The sides of the cutter run parallel, or slightly divergent, for a short distance
forming substantially right angles with the bottom a¹; they then gradually curve
inwardly while the bottom of the cutter remains substantially its original width,
thereby forming a dovetail of gradually increasing angularity. The rear face c³
of the cutter forms au angle of about 45° with the bottom a¹.
To the receiver A are secured suitable handles B for drawing it over the
concrete bed.
The action of the implement when in use is as follows:
On forcing the implement forward over the bed of concrete material, while in a
plastic condition, substantially rectangular cuts s¹ are first made by the cutting
edges c. c and cl, and, as the forward motion continues, the bottom a¹ of the receiver
presses down the material against the rear dovetail shaped part of the cutter,
thereby forming corresponding dovetail grooves and smoothing the surface of
the bed.
While I have herein shown an implement containing six cutters, it is evident
that more or less can be used.
I am
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I would remark that
aware that wood block pavement or flooring of the character herein
described forms no part of my invention apart from the method of and means
employed in making the channels, grooves or chases in the concrete, cement or
other like sub-structure to which the blocks are secured, but I declare that what
I claim is -
:-
1. The herein described method of forming a dovetail groove in plastic material

page_text: by one continuous operation consisting in forming a substantially rectangular
groove and forcing in the sides radially by downward pressure.
2. The herein described implement for forming dovetail or other shaped channels
in any plastic material, having the combined cutters and forming tools together
with the upper plate for smoothing the surface after the cutting has been done,
substantially as herein shown and described and for the purpose stated.
3. In an implement of the character and for the purpose specified, the combina-
tion of a receiver for the material removed, containing a series of orifices in its
bottom, cutters arranged opposite said orifices having side and bottom cutting
edges, and inwardly curved sides forming dovetails, substantially as described.
Dated September 7th 1904
J. G. WILSON,
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.