Improvements in Wood Splitting Machines.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Oct., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 9th July, 1895-Accepted, 10th Aug., 1895
Improvements in Wood Splitting Machines.
We EDWARD CORY, FREDERICK WILLIAM REYNOLDS and GEORGE
WADSWORTH CRAGG CATFORD of Acorn Works, Edward Street, Blackfriars
Road, London, in the County of Surrey, Engineers do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is the regulation of the feed in wood splitting
machines for firewood or other purposes.
The blocks of wood to be split are sawn to length and are put into a trough
or hopper, set at an angle from the horizontal line, so that they feed down by
gravity. Working against the mouth of the trough is a knife or chopper moving
in guides and actuated by suitable gearing. In front of the mouth of the trough
is a flat plate which is kept at a certain distance from same by suitable stops,
according to the thickness of the piece to be split off, the plate being held up to
the stops by a spring, and on the back of the knife, or above it, is a projection or
ledge which carries away the piece or pieces that have been split off.
The action of the machine is as follows-
The blocks which have been put into the trough, fall against the spring plate,
the portion of the block that is to be split off projecting beyond the mouth of the
trough, the knife then descends, and splitting off the piece forces the plate back
against its spring. The spring plate then holds the piece against the back of the
knife until the ledge, which descends with the knife, carries the piece away clear
of the plate. Pieces are thus split from the blocks in slabs, and if number of
these slabs are again put into the trough side by side, and at right angles to the
direction in which they were previously put in, sticks, similar to those used for
ordinary firewood, will be split off.
Dated this with de
3004
1.
FREDERICK WILLIAM REYNOLDS.
GEORGE WADSWORTH CRAGG CATFORD.
We, EDWARD CORY, FREDERICK WILLIAM REYNOLDS and GEORGE
WADSWORTH CRAGG CATFORD of Acorn Works, Edward Street, Blackfriars
Road, London Engineers, 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 :-
By this invention blocks of wood, ends of deals, boards &c. are split into sticks
of the kind used in making bundles of ordinary firewood. The blocks are sawn to
the required length before they are put into the machine. They are then put into
a trough or hopper which is set at an angle to the horizontal line so that they feed
down one after the other by gravity. Working against the mouth of the trough
[Pois Rd 7

page_text: at its lower end is a knife or chopper moving in guides and actuated by suitable
gearing. In front of the mouth of the trough is a flat plate which is kept at a
certain distance from the same by suitable stops according to the thickness of the
piece to be split off, the plate being held up to the stops by a spring, and on the
back of the knife or following after it is a projection or ledge which carries away
the piece or pieces that have been split off!
The action of the machine is as follows-
The blocks, which have been put into the trough, slide down until they come
against the spring plate, the portion of the block that is to be split off projecting
beyond the mouth of the trough. The knife then descends, and in splitting off the
piece or slab the said piece is held to the back of the knife by the spring plate
until the backing ledge, which follows after the knife, catches the edge of it and
carries it clear of the spring plate. Pieces are thus split from the block into slabs,
and if a number of these slabs are again put into the trough side by side, and at
right angles to the direction in which they were previously put in, sticks, similar
to those used for ordinary. firewood.bundles, will be split off.
Instead of using a spring plate to keep the piece of wood against the back of the
knife and to regulate the thickness of the piece of wood split off we sometimes
use a spring only, made adjustable for distance from the mouth of the trough or
hopper.
When it is required to split the blocks into sticks. at one operation we sometimes
fit a revolving spindle in front of the mouth of the hopper, driven by a belt from
the machine. This spindle carries a number of revolving discs. with sharpened
edges which are, made to slide freely on the spindle. The edges of the discs
revolve as close as possible to the back of the knife and as the knife splits off the
slab it is driven on to the discs by the knife and also forced through them by the
backing ledge thereby being split into sticks. To make room for the sticks to pass
through the discs. they are made to slide in a lateral direction on the shaft and
springs should be provided to bring the discs to their position again after the sticks
have been thrown out. Each disc should have long collars or long keys working
in a keyway or keyways in the spindle to make them slide easily. A guard close
to the edges of the discs should also be provided to throw the sticks out of the
discs.
We sometimes construct the machine as shown in the drawings, where Fig. 1 is
a section of a machine and Fig. 2 a front view of the disc spindle.
A is the trough or hopper. B. B. B. the blocks of wood sawn to length, C the
knife, D the backing ledge. E the plate for keeping the piece of wood split
off to the back of the knife. The plate E is held up to its place by the spring F
and regulated for distance from the mouth of the trough by the nuts G. H is the
piece or pieces of wood split off the block B. I. I are the revolving discs through
which the slab H is driven by the backing ledge D. J is the guard which throws
the sticks out of the discs I. 1. K. K. are the springs for bringing the discs I. I.
back to their position after the sticks are thrown out.. L is the pulley driving the
disc spindle. M is the connecting rod or rods driving the knife C. N is the
pulley driven by a belt from the main shaft, and Ois the belt driving the disc
spindle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim. is―
1. Wood splitting machines for splitting slabs and sticks of firewood, substantially
as described.
2. In wood splitting machines, an adjustable spring or spring plate for holding
the piece of wood split off to the back of the knife, and for regulating the thickness
of the wood split off, substantially as described.
3. In wood splitting machines, a projecting ledge following the knife or chopper
for carrying away the piece of wood split off, substantially as described.

page_text: 4. In wood splitting machines, the combination of an adjustable spring or spring
plate, with a gravity feed and with a ledge following the knife, whereby the
thickness of the piece split off is regulated, and whereby the piece of wood is
held to the back of the knife until carried away by the ledge, substantially as
described.
5. In wood splitting machines, revolving circular discs and springs, having a
lateral motion on their shaft, for splitting the slabs into sticks, and a guard for
throwing the sticks out of the discs, substantially as described.
6. In wood splitting machines, the combination of revolving circular discs,
having lateral motion on their shaft with a guard, a gravity feed, a knife or
chopper, a spring plate and a backing ledge, substantially as described.
Dated this 8th day of July 1895
EDWD. CORY.
FREDK. W. REYNOLDS.
GEORGE W. C. CATFORD.
EDWD. CORY.
FREDK. W. REYNOLDS.
GEORGE W. C. CATFORD.