IMPROVEMENTS IN PLANING MACHINES
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PLANING MACHINES."-A communication
from abroad by William Sellers, of Philadelphia, in the State of Penn-
sylvania, United States of America.
Sealed the 4th November 1864, and dated the 3rd June 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 3rd June 1864.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PLANING MACHINES,"
follows:-
The objects of the present Invention are, 1st, to effect the lifting of the tool
from the work on the back stroke of the planer in. any position of the slide
rest.
2nd, to provide a thorough protection to the wearing surface of the slides
from the chips or dirt incidental to the working of the machine.
3rd, to ensure a constant and uniform lubrication of the slides without
undue loss of oil.
By the present Invention the tool may be lifted in every position of the

page_text: slide rest, and this may be done from within the cross head, without interfering
with any of the machinery for working the feeds which occupy the centre,
about which the adjustable part of the saddle rotates. Upon the cross head.
of the planing machine slides a saddle, which carries a circular piece, which is
guided in turning by a circular groove in the saddle, a corresponding tongue in
the circular piece fitting therein. This groove also serves for the bolt which
holds the circular piece in position to slide in. Upon the circular piece moves
the vertical slide rest, to which is attached a frame which carries the tool
apron. This frame vibrates to a limited extent around a journal at the lower
end of the slide rest, and is held in position by bolts in a curved slot. The
object of this vibration is to enable the tool to be adjusted in reference to the
work, and to so set it that on vertical or angular feeds it can be made to clear
itself on the back stroke. The tool itself is bolted to the apron, which is
binged at its upper end to the frame.
In horizontal planing machines, the frame sets vertically, i.e. the hinge of
the.
.apron is square with the vertical slide, and in lifting, its motion is on a
plane coincident with the line of motion of the vertical feed, but at right
angles to the direction of the cross feed. On vertical and angular feeding,
however, the feed is accomplished by a movement of the vertical slide, and not
of the saddle on the cross head, hence the frame must be so set that the plane
of motion of the apron must be at an angle with the line of motion of the slide
rest, in order to let the tool point lift away from the work. In the centre of
the saddle are bevil wheels, which convey the feed motion from a shaft within
the cross head to the nut of the screw, and it is around these wheels as a centre
that the circular piece can be rotated. The frame also vibrates around its journal
as a centre, and it is through these two centres that the power to lift the tool
apron must be conveyed, while the position of these two centres is continually
varying on a line radial to the centre of the circular piece. To accomplish
this, an annular space is made in the saddle, and a toothed wheel is placed
therein; this space is concentric with the circular piece, and the toothed wheel
has its bearing outside of the bearing of the centre bevil wheels. Gearing
into this wheel is a pinion, the shaft of which extends through the saddle and
carries a cord wheel on the inside of the cross head. The toothed wheel has
attached to it a segment, in which is a cam groove or spiral slot excentric to the
wheel. In this groove slides a block, which is attached to the end of a pipe
which surrounds the vertical feed screw. This pipe extends above the top of
the saddle, and carries at its upper end a pair of elastic clamps, which by
friction actuate a flat rod, which passes the whole length of the vertical slide
on its side next to the saddle. The lower end of this rod is thickened up and

page_text: has a hole morticed through it. In this hole the long arm of a bell-crank
lever fits loosely, and its short arm extends down immediately behind the tool
apron, so that if the long arm be lowered it will push forward the tool apron,
and when it is raised allow it to fall back into its place. Around the cord
wheel passes a cord which extends the whole length of the cross head guided
over sheaves at each end. To one end of this cord is hung a weight, the other
end is attached to any part of the planing machinery, which will impart to it a
reciprocating motion corresponding with the motion of the table, but occurring
only at each end of the table movement, as in all the arrangements for lifting
the tool with a cord now in common use. When the vertical slide is turned
into any new position, the pin in the spiral slot will drag the toothed wheel
around the cord wheel, slipping within its encircling cord, and as soon as the
machine is started, the parts will adjust themselves to the new position, so that
no matter what angle the vertical slide stands in with reference to the cross
head, the tool lifting apparatus will work.
In order to economise oil to protect the wearing surface, and to prevent
dust from getting on the V guides, grooves or channels are made at the top of
the table slide; these are large enough to hold all the surplus oil which is
forced up by the oilers; these 'channels are covered by projecting shoulders
extending out on each side of the table, and reaching entirely over the
edges of the channels, and as close to the top of the slide as they can be
without touching. These covers are of the utmost importance, as the trouble
from falling chips has always been so serious that in very many planing
machines no holes are made in the table, the work being held by bolts in the
grooves only, and in all planing machines which have holes in the table, it is
customary to place them as far as possible from the V's, so as to protect them
from falling chips and dirt.
During the operation of planing, the chips falling on to the table will often
glance in passing through the holes, and thus fall into the slides even though
they are some distance away, and as much sand, dirt, and dust, is continually
falling with the chips, a good deal of, it is continually finding its way into the
slides. By placing covers as described, neither the large chips nor the finer
and more injurious dirt passing through the table holes can ever by any
chance reach the wearing surface, and the holes in the table can be, if
necessary, placed close on each side of the web which unites the V to the
table. The oilers drag along the channel, drive the oil up grooves in the side
of the V, thence into the upper channels, which are large enough to receive
this surplus oil.
To prevent waste of oil, at each end of the slides, within the length of the

page_text: bed, there are oil wells, the opening into the well being but little wider than
the channel, hence but little wearing surface is sacrificed. To prevent the
swinging oilers from touching the end of the bed, the channels are deepened
and widened at the extreme end of the bed, making it so deep and so
wide that the drop of oil banging to the oiler cannot be scraped off thereby,
but will be removed only after it has passed the well, and is about riding over
the stop at the end of the channel. Thus, without the sacrifice of much
wearing surface, the receptacles for the surplus oil are placed within the bed,
and all the oil scraped off is compelled to pass into these receptacles; the oiling
channel is placed at the bottom of the groove, and the other channels at the
top of the groove, so as to retain the oil and distribute it over the wearing
surface. As the oil accumulates in the wells it can be dipped up and
poured into the channel, thus ensuring the greatest economy of lubricating
material.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 3rd December 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 PLANING MACHINES," being a communication from abroad,
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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

page_text: Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said. Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
The objects of the present Invention are, first, to effect the lifting of the
tool from the work on. the back stroke of the planer in any position of the
slide rest.
Second, to provide a thorough protection to the wearing surface of the slides
from the chips or dirt incidental to the working of the machine.
Third, to insure a constant and uniform lubrication of the slides, without
undue loss of oil.
The nature of the. Invention can be understood from the following descrip-
tion of a machine built on the improved plan.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the machine,
showing part of the table and bed in section; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of
the machine, showing the cross head and part of the bed in Section; Fig. 3 is
a front view of the cross head with the circular piece removed from the saddle
to show the interior; Fig. 4 is a plan of the saddle and cross. head, shewn
All machines
partially in section; Fig. 5 is an end view of the cross head.
of improved construction for planing metal are so arranged as to be able to
adjust the feed for planing horizontal, vertical, or angular surfaces, and such
planers are advertised as having positive geared feeds, self-acting in. all
directions. The horizontal feed is in every case obtained from the motion of
the saddle on the cross head, while the vertical and all the angular feeds are
obtained from the slide rest upon the saddle which may be set vertically, or
have its line of motion adjusted to an angle with the cross head. This of
course necessitates the turning of a portion of the saddle on a centre, and
through this centre the power to operate the down feed is in most cases
conveyed..
In order to relieve the tool from needless wear during the back stroke of
the planer table it is hung in what is called an apron, so adjusted as to allow
the tool to swing loose on the back stroke of the planer table, but to be held
rigidly when cutting. In large planers, where the weight of the tool is
great, and in all fine planing, this liberation of the tool is not sufficient of
itself, but some arrangement must be added whereby the tool point shall be
actually lifted clear of the work on the back stroke and dropped into place

page_text: ready for the cut after the article to be planed has passed under it. By the
present Invention the tool may be lifted in every position of the slide rest, and
this may be done from within the cross head without interfering with any of
the machinery for working the feeds which occupy the centre, about which
the adjustable part of the saddle rotates.
In the annexed Drawing A is the cross head of the planing machine; upon
this slides the saddle B, which carries a circular piece C, which is guided in
turning by a circular groove in the saddle; a corresponding tongue on the
circular piece C fitting therein. This groove also serves for the bolt which
holds the circular piece in position to slide in. Upon the circular piece C,
moves the vertical slide rest D, to which is attached a frame E, which carries
the tool apron F. This frame E vibrates to a limited extent around a journal
G, at the lower end of the slide rest D, and is held in position by bolts in the
curved slot H. The object of this vibrating motion is to enable the tool to be
adjusted in reference to the work and to so set it, that on vertical or angular
feeds it can be made to clear itself on the back stroke. The tool itself is
bolted to the apron F, which is hinged at its upper end to the frame E.
In horizontal planing machines the frame E sets vertically, i.e., the hinge
of the apron is square with the vertical slide, and in lifting its motion is on a
plane coincident with the line of motion of the vertical feed, but at right
angles to the direction of the cross feed. On machines provided with vertical
and angular feeding, the feed is however accomplished by a movement of the
vertical slide and not of the saddle on the cross head, hence the frame E must
be so set that the plane of motion of the apron must be at an angle with the
line of motion of the slide rest, in order to let the tool point lift away from the
work. In the centre of the saddle B, are bevil wheels which convey the feed
motion from a shaft within the cross head to the nut of the screw I, and it is
around these wheels as a centre that the circular piece C can be rotated.
The frame E also vibrates around its journal G as a centre, and it is through
these two centres that the power to lift the tool apron must be conveyed
while the position of these two centres is continually varying on a line radial to
the centre of the circular piece C. To accomplish this, an annular space is
made in the saddle B, and a toothed wheel K is placed therein. This space is
concentric with the circular piece C, and the toothed wheel K has its bearing
outside of the bearing of the centre bevil wheels. Gearing into this wheel K,
is a pinion L, the shaft of which extends through the saddle and carries a cord
wheel M on the inside of the cross head. The toothed wheel K has attached
to it a segment M, in which is a cam groove or spiral slot excentric to the
wheel K. In this groove slides a block which is attached to the end of a pipe

page_text: O which surrounds the vertical feed screw I. This pipe O extends above the
top of the saddle and carries at its upper end a pair of elastic clamps P, which
by friction actuate a flat rod Q, which passes the whole length of the vertical
slide on its side next to the saddle. The lower end of this rod Q is thickened
up and has a hole morticed through it. In this hole the long arm of a bell
crank lever S fits loosely, and its short arm extends down immediately behind
the tool apron, so that if the long arm be lowered it will push forward the
tool apron, and when it is raised allow it to fall back into its place. Around
the cord wheel M passes a cord which extends the whole length of the cross
head guided over sheaves at each end. To one end of this cord is hung a
weight; the other end, which is attached to any part of the planing machinery,
will impart to it a reciprocating motion corresponding with the motion of the
table, but occurring only at each end of the table movement as in all the
arrangements for lifting the tool with a cord now in common use. The
amount of this cord motion must be somewhat more than enough to move the
excentric slot in the segmental piece N its entire length, and thus raise and
depress the rod Q by means of the elastic clamp P and pipe O its full amount,
the cord slipping its excess of motion on the wheel M. The counterweight
attached to the cord must be heavy enough to do the work, but not so heavy
as to cause needless friction on the wheel M. When the vertical slide is turned
into any new position, the pin in the spiral slot will drag the toothed wheel K
around the cord wheel M, slipping within its encircling cord, and as soon as
the machine is started the parts will adjust themselves to the new position, so
that, no matter at what angle the. vertical slide stands with reference to the
cross head, the tool lifting apparatus will work. Many devices have been
used to raise and lower the point of the tool. In some of these there has been'
a cord passing in front of the saddle arranged to move a wedge or inclined
plane behind the tool apron, in which case the lifter can only be used when the
slide rest is vertical or at a right angle in either direction. In other machines
in which the feed motion for the vertical slide is operated by a ratchet on top of
the slide and not at the end of the cross head, the power which gives motion
to the ratchet is used to work a cam which lifts the tool apron. This last plan
is not however applicable to the form of slide rest above described. In all
planing machines the apron must be back in its place firmly seated against
its metal support before the tool enters the cut. If by any accident, such as
the breaking of the lifter cord while the tool is up, the point of the tool should
not fall in time for the cut, but should in process of the feed strike the unplaned
part of the metal, the lifting gear is usually broken by being subjected to
this undue strain. To avoid this trouble, springs have been placed under the

page_text: apron so that the lifting power may be elastic, the springs being so arranged
as to yield and the apron pressed home, even if the lifter is still holding it up.
But in the present machine this difficulty can never result in harm, for by the
use of the bell crank S the strain brought to bear on the tool will press back
the apron towards its seat, transferring the direction of the motion to an end
movement of the rod Q, which will slide in its elastic clamps without harm to
any part of the machinery. The bell crank, or any equivalent thereof,
whereby the motion of the apron in being forced back shall be changed in
direction and made to move the lifting gear without harm, is an important
feature of the Invention. This improvement consists in providing a definite
amount of reciprocating motion radial to the centre of rotation of that piece in
the slide rest which determines the angle to be planed, and in so arranging the
devices which impart movement to the apron, that an undue pressure upon
the apron when raised, will cause it to fall back upon its seat and so remain
until the lifting movement can be rearranged by the renewal of the table
movement. In the slides of planing machines, there is usually at the bottom
of the V-shaped groove a channel a stopped at both ends. so as to hold oil.
At intervals, along the table, there are narrow slots morticed into the apex of
the V as at b, and in these slots hang loose pieces c (called oilers). These
oilers drag on the bottom of the channel a as the table passes back and
forth, driving the oil in the channel a before it, and forcing some of the
oil up grooves d, d, in the side of the table V. The excess of the oil which
passes up these grooves would run over the top of slide in the bed were not
some little space allowed in the width of the slide to retain it. This extra
space, however, is objectionable, as the dust, dirt, and chips, incident to the
working of the machine, lodges in it, and thus finds its way on to the wearing
surfaces to the great injury of the machine. As the table at times overhangs
the end of the bed, the oil runs down the V on the overhanging part, and on
the back stroke it is scraped off by the end of the bed and thus runs on to the
floor, unless dishes be placed to receive it.
In order to economise oil and protect the wearing surface, and prevent
dust from getting on the V guides, grooves or channels f, f, are made at the
top of the table slide. These channels are large enough to hold all the
surplus oil which is forced up by the oilers, and they are covered by projecting
shoulders g, g, extending out on each side of the table V, and reaching
entirely over the edges of the channels, as close to the top of the slide
as they can be without touching. These covers are of the utmost importance,
as the inconvenience from falling chips has always been so serious. that, in very
many planing machines, no holes are made in the table, the work being held

page_text: by bolts in the T grooves only, and in all planing machines which have holes
in the table it is customary to place them as far as possible from the V's, so as
to protect them from falling chips and dirt.
During the operation of planing, the chips falling on to the table will often
glance in passing through the holes, and thus fall into the slides, even though
they are some distance away, and as much sand, dirt, and dust is continually
falling with the chips, a good deal of it is continually finding its way on to
the slides. By placing the covers g, g, as described, neither the large chips,
nor the finer and more injurious dirt passing through the table holes can ever,
by any chance, reach the wearing surface, and the holes in the table can, if
necessary, be placed close on each side of the web, which unites the V to the
table. The oilers drag along the channel a, drive the oil up grooves in the
side of the V, thence into the upper channels f, f, which are large enough to
receive this surplus oil, and these channels being protected with the covers
from dirt they become valuable feeds of oil to the sliding surface.
To prevent waste of oil, at each end of the slides within the length of the
bed, there are oil wells h, cored into the bed, as is shown in section Fig. 1,
the opening into the well being but little wider than the channel a', hence but
little wearing surface is sacrificed. The stops are placed at the end of the
channel a, just inside of the oil well, as is shown at i, while outside of the
well (that is at the end of the bed) are grooves k, which slant towards the oil
well in such a manner that the outer edge of the groove shall not touch the
V of the table, but that the oily surface shall pass clear of it, and the surplus
oil be scraped off by the inner edge, and thus conveyed to the well. The
surface of the V thus never touches the extreme end of the bed, and
consequently no oil can be scraped off so as to run on the floor. To prevent
the swinging oilers from touching the end of the bed, the channels a are
deepened and widened at the extreme end of the bed, thereby making them
so deep and so wide that the drop of oil hanging to the oiler cannot be
scraped off but will be removed only after it has passed the well and is about
riding over the stop at the end of the channel a. With this arrangement
it is evident that the oil in the well can never rise to the level of that in the
channel a; thus, without the sacrifice of much wearing surface, the receptacles
for the surplus oil are placed within the bed, and all the oil scraped off is
compelled to pass into these receptacles. The oiling channel a is placed at
the bottom of the groove and the other channels ff, at the top of the groove,
so as to retain the oil and distribute it over the wearing surface. As the oil
accumulates in the wells it can be dipped up and poured into the channel u,
thus insuring the greatest economy of lubricating material.

page_text: Having thus described this Invention of improvements in planing machines,
and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, what I
claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,
1st. Producing a motion radial to the axis of rotation of the circular piece
C for the purpose of raising the tool, as described.
2nd. The use of the bell-crank S, or its equivalent, for the purpose above
specified.
3rd. Providing the slides on the table with overhanging edges g, g, as
described and for the purpose specified.
4th. Arranging within the slides of the bed oil receptacles combined
with the stops i, as and for the purpose specified.
5th. Arranging the outer end of the oil well, so that the oil in the swinging
oilers cannot touch in passing over.
6th. I claim, in combination with the channel a and stop i, the oil recep-
tacle h, so arranged that the oil can never rise to the level of a, as and for
the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Second day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON.
(L.S.)