IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CASKS AND BARRELS
Year: 1853

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Stephen Neal, William
Blanchard Jerrold, and Conrad Montgomery at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 20th Sep-
tember 1853.-A communication.
We, STEPHEN NEAL, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Mechanical Engineer, WILLIAM BLANCHARD JERROLD, of the Inner
Temple, Gentleman, and CONRAD MONTGOMERY, of Cornhill, in the
City of London, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Juvention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF
CASKS AND BARRELS " to be as follows:-
Our first machine is for jointing, chiming, and creuzing staves. The
blank having been sawn or split to the requisite thickness, and cut to
proper length, is placed in the machine between two strong iron blocks,
the sides of which are so formed as to correspond, in a certain manner,
with the curves to be given to the edges of the blank in jointing it.
One of these blocks is moveable by means of one or more screws, by
which the blank is held firmly between them as in a press. The im-
portant feature in this machine is that while thus firmly secured
between the blocks the blank is operated upon and converted into
a complete stave before it is released from pressure between the blocks.

page_text: While thus firmly confined between the pressing blocks the blank
has to undergo the operations of chiming and creuzing and jointing.
1. Chiming and creuzing.--This is effected by saws, choppers, or
knives, and by cutters, which are so mounted and adjusted at both ends
of the machine that when brought into contact with the blank they
give to the ends of it the shape required, and also cut the grooves for
receiving the heads when in the cask.
2. Jointing. We have already said that the sides of the blocks
forming the press in the machine are so shaped as to correspond, in a
certain manner, with the curves to be given to the edges of the blank in
jointing it. Proper tools having been mounted in frames, which
frames are made to slide along the sides of the pressing blocks and
following their curves, these sliding-frames are made to move from
one end of the blocks to the other; while these frames are thus work-
ing the cutting tools mounted in them will cut thro' the blank, giving
to its edges the requisite curve and bevil. These tools may consist of
saws, choppers, cutters, knives, or any other suitable tools.
. In this manner we operate upon the blank, whether the position of
it in the machine be straight or curved. If straight, the blocks are
straight also. If curved, the blocks must be curved to the shape of the
bulge of the cask for which the stave is intended.
In cases where the cuts of the blank are straight (not doublets), and
the blank is not too thick to admit of the operation, the opposite sur-
faces of the pressing blocks being one of them concave and the other
convex, the blank, in consequence of being submitted to a considerable
pressure between the blocks, will be forced into a rounded shape to
suit the outside and inside form of the cask, the concave and convex
surfaces of the blocks corresponding with the different diameters of the
cask from the middle to the end. In order to make the stave retain
the rounded shape thus given to it by the blocks, these blocks which
are hollow are heated by steam being admitted to them, or by any
other convenient means; and as soon as the formation of the stave is
complete, and it is released from the blocks, it is immediately thrown
into cold water, or exposed to a current of cold air, in order to make it
cool quickly.

page_text: Our second machine is for cutting heads. In this machine the head
having been jointed and put together is fixed and held firmly between
two circular plates. These circular plates are mounted on spindles;
and are made to revolve at a suitable speed. In order to produce the
bevilled edges of the head two cutters or saws being placed in an
angular position, with their flat ends or surfaces against the wood, one
on each side of it, cut the edges of the head into the bevilled form
desired while the wood is turning round along with the plates. The
frame in which the saws or cutters are mounted has an advancing and
receding motion given to it during the operation by means of which
the necessary eliptical form is imparted to the head.
Our third machine is for preparatory sawing of blanks for staves.
This machine is for the purpose of cutting the blanks out from the
rough staves, giving to their sides concave and convex forms. This
is done by a saw blade, which is bent round to form a circle, both
ends being soldered together so as to form a rim of a saw blade.
This saw rin is placed between rollers which are so mounted in a
frame as to form a circle. The rollers being laid tightly together with
the saw rim between them, and being put in motion by straps, will
cause the saw rim to go round, and thereby cut out a blank from one
side of the rough stave as it is being carried against the saw. This
operation is repeated until as many blanks have been obtained as can
be got out of the rough stave. The surfaces of these blanks thus cut
are now convex and concave. Circular guides are placed between the
rollers for the purpose of guiding the saw, and to keep it in its circular
form. The circular guides are packed with hemp, which must be kept
well oiled as long as the saw is at work.
Our fourth machine is for giving the bevil to iron hoops requisite for
the Looping of casks and barrels. This machine consists of one or
more pairs of rollers, between which the hoop iron is made tightly and
firmly to pass; of the second pair of rollers, one is plain and the other
is toothed. The other pairs are all plain. The teeth of the toothed
roller are of steel. They are rather edged at the ends, so that each
of them will act as the blow of a hammer upon the hoop iron, the plain
roller resisting the blow. These two rollers are so placed against each

page_text: other that the toothed roller will cut deeper at one edge of the iron,
whereas it scarcely touches the other edge at all, which causes the
hoop to be bevilled. This machine is made very solid, and the rollers
must be worked at a considerable speed.