CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING CORKS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Francis Barber Howell, of Lebanon, Ohio, in the
United States of America, Farmer, for the Invention of "CERTAIN
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR MAKING CORKS."-A communication. _
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Francis Barber Howell at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Decla-
ration, on the 18th July 1856, pursuant to the 9th Section of the Patent
Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
BARBER HOWELL, of Lebanon, Ohio, in the United States of America, Farmer,
do hereby declare that the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR MAKING CORES," (communicated to me from abroad,) and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say):
This Invention of certain improvements in machinery for making corks has
for its object the manufacture of finished corks with greater economy and
dispatch than is now attained by any machinery known to me.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 is an isometric representation of my
machine; Fig. 2 is an axial section thereof, taken in the plane X X X X,
Fig. 1. Figures 3, 4, and 5 illustrate the successive movements of the feeding
apparatus, and of the elastic finger, and of their actuating cam movements.
Fig. 6 is a detached view of a sliding mandril and of its cam movement. a is
a suitable frame, about five feet square, and standing about thirty inches from
the floor; 6 is a horizontal shaft, carrying the driving pulley c. Near one end

page_text: of this shaft is attached a bevel pinion d, which, near the lower part of the
frame, gears with a horizontal wheel e, of four times its diameter; this wheel e
is keyed to a vertical shaft f, which occupies the centre of the machine, being
journalled within, or to an upper rail g of the frame, and its lower extremity
being held and supported in a step h, which rests upon and is capable of being
raised or lowered by a foot screw i. This central shaft frises about six inches
above the frame, and has keyed fast to it at its upper end a large horizontal
wheel j. To the flat upper surface of the outer rim of this wheel there are
attached at opposite points four knives k; these knives, when attached to the
wheel j, have their cutting edges mostly coincident with a circle somewhat
larger than the skirt of the wheel j, (that is to say,) the portion 1, 2, of each
cutting edge forms an arc of about forty-five degrees, or one-eighth of the
circle, while the extreme front end (2, 3), for a distance about equal to the
length of a cork, is rounded inwardly; this portion makes the blades about
two inches longer respectively than the spaces. Thus the verge of the cutting
wheel is laid off in eight nearly equal parts, formed by alternate cutters and
spaces; with these spaces there occurs such a cessation of the cutting action
as to enable the proper pressure and chucking of the rough cork, without any
detention of the sweep of the cutters, on the one hand, or, on the other hand,
any dislodgement or shifting of the cork mandrel bearings. This stationary
character of the mandril bearings tends to ensure both permanency and
accuracy in the operation of the cork holders. The knives may be adjustable
radially on the wheel, so as to vary the depth of cut; are four counter-sharps,
which receive motion from the main driving shaft in such a way as to revolve
four times for once that the main cutter wheel revolves. Keyed to each of
these counter-shafts / are two half wheels m, that is to say bevel wheels, having
cogs around only one-half of their circuit. Placed so as to gear with each
half wheel is a bevel pinion n, of half the diameter of said wheel; this pinion
is attached to the lower end of a nearly vertical shaft o, surmounted by a small
bevel wheel P, which gears into a similar wheel q on the rear end of each cork
mandril r, s. These materials are journalled horizontally, as represented, within
headstocks t, similar to those of a lathe. One mandril shaft r of each pair is
connected to its pinion by a feather 5, so that it can be rotated by said pinion
while being itself slid longitudinally in its bearings. This longitudinal sliding
of one mandril of each pair is to enable the chucks or burrs t' at the proper
instant to grasp the rough cork preparatory to the cutting action. The sliding
of the mandril is effected by a cam u, on the counter-shaft, operating through a
lever (v); ware square tubes fixed obliquely to the frame, one at the midwidth
of each side. Within this tube there is fitted a piston or poppet (a), notched at

page_text: its top, in the manner represented. The breadth and thickness of this tube
correspond respectively to the length and diameter of the rough cork. y is a
hopper tube, down which the rough corks being dropped, are, one by one, as
wanted, caught in the notch of the piston; is a small elastic strip of metal,
which, on the descent of the feeding piston, overlays it, and serves to conduct
off the parings, and also the finished corks, when released by the retraction of
the mandril r. The elevation of the feed piston x does not take place all at
once, or with a uniform rapidity, but rising slowly at first, stops for an instant
at part of its height, and the more rapidly completes its ascent. A moment's
inspection of the Diagrams (3, 4, and 5) will make evident the necessity for
this intermittent action. The necessarily inclined position of the hopper tube y
causes the rough cork immediately in the rear of the one to be elevated to
lean somewhat over it, and, from the peculiar soft character, and large amount
of traction for their weight of such rough corks, a rapid elevation at once of
the selected cork is found to result in the jamming of it and the next following
one; but by a gentle ascent, at first, the rounded edge of the piston easily
pushes back the cork contained in the hopper. The last portion of the
elevating action being performed, the rough cork is held by the piston in such
position as to properly present it to the grasp of the mandrils, and afterwards
to assist in supporting the cork during the first action of the paring knife, that
is, while the knife traverses a distance equal to the length of the cork. The
piston then descends quickly to its first position, being assisted in its retraction
action by the spiral spring a', enclosed within the tube w. The cam by which
this feeding movement is effected is shewn at h'. 61 is an elastic finger, which,
by means of a cam c¹ upon the counter-shaft and a lever d', is brought over
the cork in the act of presentation, and serves to hold it firmly within the notch
of the piston until grasped by the mandrils. This finger, after the grasp of
the rough cork by the mandrils, and immediately previous to the advance of
the knife, falls back again to its first position, being aided in such retraction
by a spring in guide box (e¹). f¹ are set screws, by means of which the range
of the piston is adjusted, so as to present the rough cork always exactly in line
with the mandrils; are bevel wheels, communicating motion from one
counter-shaft to another.
The operation of the manufacture is as follows:-The pieces to be converted
into finished corks are first got out in the rough into an approximatively
cylindrical form by means of a tubular saw, and are then cut smoothly into
the proper lengths. The four feeding. tubes having been charged with such
cylindrical blocks, the machine is set in motion. The various working parts
above described are so arranged, that during the passage of one of the

page_text: intervals, or spaces of the cutting wheel, the piston commences action by
picking up a rough cork and elevating it to the chucking position by the
described intermittent movement. Simultaneously with this action, the
finger a¹ being advanced by its cam, holds the rough cork firmly within the
notch until grasped by the sliding mandril; the finger a' then recedes, the
cork being held jointly by the piston and the mandrils, while the knife
advancing, cuts its way the length of a cork. The paring being thus initiated,
and the knife still advancing the piston suddenly falls back, and at the same
instant the half wheels engaging with the gear of the mandrils, the latter
promptly, but slowly, rotate the cork, while the knife, by a swift carving
action, completes the paring; which being effected, the half wheels become
disengaged, the mandrils cease to revolve, and the sliding mandril, being
retracted, the finished cork is discharged through a spout (9').
When the corks are to be formed tapering, the mandril headstocks are placed
so as to present the mandrils at an inclination corresponding to the desired taper.
By means of the foot screws, the sweep of the cutters may take place at any
desired distance from the axis of the mandrils, so as to cut a larger or smaller
cork.
The machine may be made either to cut corks of equal dimensions at the
different feeding places, or by suitable adjustment of the mandrils and feeding
piston a separate size may be cut at each feeding place.
With a greater or less circumference of wheel, and corresponding breadth
of frame, a greater or less number of knives and feeding places may be
employed; for example, eight knives and as many feeders may be used, the
wheel being of double the diameter, and the frame having a corresponding
increase of size and being of octagonal shape.
The above plan of divided circular cutter may be easily adopted to cut
corks from the square, if desired.
Several forms of cork machines have contained a small circular cutting
disc having a continuous edge, but none, to my knowledge, have heretofore
employed a revolving cutter of such dimensions as to admit of several distinct
blades and spaces. The large circular parer employed by me, having several
blades upon a single shaft, combines the advantage of simplicity of construction,
with great steadiness of action of the cutter, arising from its large sustained
momentum in one direction. The intervals in the cutting edge permit the
employment of mandrils with stationary bearings for holding the corks, which
involves greater precision and fewer working joints than where, as with other
circular cutters, the cork-holding apparatus has for each cork to be withdrawn
from and then advanced to the cutter.

page_text: The peculiar intermittent feeding mechanism here described enables a single
attendant, who may be a child, by occasionally supplying with rough pieces
the feed tubes, to conduct the operation of a large number of cutters, so as to
increase the amount of service performed by a single hand, or operative, with
such machinery. In illustration of this, we are able to state, that by means
of a single machine, such as here represented, we have easily manufactured at
the rate of a thousand gross of corks per day of ten hours.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that what I
claim, under the present Patent, is,-
Firstly, the revolving circular cutter head, having alternate blades and
spaces, in combination with a series of equidistant pairs of mandrils, having
stationary journal bearings, adjustable or otherwise, substantially as described.
Secondly, in combination with the cutter head and series of mandrils, as
described, or their equivalents, I claim the described arrangement of "half-
wheel" and cam movement for the alternate advance and rotation and
cessation of the mandrils.
Thirdly, the construction and arrangement, substantially as described, of
feed tube, notched piston, and cam movement, whereby the piston is given the
described intermittent elevation, and, in conjunction with the mandrils, is
made to hold the cork during the initiation of the paring, and then to recede
as explained.
Fourthly, in combination with the above-described piston, or its equivalent,
the spring pressure plate or finger, with its described cam movement, for the
temporary holding of the cork in the act of presentation for chucking, as
explained.
Fifthly, in the described combination with the feed piston and mandrils the
discharging spring or strip, substantially as explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Barber Howell, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
WILLIAM SPENCE,
50, Chancery Lane.
F. B. HOWELL. (L.S.)