IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO DOVETAILING MACHINERY."
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Thompson Mackey, of Kingsland Road, in the
County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE
TO DOVETAILING MACHINERY."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Thompson Mackey
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st September 1880.
WILLIAM THOMPSON MACKEY, of Kingsland Road, in the County of Middlesex.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO DOVETAILING MACHINERY."
This Invention relates to improvements in and applicable to dovetailing
machinery, the main object of the Invention being to facilitate the manufacture
of dove-tailed drawers and drawer carcases, the improved machinery being also
applicable to other similar purposes.
In carrying out my Invention I employ a circular saw and planing machine
combined with a vertical saw frame and saws, a vertical acting slide forming a
press carrying chisels, and a horizontal slide with two arms carrying fixed cutters,
as hereinafter described.
The circular saw bench is provided with an extra projecting length of spindle for
the purpose of carrying a planing block for the attachment of plane irons, the said
bench being supplied with an adjustable bed to regulate the depth of the cut.
In combination with the said sawing and planing bench, and attached to the
same is a vertical frame working in slides, and actuated by means of a crank and
rod, and carrying two sets of saws, one on either side, and capable of being set to
any angle as may be required for different kinds of work; attached to the saw
frame is a bed on either side, the one for cutting the tails, the other for pins, that
for the pins being fixed at a vertical angle, and the other for the tails so as to
approach the saws at any required angle by means of an adjustable slide.
I provide a vertical frame actuated by a crank and rod, the said frame being
capable of having attached to it a number of chisels of the various shapes and sizes
to remove the intersecting wood between the tails and pins, except in the case of
blind dovetails, for which purpose I provide a head and tail stock carrying a
suitable number of spindles formed with a screw thread at one end, for the
attachment of cutters made to the shape of the intersecting wood between the pins
that form the blind dovetails.
For the grooving and recessing operations I make use of a horizontal slide with
two projecting arms carrying a cutter, the said arms to be fed to the work by
means of a rack and pinion actuated by a pulley or other similar means.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Thompson Mackey in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st March 1881.
WILLIAM THOMPSON MACKEY, of Kingsland Road, in the County of Middlesex.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO DOVETAILING MACHINERY."
This Invention relates to improvements in and applicable to dovetailing
machinery, the main object of the Invention being to facilitate the manufacture
of dovetailed drawers and drawer carcases, the improved machinery being also
applicable to other similar purposes.
The said Invention consists, first, in the combination with a circular saw bench
having an extra length of spindle carrying a planing block for the attachment of
plane irons, and having a rising and falling bed to regulate the cut of a vertical
frame working in angle guide plates, and capable of carrying a number of saws on
either side, and being actuated by means of a crank or a pair of cams and
eccentrics.
Secondly. In the combination with the herein before described saw frame of the
means of attachment of the saws, so as to admit of setting them at any angle to
enable them to cut tails of any pitch.
Thirdly. In the combination with the hereinbefore described saw frame of a
horizontal slide working on a centre pin, and capable of being set to any angle,
and having a bed plate with adjustable fence by means of fly nuts or screws, the
said plate working on a centre pin and having a radial slot and set screw, so as to
allow of the same being always set square with the face of the saws, thereby
giving the plate a compound motion on the slide being moved towards the saws.
Fourthly. In combination with the hereinbefore described saw frame and
horizontal slide, I provide a lever attached to a toothed wheel and weight actuated
by the foot, the said toothed wheel gearing into a rack attached to the under side
of the slide, so that by depressing the lever the slide moves to the saws, and carries
the materials being worked upon up to the saws, so as to cause them thereby to
cut the tails.
Fifthly. In combination with the hereinbefore described saw frame and slide,
I employ an adjustable bed capable of being set to any angle by means of a screw
and plate, the whole being set on a centre so as to allow it to be used as two beds
or one, as may be required; the said bed is provided with a moveable fence to
allow of pins being cut to any pitch.
Sixthly. For the purpose of removing the wood between the tails and pins after
they have left the saw frame, I provide a frame carrying a slide or slides according
to the amount of work the machine is required to do, the said slide being provided
with a face plate set on a pin, the whole being capable of adjustment to any augle,
and actuated by a crank or cam if worked by power, or if worked by hand
I attach a lever and weight.
Seventhly. In combination with the vertical slide and face plate, I provide in the
plate two dovetailed slots for the attachment of cutters of various kinds.
Eighthly. In combination with the vertical frame and slide, I provide a
horizontal sliding bed with screw for lowering or raising the same as the work
requires, and attached to the same is a pair of rails carrying a number of clamping
blocks and screws for holding the work in place; the bed is also provided with a
screw and a handle for advancing the same towards the bed which is provided on
the other side of the frame, and has two dovetailed slots for the attachment of
cutters, which enables the slide to perform the operation of blind dovetailing in a
perfect manner in all kinds of soft wood, such as pine.

page_text: Ninthly. For working the slide and cutters by power, I arrange on the shaft
actuating the vertical saw frame a clutch pulley.
Tenthly. In combination with the clutch pulley I provide a lever and slide with
fork, and attach the same to the slide frame, so as to enable the slide to be thrown
out of gear when required without stopping the saw frame.
Eleventhly. Above the vertical slide frame, and forming part of the same, I
provide a bracket and block capable of forming bearings for the end of the main
shaft, the shaft carrying the mitred tooth wheel and eccentrics and cam for working
the slide, also to take the bearing of the shaft carrying the mitred wheel, crank, or
eccentrics for working the sliding bed automatically.
Twelfthly. The automatic feed, for which purpose I employ a mitred wheel
geared into a wheel attached to the spindle actuating the slide, and being attached
to a shaft having a crank pin at the end, which is provided with a connecting rod
having an adjustable pin in contact with a lever and weight; the lever is provided
with a pawl and spring acting on a ratchet wheel which is attached to the shaft,
having on the end a mitred pinion geared into a similar pinion which is attached
to the horizontal screw under the sliding bed.
Thirteenthly. In combination with the aforesaid spindle and cutters, I provide a
sliding cramp capable of being raised or lowered, or moved in a horizontal direction,
so that the work can approach the cutters vertically, and then be moved horizontally,
thereby forming a long dovetail, but with the ends round, which are subsequently
squared under the slide carrying suitable chisels.
But to make my Invention better understood, I have annexed a Sheet of
Drawings, in which,―
Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved vertical saw frame and slide frame.
Figure 2 is a reverse elevation of Figure 1, with the head and tail stock
attached.
.
Figure 3 is an end elevation of Figure 1, shewing the arrangement of the feed
motion.
Figure 4 is a section on line x, x, of Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a section on line y, y, of Figure 1.
Figure 6 is an enlarged view of the slide, shewing the position of the chisels
when cutting blind dovetails.
Figure 7 is a sectional view of the vertical slide when fitted for hand power,
having the bracket and the lever attached.
Figure 8 is an enlarged section of the saw frame and saw attachments, shewing
the mode of fastening and tightening the saws.
Figure 9, elevation and section of the chisel for removing the intersecting wood
between the pins.
Figure 10, elevation and section of the chisels for removing the wood from
between the dovetails.
Figure 11 is a section of a head and tail stock of the ordinary construction,
shewing a section of the blocks carrying the spindles and cramping device. This
head and tail stock serves for the preliminary cutting of blind dovetails in hard
wood ready for finishing in the vertical frame. Similar letters in all the Figures
represent similar parts.
A is the saw frame; B, the horizontal adjustable bed; S, shaft with cams and
eccentrics E, E; P is the driving pulley; D, double adjustable bed; HS, handle
and screw to actuate the bed C carrying the cramping arrangement G; R, screw
for raising the bed C; G' is a gauge for gauging the depth of the cut of the chisels ;
R S, radial screws for setting the slide N; F, feed motion; K, vertical saws fixed
for cutting tails; B B, bracket carrying the wheel which actuates the slide N ;
O, lever, rack, and pinion feed motion to the sliding bed B; Q, grooved fixed bed
for carrying the horizontal chisels when cutting blind dovetails; FL, foot lever
for moving the bed from right to left; PS, set screws for adjusting the plate
carrying the chisels as shewn; H, handle and screw for raising or lowering the
angle bed D; BC, are the chisels adjusted for chopping out pins. Figure 6 is a

page_text: perspective view shewing part of the slide N and face plate PP, with chisels M
attached, and shewing their action when cutting blind dovetails, also chisels BC,
and bed Q, and their relation to each other; by reversing the angle of the slide, and
replacing the chisels M by chisels of the opposite hand, the dovetail will be
completed.
Having thus described the nature, of my said Invention, and the best means with
which I am acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood
that I do not confine myself to the precise details of construction herein laid down
and shewn in the accompanying Drawing, as they may be varied without departing
from the peculiar character of the Invention, but what I do claim is,-
The improvements in and applicable to dovetailing machinery herein before
described and represented in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Thompson Mackey, have hereto set
my hand and seal, this First day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
W. T. MACKEY. (L.S.)