Improvements in and Apparatus for Cutting off Strips or Sheets to any Required Gauge or Thickness from Lengths or other Pieces of Corkwood.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Mar., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 17th July, 1890-Accepted, 16th Aug., 1890
PROVISIONAL, SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Apparatus for Cutting off Strips or Sheets to
any Required Gauge or Thickness from Lengths or other Pieces
of Corkwood.
1 JOHN EISENHARDT HOWARD of 73 Minories in the County of Middlesex
Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to stripping or cutting off the back or belly of lengths or
other pieces of corkwood either to a given thickness that is the cut to follow the
undulations of said piece of corkwood on either back or belly or both so that the
shaving shall be of a uniform thickness or to strip off the back or belly to a
gauge so that the shaving shall be of varying thickness and the length or piece of
corkwood remaining of a uniform thickness from back to belly.
A machine for effecting the foregoing objects is arranged and constructed as
follows:-
In a suitable framework a revolving circular knife is mounted and the corkwood is
fed through two or more adjustable rollers situato at front edge of same revolving
inwards (ie. towards the knife edge) so as to carry the length towards edge of knife.
On the left hand of knife is an adjustable gauge which can be set to take off the
shaving of any required thickness and to which gauge a spring can be added when
required.
On the right hand of the knife and opposite the left hand gauge is an adjustable
spring gauge to keep the length or picco of cork flat and in position against the
opposite gauge as it reaches the knife.
In front of the rollers is an upright with adjustable arm to keep the lengths or
piccos from rising up as they pass along.
It will be seen that by shifting the spring gauge from one side to the other the
shaving as opposed to the length can be taken off on either side of the knife as
required.
I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise apparatus herein-
before described (as same may be considerably varied for instance a circular saw or
a band knife may be used instead of the circular knife hereinbefore described) so long
as the object of my invention is attained viz. to cut or face the back and belly of
lengths or pieces of cork or corkwood.
Dated this 17th day of March 1800
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Apparatus for Cutting off Strips or Sheets to
any Required Gauge or Thickness from Lengths or other Pieces
of Corkwood.
1 JOHN EISENHARDT HOTARD of 73 Minories in the County of Middlesex
Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be per ormed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to in:provements in and apparatus for cutting off strips or
sheets to any required gauge or thickness from lengths or other pieces of cork or
corkwood.
My invention consists in stripping or cutting off by machinery the back or belly of
lengths or other pieces of corkwood, either to a given thickness that is the cut to

page_text: follow the undulations of said piece of corkwood on either back or belly or both so
that the shaving shall be of a uniform thickness or to strip off the back or belly to a
gauge so that the shaving shall be of varying thickness and the length or piece of
cork wood remaining of a uniform thickness froin back to belly the piece of corkwood
being passed through the machine as often as required until the back or belly or both
are faced or surfaced as desired.
For the purpose of cutting up pieces of corkwood into sheets or strips of uniform
thickness it is only necessary to pass the piece of corkwood which is to be cut up
through the machine again and again until it is all cut up into sheets.
A machine for effecting the foregoing objects is arranged and constructed as
follows:-
In a suitable framework a revolving circular knife is mounted and the cork is fed
to it through two or more adjustable rollers (or equivalents) situate at front edge of
same revolving inwards (i.e. towards the knife edge) so as to carry the length or
other piece of cork wood towards edge of knife.
On one side of the knife is an adjustable gauge which can be set to take off the
shaving of any required thickness and to which gauge a spring can be added when
required.
On the other side of the knife and opposite the other gauge is an adjustable spring
gauge advantageously in the form of a roller which will "give" to the irregularities
of the cork and always keep the length or piece of cork straight and in position against
the opposite gauge as it roaches the knife.
In front of the gauges an upright with adjustable arm to keep the lengths or pieces
of cork from rising up as they pass along is or may be arranged.
It will be seen that by shitting the spring gauge from one side to the other the
shaving as opposed to the length can be taken off on either side of the knife us
required.
I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise apparatus herein
described (as same may be considerably varied, for instance a circular saw or a band
knife or a band saw may be used instead of the circular knife heroin before described)
so long as the object of my invention is attained.
And in order that the said invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect I will proceed aided by the accompanying drawings to fully describe
a suitable machine for carrying out the object of my invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
→
Fig. 1, is an end elevation Fig. 2, is a vertical section-taken through the line 1. 1.
of plan Fig. 3-of a machine or apparatus suitably arranged and constructed for
cutting or stripping off the back or belly from lengths or other pieces of corkwood or
for cutting off strips or sheets to any required gauge or thickness therefrom in
accordance with my invention.
The apparatus consists of a circular knife or cutter a mounted on the axis a' which
turns in bearings a³, a capable of adjustment from time to time as the edge of the
knife a wears away, the axis a' being driven by fast and loose pulleys a³, a' as shown.
,,,, are two pairs of feed and gauge rollers between which the pieces of
corkwood are fed up to the edge of the circular knife a to strip off the back or belly or
to cut off strips or sheets to any required gauge or thickness therefrom, such rollers
being mounted and actuated in the following manner (or in any other equivalent and
suitable manner). The axes of the said rollers are carried by brackets or hangers
formed with dovetail slide pieces A' sliding to and fro (so as to be capable of adjust-
ment) in dovetail grooves formed in the underside of the bed plate A mounted on the
main framing B of the machine.
On the lower ends of the axes & bevel wheels 6x are fixed being driven by bevel
wheels c c on the horizontal axis e actuated by the band wheel & which is driven by a
band from the hand whool a fiend an

page_text: Figure 3.) by weighted levers (or by springs) to adjust these rollers to the
irregularities of the surface of the cork, and so always keep the piece of cork pressed
up against the gauge roller. The rollers &², & act as the gauges and are adjustable so
as to be set to the thickness it is desired to cnt or strip off the cork and then be fixed
in such position.
The roller acts as a spring gango which will "give" readily so as to follow the
inequalities of the cork and yet always keep same pressed up against the opposite fixed
gauge such as the roller; and it is this roller which "gives as and for the
purposes set forth, which forms an essential and very important feature of my present
invention, and by which I am enabled to obtain very considerable benefits and
improvements in cork cutting.
By duplicating the machine-that is to say by arranging a second circular knife or
cutter (just behind the first one), both sides of the piece of corkwood can be faced
up in one operation that is both sides are cut each time the piece of corkwood is passed
through the machine instead of only one side as previously described.
A flat (adjustable) fixed piece of metal to act as a gauge may be used if desired in
place of the gauge roller b.
One pair only of rollers such as 63, 64, may be used instead of the two pairs as shown
the drawings annexed-the second pair only being used for steadying the pieco
of cork and may if desired be dispensed with.
It will be evident that this machine is equally adapted for cutting or stripping off
the back or belly from lengths or other pieces of corkwood or for cutting off strips or
sheets of cork to any required gauge or thickness-which it may be capable of cutting-
until the whole length piece or block of cork is cut up into such sheets.
Having now particularly described and ascert.ined the nature of my said invon-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. The method of cutting off by machinery strips or sheets to any required gauge
or thickness from lengths or other pieces of cork wood substantially in the manner and
for the purposes herein before set forth.
2. A machine or apparatus for cutting or stripping off the back or belly from
lengths or other pieces of corkwood in which the pieces of cork are fed between two
rollers, (or equivalent) up to the edge of a rotating knife or cutter, one of the said
rollers being capable of following the irregularities of the cork and so always keeping
such cork pressed up against the other roller (or equivalent) which acts as a gauge,
the several parts being arranged to act substantially in the manner and for the purposes
hereinbefore set forth.
3. In a machine for cutting off strips or sheets to any required gauge or thickness
from lengths or other pieces of corkwood, I claim the combination of a cutter such as a
and a gauge such as (or equivalent gauge) with a roller such as which
latter will give to the irregularities of the cork substantially in the manner and
for the purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings hereunto
annexed.
23
"
4. In a machine for entting off strips or sheets to any required gange or thickness
from lengths or other pieces of corkwood, I claim a spring gauge roller such as b³
which will give so as to follow the irregularities of the cork and always
keep same pressed up against the opposite fixed gauge substantially in the manner
and for the purposes herein before described and illustrated in the drawings hereunto
annexed.
TL! 171
2
1000
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
34, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Patentee.