IMPROVED. MACHINERY FOR SPLITTING OR CUTTING BLOCKS OF WOOD FOR MATCH SPLINTS, KINDLING WOOD, TREENAILS, AND OTHER PUR- POSES
Year: 1856

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 "IMPROVED. MACHINERY FOR SPLITTING OR CUTTING BLOCKS OF
WOOD FOR MATCH SPLINTS, KINDLING WOOD, TREENAILS, AND OTHER PUR-
POSES." A communication.
Sealed the 17th October 1856, and dated the 12th May 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th May 1856.
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 IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR SPLITTING OR CUTTING
BLOCKS OF WOOD FOR MATCH SPLINTS, KINDLING WOOD, TREENAILS, AND OTHER
PURPOSES, to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the use of certain cutters, clearer plate, and
cranks, and feeding table or apparatus, and combinations thereof, for the pur-
pose of splitting or cutting blocks of wood into match splints, kindling wood,
treenails, and other articles of use.
To effect these operations, two crank centres are turned on the main driving.
shaft, upon which are secured two levers to work the cutters. These levers
are made with joints in them, though being jointed is not absolutely necessary.
To the back of the joints in these levers are springs or stiffeners, the object
of which is to throw the levers out of joint when the cutters have ceased to
find any resistance in splitting the block or blocks of wood, and thereby prevent
cutting through to the bed of the machine.

page_text: To the top of the cap piece, connecting the jointed levers to the cranks, two
arms are jointed, the opposite ends of which are similarly connected to a cross
bar, through the middle of which is a hole, into which fits a pin on the cross
head of a crimping or compressing lever, for the purpose of working it by
means of the cranks on the main shaft. The fulcrum of this lever works in
boxes or caps attached to the upright side pieces of the frame. On the lower
end of each arm of the lever is a crimper faced with steel. A girt of iron is
bolted to the frame, the lower face of which projects about the 32rd of an inch
below the lower face of the adjustable cap or clearer plate, so as to oppose a
broad and solid surface to the upper side of the block or blocks of wood while
being matted or crimped on its lower side by the action of the crimper. When
the lower surface of the blocks have been crimped or matted, they are carried
'forward by suitable feed gear or feed tables, so as to admit of the cutters taking
a new cut or splint by the set of intersecting cutters.
gear
When the machine is exclusively used for splitting kindling wood, treenails,
and other articles, the crimping levers and crimper is either thrown out of,
or otherwise entirely omitted in the construction of the machine, so that the
office of the machine is then only to split the blocks of wood, and by means
of an endless band or other suitable feeding apparatus carry the blocks forward
to be split, and the split pieces conveyed out of the machine.
.
This feeding apparatus may consist either of rollers feeding or binding
against the sides of the blocks of wood, or of an endless chain, plate, or table,
upon which the blocks are placed, and thus by suitable feed motion carried
into the machine. This latter way of feeding the blocks is more generally
applicable to feeding the blocks of wood to be split for kindling wood, tree-.
nails, &c., whilst the former method is better adapted for feeding in blocks of
wood for making match splints, though it will be obvious that the use of
both methods are well known, and are equivalent devices to accomplish the.
same result, that is, carry the block of wood to be split forward and under the
action of the knives or splitters.
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 12th November 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM.
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County 3
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Edward Newton, Her speciál 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 "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR SPLITTING OR CUTTING BLOCKS OF WOOD FOR MATCH
SPLINTS, KINDLING WOOD, TREENAILS, AND OTHER PURPOSES," being a communi-
cation 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 Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great 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 Lereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
The nature of this Invention of improved machinery for splitting or cutting
blocks of wood for match splints, kindling wood, treenails, and other purposes,
which has been communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, consists
in the use of certain cutters, clearer plate, and cranks, and feeding table or
apparatus, and combinations thereof, for the purpose of splitting or cutting
blocks of wood into match splints, kindling wood, treenails, and other articles
of use.
To effect these operations, two crank centres are turned on the main driving
shaft, upon which are secured two levers to work the cutters; these levers are
made with joints in them, though being jointed is not absolutely necessary:
To the back of the joints in these levers are springs or stiffeners, the object of
which is to throw the lovers out of joint when the cutters have ceased to find
any resistance in splitting the block or blocks of wood, and thereby prevent
cutting through to the bed of the machine.
.
To the top of the cap piece, connecting the jointed levers to the cranks, two

page_text: 7
arms are jointed, the opposite ends of which are similarly connected to a cross
bar, through the middle of which is a hole, into which fits a pin on the cross
head of a crimping or compressing lever, for the purpose of working it by
nicans of the cranks on the main shaft. The fulcrum of this lever works in
boxes or caps attached to the upright side pieces of the frame. On the lower
end of each arm of the lever is a crimper faced with steel. A girt of iron is
bolted to the frame, the lower face of which projects about the thirty-second
of an inch below, the lower face, of the adjustable cap or clearer plate, so as to
oppose a broad and solid surface to the upper side of the block or blocks of
wood while being matted or crimped on its lower side by the action of the
crimper. When the lower surface, of the blocks have been crimped or matted,
they are carried forward by suitable feed gear or feed tables, so as to admit of
the cutters taking a new cut or splint by the set of intersecting cutters.
When the machine is exclusively used for splitting kindling wood, treenails,
and other articles, the; crimping levers and crimper is either thrown out-of
gear, or otherwise entirely omitted in the construction of the machine, so that
the office of the machine is then only to split the blocks of wood, and by means
of an endless table or other suitable feeding apparatus carry the blocks forward
to be split, and the split pieces conveyed out of the machine.
This feeding apparatus may consist either of rollers feeding or binding
against the sides of the blocks of wood, or of an endless chain, plate, or table,
upon which the blocks, are placed, and thus by suitable feed motion carried
into the machine. This latter way of feeding the blocks is more generally
applicable to feeding the blocks of wood to be split for kindling wood, tree-
nails, &c., whilst the former method is better adapted for feeding in blocks of
wood for making match, splints, though it will be obvious that the use of both
methods are well known, and are equivalent devices to accomplish the same
result; that is, carry the block of wood to be split forward and under the action
of the knives or splitters..
÷
But to describe the Invention more particularly, I will refer to the accom-
panying Drawings, forming a part of this Specification, the same letters of
reference wherever they occur referring to-like parts.
Fig. 1 is a back view of the machine; Fig. 2 is a side view thereof, having
one of the upright side pieces removed; Figs. 3 and 9 are views of the crimp-
ing or compressing lever; Fig. 4 is a detached view of the main shaft; Fig. 5
is a reversed view of the setting of the cutters; Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are repre-
sentations of the lower and 'top feed boards and cutting box. The frame of
the machine is seen at A; A, and the driving pulley at B, B, on the main
shaft C. D, D, are crank centres on the main shaft, to work the crimping

page_text: lever K and levers E, E, the lower ends of the latter being attached to the
cutter holder frame or box G by a pin or screw; F represents two springs,
secured to the back of the joined levers E, for the purpose of throwing them
out of joint when the cutters have passed through the block of wood far
enough to split it, without cutting through the matted lower surface and upon
the bed plate. This arrangement is only used where matted match splits are
being cut. In using the machine for cutting blocks of wood for kindling
wood, treenails, and such like articles, jointed levers are not used, but ordinary
side levers or arms are used, having just-length enough to allow the cutters to
-split through the block of wood without striking or coming upon the endless
table or bed of the machine; I therefore substitute one for the other, kind; of
levers or arms, according to the kind of work to which the machine is to be
applied. G is the box or frame to which the four cutters or knives are
secured; these knives are set or arranged in such a position as to intersect
each other at their centres, so as to make a cross; of the
square, and splitting
the blocks with a first cut in an inverted V-shaped cut, so, that at each feed of
the machine the front knives cross the cut or split made by the back knives,
thus:
that is, the figures 1,1, denote the first cut; 2,2, the

page_text: through the cross bar, connecting the outer ends of the arm J, the crimper L
is worked; L represents the face of the crimper, which is at right angles to
the crimping levers K, and is so arranged upon its axis as to permit the
crimper L to work up through an opening in the bed board M of the
machine, so as to mat or compress the lower surface of the block to be split
into inatch splints. The object of this matting process is to cause the blocks
when split for matches to adhere together on their lower surfaces, and thereby
avoid rehandling the splints in the process of dipping, packing, or other sub-
sequent operations. In splitting the blocks of wood for other purposes than
matted match splints the use of the crimper is dispensed with, either by
throwing it out of gear with the other working parts of the machine, or
omitting it entirely in the construction of the machine, when it is applied
for splitting blocks of wood only. N is a guide strip on the feed board, but is
only used when splitting match splints, on account of holding the blocks more
evenly when splitting them into fine splints for matches. For other purposes,
where irregular blocks are to be split, the guide strips are at the sides of the
bed board M, over which an endless band passes for carrying the blocks
forward and under tho knives; 0 represents an adjustable cap or clearer
plate, having slots in it to allow the cutters to pass through to act upon the
wood. The object of this clearer plate is to hold the blocks of wood firmly and
steadily under the action of the downward or splitting stroke of the cutters,
and by its adjustable arrangement lifting slightly from off the blocks of wood,
so as to allow of the feeding motion, and at the same time clearing the blocks
from the knives as they draw back from their downward stroke. When the
machine is used for splitting match splints and matting their lower surfaces,
a portion of the clearer plate is cut away, so as to allow a brace P (used as a
resistance to the action of the compresser upon the block) to pass down
through it just far enough to allow the crimper to press the block against it
till the lower surface of it is matted.
R; S, and T represent an arrangement of vertical and horizontal shafts,
having suitable feed cog wheels and worms upon them, for the purpose of
feeding the match splint blocks through the machine. When the machine
is used for splitting blocks of wood for kindling wood, treenails, and other
articles, an endless chain, plate, or band is used, running upon suitable drums,
and over the bed board M, and moved or fed forward by means of a ratchet
wheel and pawls, operated by the motion of the cutter frame or other moving
part of the machine, so as to give an intermittent feed motion to the blocks of
wood to be split. U, V, and W are pulleys for giving the requisite motion by
means of bands to the several parts of the machine.

page_text: Having now described the Invention that has been communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent as aforesaid, I will proceed to state what I claim
as new in the above-described improved machinery, and desire to secure by
Letters Patent :-
First, I claim the use of the arrangement of the cutters for splitting blocks
of wood by a simultaneous cut into squares or splints, or their equivalents,
substantially for the purposes set forth, in combination with a cutter box or
frame.
Second, I also claim the use of the cutters, arranged and used substantially
as set forth, in combination with an adjustable clearer plate used for holding
the blocks of wood steady under the action of the cutters, and clearing their
points from the blocks of wood when drawing back from them, as set forth.
Third, I also claim the jointed levers, or their equivalents, with or without
springs at their backs, for the purposes set forth, and their combination with.
the cutters, for the above-mentioned purposes.
Fourth, I also claim the use of the crimper or compresser, for the purpose
of matting the lower surface of blocks of wood, as herein-before set forth, and
its combination with the bed board and brace, as herein-before set forth.
Fifth, I also claim the use of the feeding wheels and shafts for the
purposes herein-before set forth, and the use of their equivalents, as a
mechanical means for feeding blocks of wood into the machine, as herein-
before set forth.
Sixth, I also claim the use of the combination of the cutters with an
intermittent endless band feed apparatus, or equivalents, for the purposes set
forth, and their combination with the adjustable clearer plate, for the purposes
herein-before set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twelfth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)