IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PLANING AND SHAPING WOOD
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Squire, of Upper Montague Street, Bryan-
stone Square, in the County of Middlesex, Pianoforte Maker, for the
Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PLANING AND SHAPING WOOD."
Sealed the 21st March 1862, and dated the 5th October 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Squire at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th
October 1861.
I, WILLIAM SQUIRE, of Upper, Montague Street, Bryanstone Square, in the
County of Middlesex, Pianoforte Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR PLANING AND SHAPING WOOD," to
be as follows:-
The chief object of this Invention-is to provide a machine that will plane
planks or blocks of wood simultaneously on their opposite sides with great
regularity and despatch. To this end I provide a bed of any given length,.
somewhat like that of an ordinary metal planing machine, and mount thereon
a traversing clamping frame for receiving the work to be operated upon. On
either side of the longitudinal bed I provide a transverse bed, on which a
cutter frame is mounted. These cutter frames are capable of being moved up
to and away from the work by means of a screw shaft and hand wheel, similar!
to a moveable lathe head; but the rotation of the screw shaft, which gives the.

page_text: traverse motion to the clamping frames, I prefer to drive automatically. The
cutter frames are each provided with bearings for receiving a horizontal shaft.
These shafts severally carry a rotary cutter and a fast and loose driving pulley,
the straps of which pulleys are thrown simultaneously into and out of action
by means of rock levers connected at the under side of the longitudinal bed.
The clamping frame is fitted with a vertical sliding piece, which is operated by
a screw shaft and hand wheel for pressing it against one end of the work, the
other end being brought into contact with the fixed end of the frame. Pen-
dent from the upper part of the frame are clamps operated by screws and hand
wheels, which clamps are brought down on to the edge of the work, (sup-
posing it to be a plank that is to be submitted to the action of the machine,)
and thus firmly hold it in a vertical position. The cutters, which may be of
any suitable shape, according to the work in hand, are fitted to discs secured
to the ends of the cutter shafts, but readily removable therefrom. The work
being secured in position in the traversing frame, and rotary motion being im
parted to the machine, the work will enter between the cutters, and in passing
to the other end of the machine its opposite sides will be reduced to perfectly
parallel surfaces. In order to plane wood on the bevil, I propose to provide
for the tipping up of the outer end of the cutter shafts. This may be done by
hinging the inner end of the cutter frame to a sliding bed piece, and by a screw,
wedge, or other contrivance lifting the frame on its hinge so as to cant the
cutter disc to the angle of inclination corresponding with the bevil desired to
be obtained. By laying blocks on the clamping frame, suitable for supporting
a pile of planks or pieces, their edges may be squared by this machine, the
cutters being adjusted to suit the width of the planks or pieces. The-machine
may also be applied to the cutting of mouldings, suitable cutters being fitted
to the discs, and the work being traversed under instead of between the
cutters
1.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Squire in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th 30
April 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM'
SQUIRE, of Upper Montague Street, Bryanstone Square, in the County of
Middlesex, Pianoforte Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 35
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord-
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of

page_text: Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said. William Squire, Her special license that I, the said William
Squire, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others aš'I, the
said: William Squire, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 PLANING AND SHAPING WOOD," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Squire, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, 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 Squire, do hereby 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 Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
The chief object of this Invention is to plane the opposite faces of planks or
blocks of wood simultaneously, and thereby ensure. perfect parallelism. This
result I obtain by the use of a novel combination of machinery, wherein a pair
of cutters rotating in vertical planes and capable of receiving a nice adjust-
ment, operates simultaneously upon opposite sides of the work, which work is
fixed in and carried forward between the rotating cutters by means of a
traversing carriage. This carriage is so constructed as to hold securely either
a single plank or block, and present the vertical sides to the cutters; or a pile
of planks may be so packed therein as to present their edges to the cutters.
By a slight modification, the machine may be made to plane inclined faces, or
by a change of cutters the machine may be adapted to cut mouldings.
.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 shews the improved machine in side
elevation, one of the headstocks which carry the cutters being removed;
Fig. 2 is a plan view, shewing the traversing carriage in section; and Fig. 3
is a cross section taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 2.
.
A, A, is the longitudinal bed of the machinė fitted with slides to receive the
carriage B, which presents the work to the action of the cutters. This car-
riage may be described as a vertical clamping frame, made of sufficient size to
receive within it the largest pieces of work designed to be operated upon. It
is fitted with a longitudinal head, from which depend a series of clamping

page_text: screws a, a, (operated by hand wheels a*,) for bearing upon the upper edge,
say, of a plank intended to be planed.. The lower edge of the plank rests on
adjustable blocks b, b, which are supported on a A-projection of the carriage.
The ends of the plank are held firmly between the fixed end of the frame and
a moveable clamp c, which slidden forward (supported in guides) by means.
of a propelling screw d, operated by a hand wheel d*. Set at right angles to
the longitudinal bed A, and on a level therewith, is a transverse bed C, the
middle of which is sunk (see Figs. 1 and 3), to permit of its passing under the
bed A, and thus forming one continuous piece. Upon this bed C are mounted
the headstocks D, D, which are capable of sliding thereon like the head of a
lathe upon its bed. In these headstocks are mounted the cutter shafts E,
which carry respectively at their inner ends a disc F formed with an inclined
periphery, to which the cutters are securely attached. These shafts E each
carry also a pair of fast and loose belt pullies, which receive a driving belt
from any suitable prime mover. An arrangement is provided for throwing
these belts in or out of action simultaneously. This consists of two horizontal
sliding bars e, e*, which severally carry a strap fork, and are operated by means
of a hand lever e¹, which has its fulcrum on a bracket of one of the headstocks.
The lower end of this hand, lever et is connected. by a rod et to one end of a
rock lever e³, having its fulcrum on the transverse bed C. A rod e' couples this
lever with a rock lever e', which has its fulcrum on the other headstock and
is jointed to the sliding bar ex. The movement therefore of the hand lever e¹
forward or backward will shift both driving straps simultaneously. The head-
stocks are adjusted by means of propelling screws f.f, and are held firmly in
position, when adjusted, by clamping screws g,g. The bar e is notched, as
shewn at Fig. 2, to allow of a locking arm h dropping into the notchies and
holding the belt, shifter, in one or other of its positions, as shewn in the
detached view, Fig. 4. A spring bearing upon the back of this arm ensures
its maintaining its hold of the sliding bar e.. A similar spring bearing on the
inner end of this bar e gives it a tendency to throw the driving bands, on to the
loose pullies.
•
I would remark that cutting tools of various forms may be employed,
according to the work in hand. Thus, I have used with advantage tools similar
to those shewn at Figs. 5, but that which I prefer for planing is the tubular
construction shewn at G, as by it I am enabled to work for several hours with-
out stopping to sharpen the 'cutters, it being merely necessary from time to
time to give the cutters a slight axial motion to bring a sharp cutting edge into
action. The cutters I mount on their rotating, discs in any required number,
preferring, however, to use four on each disc, as shewn in the Drawing. These

page_text: I set at varying distances from their centre of motion, giving the leading-or
most advanced cutter the smallest radius. To facilitate the adjustment of the
headstocks, I graduate portions of the transverse bed. In order that the car-
riage B may traverse the work at a uniform speed between the rotating cutters;
I operate the carriage by means of a screw shaft Hwhich has its bearings in
the ends of the longitudinal bed A, and takes into a tapped. Iug. provided to
receive it on the under side or edge of the carriage. Keyed to one end of this
shaft is a band pulley i, which receives motion from any prime..mover, such
motion being timed to suit the speed of traverse desired, for the work;}
It will now be understood that the work being secured in position in the
traversing carriage B by means of the clamping screws, and rotary.motion
being imparted to the propelling screw H and cutter shafts E, the work will
enter between the cutters, and in passing to the other end of the machine its
opposite sides will be reduced to perfectly parallel surfaces.
In order to plane wood on the bevil, I propose to provide for the tipping up
of the outer end of one or both of the cutter shafts. This may be done by
mounting the sliding headstock on a hinged guide piece, and, then by a screw,
wedge, or other contrivance, lifting the hinged piece so as to cant the cutter
disc to the angle of inclination corresponding with the bevil desired to be
obtained.
An arrangement of this kind is shewn at Fig. 6, where the sliding head-
stock D is shown as mounted on a hinged piece C*, which forms a portion of the
transverse bed C. The headstock is adjusted to the work by a propelling screw
and held fast by a clamping screw, as in the first described arrangement. The
lifting of the hinged piece to bring the cutting tools to act in an inclined plane
is effected by means of a vertical screw i, which bears against a projection on
the hinged piece C*. This modification will in no way interfere with the
driving of the cutter.
I would remark that by laying on the traversing carriage B blocks or other
supports, suitable for carrying a pile of planks or pieces whose opposite faces
have been truly planed, the edges of such planks may be presented to the
cutters and quickly squared by this machine, the headstocks being adjusted
to suit the width of the planks or pieces.
In order to adapt the machine to the cutting of mouldings, it is only necessary
to attach to the cutter shafts F suitable cutters, corresponding to the form of
moulding desired to be cut. In this instance the work will be traversed under
instead of between the cutters.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improvements in
Machinery for Planing and Shaping Wood," and explained the manner of car-

page_text: rying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood, that under the above in
part recited Letters Patent I claim, the arrangement of machinery above
described, whereby the work presented to the cutters to be planed or shaped
up may be operated upon simultaneously on its opposite sides, or by which (on
the substitution of suitable cutters applied to the cutter shafts) mouldings may
be cut with great expedition.
In witness whereof, I,. the said William Squire, have hereunto set
my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
FRED. WALKDEN,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. SQUIRE. (LS)