Improvements in Machines known as Excelsior Machines for Cutting Wood Shavings.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1892-Accepted, 9th Apr., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines known as Excelsior Machines for Cutting
Wood Shavings.
We, JAMES RUSSELL BATE, SYDNEY HENRY SHADBOLT, CHARLES BUCKLEY
HOUGHTON, WARREN FINCH HOUGHTON, and GEORGE RICHARDSON HOUGHTON,
Manufacturers, all residing at 57 & 58 Mitchell Building, Cincinnati, in the
County of Hamilton, and State of Ohio, United States of America, do hereby
declare the nature of our invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to new and useful improvements in "Excelsior Machines;"
and consists in a certain construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully
set forth, the essential features of which being pointed out particularly in the
claims.
The object of the invention is to provide means in connection with a revolving
wheel or agent carrying the marking spurs and knives, whereby said spurs are
caused to reciprocate diametrically in said wheel when passing the fixed rest or
receptacle that confines the block of wood from which the excelsior is cut, so that
at that point the spurs are diverted from the arc of the circle described by the
wheel, and travel straight across the face of the block on a line with the grain of
the wood, thereby (when the strands, marked by the spurs cutting the face of the
blocks, are cut therefrom by the knives) forming tough fibres of excelsior that
extend the entire length of the block and straight with the grain thereof, and
obviating the cross-grain cut, incident to machines in which the marking spurs
cross the face of the block on the arc of a circle.
This object, as above set forth, is attained by the mechanism illustrated in the
accompanying drawing, in which ;-
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a complete machine embodying our improved
features.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1, one side of the block retaining receptacle
being broken away showing the block of wood therein.
Fig. 3 is a sectional view on dotted line 1-1 of Fig. 1.
Referring to the letters of reference, A designates a floor or suitable base,
on which are mounted the pedestals B that support the bearings C in which
are journalled the ends of the horizontal shaft D, said shaft carrying the
pulley D' which is belted to the main shaft, and by means of which the machine is
driven.
Mounted on the shaft D is a wheel or revolving agent E.
Said wheel is
provided with a series of knives F, whose edges project slightly from the face of
the wheel, each knife having a gang of marking spurs & located in advance thereof,
that cut into the face of the block and form the strands of excelsior that are
removed by said knives.
b
H indicates a box or receptacle that confines the block of wood G, (see Fig. 2)
from which the excelsior is cut. Said box being mounted on a suitable support
that retains it fixedly in place independent of the wheel E but adjacent to the
outer face of said wheel, at its perimeter, and in the track of the knives and
spurs carried thereby; and said box is also provided with an opening h
at the top that will freely receive the block G, and is open at its back face
to permit of the block being fed through against the knives and spurs in the
wheel E.
I indicates a bifurcated lever, the arm u of which is pivoted to the bracket a on the

page_text: box or receptacle H, and forms the fulcrum of said lever. The arın v of said lever
is pivotally coupled to the follower block J, which is adapted to enter the box H
and bear against the block G therein. The upper end of the coiled spring K is
adapted to be secured to the lever I, the lower end of said spring being secured to
the base on which the machine is mounted. When the spring K is engaged with
the lever I, a strong downward tension is exerted on said lever causing the follower J
to bear against the block G in the box H, with such force as to hold said block in
contact with the face of the wheel E against the action of the knives as said wheel
revolves; the contraction of said spring keeping the follower in contact with the
block G as said block is cut away, as shown in Fig. 2. When the block has been
cut away, the spring K is disengaged from the lever I and said lever raised, which
withdraws the follower from the box H, permitting another block to be placed
therein.
It will be seen that the box H is rectangular in form, as are also the blocks G
from which the excelsior is cut; therefore if the spurs were fixed rigidly in the
wheel E, as said wheel revolved said spurs would be carried across the face of
the block G on the arc of the circle described by said wheel, and the strands
of excelsior marked by said spurs, when cut from the block would be cross-
grained and would break into short pieces, making an inferior quality of
excelsior.
b
To provide for the spurs travelling straight across the face of the block G on
a line parallel with the side thereof, said spurs are seated in a.sliding chair Flet
into the face of the wheel E, and which is secured in said wheel by the plate / that
extends over the outer face of said chair, and under which said chair is adapted
to slide endwise. On the inner end of the chair F is a friction roller f, and
bearing against said end of the chair is a spring t that is secured to the wheel E,
the tension of which normally holds said chair in its outermost position. The
arrangement of parts being such, that, as the wheel E, revolves, the friction-
roller of the chair F is brought into contact with the side of the box H,
as shown by dotted line of Fig. 1, the face of said box being straight, the
roller is in consequence diverted from the arc of the circle of the wheel E
and travels along the side of the box causing the chair to slide inward on its
bearings in said wheel. After the roller passes the point between the centre
of the box H and the axis of the wheel E, the action of the spring & will hold the
röller still in contact with the side of the box until it passes the end thereof, thereby
sliding the chair outward to its normal position. By which means the spurs bare
carried across the face of the block in the box H on a straight line, so that when
the strands of excelsior marked by said spurs are cut from the face of the block by
the knife following said spurs, said strands will extend the entire length of the
block forming excelsior of superior quality.
It will be apparent that there may be any desired number of knives and spurs
located in the wheel E, and that said wheel may stand horizontally instead of
vertically, as shown; also that there may be one or more of the block retaining
receptacles 'employed as is found expedient.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
Claim 1. In combination with the revolving wheel carrying a knife-blade, the
series of spurs in advance of said knife-blade, said spurs being slidingly mounted in
the rim of said wheel, substantially as specified.
Claim 2. In a device for the purposes set forth, and in combination, the revolving
agent carrying a knife-blade and having in advance thereof a series of spurs or
cutting blades, said spurs or cutting blades being mounted on the revolving agent and
having means for removing them diametrically of the revolving agent, as said agent
is revolved.

page_text: Claim 3. In combination of the revolving agent carrying a knife-blade, the
sliding chair in advance of said knife-blade, the spurs mounted on said chair, the
friction roller mounted thereon, the spring engaging with said chair and block
retaining receptacle located adjacent to the revolving agent.
Dated this 4th day of February 1892.
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicants.