, and the like.
Year: 1885

page_text: Barrels, and the like.
We ALLEN RANSOME and THOMAS JAMES WILKIE both of Stanley Works
Kings Road Chelsea in the County of Middlesex Engineers do hereby declare the
nature of our invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR TURNING THE
HEADS OF CASKS BARRELS AND THE LIKE" to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object improvements in machines for turning the
heads of casks barrels and the like in which either rotary cutters or rotary cutters
combined with a concave saw are employed and also to such machines in which
the pieces forming a head are caused to rotate rapidly while being acted upon by a
fixed parting tool or cutter, and relates to an improved method of fixing the blanks
(to form the head) in the machine and an improved appliance by means of which
the finished head is automatically released from the spikes which hold it while
under the action of the cutters. Hitherto it has been usual to cause the two
cramping plates between which the blanks to form the heads are placed to
approach each other by means of a screw a movement which is comparatively
slow and to cause the finished head to become disengaged from the spikes in the
cramping plate by means of a blow of the hand or hamuner. To prevent the great
loss of time entailed by the above methods of cramping and releasing the heads in
and froin the machine we substitute for the screw cramping device an arrangement
of toggle links actuated by a hand lever and substitute a ring armed with spikes
for the usual cramping plate this ring is capable of being approached to or receded
from the opposing cramping plate by means of the toggle links and lever and is
joined to the central spindle by arms.
Inside the cramping ring and supported by rods passing between the arms of
the cramping ring is another ring fixed at such a distance from the face of the
lower or opposite cramp plate as to allow the blank intended to form the head to
be readily passed between the two. To fix a blank in the machine it is simply
necessary to pass it between the cramp plate and the releasing ring and then to
cause the opposing cramp ring with spikes to approach the cramp plate by means
of the hand lever and toggle levers. To release the finished head from the machine
the spiked cramp ring is caused to retreat from the opposing cramp plate and in
this motion it carries with it the cask head (the said head being attached to it by
reason of the spikes) until the head comes in contact with the disengaging ring
when it is forced off the spikes and is free to be removed from the machine.

page_text: We ALLEN RANSOME and THOMAS JAMES WILKIE both of Stanley Works Kings
Road Chelsea in the County of Middlesex Engineers do hereby declare the nature
of this 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 has for its object improvements in machines for turning the
heads of casks barrels and the like, and to the appliances for fixing the heads in
the machine and releasing them when they are turned and bevelled to the proper
form. Hitherto it has been usual to cause the two cramping plates between which
the blanks to form the heads are placed to approach each other by means of a screw
a movement which is comparatively slow and to cause the finished head to become
disengaged from the spikes in the cramping plate by means of a blow of the hand
or hammer. To prevent the great loss of time entailed by the above methods of
cramping and releasing the heads in and from the machine we substitute for the
screw cramping device an arrangement of toggle links actuated by a hand lever
and substitute a ring armed with spikes for the usual cramping plate this ring
is capable of being approached to or receded from the opposing cramping plate
by means of the toggle links and lever and is joined to the central spindle
by arms.
Inside the cramping ring and supported by rods passing between the arms of
the cramping ring is another ring fixed at such a distance from the face of the
lower or opposite cramp plate as to allow the blank intended to form the head to
be readily passed between the two. To fix a blank in the machine it is simply
necessary to pass it between the cramp plate and the releasing ring and then to
cause the opposing cramp ring with spikes to approach the cramp plate by means
of the hand lever and toggle levers. To release the finished head from the machine,
the spiked cramped ring is caused to retreat from the opposing cramp plate and in
this motion it carries with it the cask head (the said head being attached to it by
reason of the spikes) until the head comes in contact with the disengaging ring,
when it is forced off the spikes and is free to be removed from the machine.
Figure 1 is a front elevation and Figure 2 is a side elevation partly in section
of our improved turning and bevelling machine. P is the main frame of the
machine, it carries upon guides a saddle Q on which is a pivot Q-Q³ is a screw for
moving the saddle and by means of this screw the pivot can be set either higher
or lower as the nature of the work may require R is a frame mounted on the
pivot Q and carrying the cutter head; the axis S of which revolves in bearings R¹ R²
these bearings can be traversed along the frame R by means of the screw and hand
wheel R³ and when the proper adjustment has been obtained they can be locked by
the screws and nuts R. The frame R is connected by an adjustable link R' with

page_text: an arm upon an axis T and on the same axis there is a treadle T¹ and an arm T²
carrying a counter balance. The whole is so arranged that the workman by placing
his foot upon the treadle can raise the upper end of the frame R rotating it about
the pivot and so bringing the saw and the bevelling cutters into contact with the
work When the foot is removed from the treadle the cutters fall away from the
work.
S is a pulley on the axis S receiving the belt by which the cutters are rapidly
rotated S³ is a concave saw fixed upon the upper end of the axis S and S* S* are
the cutters. immediately beneath the saw, by which the lower bevel of the head is
produced.
At the upper part of the machine there is an axis U with fast and loose pulleys
upon it, and with gear for shifting the driving belt from one pulley to the other-
this gear is operated by the treadle T¹ an arm upon the axis T being connected with
the vertical rod T3 upon which are adjustable stops T* these stops operate upon a
two armed lever V which in turn works the belt fork V thus when the treadle is
fully put down the axis U is driven, but as soon as the treadle is released the
spring V brings back the belt fork and the driving belt is placed upon the loose
pulley The axis U has upon it a worm U' which gears with a worm wheel U*
mounted upon the hollow axis W which consequently rotates slowly in its bearing
upon the frame. Within the axis W there is a tube W¹ which rotates with it-
W W W are arms fixed upon the tube W¹ and carrying at their ends spikes W*
which press upon the work, hold it in its place and impart to it the rotary motion
of the axis W. The upper end of the tube W₁ is connected to the lower links of
a toggle W** W** which can be operated by the band lever W³ and the link.
When the handle Ws is in the position in which it is shown in the drawing the
toggle links are aligned and the spikes W* are firmly pressed against the work, by
drawing the lower end of the handle outwards the spikes are raised.
The boards forming the head in process of manufacture are supported upon a
table X which is free to rotate upon the main frame of the machine.
Y is a ring supported immediately above the work by studs Y¹ descending from
arms fixed to the frame. W is a vertical rod descending through the tube W¹ and
at its upper end jointed to a hand lever handle We which has its fulcrum at W' on
the frame of the machine-A spring Ws holds up the lever and rod except when
these parts are depressed by the workman, and then the lower end of the rod Ws
which is pointed, is brought down into contact with the work.
The operation of turning and bevelling a cask head in this manner is performed
as follows.
The three boards to form the head are first laid together and they are marked by
the aid of a templet in such a manner as to show how the boards are to be placed
and the point which is to form the centre of the head-the boards so marked are
placed on the table X underneath the ring Y; the centre board is laid in position
and retained by the point of the rod W5, until the other boards are placed and held
by pressing the spikes W* down upon them by means of the handle W³. The
wood being thus locked in position upon the table X the workman proceeds to place
his foot upon the treadle T' and so raises the saw to the work. The saw cuts
through the work at the place where it comes in contact, the upper disc U then
commences to rotate. The table X turns, and when the rotation is completed the
head is properly formed, the saw S³ cutting the upper bevil and the lower bevil
being produced by the cutters S* beneath the saw.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
(1.) Our improvement in machines for turning the heads of casks barrels and the
like consisting in clamping the blanks upon the turning-table in position to be
turned by a clamping device capable of rotating with the table and operated by
toggle links and a hand lever substantially as described.

page_text: (2.) Qur improvement in machines for turning the heads of casks barrels and
the like consisting in releasing the blank after it has been turned from the clamping
spikes by means of a fixed ring against which the clamping device as it rises
presses the blank whilst it withdraws the spikes substantially as described..
(3.) Our device for clamping the head blanks on the turning table and liberating
them when they have been turned substantially as described.