US1783187A - Wood-bending machine - Google Patents

Description

Dec. .2, 1930. c. w. ELLIOTT WOOD BENDING MACHINE Filed March 11, 1927 2 ShetS-Sheet 1 Dec. 2, 1930. c w LLo WOOD BENDING MACHINE Filed March 192 z'sheets-sheet 2 Patented Dec. 2, 1930 PAT NT OFFCE N GHAItIiS w(iiLIQrouuJ,` oFsEYMoUR NDIANA i wooD-BENnmGM CHI E V ApplicatonfiledvMarch 11, 1927. serial No. 174533.

i This* invention relates to machines for bending wooden strps such as are used in; the

manufacture of orchestra and band drum shells,' automobile 'wheel rims, chair-rockers molding and the like. V

It is my primary aim to generally improve upon-prior patented and marketed machines of this class, but more particularly to improve upon 'my prior -Patents Numbers o %0,525 and 1,507g368. i' Constant use or the "patented machines specifically named has conclusively shown that theyare objectional in "several respects. First, it hasbeen 'found that in" bend ing comparatvely thick strips, slight beads or finsare sometimesformed'on the` inner side or" the curved product. secondlyg f it has been noted 'that where the grainin the strip is irregular or embodies knots', the

finished article would not b e perfectly true in shape. Moreover; since the wood is subjected to a heating-process during the bend-` ing operation, it frequently straightens out somewhat 'and the bent 'pieces'are not uni form in curvature. Thirdly, withthe ma chines of the prior art it is -impos'sible to bend a pieceof molding or other wooden material having a transversely'beaded or curved sur-" face 'running longitudinallythereof, owing to the fact that the bending rolls tend to flatten or damage such surface.

e 7 With these defects inimind, I have now evolved and produced an improved structure which entirely 'overcomes theobjections, and upon considering the following de`scrip`tion,' the novel details and their relative arrangements,w ill become' clearly apparent.

I'would direct 'attention first to the ac companying drawings in which Figure l is a top planvi ew of a machine constructed 'in ac'cordance with the -present inventionp 3 I Figure`2'is a central verticalfs'ection; Figure 3 is a 'perspective View ofthe traveling bed and its drive roller; s v

Figure 4 is a group perspective view of the adjustable pressei'` 'roll and work confining rings, disassembled;" i

Figure 5 is a `perspective detail View of a portion of oneof the' slatsor bed sections Figure 6 is a group perspective view ofthe adjusting means of a work holding frame;

Figure 7 is a 'fragmentary longitudinal sectional view through the adjustable presser roll and showing the work confining strips in place;` i

Figure 8 is a cross sectional'view through th beddriving roller with the bed in place an i z i Figure 9 is a cross sectional view of a modified work confining strip and a` piece ,of molding,` the strip being shapd to conform to the face profile of the molding to prevent in`-` jury theretoin the bending operationL-- Referring now to the drawing'sindetaiL it will 'be seen that the reference characters l designates a pair of duplicate supporting plates, which may, in practice be fashioned to rest upon; an appropriate supporting-table or the like; -Mounted in suitable bearngs for rotation between the side platesare'three rollers'2, 3 and& respectively. As in the aforesaid patents, these rollers are arranged in triangular relat ion, the roller 2 being at the top, and the remaining rollers 3and 4 being in opposed and spaced parallelism beneath. The shaft of the roller 2, which is adjustably mounted in the manner shown'isprovided with a dr vng gear 5 deriving its power from` any suitable source. Roller-4 isdriven by a' crossed belt 4 from pu'lley 2 on the shaft of roller' 2 and trained over a pulley l on the shaft of roller 4:. Roller 3 is an idler. I have also shown the patented arrangeinent 'of pip ing A for conducting a heating medium into certain oi' the rollers. Theseparts are all-old in the patents and do not 'constitute the noveltv of thepresent invention i i The firstimpro'ved detail to which I shall direct-attention is the endless bed 6 which surrounds the two bottom rollers 3 and 4. This bed &which iscomposed of transversely extending and -pivotally`connected links or metal slatsg -is rather loo'sely mounted andisdriven'by roller &by means ofdepending slatjportijons G designed to engage in` longitudinal recesses 4cin the roller 4.- Thus, bed 6 moves with and con forms to the curve in 'which the'strip of Wood or work7 is bent by' the' rollers in 'the manner indicated in longitudinally spaced peripheral grooves 8,

these being intended to receive sectional work confining rings 9 as seen more plainly in Fig. 4. The rings are made in sections to permit easy application and removal, the sections being connected together in any conventional way. In practice, any number of bands or rings 9 may be used, and here I might point out tha-t a separate bed 6 may be used in conjunction with each pair of rings, the bed being equal or preferably slightly greater in width than the spaces between each pair. Thus, with the aid of the bed 6, the work 7 may be adequately confined between a pair of strips 9 to prevent for nation etthe objectionable iins at the sides from the pressure exerted by the rolls.

It has been theretofore stated that means is enbodied in the improvedstructure to maintain the desired curvature of the Wood after it has passed between. the main rollers. `While this means may be of some other design, it preferably comprises a pair of arms B pivoted as at B' to ears formed upon the Caps C' of the bearings C at either side of the machine and which support the shaft of roller 4.

Each of the arms B has two longitudinally spaced series of spaced horizontal slots, designated at 10 and ll respectively. Slots 10 receive the journal ends of small work holding rollerslO while slots ll accommodate the journals of similiar rollers ll. Set screws 12, 13 working through the outer edges of arms B and in slots 10 11 act as adjustable stops for the journals or" the respective rollers 10, 11 so thatthe same may be located in a desired set position. It is understood, otcourse, that the work 7, on emerging from between the large bending rollers 2, L, passes between the two sets of small holding rollers 10, 11. Fhese rollers 10, 11 are so adjusted in spaced arcual series as to maintain the work 7 in the longitudinally curved form produced by the action of rolls 2, 3 and 4: and toprevent the work from straightening.

. While the range of relative adjustment of holding rollers 10, ll is ample to suit the curve o't'the work in most instances I provide an adjustable connection between plates l and arms B whereby arms B may Swing inwardly or outwardly and beheld in a predetermned set position. Obviously this, with the roller adjustment greatly increases the range or degree of curvatureof the work that can be held by rollers 10, 11. The connection referred to comprises a pair of internally threaded tubular arms 14 pivoted to plates 1 as at 14 and receiving threaded bolts 15 which extend through hearing ears l6 at the upper ends of the arms B. Adjustment is had by applying a Wrench to the heads of bolts 15 and turning the same.

A heavy pressure spring 17, suitably housed in each slotted bearing C and adjusted by a set screw 17 bears against each journal of roller 4 and tends to force the same away from roller 3, thus tending to maintain the bed (5 tant and against the work 7 which is disposed'between the same and the roller 2, In other words the bed 6 will, during the operation of the machine, maintain its portion intermediatethe rollers 3 and 4 in a true arcual. form which will vary' according to the curvature given thework thus avoiding injury thereto.. As shown, the journal boxes of roller-2 are vertically slidable in slots 2 and are fioatingly supported by heavy coil springs 2 Setting of roller 2 to produce a desired curvature of the work is Secured through set'screws 2 in a conventional manconcerns the present invention. The heated condition of rollers 2, 3 greatly facilitates the bending operation,` However, in; the absence of the bend preserving rollers 10, ll then work in itsheated state would tend to straighteniout after passingfrom theheated presserrollers 2, 3. By the time the work hasipassed from between the sets of rollers 10, 11 it has cooled or set sufliciently to hold itsshape. v

Figure, 9 illustrates a modified form of ring20 designed foruse in lieu of rings 9 When bendingmolding or other' longitudinallybeaded or ornamentally ,grooved material. The outer portion of ring 20 is shaped to eX- actly conform to the beaded side oftheparticular molding 21 toibe bent so as to avoid fiattening, chipping and damaging the same. In View of the` interfitting -or mating relationship of thecontiguous faces of ring 20 and molding 2l lateral stresses will; be distributed intermediate the side edgesof the latter and there will be no tendency to. formtfins at the edges of the molding.

Of coursethere is no limit to the number of styles of beaded or ornamentally faced molding that can be bent, it only being requisite that a ring20 be used that exactly matches `the style of molding.

I claim z- I 1. A wood bending machine of the class described comprising a plurality of rollers, bearings therefor, said rollers being spaced apart 'and arranged in triangular relation to permit the work to pass therebetween, the

uppermost roller being a driven roller, said upper roller having a plurality of longitudinally spaced grooves in its surface, and sectional work confining rings removably seated in said grooves.

2. A wood bending machine of the class described comprising a plurality of roilers mounted in triangular relation and spaced from each other to allow the work to pass therebetween, the uppermost roller having itssurface grooved, work confining rings seated in the grooves, an endless work contacting band surrounding the lower pair of rollers, and means arranged opposite the upper roller for coaction with the free end,

portion of the work to maintain the curvature of the same after it has passed thru the triangularly disposed rollers, said means being adjustably mounted and in the path of travel of said free end portion.

3. A wood bending machine comprisng a pressure roll, a former comprising a pair of spaced pressure rolls, a flexible belt trained over said spaced pressure rolls and comprisng transverse slats, said slats having interconnecting bearings by their longitudinal edges and provided with a lateral cleat at one edge, one of said last-mentioned pressure rolls being driven and having longitudinal grooves a'dapted to receive said cleats to drive said belt, bearings for said last-mentioned pressure rolls, and means for adjustably positioning one of said last-mentioned pressure rolls tovary the contour of said belt beneath said first-mentioned pres sure rolls.

4. In a wood bending machine comprising a coactng former and pressure roll, the combination of a circumferential surface area of said roll having an irregular profile adapted to engage a correspondingly profiled surface of a piece of work whereby through distribution of the lines of force in a plurality of directions between the sdes of the work to prevent lateral spreading of the work under pressure.

5. In a wood bending machine comprising a coacting former and pressure roll, the combination of a plurality of peripheral rings carried'by said roll, the latter having seating means for axiallyspacing said rings, said rings having their peripheries of irregular profile toengage a correspondingly profiled surface of a piece of work whereby through distribution of the lines of force in a plurality of directions between the sides of the work to prevent lateral spreading of the work under pressure.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

CHARLES W. ELLIOTT.

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