US324603A - Wood-cutting machine - Google Patents

Description

3 Sheets- Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

A. L.- STANFORD.

Woon CUTTING MACHINE.

Patented Aug. 18

@will I 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

A.. LSTANPORD.

WOOD CUTTING MACHINE.

No. 324,603.v

Patented Aug. 18, 1885.

(No Model.) SSheets-Sheet 3,.

A. L. STANFORD.

Woon CUTTING MACHINE. No. 324,603; Patented Aug. 18, 1885.

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iran tarts armar rines@ ARTHUR L. STANFORD, OF FORT HILL, ILLINOIS.

WOOD-.CUTTING MACHINE..

` SPECIFICATION farming part of Letters Patent No. 324,603, dated August 18, 1885.

(No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR L. STANFORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Hill, in the county of Lake and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved food-Cutting Machine; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to a machine chieliy adapted for cutting green wood into short lengths for fire-wood. My machine operates on a principle which, so far as I am aware, has never before been utilized for the same or any analogous purpose. VThis principle consists in bending the timber at the point where it is to be severed, thus straining the fibers at that point, and reducing greatly the lateral pressure on the cuttingtool, and then forcing down upon it the edge of the cutting tool.

To carry my invention into effect, I employ a massive frame to rest upon the ground, provided with an adjustable beam at one end, under which the pole to be cut is slid over a roller; a beam at the opposite end, under which the end of the pole passes, this beam being pivoted at one of its ends to a corner of the frame, and preferably counterbalanced outside the pivotal point, whereby the tendency of the opposite end is to rise, unless otherwise acted on; ablock intermediate between the two beams, over which the pole is bent by forcing down the free end of the second beam; a knife above and a little to one side of the block, pivoted at one end to the edge of the frame, and preferably counterbalanced beyond the pivotal point, whereby the tendency of the free end is to rise, unless otherwise acted on; and a system of friction` clutches and levers for operating` the same, whereby when the pole is slid into position the free end of the second. beam is forced downward to bend it over the block, and the free end of the knife is likewise forced downward to sever it at the point of bending.

My invention consists in the general features above outlined, and also in certain details of construction and combinations of parts, all as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective View of my machine; Fig. 2, a central longitudinal section of the same; Fig. 3, a side elevation showing the construction at thereverse side of Fig. l; Fig. 4, an enlarggd detail View of the friction-clutch mechanism elnployed for the knife and bendingbeam; Fig. 5, a central section of one of the friction clutches; Fig. 6, a similar view of al modification of the same, and Fig. 7 a side elevation of the last. i

The friction-clutch mechanism referred to above is applicable to various purposes, and forms the subject of a separate application for a patent.

A is the frame, rectangular in form, and of either the construction shown or of any other that will give it the requisite strength and stability. I commonly form it of four planks or timbers, tt t2, fitted together in the form of a rectangle, the timbers t being mortised to the timbers t and t2, which project beyond the planks t at three corners of the frame, as shown at s. The timber t2 is made considerably lower than the others, to permit the bending down of the forward end of the pole which is to be cut. A plank, r, is bolted to the under sides of the timbers t', and extendsl across the center of the frame, projecting at each end beyond the samc,andasecond plank, r', extends similarly across the frame at the end adjacent to the timber t, projecting beyond the frame at one end, as shown. `The frame is mounted on legs to bring it a sufy cient height above the ground for convenience to the operator, and these legs are braced by crossepieces q. The side and end timbers, moreover, are braced bytie-rods p, extending through them and across the frame in both directions, and secured upon both sides of the timbers by nuts o. Across the top of the frame, above the plank r, is a heavy timber, n, to the upper side of which an iron block, m, is bolted. At the nearer' end of the frame aroller, Z, is attached by bearings secured to the timber t, near the upper edge of the same, to facilitate the pushing forward of the pole or sapling B which is to be cut.

Above the timber-t is an adjustable bearingbeam O, under which the pole B is slid, and which prevents the pole from flying upward when the farther end. is bent down by the bendingbeam D. The beam Gis pivoted atits ICO end opposite theoperating-levers to aU -shaped bearing, E,which fits as ayoke upon the projecting end of the timber t, and is bolted thereto. At the other end it is connected to a friction-clutch, F, the friction-clutch being pivoted to abearing,k,secured to each side ofthe beam. The construction of this friction-clutch corresponds with those which operate the bending-beam and knife. and will be fully described farther on. The friction-clutch F slides on a metal bar, G, the lower end of which is provided with an eye and rests wit-hin a mortise formed in the projecting end of the timber t. A U-shapedbeari1ig,E,fits upon and is bolted to this end of the timber also, and the upper bolt passes through the eye of the bar G,'whereby the said bar may vibrate as aiinverted pendulum.

The knife H is pivoted at its end opposite the operating-levers to a bearing, E2, secured at its lower end to the projecting end of the plank r, and at its free end the knife moves within a guide, I, which may be conveniently formed of a U-shaped iron bar bolted to the tip of the frame, as shown, and which causes tl.e knife to descend close to the block m.

The bending-beam D is pivoted at the end opposite the operating-levers to av U-shaped bearing, E3, which fits upon the projecting end of the timber t2, and is bolted thereto. The beams C and D and the knife H are all counterbalanced by weights K,attached to extensions L at their pivoted ends, whereby their opposite ends will tend upward of their own accord on being liberated.

It now remains to describe the mechanism by which the beam C is rendered adjustable to graduate the space intervening between itand the timber taccording to the thickness of the pole to be passed through this space; also that by which the beam D is brought down upon the end of the pole to bend it over the block m and released at will, and also that by which the knife H is brought down upon the pole at the point of bending and released at will. The mechanism which opcrates the bending-beam and the knife are substantially identical, and therefore a description of the former will serve for both.

Upon reference to Fig. lit will be seen that a bar, G', similar in all respects to the bar G, already described, is pivoted at its lower end within a mortise formed in the projecting portion of the plank o",and extends up through a slot formed in the beam D near its end. Upon this bar, below the beam, are two friction-clutches, the upper one, M, being suspended tothe beam by means of stirrups i, and the lower one, M', being pivoted at its center to the forked end k' of a lever, N. In the fork near the clutch is a cross-bar,-h, by which the lever is suspended to the beam D through the medium of a rod, i.

The construction of the frictionclutches M and M is such that when allowed to act normally they will readily slide downward 'upon the bar G', but will resist any attempt to slide them upward. The upper clutch, M, constitutes what may be termed the retainingclutch, to hold the beam D down while the clutch M is being lowered for a fresh grip. Vithout the retaining-clutch the bent pole B would operate by its elasticity to throw the beam upward whenever the pressure upon the lever N should be relaxed. The requisite conditions being established, however, as above outlined, the carrying down of the bending-beam D becomes a simple matter, for it will readily be seen that a downward pressure upon the lever N causes it to press upward upon the clutch M, in which direction it cannot move, and through the medium of the rod i draws the beam D downward, and with it the clutch M,which, as explained, moves freely in this direction. Upon relaxing pressure on the lever the retainingclutch catches upon the bar, owing to the upward pressure of the bent pole B, and by raising the lever the clutch M is lowered for a fresh grip; hence it will be seen that by working the lever up and down the bendingbeam D is brought down by intermittent stages. j

/Vhen the pole has been cut, it becomes necessary to raise the beam D for a fresh operation, and for this purposethe friction-clutches must for the time being be divested of their gripping` tendency. Mechanism is provided whereby this is readily done, thus permilting the counter-balance K to throw the beam upward to its normal posit-ion.

A detailed description of the forms of friction-clutch which I prefer to employ, and also of the releasing mechanism just referred to, is as follows: As before stated, however, this clutch forms the subject of another application for a patent, and hence itis not separately claimed in this application. Each clutch M M consists of a hollow rectangular body having the inner surface of its end walls, g, beveled, whereby at the bottom they are nearer thebar on which the clutch slides than at'the top. Thus when the clutch is on the bar there is a space on each side of it in the form of a truncated wedge. At each end of the interior of the hollow body a roller, O, is mounted on journalsf, projecting from the ends of the rollers through slots e, formed in the side walls of the body parallel with the inner surfaces of the end walls, g. Thus when the bar is passed through the opening d, formed centrally through the hollow body of the clutch, it has a roller at each side of it, which, seeking'its lowest point through gravity, is normally in contact with both the bar and the end wall g'adjacent to it. Hence the clutch is free to move downward on the bar,` since any movement in this direction causes the rollers to ascend in the wedgeshaped chamber, and thus relax their pressure against the bar 5 but any attempt to move the clutch upward upon the bar causesthe rollers to descend in the wedge-shaped chamber and grip the bar, and it'is obvious that IOO IZO

the greater the upward pressure exerted upon the clutch the iirmer its hold will become.

The construction shown in Fig. is the simpler one; but in cases where the strain upon the clutch is considerable it can only be usedwith a hard-steel bar, since if the bar is of softer metal it is liable to be indented by the roller.

The modification shown in Figs. 6 and 7 provides for the use of a soft-metal bar, steel blocks P being interposed between the rollers O and the bar. These blocks are less in height than the interior of the hollow body of the clutch, and are provided at their sides with pins f, passing through inclined slots c' in the body of the clutch. The purpose of thus mounting the blocks is to permit the operation of the releasing mechanism, about to be described, and for the same reason the rollers O, the inner surfaces of the walls g, and the sides ofthe blocks adjacent to the rollers are all fluted, and thus geared together.

. For a round bar the inner faces of the blocks may be curved.

Connected loosely to the journal f of the rollers O, or to the pinsf of the blocks P, when the modification shown in Figs.' 6 and 7 is employed, and on each side ot' the body of the clutch, is a V-shaped attachment, Q, composed of two bars, c, loosely pivoted togetherat their lower ends. The same rivet which forms this pivot connects to the V-shaped attachment Q. a forked lever, R, which passes around the end of the clutch, and is fulcrumed to it at the sides, as shown at b. Thus any downward pressure upon the outer end of the lever R raises the V-shaped attachments Q, and hence the rollers or blocks, as the case may be, which are immediately connected to it. lf the form shown in Figs. 6 and 7 be the one employed, the raising ofthe blocks turns the rollers easily, by reason of the gear construction already described.

To press the ends of thelevers R down, when desired, by operating` from the end of the lever N, I employ the device comprising the bearing S, loosely suspended from thelever N,

near its outer end, hand-plate, T, extending from this bearing nearly to the end ofthe lever, rod U, connecting the lower end of the bearing with the lower arm of a bell-crank lever, V, which is pivoted at its fulcrum toa fired bearing,S,on theleverN,near the clutch il' ,and has its upper arm resting on the end of the lever R of that clutch, and wire V, connecting the rod U with the end ofthe lever R of the clutch M, and passing under the cross-piece h. When it is desired to release the clutch, it is only necessary to grasp the handplate T and press it against the lever. This throws the bearing S backward toward the end of the lever, pulling the rod U in the same direction, and thus bearing the levers R down through the medium of the bell-crank lever V and wire V.

The knife H is operated, as before stated, by mechanism in all leading particulars identica-l with the foregoing, the friction-clutches being mounted upon a bar, GZ, .pivoted at its lower end to the plank r, and being operated by a lever, N. If preferred, however, the knife may be operated by a single clutch, ren` dering it more stable by having the two parts for attachment to it lower than the portion which comes into contact with the wood to be cut. However, if the retaining-clutch be dispensed with, it is obvious that the counter balance K upon the knife must be omitted and the knife lifted by hand, instead of automatically.

The end of the beam `G may easily be lowered, in opposition to the counter-balance K, by simply moving the clutch F Vdownward upon the bar G. To permit the sliding of this clutch upward to raise the beam, the lever R upon it must be pressed down, the construction of this clutch being7 as before stated, in all respects identical with those already de scribed.

The under side of the bending-beam D is provided with teeth a, to prevent the wood B from rolling or sliding to one side when the beam bears upon it in an inclined position.

The shape of the knife H is preferably curved, as shown, in order that it shall have no tendency to slide the pole to one side in its descent, and shall perform, to some extent, a draw-cut.

The friction-clutches which I have described are applicable to all purposes for which devices of that character are employed-such as for liftingejacks, stumpeXtractors, and the like. ln most other applications, however, the support for the clutches, corresponding with the beam D, would be rigid and the bar movable. Therelea-sing of the clutches would then cause the bar to fall. All tnis is fully eX plained in my application for a patent upon the friction-elutcli alone. On the other hand, while this form of clutch is peculiarly well adapted to my wood-cutting machine, it is not an essential requisite, since other forms of clutch performing similar functions may be substituted for it.

The foregoing specification describes the mechanism which l prefer to employ for carrying my invention into effect. It is obvious, however, that changes may be made in the various operative parts (other parts as well as the clutches) without departing from the spirit of my invention. The essential features of the machine are a suitable supporting frame, mechanism for bending the wood at the point where it is to be cut, and mechanism for cutting it at the point of bending, and my claims are intended to comprehend this general construction irrespective of matters of mere det-ail.

YVhat l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. ln a machine for cutting wood, the combination, with a supporting-frame provided with a bearing over which the wood is to be bent at the point where it is to be cut,` of a beam toward oneend of the fra-me, under which IOO the wood is passed, a vertically-movable beam toward the opposite end of the frame for bending the wood down over the bearing, a vertically-movable knife close to the bearing, and mechanism for operating both the bendingbeam and knife, all substantially as described.

2. In a machine for cutting green wood, thc combination of the following elements: a supporting-frame, a beam at one end of the frame, under which thewood is passed, a block intermediate between the ends of the frame,over which the wood is passed, a beam crossing the other end of the frame, under which beam also the wood passes, said beam being pivoted at one end to the frame, whereby by pressing down its opposite end the Wood is bent over the block, a knife crossing the frame near the block, under which knife also the wood passes,

said knife being pivoted at one end to the frame, whereby the forcing down of its opposite end causes it to cut the pole at the point of bending, and mechanism for forcing down the free ends of the bendingbeam and knife, all substantially as described.

3. In a machine for cutting green wood, the combination of the frame A, adjustable beam C, block m, bending-beam D, pivotally connected at one end to a corner of the frame, and provided with a counter-balance, L K, bar G, pivoted at its lower end to a bearing attached to the frame and passing through a mortise in the bending-beam, friction-clutch M on the bar G', connected to the beam D, friction-clutch M on the bar G', below the clutch M, lever N, connected at its end to the clutch M, rod 1", connecting the lever N with the beam D, mechanism for releasing the clutches M and M, whereby they may be moved upward on the bar, knife H, pivotally connected to one side of the frame, and clutch mechanism for forcing down the opposite end of the knife, all substantially as described.

ARTHUR L. STANFORD.

In presence of- ELIJAH STANFORD, J osEPH D. PLONIEN.

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