US14869A - Machinery for manufacturing- washboards - Google Patents

Description

J. B. HOLMES, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

MACHINERY FOR MANUFACTURING WASHBOARDS.

Specification of Letters Patent N o. 14,869, dated May 13, 1856.

T 0 all whom t may concern Be it known that I, J. B. HOLMES, of the city of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Making Incisions in the Legs of lVashboards for the Reception of Corrugated Zinc Plates; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description t-hereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and figures of reference marked, the same forming part of this specification.

In manufacturing metal faced washboards, zinc is commonly used, and t-he plate is corrugated, t-he sides or legs and body board having been previously prepared. The body board is made from g to is inch narrower than the plate, in order to allow the plate to incise itself into both sides or legs of the board, by means of pressure with a suitable machine made for the purpose; the edges of the plate being sharpened, and the pressure applied, to the sides or legs, the edges out and force themselves into the sides of the washboard until the sides are brought in contact with the body-board or back. But if one of the legs is of much softer wood than the other, the incision would take place in that one, and barely make an entrance into the other, `iust beyond the surface, as fully represented in Figure E of the accompanying drawings, by the dotted lines on the leg 14 which is supposed to be hard or knotty wood; the leg 15, being soft wood, shows by the dotted lines the distance the edge of the corrugated plate has inserted itself by means of the pressure alluded to. But when the washboard is put together in this imperfect manner, and exposed to Wet and dry states, it will swell, shrink, and warp the wood so much as to cause the Zinc plate to come out of the hard leg, owing to its shallow incision, and spring up, thus rendering the washboard unfit for use, and causing more expense to repair it than to purchase a new one.

The object of my improvement, is to remedy these defects in the construction of washboards, and obtain certain other advantages which will be hereinafter set forth, and consists in having the edges of the corrugated plates all made alike in their form, and the angles of the corrugat-ions the same dist-ance apart; and then to have an incision corrugating knife, made to correspond in form to the corrugated edge of the plate, operated sion knife,

by machinery, to make incisions in the sides or legs of boards at the proper depth for the reception of said plates. By this means the insision in each leg will be made of a corresponding depth, and sufficiently deep to insure the plates remaining in the legs, instead of being liable to 'come out and spring up as in the other case where the plate is forced into the leg. The advantage of using the incision knife, is to make a smooth and clean incision, whereas the method of forcing the legs into the edges of the plate, cuts the wood imperfectly and leaves the plate on a constant strain, besides cutting shallow or deep, and sometimes not at all, if the wood is too hard or full of knots and knurls. After the incision is made in each leg by the incithe two legs are placed in connection with the zinc plate and back of the washboard, and subjected to the required pressure, which brings the several parts to their proper place, after which the sides are nailed to the body board or back, in the usual way, by machinery or otherwise.

To enable others skilled in t-he art to make and use my improvement, I will proceed to describe its construct-io-n and operation by referring direct to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. H, represents a face view of the washboard made after my improved plan of incising the legs with a suitable knife or knives for receiving the corrugated plate 19. The dotted lines drawn a short distance from the inner edge of the legs 16, 16, represent the depth and extent of the plate incision.

Fig. G, is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the improved washboard, showing the manner of connecting the zinc plate'to the back or body-board, at its ends, by bending a small port-ion of the plate down at right angles, and sawing a slot in the face of the body-board, as shown at 17, 17, atthe lower and upper ends, for the reception of the bent ends of the plate, as is ordinarily done.

The advantages of the improved method of connecting the plate to the legs of the washboard, are several; firstly, the surface of the plate can be kept more perfect in the process of manufacturing, and is not subject to spring up transversely with the corrugations, nor is it the least liable to come out, as before mentioned, by the warping of different parts of the washboard. Secondly, by making the incisions with the incising knife in the legs, there can be lighter zinc or metal plate used than in the old method of making the edges of t-he plate incise themselves into the legs. Thirdly, it is often the case that plates vary so much in thickness after they are cut from the sheet and corrugated, that, in using the old process of pressing the sides into the edges of plates it is found impracticable, owing to the thinness of a portion of the plate and its eXtreme malleability, causing it to crimp and mash up in portions of the edge thus wasting the material after the labor has been performed of cutting, corrugating, and bending the metal plates. But, by my improved method of incising the legs thick and thin plates, as well as those which vary in thickness are firmly inserted in the legs without damage or injury. Fourthly, wood of a harder and firmer kind can be used, by operating with the incision knife, than when the plates cut or make 'their own incisions, and consequently the work is of a more durable character, and also saves the trouble and time of choosing and sorting out material free from knots, &c., in order to make the plates self incisive. And, ifthly, but not least, in the advantages of my improvement, is, its economy compared with the former method of constructing wash boards. As the loss of material and labor, and the expense of procuring the proper quality of stock formerly incurred, is, by my plan, entirely dispensed with, thus greatly reducing the cost of manufacturing and making an article 100 per cent. more durable.

The following is that portion of the specification having reference to the incising machine and its operation:

Fig. A, represents a front elevation of the incising machine. Fig. B, is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the same. Fig. C, is a rear elevation of the machine. Fig. F, is an end view of the corugating incising knives or cutters, atached to the reciprocating plate.

l, 1, represent the side portions of the frame work which support the machinery for working the plate 2, and incising cutter 7, attached to the lower end of the plate 2. .f

1l, is a pulley, driven by a belt on the counter shaft 23.

10, is a gear pinion, on shaft 23, which Works into the wheel 9 on the shaft 21.

The shaft 2O has two cams 3, 3, which, in their motion, force down the plate 2, and cause the incising cutter 7 to cut and force its edge into the leg or side of the washboard 21, laid on the table 8. The incision is made from to inch, more or less, as desired, and after the incisive cutter has been forced as far as required into the leg, the cams 3, 3, relieve the plate, and the spring 4, attached to the arch-piece 24, and metal ring 5, draws the plate 2, up so that the leg 21 can be removed and another one placed in the machine to undergo the same incising process. But should the spring 4, not be sufficiently strong to draw the cutter out of the leg, the cam 6, on the middle of the shaft 2O revolves against the upper part of the ring 5, and draws it out. 12 represents a guard at the Vback part of the table 8, to prevent the leg from being pushed too far back, and 22, 22, are gage pieces, attached to the sides of the machine to adjust the ends of the legs against so that the incision will be made the proper distance from the ends of the leg.

There are right and left hand legs. The lower ends of the left hand legs, when incised, are placed in the machine against the right hand gage piece 22, and the lower ends of -the right hand legs are placed against the left hand gage piece 22, and that port-ion of the gage against which the ends of the legs are placed, are each the same distance from the side of the knife, causing all the incisions in different legs to correspond.

The incising knife or cutter 7 is represented all in one piece, but in practice it is made in parts and combined together, and separately connected to the reciprocating pla-te 2.

What I claim as my improvement and desire to secure by Letters Patent arel. The arrangements of the cams 3, 3, and 6, spring 4, and ring 5, for operating the incising knife or cutter 7 as mentioned in the foregoing specification.

2. I also claim the arrangement of the guide piece 1 2 and gage pieces 22, 22 for purposes mentioned.

J. B. HOLMES. Witnesses:

WV. E. WATSON, L. WV. SMITH.

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