US1557210A - Method of constructing wheel rims - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 13,1925. 1,557,210

J. W. LEE

METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING WHEEL RIMS Filed March 5, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 13,1925. 1,557,210

J. W. LEE

METHOD OF CONSTRUC'IING WHEEL RIMS Filed March 5, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 a w u 6 n a n h 0ct..13, 1925. v 1,557,210

' J. W. LEE

METHOD OF GONSTRUC'IING WHEEL RIMS Filed March 5, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 UQMM M AL a f wwfimm Patented Get. 13, 1925.

ram-1 UNITE PAENT JOHN W. LEE, OF DAYTON, OI-IIO, ASSIGNOR T0 THE INLAND MANUFACTURING COM- IPANY, OF DAYTON, 03110, A OORTPORATIQN 0F DELA'WABE.

METHOD OF CONSTRUOTING WHEEL RIlVIS.

Application filed March 5, 1924. Serial No. 697,161.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that 1, JOHN W. LEE, a citizen of the United States of America, rcsiding at Dayton, county of Montgomery, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Constructing Wheel Rims, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a method of a sembling together separate wood arcuate segments to form an annulus, and an ZLSSGDL bling tool especially adapted for carrying out said method.

An object of this invention isto provide an improvement in the present method of joining together separate wood segments to form an annulus, by which improvement the time and cost of assembling an annulus is greatly reduced and also a stronger and more uniform joint between the separate segments is obtained. I-Ieretofore in the manufacture of handwheels especially steer-- ing wheels for automotive vehicles, a nun1- ber of separate wood segments having scarfed ends have glue applied to the contacting surfaces after which the segments are clamped together in the form of an annulus and held firmly in the clamped position by some suitable external means until the glue has dried sufficiently to permit the external clamping means to be removed. In the method of this invention however the separate scarfed and glued segments are pressed together with a very high pressure but for only a short interval of time, after which the annulus is removed from the clamping means and the glue permitted to dry with no external pressure upon said annulus. It appears that when this method is used the'glue in the scarf joints is distributed more uniformly over all the con tacting surfaces of each joint and hence a better and stronger joint is obtained. Also since there is no clamping means around the outer periphery of the annulus drying may take place at the outer edges of the joint as well as at the inner edges thereof and hence the glue dries more uniformly throughout the entire oint. This feature of course makes for a stronger joint.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an assembling tool for steering wheel rims and is built according to this invention and for the purpose of carrying out the method of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but shows the clamping mechanism in compressed position upon a wooden annulus shown in dot and dash lines therein.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the tool shown in lfigs. 1 and 2.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Numeral 1O designates the base plate cash ing of the tool. This casting is provided with a circular table 11 upon which the wood annulus 12 is adapted to be placed (see Fig. 2), the table being provided with a central opening 13 which preferably is of slightly smaller diameter than the inner periphery of the annulus 12 as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

A stationary arcuate member 15 is rigidly secured or integral with the casting 10, the arcuate face 16 of member 15 being positioned to contact with the outer periphery of the annulus 12 and having a radius of curvature equal to that of the annulus after it is compressed.

Two movable arcuate levers 20 and 21 are pivoted to the castings 10 at the pivots 22, and are swingable about these pivots 22 so that their arcuate faces 23 and 24 respectively may be swung inwardly to complete a cylindrical surface with the station ary arcuate face 16. i

The swinging levers 20 and 21 are operated by a compressed air cylinder 25 which may be of any suitable and well known form and hence will not be described in detail herein. The reciprocable head 26 of the air cylinder operates the two similar bell crank levers 27, pivoted to the base plate at pivots 28, in a manner which will be obvious from the showing in the drawings. When the head 26 is moved in the direction of arrow 30 in Fig. 2, the two levers 20 and 21 will swing upon pivots 22 in the direction indicated by arrows 31 thereby causing the arcuate surfaces 23 and 24 to press with an enormous force upon the outer periphery of the annulus 12, also pressing the annulus 12 against the stationary arcuate surface 16. Suitable stop means are provided to limit the inward motion of levers and 21 at the point where surfaces 23, 24:, and 16 all lie in substantially the same cylindrical surface which of course has a diameter equal to the desired outer diameter of the annulus 12.

In the operation of the tool the movement of the head 26 in controlled by a compressed air valve for cylinder 25 located within convenient reachof the operator. By means of this valve the operator first moves levers 20 and 21 to the position shown in Fig. 1. He then takes the separate wood segments, having their scarfed ends well covered with glue, and loosely arranges them upon the table 11 in the form of an annulus. The air valve is again turned to move head 26 in the direction of arrow 30 whereupon clamping levers 20 and 21 swing inwardly and press the segments together into a true circular shape with an enormous force. The excess glue at the joints between the segments oozes out and runs down below table 11 through the openings provided in table 11 immediately below each of the joints. This high pressure upon the outer periphery of the annulus 12 needbe held only long enough for the excess glue to be all pressed out and the scarf teeth to be wedged together with only a very thin film of glue therebetween. Ordinarily only from five to ten seconds is required for this purpose but of course this interval of time will vary some with the kind of glue and wood used and with the amount of force applied to the levers 20 and 21. Preferably the parts of the tool are made heavy enough to withstand a very high force and hence the limit-of'the amount of force which may be used will be determined by the compressive strength of the wood annulus. At the end of this short time interval the levers 20 and 21 are moved back and the annulus 12 removed from the tool and transported to the drying room where the rims are racked up in huge racks and the glue permitted to dry. After drying the rims are shaped by well known means to anroval or other suitable section convenient for grasping with the hands. The high pressure with which the segments are pressed together causes them to hold together with sufficient strength'to permit the rims to be handled quite roughly immediately upon being removed from the tool.

\Vhile the form of embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, con stitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

hat is claimed is as follows:

1. The method of joining together separate wood segments to form an annulus, comprising: cutting mutually intermeshing teeth in the enclsof said segments, applying glue to said ends to fully cover all contacting surfaces thereof, arranging said segments together in the form of an annulus and then aplying a high radial pressure upon the outer periphery of the annulus for a short interval of time, said pressure being sufficiently high to press the intermeshing teeth of said segments so tightly together that they hold together with considerable tenacity after said pressure is removed and before the glue has had time to begindrying, andthen permitting the glued joints to dry with no radial pressure upon said annulus.

2. The method of joining together the glued scarfed ends'of separate wood segments to form an annulus,-eomprising: arranging said' segments together loosely in the form of an annulus,applyinga high radial pressure upon the outer periphery of the annulus for a relatively short interval of time compared to the time required for the glue to appreciably change in viscosity, removing said radial pressure, and then permitting the glue to dry while said annulus is free of any external pressure.

In testimony whereof I hereto afiix my signature.

JOHN W. LEE.

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