US1862414A - Wood bending equipment - Google Patents

Description

7, 1932-. J. A. McALIST ER 1,862,414 weon BENDING EQUIPMENT Filed Jan. 9; 1931 Z'SheetS-Sheet 1' oooooeoooooboooooo on 0 co \NO James 4. 1y: fl 1 i556! 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J. A. M ALISTER WOOD BENDING EQUIPMENT Filed Jan. 9. 1931 June 7, 1932.

9 I/Zmzes zlszer Patented June 7, 1932 UNITED STATES JAMES A. MCALISTER, OF SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA WOOD BENDING EQUIPMENT 7 Application filed January 9, 1931. Serial No. 507,685.

The invention forming the subject matter of this application is embodied in an apparatus designed to facilitate the bending and clamping of wood into various curvatures.

As is well known in the woodworking arts, it is common, in constructing bull-nose stair risers, panels, etc., to build up a temporary foundation form to the curvature or shape desired, and then bend and clamp the boardkerfed, resawn, or in plies-to this temporary form. This involves the waste of a great deal of material for the temporary form and a waste of time in constructing it. I I

The main object of the present invention i5 is to provide an apparatus which will eliminate the necessity for building the temporary bending forms above referred to, and which will eliminate the waste of time involved in such temporary construction. v

Another object of the invention is to pro vide an apparatus of this character which can be cheaply manufactured and sold, and which can be knocked down to occupy a small space during storage and shipping. A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of this character, of durable construction and material, adapted to stand the hard usage to which devices of this kind are ordinarily subjected.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent as the detailed description thereof proceeds.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of my apparatus illustrating a board bent and clamped in a position of desired curvature on a base-plate forming part of said apparatus.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan View of the said base plate having a radius rod applied thereto for the purpose of determining the location of the several clamping elements on the said plate.

Figure 3 is a rear elevation of theapparatus shown in Figure 1, but on somewhat smaller scale.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical transverse section through one of the clamping members located on the base plate, and illustrating a board in bent and clamped position, and also illustrating one of a set of interchangeable spacing plates for varying the radius of curvature in smaller spaces than that provided for by the'radially spaced apertures formed in the base plate.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one element of the clamping members above referred to.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of one of the aforesaid interchangeable sleeves.

Figure 7 is a horizontal section the line 7-7 of Figure 4.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary diagrammatic plan of one of the clamping elements having a spacing sleeve applied thereto, and

Figure 9 is a side elevation of one of a number of plugs which may be used in connection with this apparatus.

As shown in the drawings, the apparatus comprises a metal base or template 1, suitably secured to a wood core or base 2, in the form of a rectangular frame extending around the edges of the lower face of said template, and clear of the various rows of clamp positioning apertures, to be described hereinafter.

The metal template is provided with'an 5v aperture 3 located near the lower edge 4 of the template and equidistantly spaced from the ends 5 and 6 thereof. This aperture forms the center of a semi-circle 7 having a diameter'8 parallel to edge 4 and corresponding to that of the smallest circular form about which it is practical to bend and clamp wood.

Alined with the diameter 8 and extendin from opposite ends thereof are the rectilinear rows 9 and 10 of apertures 11, designed to receive a positioning stud 12 (see Figure 4:) projecting from the lower face of a clamp designated as a Whole by the reference numeral 13. As shown in Figure 1, the rows 9 and 10 0f apertures 11 begin at the end of the diameter 8, at a distance of about six inches from the center aperture 3. The first aperture of each row lies within and touches the semi-circle 7, and the other apertures of said rows are preferably spaced apart from each other at a distance of one inch.

A series of segments of semi-circles 14, concentric with the semi-circle 7, are drawn to touch the edges of the apertures 11 and taken on cu to project toward the edge 4 of the template 1 to form a scale 15, which is therefore graduated in inches and provided with numerals indicating the distance of each aperture from the center 3. The spaces between adjacent graduations of the scales 15, are preferably provided with apertures 16, each equidistantly spaced from the adjacent apertures of the scale, so that these intermediate apertures constitute, in effect, finer divisions of the scale 15.

From the outer end of each scale 15, and perpendicularly thereto, the plate 1 is pro vided with rectilinear rows 17 and 18 of apertures, to meet another row 19 extending parallel to the upper edge 20 of the plate 1 and; parallel to the rows?) and 10 near the lower edge of the plate.

The semi-circle 7 is divided into segments each of which subtends an angle of 22 degrees at the center 3, and radial rows 21 of apertures extend from the semi-circle. until they meet the rows 17, 18 and 19. The apertures of the rows 21 are spaced apart exactly as v those of the rows 9, and 10 are spaced, so that these radial rows also form concentric semi circular rows struck from aperture 3 as a center. The general layout of these scales androws of apertures will be obvious from inspection of Figure 1 of the drawings.

It will be understood, of course, that the general dimensions of the. plate and clamps will depend upon the size of the. work designed to be operated upon. It must also be understood that while certain dimensions are assigned to the various scales described herein, this is only for the purpose of illustration and ease. of description, and not by way of limitation.

Each. of the apertures is of the same size as the stud 12v of the clamp 13, and may be tapped to receive the screw threads of a set screw, or bored smooth to permit the free passage of the shank of a bolt 21 (shown in Eigure 4) for securing a clamp 13 to the template 1. i

" Each clamp 13 comprises a base 22, rovided with a slot 23, having a standar 24 extending perpendicularly to said base. Stifi'ening flanges 25 and 26 connect the opposite edges of the standard 2.4 to the said base 22;. and each of these flanges 25 and 26 is provided with a hand hole 27 to facilitate handling of the clamps bodily.

The standard 24 of each clamp. is provided with rectangular'slots 28 and 29 for slidably receiving and guiding the rectangular lugs 30 and: 31 respectively extending; perpendicularly from the rear face of the clamping pl-ate32. The standard 24 is also provided with screw. threaded bores 33 and 34 adapted to be engaged? by the screw threads of bolts 35 and 36 respectively, the heads of which are of polygonal'shape, designed to be engaged by any suitable form of wrench, and

are also slotted to adapt the bolts for operation by a screw driver.

As will be readily apparent ,from Figures 3 and 4, the flat upper face of the lower lug 31 forms a seat on which the lower edge of the board to be bent is arranged; and the rectangular cross section of these lugs 30 and 31 and of the slots 28 and 29 ensures an even sliding movement of the clamping plate 32 toward and from the standard 24 under the operation of bolts 35 and 36.

In the operation of the invention, any necessary and desired number of these clamps may be located as the finished curvature of the piece to be bent requires. As shown in Figure 1 the board B is under process of being bent into a semi-circular shape. Accordingly, the clamps are arranged so that their studs 12 are positioned in the holes of a semicircular row, the radius of which may be determined by inspection of the scale 15. If the work is heavy he clamps may be fixed rigidly to the template by means of the bolts 21.

\Vhile the invention is illustrated as bending a board to semi-circular shape, it must be understood that theapparatus is designed and intended to be used for bending material into elliptical. ogee, or any other shape or. combination of shapes where the curvature may be considered as composed of arcuate elements merging smoothly into each other.

It will be readily understood that it is hardly practical to make an aperture of less than inch in diameter to receive the studs 3 12 and the bolts 21 of the clamping mechanism. It is quite feasible, however, to position these apertures inch apart on centers. The template in this case has the apertures spaced apart accordingly. This means that the clamps can be moved only in complete steps which vary by inch between adjacent apertures. VVh'enever it becomes necessary to bend any board to radii which vary by th of an inch, it is necessary to use other elements in combination with the standards 24 and clamping plates 32 to effect this result.

In order to effect more minute adjustment in the bending operation than is possible with the clamps alone, each clamp is provided with a series of interchangeable facing plates; 37, each of which is provided with side flanges 38 and 39 which fit snugly over the side edges of the standards 24, each of which has its clamping face 4O shaped arcuately.

The plates 37 have their inner faces 41 shaped arcuately to fit the face 40 of the standard and have their outer faces 42 substantially parallel to the faces 41. The distance between these faces 41 and 42 will vary in the different plates of a set by any desired plates of a set, in order to secure variations of curvature in steps of th of an inch, must comprise sleeves of th, th, ths, Ath, f ths, y ths, and ths thicknesses. In this Way all degrees of curvature from 6 inches up to 24 inches can be taken care of by the apparatus illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings. It will be understood, of course, that the dimensions of the apparatus will be varied in accordance with the size of the work to be handled generally and in accordance with the desire of the operator While the scale markings 14 may be con tinued around the template 1 as complete semi-circles, there is no necessity for doing so. The semi-circles would facilitate indieating the apertures for locating the studs 12 of the several clamps. However, it is preferable to omit these semi-circles, especially those of large radius, and use a radius rod such as is illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings.

The radius rod 43 is provided with an aperture near one end thereof; and this aperture 44 is designed to receive a plug 45 (see Figure 9) adapted to seat in the aperture 3 of the template 1 or in any of the other apertures in said template. when it becomes necessary to lay off work of irregular curvature. The radius rod is also provided with scale markings similar to those of the scale 15 and with apertures spaced apart as are the apertures of any of the radial rows shown in Figure 1 of the drawings. The scale on this radius rod 43 is designated by the reference numeral 15' and is similar in every respect to the corresponding scale on the template 1 and shown in Figure 1 of the drawings.

In the operation of the radius rod it is very convenient to use a number of the plugs 45 to indicate the particular aperture in the template 1 for receiving the studs 12 of the clamp. For example, in striking out any are of a circle by means of this radius rod on the template 1, it is not necessary to make any mark whatever on this template, because for every desired position of a' clamp the operator may insert a plug temporarily in any and all of the apertures of the template 1 which must be used to receive the studs 12 of the various clamps. Various convenient modes of operation of this radius rod may be devised by the operator to suit his convenience and the performance of the work in hand.

While I have shown the clamping members as detachably connected to the template 1 for the purpose of adjusting these members into various positions by means of the several apertured scales, it must be understood that the permanent location of these clamping members on the template 1 by means of slots substituted for the apertured scales, comes within the purview of the present invention.

It will be obvious that the template or base 1 may be suitably secured to a solid wood: core or base of rectangular form extending to the .edges of the lower face of the template, and

suitably bored to correspond to the various rows of clamp positioning apertures, insteadin the limits of the claims appended thereto.

What I claim is:

1. In woodbending apparatus, a clamping member comprising a base-plate, a standard extending perpendicularly from said baseplate and provided with slots spaced apart thereon, a clamping plate having lugs projecting from one face thereof and slidably engaging said slot, and means for moving said clamping plate toward and from said standard.

2. In woodbending apparatus, a clamping member comprising a base-plate, a standard extending perpendicularly from said base plate and having a plurality of guide slots formed therein, a clamping plate, means extending from one face of said clamping plate and slidably mounted in said slots, and means for moving said clamping plate toward and from said standard.

3. In woodbending apparatus, a clamping member comprising a base plate, a stud projecting from one end of said base plate, a standard extending perpendicularly from the side of said base plate opposite said stud, guide slots formed in said standard, a clamping plate having lugs extending from one face thereof and slidably mounted in said slot,

and means for adjusting said clamping plate toward and from said standard.

4. In woodbending apparatus, a support having spaced openings therein, in combination with a clamping member comprising a base, a standard extending perpendicularly from said base and having an arcuate face, a clamping plate slidably connected to said standard, means for sliding said clamping plate toward and from said standard, a facing plate detachably connected to said standard and extending across the arcuate space thereof, the thickness of the plate being less than the distance between the openings in the support, and means cooperating with said openings for adju'stably holding said clamping member.

5. In woodbending apparatus a template having a plurality of apertured rectilinear scales radiating from a point on said template, clamping members having studs pr0- jecting therefrom to seat in the apertures of any of said scales, means for clamping said member along the lines of direction of said apertured scales to said template, and facing plates of varying thicknesses detachahly connected to said clamping member.

6. In woodbending apparatus, a template having a plurality of rectilinear scales radiating from a point on said template, said template being provided With apertures having one edge of each touching the division lines of said scales, a clamping member having a stud projecting from one end thereof to seat in any of said apertures and having a standard extending perpendicularly to said template, and 21, facing plate of less thickness than the distance between adjacent apertures detachably connected to said standard.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JAMES A. MCALISTER.

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