US3110134A

US3110134A - Duplicating and conditioning device

Info

Publication number: US3110134A
Application number: US178841A
Authority: US
Inventors: Rabinowitz Sol
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1962-03-12
Filing date: 1962-03-12
Publication date: 1963-11-12
Anticipated expiration: 1980-11-12

Description

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 12, 1962 INVENTOR.

04 f46/A/0W/7'Z (mmnm z I I s 1 I I I K HHIHIUHIllilHlilHliixl1 Nov. 12, 1963 s. RABINOWITZ 3,110,134

DUPLICATING AND CONDITIONING DEVICE Filed March 12, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. $04 P46'M/a W/ r2 BW/%WM 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 12, 1962 INVENTOR. 5'04 164 a/A a' W/I-Z BY nited rates This invention relates to a duplicating and conditioning device for use on reeds such as are used in musical instruments.

One of the major difficulties in playing musical instruments employing reeds is securing satisfactory reeds of like properties and playing characteristics. Reeds are extremely delicate and once damaged must be replaced. Since there is a wide variation in the material of which reeds are made, and since even a small ditference in the shape of the reed will result in large difierences in their playing properties, almost no two reeds are alike. Even reeds taken from the same box will present such different performance properties that very often a musician can only use two or three reeds out of a box of one or two dozen.

When a reed which is highly satisfactory becomes damaged it is almost impossible to repair the reed without destroying its playing characteristics. In addition, the addition, the forming of a reed from blank reed material is extremely difficult so that most musicians are forced to purchase finished reeds at :a very substantial cost.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a musical reed duplicating and conditioning device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a reed duplicating device which can be used on a large variety of reed sizes and shapes.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device which will duplicate extremely small surface variations from a model reed.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive reed duplicating and conditioning device which can be used by relatively unskilled operators.

An object of the present invention is to provide reeds having the same playing characterics as the model reeds I from which they are duplicated.

Another feature of the present invention is its use of a cutting wheel and follower block to duplicate the model reed.

Still another feature of the present invention is its use of an adjusting screw to permit fine cutting adjustments.

The invention consists of the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as herein illustrated, described and claimed;

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof is illustrated one form of embodiment of the invention, in which drawings similar reference characters designate corresponding parts, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a reed conditioning device made in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 in FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 4 is a view in front elevation of the device shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary somewhat diagrammatic atent attain view illustrating the cutting operation of the present invention.

FIGURE 6 is a somewhat isometric view of a finished reed.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to Fi URES 1, 2 and 4, it? indicates a base having an upstanding back wall '11 secured thereto. Side brackets 12 and 133 at each side of the base it), hold the wall 11 upon the base lid. A motor 14 is carried by a bracket 15 bolted to the wall 11. The shaft of the motor '14 extends downwardly as shown in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4, and has a pulley 17 secured thereto. A belt 18 on the pulley 17 drives a second pulley 19 which is secured to shaft 20. The shaft 2% is journaled within a bearing 21 secured at its bottom to the base It A cutting wheel 22 is attached to the top of the shaft 29 and is disposed parallel to the base it. The cutting wheel may be made of some suitable abrasive or preferably may be a wooden or metal support upon which there is stretched a strip of some abrasive material 23, such as emery cloth, sandpaper or the like. By using a strip of some absrasive material 23, it is possible to change the cutting surface from time to time and to have a cutting wheel which remains the same in diameter at all times.

A follower block 24 is secured at its bottom to the base it? and extends upwardly therefrom, parallel to but spaced from the shaft 2%. The follower block 24 carries a follower tongue 25, which is slidably received within the block 24. An adjusting screw 26 is thread into the back of the follower tongue 25 as shown in FIGURE 1, and permits a very fine adjustment of the said block. The adjusting sore-w 2-6 is journaled within a plate 27 secured to the follower block 24-. Once adjusted the follower tongue may be locked in placed by means of the screw 23 which is threada'oly received within the follower block 24.

An elongated rod 29 is journaled within spaced bearing members 3%} secured at each side at the front of the base The rod 29 has secured thereto a plate 31 which is somewhat shorter than the rod 29 so that the rod and plate may he slid longitudinally within the bearing members 3d. The plate 31 is held to the rod by means of screws 32 as indicated in FIGURE 1. In addition to the longitudinal motion the rod 29 may also be rotated carrying with it the plate 31.

An elongated platform 33 hereinafter referred to as the cutting table, is rotatably secured between spaced hearing members 2-4, carried by the plate 31, at the outer ends thereof. The bearing members 3 support a shaft 35 which is journaled therein and on which the cutting table 33 is secured. The shaft 35 extends beyond the bearing members 34- and is provided with control knobs 36 by means of which the shaft 35 and cutting table may be rotated, as indicated by the arrows in FIG- URE 1.

When it is desired to operate the reed duplicating and conditioning device, a model reed 37 having a form which is suitable and or" known playing properties is secured to the cutting table 33, by means of a clamp 33. The model reed 37 is placed upon the cutting table 33 so that it will be in line with the follower tongue 25. A reed blank 39 from which the model reed is to be duplicated is also secured to the cutting table 33 by means of a clamp 33. The model reed 37 and reed blank 39 are spaced apart a distance equal to the distance between the point of contact of the reeds upon the cutting wheel 22 and follower tongue 25. A spacer 43 shown in FIGURE 1 may be used to orient the reeds for this purpose and thereafter removed during the cutting operation.

Before cutting the blank reed 39 may be shaped in order to give the proper curvature to the front of the blank. In addition, in order to save the abrasive cutting wheel strip 23, a certain amount of the reed material may be cut away in advance of the final shaping operation.

With the reeds in place as shown in FIGURE 2, the motor is started and the plate 31 swung upwardly into the position shown in FIGURE 3. The model reed 37 Will come. to bear against the face of the follower tongue 25 and the blank reed 39 will be brought into contact with the rigidly rotating cutting wheel 2'2. By grasping the control knobs 36, the operator can rotate the table 33 and longitudinally slide the plate 51 thereby bringing every point on the surface of the model ree 37, into contact with the follower tongue 25. Correspondingl the blank reed 39 will be caused to follow the model reed and since the cutting wheel 22; and follower tongue 25 are equally distant from the cutting table 33. The blank reed 39 will thus be caused to assume the shape of the model reed 37. in this manner, even extremely small differences in contour which cannot be seen with the human eye can be duplicated upon the blank reed. After the blank reed has been shaped as described above, the operator can remove it from the cutting table 33 and try it in the instrument. If, because of the material of which the reed is made, it is to stiff the operator can replace it in the duplicating machine and remove more of the reed material merely by adjusting the screw 26 so as to ithdraw the follower tongue 25 into the follower block 24, a few thousandths of an inch.

It will be apparent that a large number of identical reeds can be made using the same model reed and also that the operator has control over the performance of the reed by compensating for the characteristics of the reed material.

In addition, when a reed has become damaged at its edge 41 (see FEGURE 6) it is possible to trim the edge with a scissors or razor blade or suitable clipper device replace the reed in the conditioning machine and recut a surface 42 thereon in order to produce the finished reed shown in FlGURE If a reed blank is found to be too flerdble because of the nature of the blank material it is also possible to trim the edge 41 back a bit, reinsert the reed in the duplicating and conditioning device and, by advancing the follower tongue 25, cut a reed which is slightly thicker than the model reed 37 in order to provide additional reed stillness.

It will be seen in FIGURE 1 that the abrasive strip 23 is wrapped around the cutting wheel 22 and wedged into an opening 43 provided therein. Since the motor 14 is preferably a high speed motor a compensating opening 44 is provided in the wheel 22 to eliminate vibration.

The motion followed by the operator in cutting the reeds is shown diagrammatically in FIGURE where the arrows indicate the longitudinal motion of the cutting table 33 as the rod 29 slides back and forth between the bearing member 30 and the rotating motion of the table as the control knobs 36 are turned.

In order to prevent damage to the cutting table it is preferred to slip a small shim such as a thickness of some pressure sensitive tape material 45 beneath both reeds when they are placed in the device.

The follower tongue 25 is provided with an arcuate face as shown which conforms in shape to the radius of the cutting wheel 22.

From the foregoing it will be seen that there has been provided a reed duplicating and conditioning device which is simple in operation and higmy accurate in producing reeds of similar characteristics. of adjustment to compensate for various types of reed material and will also accommodate a wide variety of reed sizes and shapes. Persons desiring to make their own reeds can purchase reed blank material at a fraction of the cost of finished reeds and be sure of highly satisfactory results.

Having thus ully described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

l. A musical reed duplicating machine comprising a base, a source of rotary power secured to the base, a cutting wheel driven by the source of rotary power, a follower block secured to the base, a follower tongue slidably carried in said follower block, and adjusting screw journaled within the follower block and threadably received within the follower tongue, a plate swingably secured to the base in front of the cutting wheel and follower block, an elongated rod to support the plate, spaced bearing members to receive the rod and permit the plate to swing about the longitudinal axis of the rod and the rod to slide therethrough to provide lateral motion for the plate, a cutting table, a reed cutting position for the table, said table being rotatably mounted on the swingable plate, said plate being swingably and transversely slidable with respect to the said base while in the cutting position, means to rotate the cutting table about its longitudinal axis with respect to the cutting wheel and follower tongue, a reed model and reed blank receiving surface on the table and means to secure the reed blank and model reed to the table receiving surface.

2. A device according to claim 1 in which the cutting table rotating means comprises spaced bearing members UNITED STATES PATENTS 164,732 Hard June 22, 1875 548,298 Darling Oct. 22, 1395 1,367,378 Segal June 24, 1919 l,827,363 Maynard Oct. 13, 1931 2,985,231

Roesch May 23, 1961 The device is capable

Claims

1. A MUSICAL REED DUPLICATING MACHINE COMPRISING A BASE, A SOURCE OF ROTARY POWER SECURED TO THE BASE, A CUTTING WHEEL DRIVEN BY THE SOURCE OF ROTARY POWER, A FOLLOWER BLOCK SECURED TO THE BASE, A FOLLOWER TONGUE SLIDABLY CARRIED IN SAID FOLLOWER BLOCK, AND ADJUSTING SCREW JOURNALED WITHIN THE FOLLOWER BLOCK AND THREADABLY RECEIVED WITHIN THE FOLLOWER TONGUE, A PLATE SWINGABLY SECURED TO THE BASE IN FRONT OF THE CUTTING WHEEL AND FOLLOWER BLOCK, AN ELONGATED ROD TO SUPPORT THE PLATE, SPACED BEARING MEMBERS TO RECEIVE THE ROD AND PERMIT THE PLATE TO SWING ABOUT THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE ROD AND THE ROD TO SLIDE THERETHROUGH TO PROVIDE LATERAL MOTION FOR THE PLATE, A CUTTING TABLE, A REED CUTTING POSITION FOR THE TABLE, SAID TABLE BEING ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON THE SWINGABLE PLATE, SAID PLATE BEING SWINGABLY AND TRANSVERSELY SLIDABLE WITH RESPECT TO THE SAID BASE WHILE IN THE CUTTING POSITION, MEANS TO ROTATE THE CUTTING TABLE ABOUT ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS WITH RESPECT TO THE CUTTING WHEEL AND FOLLOWER TONGUE, A REED MODEL AND REED BLANK RECEIVING SURFACE ON THE TABLE AND MEANS TO SECURE THE REED BLANK AND MODEL REED TO THE TABLE RECEIVING SURFACE.