US89472A - Improvement in machinery for the manufacture of match-sticks - Google Patents

Description

2 sheets s eeu 1 F. De BOWENS.

. Match-Machine.

No. 89,472; I Patented Apr. 27 1869 2 Sheens-Sheet 2 F. De BOWENS.

Match-Machine.

No. 89,472. Patented Apr. 27. 1 869 N PETERS. Phoro-LWRDGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIoE.

FRANQOIS DE BOWEN S, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF MATCH-STICKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 89,472, dated April 27, 1869.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANQOIS DE BowENs, of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Machine for Making Match-Sticks; and I do hereby deolare the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of myinvention consists in cutting match-sticks and other similar short sticks by securing the blocks of wood from which they are cut to a large rotating wheel 5 also, in the shape of the knives for cutting the sticks or splints; and also in the mechanism for giving motion to the knives.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine, showing part of the movements. Fig. 2 is a plan of the machine. Fig. 3 shows the mechanism for reversing the motion of the knives. Fig. 4 is an additional modification of the machinery for operating the knives. Fig. 5 shows the block of wood partially cut; Fig. 6, another way of cutting the block. Fig. 7 shows the hexagonal knife.

A is a large wheel, about seven to twelve feet in diameter by two feet six or more wide. Itis mounted on a center shaft, B, and is turned by a band-wheel, b. Upon the face of the wheel A are secured the blocks of wood, 0, from which the sticks are cut, which blocks are about two feet long, eight inches thick, and five broad. This makes a match-stick double the length required, so it is afterward cut in two pieces.

Instead of gluing these blocks 0 to the wheel A, I prefer to glue them on, segments 0 and bolt the segments to the wheel by bolts 0'. or some similar clamping device. By this means one set of blocks may be prepared for the wheel while the previous set are being cut.

Theblocksforty-two in number-are placed round the wheel as close as they can be set, and with the grain in a line with the plane of rotation.

Fig. 7 shows the knife D full size, made hexagonal, and with the side d at the end. These knives are secured to a slide-rest, E, similar to that used in tin'ning-lathes.

l is a hand-wheel for forcing the knife up to its work.

Only two knives are shown in Fig. 2 but four or more can be used, and the more rapid will be the execution of the work.

The means employed to operate the knives I will now describe.

The slide-rest E is fixed to the rack H, and slides upon the Vtshaped bed G. On the main shaft B is keyed a wheel, b having a cam, b on its face. pivot, k. One end slides in a guide, k, the other connects by the'link k with an arm, m, on the rock-shaft n. Tothe other end of the rock-shaft is keyed the arm M, which operates the reversing-pawl P. This pawl has a catch, 10 above the ratchet R and another, p ,"below the ratchet R The teeth in these two ratchets are cut in opposite directions. Sis a Weighted arm for bringing either catch-into gear at will. The ratchets r r are keyed on a shaft, T, having on it a pinion, t, gearing into the rack H.

The operation of the machine is in this manner: The splint-blocks 0 being secured to the wheel A, the machine is started, and the cam b strikes the arm it, giving motion to link 76, rock-arm m", and pawl 12', which movesa distance sufficient to take another tooth on the wheel 1". As soon as the arm It has passed the end of the cam b the weight w moves the arm k to its original position, and thereby, through the mechanism previously described, the knives K are moved just sufficient for the next out-that is to say, a distance of x to w, as shown in Fig. 5, making about seven cuts to the inch. The first out of the knife only takes outhalf a match-stick, as shown atm. The next return out takes out a whole hexagonal stick, as shown at 00 It is evident that the knife on the return stroke, in order to cut out the wood, .20 left standing, must travel back at half-way distances to What it did at the previous motion. This I accomplish by keying the ratchets a" r on the shaft in the proper position relative to each other. The reverse motion of the knives at the end of the stroke is made by turning over the lever S, when the pawl 1) falls into gear.

It is evident to a machinist that other mechanism could be made to move the knives, as

k is a double arm, working'on a shown in Fig. 4, for instance. Here the sliderest bears upon the shaft y and bed G. It is moved by a screw, running the length of the bed G. When the knife arrives at the end of the cut the arm 3 is pressed down and the rest E released from the screw y. It is reversed by hand to its first position, and again thrown into gear with the screw. The necessary endwise motion could be given to the screw by a wedge working against its collar.

Another mode of cutting the blocks (J is shown at Fig. 6, where the splints are out out by oval knives, though I prefer the hexagonal stick, as being stronger and neater in appearance, being equal to a round stick, and without any waste in the wood.

It may appear at first incredible that matchsticks can be cut from a rotary cylinder; but the shortness of the stick, in comparison with the diameter of the wheel, makes the curvature of the stick scarcely perceptible in such short pieces. This plan gives a continuous cutting operation until-the blocks are finished, and the speed of the work is marvelous. From five hundred thousand to one million per hour can be outwith four knives, according to the rapidity of rotation of the wheel.

Pencil-sticks and shoe-pegs may be cut with this same machine.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Making match-splints and similar sticks by securin g the wood from which they are cut to a rotating wheel, substantially as shown and described.

2. Cutting blocks of wood into match-splints and similar sticks by the hexagonal arrangement of cuts, as shown in Fig. 5.

3. The arrangement of the knife D, the rack H, pinion t, ratchets r r, pawl 19 p operating substantially as shown and described.

4. The arrangement of the rotating wheel A and splint-blocks O with the knives D, operating substantially as herein shown and described.

FBANQOIS DE BOWENS.

Witnesses:

EDW. BROWN, JOHN WOLTGEN,

JOHN WHITE.

Images