'♦^ V"^' '^Ml^^^^ "^JU r.^ o.^^M^k'-^ ^^ ^-^
^^-r.
^AO^
^^. A'
o • »
4 o
r->
y
>
A HISTORY
OF THE
I PLANING-MILL
WITH PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS
FOR THE
Construction, Care, and Management of Wood-working Machinery.
CI R. TOMPKINS. M.E.
C^ ' \ IL^VQ^ \
"Knowledge imparted to others is not lost to him who imparts it."
NEW YORK: JOHN WILEY & SONS,
15 AsTOR Place.
1889. So
Copyright, 1889,
BY
John Wiley & Sons.
4
|
I - |
||
|
Dbummond & NaxT, Electrotypers, i to 7 Hague Street, New York. |
Pkrhts Bros., Printers, 326 Pearl Street, New York. |
TC
^n of |«2 jFrCenirs,
ESPECIALLY THOSE ENGAGED IN THE MANUFACTURE, SALE, AND USE OF
WOOD-WORKING MACHINERY, AND PARTICULARLY THOSE WHOSE
LIBERAL PATRONAGE AND FRIENDSHIP HAVE BEEN BESTOWED
UPON ME IN YEARS THAT ARE PAST,
THIS BOOK
IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR.
PREFACE.
The writer has no apology to offer for presenting to the public this work on the care and management of planing-mill machinery. The forty years or more during which he has been identified with it — for thirty of which he has been actively engaged in its manufacture exclusively — is considered sufficient. In September, 1886, he went out of business as a prac- tical manufacturer ; yet he cannot say that he does not still take an interest in it. The familiar hum of the planing-mill is still pleasant to his ear, and brings up grateful recollections of the past, and reminds him of the many warm friends that he had, and still has, among wood-workers all over the country. Dur- ing that long experience and intimate relation with some of the oldest planing-mill men, a number of whom have long since gone to their rest, he was en- abled to obtain many of the incidents and facts given in the following pages. The long experience of the author in its manufacture, sale, and use forms the basis of those suggestions for the construction, care, and
VI PRE FA CE.
management of planing-mill machinery; and if they should be found of practical use to those less ex- perienced, then this work, which is dedicated to all users of such machinery, will not have been written in vain.
That such may be the case, is the sincere wish of the author.
Rochester, N. Y., December 7, 1888.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
PAGE
Early History of the Planing-mill, i
Early Inventions in England, 3
Improvements, . 4
CHAPTER II.
Automatic Feed-rolls, 7
Wm. Woodworth's Invention, 8
His First Machine, _ . 9
The Commencement of the Planing-mill Monopoly, . . . ii
CHAPTER III.
Other Inventions, 15
Suits for Infringement, . . 16
The Patent renewed by Special Act of Congress, ... 16
The Norcross Planer, 18
His Patent Sustained, 18
CHAPTER IV.
Application for Another Extension, . . . . . . 23
A Formidable Remonstrance, ....... 24
Defeat of the Application, . . . . . . . . 24
Improvements, etc., 27
CHAPTER V.
Brown's Extension Gears, . . . . . . . . 31
Other Improvements, 32
Burleigh's Extension Gears, ....... 3^
VI
CONTENTS.
The Dimension Planer, Gray & Wood's Patent, H. D. Stover's Celebrated Claim,
CHAPTER VI.
Further Improvements,
Patents of Wardwell and others,
Wm. H. Doane and others,
The Chip-breaker, J. B. Tar's Patent,
Early History of the Moulding-machine,
CHAPTER VII.
Moulding-machine Continued, .
The Inside Moulder, . . . ;
Introduction of the Resawing-machine,
The Crosby Patent, ....
Myers & Unison's Claims, .
Suit against Messrs. Hawley and Mr. Doncaster,
Results,
PAGE
33 34
38 38 39 41 44
49 50
52 52 55 55 55
CHAPTER VIII.
Abuses of Patent Laws,
The Act of 1870, . .
The Woodbury Patent, .......
Attempts to Build up another Planing-mill Monopoly, Suits in which the Patent was set aside, ....
CHAPTER IX.
Construction of Machinery,
Quality and Strength of Castings, . . .
Care in Moulding, ........
Frames for Machinery, . . . . ,
CHAPTER X.
Care Required in the Construction of Wood-working Tools, Best Proportion for Cylinders, . . . . .
Relative Length and Size of Journals,
Cast-steel Cylinders, ........
The best Practical Method of fitting them up, .
56 56
57 58 59
70
71 72 76
79 81
83 84
85
CONTENTS.
Vll
CHAPTER XL
Speeding Wood- working Machinery, . Variation of Speed in Different Mills, Centrifugal Force Considered, . Tensile Strength of Bolts, . Pulleys, etc., . . . . .
CHAPTER Xn.
Importance of Putting Up and Adjusting New Machines,
Necessity of Employing Competent Men, .
Mistakes often made in the Speed,
Anecdote, Mr. A.'s Mistake,
Annoyance from Bad Belts,
Matcher-belts require Extra Care,
CHAPTER Xni.
Feed-rolls,
Manner of casting them, .... Trouble caused by Imperfect Rolls, . Imperfect Gearing
CHAPTER XIV.
Lubrication, . .
Defective Boxes,
The Self -oiling Box described, .
Glass-oilers, . . . .
Adulterated Oils,
The Best Oils for Planing-mills,
CHAPTER XV.
Hints about Moulding-machines,
The most Suitable Size for Planing-mill Purposes,
The best Material for Cylinders and their Style,
Solid Cutters,
Sectional Cutters Useful,
CHAPTER XVI. Some of the Difficulties that Manufacturers meet with. Inexperienced Men
PAGE
89 90 92 94 95
98
99 102 103
105 106
no III "3 "5
119 119 120 124
125 126
129 130 133 134
135
138 139
Vlll CONTENTS.
PAGE
Professional Humbugs, * . 140
Carelessness often the Cause of Trouble, 141
The Operator in his Own Estimation never at Fault, . . . 143
CHAPTER XVH.
Responsibilities of Foreman, .145
System in Management, 146
A Striking Contrast, 147
Foundations, 149
Levelling from Certain Points Important, . . . . .151
CHAPTER XVni. A Suitable Outfit for a Small Mill described, . . . .154
Machines should be adapted to the Work, 158
A Question of Power, . . . . . . . .159
Economy in Fuel, . 160
Suitable sized Engines, .160
CHAPTER XIX.
Advice to Operators, 165
Feeding Crooked Stuff, ........ 166
Setting the Guides, 167
The Use of Springs not recommended, 167
More Experience 168
Causes for Lumber Drawing away from the Guide, . . .169
CHAPTER XX.
Artistic Wood-work, 171
Improved Machines for that Purpose, 172
Cutting Tools, . 173
Importance of a Running Balance, , . . . . .175
Hints for fitting up Tools, .176
Their Temper, . 176
Hard and Soft Cutters Considered, 176
Spindles and Collars, . . . . . . . .177
CHAPTER XXI. Friction and the Laws which govern it, . . . . . 180
Sliding Contact, 181
Revolving Contact, .183
CONTENTS.
IX
PAGE
Resistance according to Weight Independent of Surface, . . 184 Its Application to Planing-mill Machinery, . . . .185
CHAPTER XXII.
Shafting, 186
Its Proportional Size and Speed, 187
Torsional Strength considered, . . . . , , .188
Method of Testing, 189
Rules for calculating its Strength, ...... igo
Table giving Size, Speed, and Power, ..... 197
CHAPTER XXIH.
Belting, the Selection of, ... i ... . 198
The Importance of the Mill being well belted, .... 199
Leather Belting the best adapted for the Purpose, . . . 200
Rules for calculating their Power and Length, . . . . 201
Oils not Suitable for Belting, 206
Hints for their Care and Management, 207
Double Belts, Objections to, ...... . 212
Table showing the Power and Speed of Belts, . . . . 215
CHAPTER XXIV.
Advice to Young Men, . . , . . . . .217
They should make themselves Proficients in the Business, . . 218 Frequent Changes not Advisable, . . . ... . 219
Proper Studies for the Young Mechanic, ..... 220
Should fit himself for Future Usefulness, 221
HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL
CHAPTER I.
EARLY INVENTIONS, IMPROVEMENTS, ETC.
The history of the planing-mill, like many other useful machines, may be traced back in its rudimentary form many years before its individuality as a distinct and complete machine was fully recognized. We find, by a careful examination of old mechanical works pub- lished both in England and France that, many years before William Woodworth made his invention, ma- chines of a similar character were used for working wood into various shapes ; and among these different machines one can readily discover nearly all of the ele- ments from which the planing-machine originated.
It is a well-known fact, and one that is recognized by all inventors, that, as a rule, no one man ever originated and perfected an entire machine without embodying in it some of the conceptions of a previous inventor. The first inventor may conceive and carry out, to a certain extent, an idea which to him may appear to be perfect and original in all its parts, and succeed in ac- complishing the object in a manner satisfactory to himself ; but as one idea always suggests another, the
2 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
second inventor may take the same elements and com- mence practically where the first left off, and not only improve upon that idea, but add other ideas of his own to it which the first inventor never thought of, until finally, by the skill and efforts of a series of inventors, the machine becomes perfected in all of its parts.
In some of the earlier inventions in England for the purpose of planing lumber, the stationary knife, in imi- tation of the hand-plane, seemed to be the prevailing idea ; either by a reciprocating motion of the knife, or by forcing the lumber by suitable mechanism under a sta- tionary knife set in an adjustable stock in order to ac- commodate the various thicknesses of the lumber to be planed. As these machines appear to have been ex- perimental, and never came into general use, it is prob- able that there were certain mechanical difficulties at- tending them which could not be overcome so as to render them fit for practical use.
In some of the old machines where the rotary cutter- head was used, the head was attached to a mandrel much in the manner as the circular saw of the present time, and the stuff to be planed was pushed by hand, either over or under the cutter-head, and held down to the table by blocks or springs much in the same man- ner as the hand-jointer or buzz-planer of the present time. It seems that this style of planing light stuff was in use as late as 1836, when it was determined to build the great conservatoryat Chatsworth, when Mr. Paxton, the architect and contractor, says, '' he found it desir- able to contrive some means for lessening the great amount of manual labor required in making the im- mense number of sash-bars required for that purpose."
EARLY INVENTIONS, IMPROVEMENTS, ETC. 3
On visiting all the great work-shops of London, Man- chester, and Birmingham, the only apparatus which he met with was a grooving-machine. This he obtained, and fitted up at Chatsworth, in connection with a steam- engine, and subsequently so improved it that he could make sash-bars on it complete. This machine, he says, effected a saving of ^^1400 in the expense of the con- servatory. The length of each bar was forty-eight inches, and the original cost of the machine, including the table, wheels, etc., complete, was ;£'20. The attendants re- quired were only a man and a boy. The sash-bars could be made any shape by changing the saws. The bar was presented to the saws below the centre of motion, and to the teeth of the saws which were ascending from the table. " A velocity of twelve hundred revolutions per minute was required to finish the work in a proper man- ner, d^nd, four feet per minute could be produced in this mannen"
In 1850, when the great exhibition building in Lon- don was constructed, a similar machine was used by Messrs. Fox and Henderson, the contractors, for form- ing the gutters for the same. Mr. Henderson, however, made some improvements, by adding cutter-heads, so that, instead of using one head and passing the stuff through the machine four times, he applied four heads, so as to finish the work on all four sides by once passing it through the machine. The timber was first squared up to the proper size by a machine invented by Mr. Furness, and known at that time as the Furness plan- ing-machine. In a description of this machine by Mr. Paxton, he says : " In this machine, cutters were attached to the ends of an arm revolving with great
4 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
rapidity in a horizontal plane. The timber was wedged up in a frame travelling upon rails, and as this was passed under the revolving cutters, the upper surface is planed off, the timber being held down upon the frame by a large iron disk." He does not state whether the frame was moved automatically or pushed along by hand ; but the operation of the cutters and their appli- cation to the work was much on the same principle as the Daniels planer of the present time. In a descrip- tion of the gutter-cutting machine, he says : " Cutters were used instead of saws, and were attached to a cast- iron block by means of bolts and nuts. Four such blocks were required to form the gutter, and were fixed to four separate spindles, and, by the action of drums upon them, were set in rapid motion by means of bands. A piece of timber exposed to the action of these cutters must evidently be scooped out into the form of the outline of the cutters. Any great variety of section can be given to the timber."
It would, seem, from a further description of this machine, that some kind of automatic feed was after- wards attached to it ; for further along in his description he says: "The piece of timber is placed upon a roller, and pushed onward until it comes in contact with another roller, furnished with projecting points, which seize it and help to propel it forward, causing the timber to move much steadier than before, the timber at the same time being held down to the cutters by a hold- fast." After all of these improvements were completed, he says : '^By this machine, three feet of gutter would be made per minute. This machine was a modification of the same one which was used by Mr. Paxton at Chatsworth
EARLY INVENTIONS, IMPROVEMENTS, ETC. 5
for making sash-bars ; and the improvements were made by Mr. Birch. In Mr. Birch's improved machine, cutter-heads were substituted for saws, and, by the addi- tion of cutter-heads acting on each side of the stuff, all sides of the piece were worked simultaneously. A cut of this machine is shown in TomHnson's " Cyclopsedia," published in 185 1, which, however, only represents one pair of four-sided cylinders, one above the plank and one below it, each having four separate cutters attached, and each cutter having the outhne of that particular part of the sash-bar which it is intended to work ; so that the pieces, when stuck, contained a section equal to four bars. Behind the cylinders were five circular saws, attached to one arbor and placed far enough apart to correspond to the width of each bar and divide it, after passing the cylinders, in just the proper places to form four perfect bars at one operation. This cut also represents two feed-rolls, one on each side of the cylin- ders acting upon the upper side of the lumber ; but whether there were rolls below or not, the cut does not show; but, judging from its appearance, the probability is that there were none, and that the stuff passed over a table and was propelled forward partly by the action of the rolls with some help from the operator. It re- quired about two hundred miles of sash-bars, according to the report, to complete the building; and as the contractors, Messrs. Fox & Henderson, had bound themselves in a contract to complete the building in four months, it was thought by many to be a gigantic undertaking to furnish that quantity of sash-bars in so short a time. The work was accomplished, however, and Mr, Birch obtained an enviable reputation for his
6 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
skill and energy. The report does not state just how long he was in completing the job, but simply states that the sash-bars were all finished in time. Now, suppose we give him three months, of twenty-six days each, and ten hours to the day : it would then only require a feed of about five feet per minute to complete the work. The report, however, says that " This powerful machine worked with untiring energy night and day until the work was completed." If such was the case, the proba- bility is that the feed did not exceed two feet per minute. .
WILLIAM WOOD WORTH'S FIRST MACHINE,
CHAPTER II.
AUTOMATIC FEED-ROLLS— WILLIAM WOODWORTH— HIS FIRST MACHINE— PLANING-MILL MONOPOLY COMMENCED.
Having traced the progress and development of wood-working machinery in England down to the time of the building of the great Crystal Palace, or exhibi- tion building, and noting the machines that were in use at that time, it would seem that, if other and more improved machines were in use or known at that time, Mr. Paxton, the architect, or Messrs. Fox & Hender- son, the contractors, would have called them into re- quisition ; as the immense quantity of material that required to be dressed in so short a time as was allotted to them to complete the work of so large a structure would have warranted them in adopting the latest and most approved machinery for that purpose, which no doubt they did. It is very doubtful whether rotary cutters were known or used either in England or France previous to 1826 ; and even if they were, there were no attempts to combine their use with automatic feed-rolls until long after this time. The first attempt of this kind in this country that we have any record of was a machine invented by Hill ; but, from some imperfections in its construction, after repeated trials it was abandoned and passed into the list of abandoned experiments.
About the same time WilHam Woodworth, an old
S HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
carpenter residing in Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and who was familiarly known among the carpenters as " Uncle Billy," was experimenting upon the same thing in an old saw-mill situated in the lower part of the town, near the river, and not far from where the old Whaling- dock was afterwards located. The old mill and Whal- ing-dock have long since disappeared, but their loca- tion will no doubt be still remembered by some of the older residents of that beautiful city upon the Hudson.
His first machine was patented December 27, 1828. In this machine there was no -other device for holding the lumber down to the bed while being planed except the feed-rolls; but as they were placed very close to the cutter-head, they answered the purpose very well, except upon the ends of the boards as they entered the machine before reaching the second pair of rolls located on the other side of the cylinder. The same difificultywas experienced with the latter end of the board as it passed out of the machine after leaving the first, or leading-in, rollers. This had the effect of causing about six inches upon each end of the board to be planed thinner than the middle ; and in order to use it in laying floors so as to present a uniform, smooth surface, it was necessary to cut about six inches off both ends of the piece.
After the side-cutters were introduced and applied to the machine, it became necessary to move the feed- rolls farther apart in order to make room for them ; then the difficulty became so great that it was found necessary to introduce another small roll immediately behind the cylinder, to overcome this defect. It is
WILLIAM WOOD IVOR TH' 3 FIRST MACHINE. 9
I quite evident that this small roll was not introduced ; until some time after the patent was granted ; for in the ! original specification and drawings there is nothing
shown or described to indicate that this was any part ; of the original invention; and being, as it proved after-
II wards, so important an element in the combination, if it 1 had been known at the time it would have been shown
in the drawing and mentioned in the specification. In describing his invention he says : " The first i of my invention relates to the combination of rotary cutters and feeding-rollers in such a manner that the ' said feeding-rollers shall be capable of feeding the lumber to the cutters, and also of effectually resisting the tendency of the cutters to draw the lumber up- wards towards them ; the object of this part of my in- vention being to reduce the lumber operated upon to a uniforinity of thickness, and to givQ it a planed and I even surface upon one side thereof. The second part \ of my invention relates to the combination, with feed- ] ing-rollers and rotary cutters, for planing one of the principal surfaces of the lumber ; and of rotary matching cutters so as to form a tongue or groove, or both, upon the edge or edges of the lumber at the same time that one of its principle surfaces is planed." This patent, under the conditions of the old patent law, was granted for fourteen years, and expired December 27, 1842, but was extended for a further term of seven years under a provision of the same law which provides that, upon the expiration of the original patent, if the patentee could show, to the satisfaction of the commissioner of patents, that he had used due diligence in bringing his invention before the public, and that he had not been
10 HISTORY OF THE PLANlNG-MILL.
able to realize a sufficient compensation for his time, labor, and expenses in introducing it, he was entitled to a further extension of seven years.
It is very doubtful whether William Woodworth had made any money out of his invention up to this time. The feeling among the journeymen carpenters was so strong against it that, when the first machine was put in operation, the old saw-mill in which it was located had to be watched constantly both day and night for several months to prevent them from burning it down. Another reason was the want of means to introduce it. Mr. Woodworth having but little means to begin with, and that had all been spent in perfecting his invention, and as almost every one looked upon it with suspicion, as is often the case with other new inventions, the consequence was that very few planing-mills were in operation at that time.
After the patent was extended, finding that he could not interest capitalists into it and obtain the necessary means to successfully introduce it to the public, he determined to sell it out for what he could get. He finally succeeded in selling it out to three or four differ- ent parties, who were each assigned a certain territory. It is not definitely known just what he realized from the sale of this valuable patent, but it was reported at that time that he realized in all about five thousand dollars. The New England States were assigned to Samuel Schenck, the Middle States to John Gibson, of Albany, N. Y.; and the Western States to Samuel Pitts, of Detroit, Mich. These parties were all men of con- siderable means, and at once began to take the proper measures for introducing it among the lumbermen in
PLANING-MILL MONOPOLY COMMENCED. II
their respective territories. Gibson started a large shop at Albany for their manufacture, and also a large plan- ing-mill where machines could always be seen in suc- cessful operation.
The owners of the patent must have discovered some defect or weak points in the original patent, one of which was no doubt the small roll behind the cylinder, which was indispensable for the successful working of the machine. In July, 1845, the original patent was surrendered and a reissue obtained ; and in the reissued patent the small roll is not only shown in the drawings, but is also mentioned in the specifications and claims in combination with the other original elements. From this time, the prejudices of the workmen and their opposition having ceased, the demand for planing- machines increased rapidly, and hundreds of mills were started in different localities, principally, however,- in the cities and large towns.
The owners of the patent, it would seem, must have had an understanding with each other not to sell any territorial rights, and only to license a certain number of machines for each city or town, giving each mill- owner the exclusive right for a given amount of terri- tory, for which they were required to pay a certain royalty on each thousand feet planed. They also regu- lated the price to be charged to their customers, bind- ing them in a contract not to vary from that price under penalty of forfeiting their license. The price in the State of New York was fixed at seven dollars per thousand feet for planing and matching, and the royalty for each thousand feet so planed and matched was three dollars. What the prices were and the royalties paid in
12 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
other territories is not distinctly known ; but probably it did not vary much from the amount just mentioned. Each mill-owner was required to render an account every three months for the amount of lumber dressed,- and verify the same under oath, and pay the royalty thereon within ten days from the date thereof.
This, it will be seen, soon created almost a complete j monopoly in the lumber business — at least as far as j dressed lumber was concerned, for every planing-mill owner had a lumber-yard attached ; and, while the cost to him for planing and matching his own lumber was but a small sum over what he paid as royalty, his neigh- bor was shut out from obtaining a planing-machine, and was obliged to pay seven dollars per thousand for all the dressed flooring he sold. In some of the large towns, when it was thought there was sufficient busi- ness to warrant it, two mills would be allowed ; and in that case the monopoly of the lumber trade for that town would be divided between the two. But as the owners of the patent controlled the prices, there was no opportunity for competition between them so far as the price of planing was concerned.
This state of things naturally stimulated inventive genius to endeavor to invent devices for accomplishing the same work and avoid the Woodworth patent, which had already become such a monopoly. Among the most prominent of those devices was the machine patented by Joseph E. Andrews, November i, 1845. In this machine, rotary cutters were used, but the orig- inal drawings represent two endless aprons, one each side of the cylinder and working above the lumber for the purpose of holding it down ; while below, another
PLANING-MILL MONOPOLY COMMENCED. 1 3
endless apron extended the whole length of the machine, passing under the cylinder, and upon which the board rested. This was intended to evade the patent by dispensing with the feed-rolls, thereby break- ing up the combination. Flat pressure-bars, one each side of the cylinder, were applied to prevent the board from vibrating while being acted upon by the cutters. The endless aprons as a reliable feed proved a failure, and they were abandoned, and feed-rolls were substi- tuted for feeding purposes, retaining the fiat pressure- bars for holding down the stuff.
Although Andrews claimed that, dispensing with the roll for holding down the lumber, and substituting the flat pressure-bar, the same elements of the Wood- worth combination were not used, and the ruling of the courts in cases of claims that were combinations was that, in order to infringe a combination claim, precisely the same devices and elements must be used, under these rulings, Andrews claimed the pressure-bar as a new element, and consequently a new combination.
Suits, however, were commenced as soon as this machine was put in successful operation, for infringe- ment, which were decided against it in every case. Judge Blatchford, in deciding one case, makes use of the following language : " The substitution of smooth plates of iron, operated by springs or screws, to press down the boards upon the bed while being planed, in place of a pressure roll or rolls, is not a substantial de- parture from the Woodworth device for the same pur- pose " (see Gibson vs. Betts, i Blatchford, 164; N. Y. 1846: also Gibson vs. Harris, i Blatchford, 170; N. Y. 1846).
14 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
The courts in every suit having decided against the Andrews machine, it was evident that a successful working machine with rotary cutters, without feed-rolls, could not be produced. Inventors then turned their attention to other devices ; and prominent among them was the planing-machine invented and patented by Joseph V. Woodbury in the year 1849. I^^ this machine, the knives were fastened to a stationary knife- stock, placed at about the same angle as a hand-plane and provided with a cap or double iron much in the same manner. The lumber was forced through the machine, and brought in contact with the knives by a powerful train of feed-rolls. In some of them there were as many as six knives, so arranged and set that each knife cut off a certain amount of the stock, the last knife taking a very fine cut, so as to finish the surface and leave it smooth.
This machine was quite expensive, and required extra care and skill to operate it. On dry, straight-grained, clear lumber it performed excellent work ; but with cross-grained, knotty lumber the work was not so suc- cessful, and those that were in use were abandoned as soon as the Woodworth planer came into general use without the payment of royalty.
MORE SUITS FOR INFRINGEMENTS. I 5
CHAPTER III.
OTHER INVENTIONS— 3I0RE SUITS FOR INFRINGE- MENTS—THE PATENT RENEWED BY SPECIAL ACT OF CONGRESS— 7HE NORCROSS PLANER— THAT PA TENT SUSTAINED.
The excessive royalty demanded by the owners of the Woodworth patent still acted as an induceraent not only to inventors to discover some machine that would do the work without infringing this patent, but was also an inducement to that portion of the public outside of the -monopoly to encourage them by pur- chasing those machines in order to get rid of the exor- bitant prices demanded for dressing their lumber.
In addition to the machines heretofore mentioned, there was the McGregor machine, patented in 1846. The Beckwith and the Gay machines, in Pennsylvania, were gotten up about the same time, besides the Brown machine, in Massachusetts, each with its own peculiar devices, which were supposed to evade the Woodworth patent, — all of which were stopped by in- junctions and declared infringements soon after being put in operation.
In the mean time the Norcross machine was put in use ; and this was the first and only machine among the whole number that stood the test of a suit and was decided not to infringe the Woodworth patent. But as we shall have occasion to refer to this machine here- after, we leave it for the present,
l6 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
As the time was drawing near when this patent would expire, and as the owners had all made large fortunes out of it, it was natural to suppose that when the time expired, which would be in 1849, i^ would be allowed to die a quiet and peaceful death, the owners would retire, and the monopoly would come to an end. But the public were doomed to disappointment. The owners, although all of them had made large for- tunes out of the patent, were not yet satisfied ; and, as they were men of considerable influence, their money and influence together had been quietly at work for more than a year previous to this time for a further extension. It was too good a thing to allow it to die a natural death if money and influence could prolong its life for another term of seven years ; and while the public, or at least that portion of it interested in plan- ing-mill machinery, was quietly waiting for its death, the most skilful physicians in the shape of lobbyists were employed and furnished with unlimited means for prolonging its life. How well they succeeded may be found in the special act of Congress which fastened the same monopoly upon them for another term of seven years. There was rejoicing among the monopo- Hsts — not only the owners of the patent, but also the owners of planing-mills which were so situated as to monopolize the lumber trade in certain localities. These men had also liberally contributed, both in money and influence, to bring about this event ; and many were the wine-suppers given on this occasion. There v/as cursing and gnashing of teeth among those outside of the ring, to commemorate this event, also. It was currently reported at that tirne that John Gibson^
MORE SUITS FOR INFRINGEMENTS. 1 7
of Albany, N. Y., who was reputed to have been worth over one million dollars, and who spent nearly the whole winter of 1848 and 1849 ""^ Washington, contributed, in one way and another, over two hundred and fifty thou- sand dollars for that purpose as his share of the neces- sary expenses attending it. And if this was true, and others who were interested as well as himself con- tributed as liberally as he was reported to have done, somebody, either in or out of Congress, must have made " some pin-money for their wives, you know," for of course no one in Congress at that time would be suspected of taking any money to influence their vote. Oh no !
As before stated, from the time of the reissue, in 1845, there had been repeated attempts made to break down the reissued patent ; and many suits were de- fended upon the plea that in the reissued patent there were new elements introduced that were not shown or described in the original patent, one of which was the small pressure-roll behind the cyHnder to hold down the lumber v/hile being planed, especially at the ends as the boards were entering in or passing out from between the feed-rolls. It would seem as if this point should have been a good one fort for the defence ; as the records of the Patent Office, both in the original draw- ing and model, do not show it, neither do the specifica- tions mention it. But notwithstanding this and the plea of irregularity in the assignment which was pre- sented and argued by able counsel in the suits of Brooks V. Becknell in Ohio, Washburn v. Gould, and Woodworth v. Wilson, with several others on record which might be referred to, in every case the claims of
1 8 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
the reissued patent were sustained and judgments taken against the defendants.
The Norcross machine had now made it sappearance; and the owners of this patent were manufacturing this machine openly, and putting it in the market in defi- ance of the claims of the Woodworth monopoly. Suits were, however, commenced against it for infringement at a later date and but a year or two before the ex- tended term of the Woodworth patent "would expire.
After a short trial, to the surprise of every one who was any way familiar with planing-machines, it was de- cided that the Norcross machine did not infringe the Woodworth patent. The court which rendered that decision must have looked through something else than his glasses if he examined the machine personally; otherwise he w^ould have discovered in the aforesaid machine more of a direct infringement than many others which had been stopped by injunctions.
The claims of the Woodworth patent, it will be re- membered, were for the combination of feeding-rollers and rotary cutters. Both of these elements were used, precisely in the same manner, by Norcross ; the only difference in the machines were, Woodworth's planed on the upper side of the board, while the Norcross cylin- der was below and planed upon the under side of it. But as far as the arrangement of feed-rolls was con- cerned, there was no difference whatever in the two machines.
As many of the younger planing-mill owners, as well as operators, may not remember the old Norcross, I submit a brief description of its construction and ope- ration,
MORE SUITS FOR INFRINGEMENTS. 1 9
Upon a frame very similar to the Woodworth machine was mounted one pair of feed-rolls somewhat larger in size than those used by the latter machine for the same purpose. Both upper and lower rolls were geared to- gether by the same old-fashioned system of '' star or fin- ger gears," as they were called, and which allowed the rolls to expand or contract sufficient to accommodate the varying thickness of the same lumber, and the top rolls were forced down upon the stuff by the same system of weights and levers. When the machine required chang- ing for the purpose of planing thicker or thinner lum- ber, different-sized gears were provided, and were changed from time to time, as frequent as the thickness of the lumber required it.
Behind these rolls, and in as close proximity as possi- ble, was the bed-plate, reaching across the machine, the ends resting upon the frame, to which it was securely bolted. This bed-plate was provided with an opening, or slot, running lengthwise with it across the machine, similar to the bed of the bottom cylinder in a modern- style planer, and the cylinder was placed underneath it, the knives working through the aforesaid slot and act- ing upon the under side of the board substantially the same ; the lumber being held down by a heavy press- plate resting upon it.
Instead of the cylinder being fixed to the frame, or permanently attached to the bed-plate, as in the under cylinder of the modern planer, provision had to be made for the varying thickness of the lumber and to re- duce it all to the same thickness. In order to accom- plish this object, the cylinder-boxes were attached to the upper press-plate, which rested upon the upper, or
20 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
rough, side of the board and was secured to it by means of arms passing down through the main bed-plate, to which the cyHnder-boxes were attached.
It will be seen, by this arrangement, that the distance between the upper press-plate and the cutting-edge of the cylinder-knife must determine the thickness of the board after being planed.
To adjust the machine for planing the several differ- ent thicknesses of lumber, cast-iron blocks, or, more properly speaking, parallel strips which were planed the right thickness, were furnished and inserted between the points where the upper press-plate was connected to the cylinder-boxes, and the whole securely fastened by bolts passing through the whole; thus forming a strong frame, and, working in heavy, strong uprights, into which they were nicely fitted, left it free to work and allow the cylinder to rise and fall according to the varying thickness of the lumber, at the same time gaug- ing the thickness according to the thickness of the blocks.
Here was the direct combination of feeding-rollers and rotary cutters just as perfect as could be found in the Woodworth machine ; and when suit was brought against it, even the parties who had purchased and were using it expected to be stopped by injunctions, and openly expressed their opinion that their machines were direct infringements, and that it would only be a question of time when they would be compelled to stop. But as the owners of the Norcross patent were men of undoubted responsibility, and had bound themselves in a contract, with each party sold to, to guarantee them against all costs and damages in case of suit and they
THE NOR CROSS PLANER. 21
were defeated, so the only course for the mill-owners was to run as long as they could and make all they could out of it while it lasted, and then look to the owners of the Norcross patent to indemnify them for future damages.
No one was more surprised at the decision of the court than these same mill-owners, many of whom had been estopped by injunction from using the Andrews and other similar machines. It would have been a hard matter to have made some of those old planing-mill men, who were well posted with nearly all such devices, believe that the whole thing was not a put-up job between the owners of the respective patents.
The fact was, the Norcross patent had passed into the hands of men who had wealth and influence; and the owners of the Woodworth patent had in contempla- tion another effort for a further extension of their patent, and they feared the influence of the Norcross interest when that time arrived, providing the latter succeeded against their patent.
The Norcross owners were secretly in favor of an ex- tension of the Woodworth patent, provided they could be left at liberty to manufacture and sell their own machine.
It was admitted on all sides that the Woodworth was far the superior both as to quantity and quality of work, and, while the lumber was planed and matched upon the Woodworth machine at one operation, the Norcross system required two separate machines — one for plan- ing and another for matching.
But people who could not procure a Woodworth machine were willing to put up with those inconve-
22 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL,
niences rather than pay the exorbitant price of seven dollars per thousand feet for dressing their lumber ; and, further, while the Woodworth patent was in exist- ance there would be a steady demand for the Norcross machine for reasons already given. But if the former were thrown open to the public, so that every one who desired might obtain a Woodworth machine without royalty, every one would prefer that machine and there would be no demand for the Norcross — which subsequent events fully verified.
On the other hand, the owners of the Woodworth patent had so many machines in use that were paying them royalty, and would, in all probability, continue to do so after the patent was extended, that the compara- tively small number of machines that Norcross would put into the market during that time would do them but little harm so far as their income^ from royalties was concerned. Besides, as before stated, the Norcross had no matchers attached ; and being only a surface-planer, the lumber, after being planed, required to be cut up and run through a separate machine for matching, thus adding, to the cost of dressing, the expense of twice handling.
So it is evident that both parties, each acting from different motives, were in favor of another extension of this great monopoly.
FURTHER EXTENSION OF THE MONOPOLY. 23
CHAPTER IV.
APPLICATION FOR A FURTHER EXTENSION— FOR- MIDABLE REMONSTRANCE— DEFE A T OF THE ME A S URE—IMPR 0 VEMEN TS, E TC.
The public, however, was not to be duped again by resting supinely upon its back until the enemy had a second time bound it hand and foot.
The manner in which the Norcross matter was set- tled, with many other things which transpired, created suspicion in the minds of those who were watching the movements of the monopoly ; and when it became def- initely known that they were quietly moving for another extension, by a special act of Congress, ar- rangements were made by the lumber-dealers outside of the monopoly with the publishers of the Scientific American^ a well-k>^own journal with an extensive cir- culation, and well known to the mechanical com- munity, and which was known to be bitterly opposed to the monopoly or its extension, to print and send out to each subscriber a form of protest against any further extension of the patent.
These documents were accordingly sent out to each subscriber with a request that they not only sign it themselves, but to solicit all who were in any way interested in lumber to sign it also, and return the same to their office by a certain date. These protests were all arranged and attached to a strong printed pro-
24 HISTORY OF THE PLANING- MILL.
test and petition to Congress against any further exten- sion of the Woodworth patent. This formidable docu- ment, containing between fourteen and fifteen thou- sand names, was forwarded to Washington to a trusty member of Congress, who was to present it at the proper time, provided the subject was brought before* that body.
Congress assembled December i, 1856, and the ex- tended patent had but twenty-seven days longer to run before it would expire.
Gibson and others were ' on hand, backed by a host of the most expert lobbyists and plenty of money, and succeeding so far as to get a bill introduced early in the session to extend the patent for a further term of seven years from December 27, 1856.
But when the remonstrance was presented, about the time when it came up for action, which resembled a roll of carpet more than a public document, they con- cluded not to read it, but to unroll and measure it, when it was found to contain two columns of closely- written names fifty feet long. This formidable docu- ment, coming, as it did, from their constitutents in all parts of the United States, without regard to party or politics, was too big a pill for them to swallow, and the result was that the great monopoly was totally routed. And this ended the career of the Woodworth patent.
Gibson, who was currently reported to have spent another quarter of a million in his endeavors to pro- long the monopoly, returned to Albany in a frame of mind that can better be imagined than described. He imm^ediately employed an attorney to travel all over his territory and visit every sash, door, and blind
FURTHER EXTENSION OF THE MONOPOLY. 2$
factory, besides other mills, which had used anything in the shape of rotary cutters in combination with feed- rolls, whether it be a planer, sticker, moulding-ma- chine, or anything else, and demand a settlement and payment of royalty from the time they had com- menced using the same up to December 27, 1856, or to commence suit against them at once.
Previous to this time, no notice had been taken of those small machines for sash and door work. The owners of the patent had confined themselves strictly to planing-mills, and had, by tacit consent, allowed these machines to be run for years without any intima- tion that royalty would ever be demanded from them ; and when it became known that such action was to be taken, it created a profound sensation among that class of wood-workers.
Some parties who were timid in the matter were frightened into a settlement ; while others, among whom was the writer, refused, not only to make a set- tlement, but advised him to invite Mr. Gibson to ac- company him to a certain place where the climate was much warmer than Albany. A few suits were com- menced ; but public sentiment had become so strong against the monopoly that I am not aware of any of them ever coming to trial. And it is not known to the writer just how much money his attorney obtained in this manner, — whether enough to pay his travelling expenses or not, — but one thing is well known : that this course of proceedings on the part of Mr. Gibson rendered him so odious in public opinion that, al- though he had a large stock of planing-machines on hand at his factory in Albany, he could not find sale
26 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
for them, while other shops which had started in the busi- ness were running nights to keep up with their orders. His old customers would buy almost anything rather than have any dealings with him, and he was finally obliged to sell out his business, together with the stock on hand ; and they were purchased by Mr. Daniel Doncaster, a gentleman of fine mechanical abilities, and who had for many years acted as his foreman, and was well liked by his former customers. Mr. Don- caster continued the business successfully for many years after. Gibson afterwards retired to a farm in Steuben County, owned by his wife, and died a few years since, comparatively poor.
Mr. Schenck removed his patterns and special tools to Matteawan, N. Y., as early as 1840, and the Schenck machine, as it was called, was manufactured there. But whether there was any arrangement with Gibson for the sale of those machines in his territory does not appear ; but from the fact that there were no Schenck machines met with in this State previous to 1856, the supposition is that they were sold east in his own terri- tory or in territory owned by other parties who did not manufacture.
The Matteawan Company, as it was called, continued the manufacture of planing-machines as a part of their business long after the patent expired, and until that company went out of the business by failure. The tools and patterns pertaining to that part of the busi- ness went into the possession of John B. Schenck, and the business was conducted by him until his death, when his sons continued it under the firm name of John B. Schenck's Sons.
IMPROVEMENTS, ETC, 2/
Mr. Pitts, of Detroit, Mich., was never engaged in the manufacture of planing-machines personally, but allowed his customers who desired to take a license under the patent in his territory to purchase their machines wherever they preferred ; he simply collecting the royalty on the amount of lumber planed by them. He owned and operated a large mill in Detroit, and, later, started one at Saginaw, Mich. Mr. Pitts, although possessed of a large fortune, was a very liberal-minded gentleman and business man, and died about 1870, universally respected by all who were acquainted with him. The writer had considerable dealings with him in 1863-4 by furnishing him a number of machines, and became personally acquainted with him ; and as those transactions were of the most satisfactory char- acter, they are still remembered with pleasure.
Having traced the three original owners of the Wood- worth patent to the end of their connection with it, we now return again to the planer as it was constructed by the original manufacturers.
The Woodworth planer previous to 1856, although it had been the bone of many contentions, was still a very crude and imperfect machine, as compared with those of the present time. In fact, there seemed to be no disposition on the part of those engaged in its manufacture to make any improvements : they seemed to carry out the idea that they were good enough ; and, as there was no competition, their customers could take it as it was or do without it. As soon, however, as the patent expired and was open to the public, new manufacturers started, and one improvement followed another, many of which were the subjects of new patents.
28 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
until the whole machine has become so changed in its appearance and construction that it is a question if William Woodworth, could he return to this earth, would recognize it as the offspring of his original invention.
The planing-machines manufactured by Gibson, Schenck, and others previous to 1856 were provided with straight uprights for the cylinder-boxes, and the cylinder worked up and down as it was required to be raised or lowered for the purpose of dressing thick or thin stuff, and worked at right angles to the frame.
With this arrangement, it will be seen that if the belts were of the proper tension for planing lumber three fourths of an inch thick, they would be too short when the cylinder was raised sufficiently above the bed to admit of planing two-inch stuff. The common prac- tice was to keep short pieces of belt the right length to make up the difference ; and when it was required to plane thick lumber, these pieces were added to the belts and taken out again when the work was finished and the use of the machine required for thinner stuff.
Again, the finger or star gearing that was used to con- nect the top and bottom rolls would only allow of an expansion of about one half an inch, and were not practi- cal to use on different thicknesses of lumber ; conse- quently, whenever a change from one thickness to an- other was required, these gears required to be changed also. There were several sets of them always ready for use, and it was no uncommon thing for the opera- tor to be obliged to change them half a dozen times during the day.
The small pressure-roll behind the cylinder was an-
IMPROVEMENTS, ETC, 29
other very inconvenient arrangement. The adjustment of it was separate from the adjustment of the cylin- der, and required to be set every time the cyhnder was changed; and frequently the machine would require stop- ping several times before a proper adjustment of this roll would be obtained. The cylinder-belts, also, ran inside of the frame, which required the width of the frame to be from eighteen to twenty inches wider, in proportion to the width of the cylinder, than the modern machine.
A modern operator of planing-machines would form rather an unfavorable opinion of a machine so con- structed that, if a job requiring a few hundred feet of thick stuff to be planed, before he could finish that part of the job, would require both cylinder-belts to be taken off and a piece put in each, then change all the gears upon the feed-rolls, besides stopping two or three times to adjust the small roll behind the cylinder, to- gether with all the rods and screws connecting the top feed-rolls with the weighted levers below, spending per- haps an hour or two in order to put the machine in proper shape to do perhaps one half hour's work, he would not only realize that great improvements had been made in the modern machine, but wonder that they were not made sooner. But, as before intimated, the poHcy of the owners of the patent were such as to effectually shut out all improvements as long as the patent was in force.
In the machines that were brought out in 1857, the frames were narrowed up so as to allow the cylinder- belts to run outside of the frame, thus rendering them more compact and requiring less room. The uprights which supported the cylinder-boxes were placed at right
30 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
angles to the driving-shaft, so that, in changing from one thickness of stuff to another, but Httle, if any, dif- ference was noticed in the tension of the belts. The small roll behind the cylinder was attached to the cylinder-boxes, so that it was adjustable with the cylin- der, and, when once adjusted, required no further ad- justment when the cylinder was raised or lowered to accommodate the different thicknesses of stuff.
The dif^culty in keeping the small pressure-roll in front of the cylinder free from the small particles of gum which accumulated upon its surface, and which marred the face of the planed lumber, led most of the manufacturers to adopt the flat pressure-bar — an old device, which was used many years previous on the Andrews machine. This device was at first objected to upon the supposition that the friction upon the surface would obstruct the feed ; but subsequent use proved these objections to be unfounded, and soon after 1857 the pressure-bar came into general use upon all first- class machines.
BROWN EXTENSION-GEARS. 3^
CHAPTER V.
BRO WN EXTENSION-GEARS— 0 THER IMPRO YEMEN TS — B URLEIGH'S PA TENT DIMENSION-PLANER — HENRY D. STOVERS CELEBRATED CLAIM.
We stated in the last chapter that, previous to the time when the Woodworth patent expired, very few improvements had been made upon the original ma- chine. With the exception of the Brown extension- gears, which were applied to it a short time previous, and which superseded the star or finger gears, the ma- chine, in its general features, was about the same as when first completed by the original owners. But as soon as the extended patent expired, the inventive genius of the whole country, or at least that portion of it who were in any way interested, seemed to turn their attention in that direction ; and there was no end to the alleged improvements that were brought out and patented within a few years after this event. Some were practical and useful, some really valuable ; but a large portion were of so trifling a nature that they were never heard of afterwards, and probably never known to any one but the inventor and the examiner at the Patent Office.
The examiners at the Patent Office at that time seem to have granted about everything that was applied for, without giving themselves the trouble to look up and ascertain whether the thing appHed for was new and
3 2 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
useful, or whether it had been patented previously or not ; as we find, in the time between 1856 and i860, several patents granted for the same thing, and dated so near the same time that they all must have been pending in the Office at the same time.
One of the earliest patents we notice that came into use was one which was granted to James A. Woodburg, of Boston, Mass:, for a plan for moving both matcher- heads by means of two separate screws. As the old Woodworth machine moved one matcher-head by a screw, the simple fact of attaching another screw to the other head for the purpose of moving that also was a mere duplication of parts, and, under the present ruling of the Patent Office, would not be considered an invention, and, consequently, not patentable.
The improved extension-gears invented by Charles Burleigh, of Fitchburg, Mass., and assigned to the Putnam Machine Co., was really a good invention, and was an improvement over the Brown gears, and over- came certain objections to that device. „, It consisted in forming one end of the links that confined the idle or loose gears to those attached to the roller-shaft in the form of the segment of a circle of the same radius as the idle gears, with teeth or cogs formed upon the out- side circumference so as to engage each other; and, when confined in this position by the cross-strap that kept them in gear, when the top roll was raised or lowered to accommodate the varying thickness of the lumber, those links worked together upon the same centre as the gears, thus always keeping them in the same relative position to each other, no matter what the position of the rolls might be.
HENRY D. STOVER'S CELEBRATED CLAIM. 33
The dimension-planer known as the Gray & Wood planer was patented January 24, i860, just about one month after the celebrated Stover patent was issued, which we shall soon notice. The Gray & Wood planer is so well known among wood-workers that a descrip- tion of it is deemed unnecessary, except so far as to illustrate the loose manner in which the business of the Patent Office was conducted at that time. The Gray & Wood planer, as is well known, is a modification of the old Daniels planer, which had long been in use ; and their improvements consisted in the application of a Wood- worth cylinder to plane the lumber lengthwise of the grain, instead of the arms of the Daniels, which worked crosswise, using the same sliding table as the Daniels. They also applied feed-rolls so that the lumber could be fed through the machine while the platen remained stationary, or the feed-works could be readily removed and the platen used in their stead when it was desirable to take the lumber out of wind. Their claims were few, and appear to be confined to just what they in- vented and-nothing more.
Now, just about one month previous (December 18, i860) the Patent Office had granted to Henry D. Stover a patent for the same thing ; which not only covered everything which he had invented but every- thing which others had invented or could invent — principally the latter : and these two claims must have both been pending in the Office at the same time.
While Mr. Gray is somewhat modest in his claims, and seems only to cover what he invented, Mr. Henry D. Stover goes in for the " whole hog." As this patent is such a remarkable one, and deserves to go into the
34 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL,
history of planing-mill machinery, we give the claims in full, as a historical curiosity. In the specification he say :
" The claim and engravings will explain the nature of this invention. [No one will doubt that fact when he has read them.]
" First, I claim the combination of cutting-cylinders {p) and cross-head {in), with two or more screws (e) for raising and lowering the cutting-cylinders evenly and parallel to the face of the platen.
" I also claim to so pocketing or encasing the raising and lowering screws {e) in the uprights {c) that dust and shavings will be effectually excluded, whether the ma- chine is in operation or not.
" 1 also claim so constructing the cutting-cylinders {o) as to receive four or more cutting-blades (Pj, each im- parting a shearing or drawing stroke or cut ; and, at the same time, for convenience in construction and ease in sharpening and securing the blade to the- head.
" I also claim forming the portion of the cutter-head immediately back of the edges of the cutting-blades, — an angle varying from 5° to 45° from the face of the cutting-blades, — to constitute a solidly, variable, and efficient cap to the cutting-blades.
" I also claim so constructing, connecting, and arrang- ing the sliding journal-boxes (T) with cross-head {111)^ which carries the cutting-cylinder (^), by means of rods {it\ that, when the cutter-head is raised or lowered, these journal-boxes will move so as to always retain a pre- cisely equal distance between the driving-pulleys and the driven pulleys on the cutter-head for equal tension of the belt.
HENRY D. STOVER'S CELEBRATED CLAIM. 35
" I also claim feeding the platen back and forth by friction-sHde {A), and wheel (/?), and rack (^), and pinion (6^), for the purpose set forth.
'' I also claim reversing the movement of the platen by means of screw {iri) and wheel (<?), for forcibly en- gaging the rack by its pinion on the friction side of its wheel.
'' I also claim sliding, moving, and attaching the cross-head (;;^), carrying cutting-cylinder (o) on and to the upright (Q, in and by adjustable slides {N\
'^ I also claim pivoting the journal-box (H) for the friction feed-shaft, and giving it a vertical adjustment to both swing and rise or fall with the feed-shaft.
" I also claim several dogs, operated independently of each other, to effectually hold several pieces firmly to the platen for dressing, at the same time constructed substantially, as described.
" I also claim sliding the feed-rolls into position for use, and removing them from the machine by means of gib-slides, so that these rolls are always secured for use, and yQ.t allow a free movement, and to require no additional security.
" I also claim suspending and moving cross head for cutting-cylinder by screws (e), which are suspended in universal bearings ; and by universal nuts to allow a free and untrammelled movement for adjustment and ease in operating, and to secure the cutter-head parallel to platen at any elevation from its surface.
" I also claim a conducting spout or trough (^4), so constructed and connected with cross-head or other part as to receive and conduct the shavings from the cutting-cylinder and the machine to any part desired,
36 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL,
by means of the current of air set in motion by the great velocity of the cutting-cylinder.
" I also claim an elastic pressure-roll {D^ and scraper (74); that either can be used at pleasure, with the elastic pressure-roll, to plane straight and out of wind.
" I also claim the iron uprights (Q, constructed with cavity or pocket for reception of elevating screws when combined with bed-piece of wood-planing machines, all substantially in the manner, or their mechanical equiva- lents for the purpose, fully set forth and described."
This patent reminds us of the burlesque patent of the Frenchman and his dog for hunting frogs. The gun was strapped upon the back of the dog, which was a pointer, and when the dog pointed at a frog the Frenchman discharged the gun by means of a line at- tached to the dog's tail. He first claimed the combina- tion of the dog and gun ; second, the combination of the gun and dog; and, finally, he claimed the dog and gun both. If this was not a burlesque, we should say that the claims of one patent were about as reasonable as the other.
With all due respect to the United States Patent Office, we do think that the genius who examined the claims of the Stover patent (provided they were ever examined), and passed them for issue, should have been retired from active service for the balance of his life upon a pension of four dollars per month. There are other patents which we shall notice that are ridicu- lous enough, but the Stover patent may be placed at the head of the list.
The unsettled state of the country in 1861, and the
HENRY D. STOVER'S CELEBRATED CLAIM. Z7
almost universal depression of every branch of busi- ness, seems to have been a check to inventive genius, at least so far as the planing-machine was concerned. In fact, the report of the Commissioner of Patents for that year indicates that the business of the Patent Office had materially decreased in that time. In his report he says :
"The decrease in the number of patents in i86r, as compared with the year previous, was 1479 » ^^i^ that the expenditures for the year exceeded the receipts $84,137.47."
The only patents that we notice for alleged improve- ments in planing-machines was one granted to Henry D. Stover, which was a rehash of his celebrated patent of i860, in which he claimed, among other things, " several dogs," which we gave in full in the preced- ing chapter. This patent of 1861 had only ten claims; and if any of our readers should desire to read them, they may be found in the Patent Office reports for 1861, page 437.
38 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
CHAPTER VI.
FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS— PATENTS OF WARD- WELL— WILLIAM H. DOANE AND OTHERS— THE CHIP-BREAKER— EARLY HISTORY OF THE MOULD- ING-MACHINE, ETC.
Upon a revival of the business of the country, which commenced early in 1862, inventive genius seems to have awakened ; and the planing-machine, as well as other planing-mill machinery, was again a subject for further new and useful improvements.
We notice, however, by a careful review of the busi- ness of the Patent Office for this year, that the largest number of patents which were granted were for imple- ments of warfare, which seemed to be the leading sub- ject for mechanical improvements ; and the number of patents granted that and subsequent years for devices for warlike purposes exceeded any other branch of business.
The only patents of any consequence which we shall notice at this time which were issued in 1861, was one to C. P. S. Wardwell, of Lake Village, N. H., for planing clapboards ; which would appear, from the specification and drawings, to possess some new and useful features as adapted to that particular class of work ; still there is no apparent reason why, with a cer- tain modification of the cutters, the same work could not be done on any planing and matching machine.
PATENTS OF WARDWELL. 39
Another was granted to W. H. Doane and William E. London, of Cincinnati, Ohio, for alleged improvements in combined planing and matching machines.
In their specification they state that "The invention relates to a method of attaching the tonguing, grooving, and matching works of a planing-machine to a sliding bed or ways, so that they can be instantly removed out of the way below the top of the bed upon which the planing-tools operate, and that the same machine can be used for planing either wide or narrow stuff without delay in the operation, and also for tonguing, grooving, and planing at the same time."
There were several claims relating to the particular mechanical devices employed to accomplish this pur- pose which the inventors were clearly entitled to. But the first claim was too broad, and covered a principle which had already been in public use and on sale for more than two years previous to their application, and, consequently, invalid. This is the only claim which we shall notice. It says :
" First, in a combined planing, tonguing, and groov- ing or matching machine, so attaching the tonguing and grooving or matching works that they may be adjusted to a position above or below the top of the planing-bed substantially in the manner and for the purpose de- scribed."
This claim, when taken in its broad sense, would, as no doubt it was intended to, cover any and all devices for removing the matcher-spindles by dropping them below the bed, so that in surfacing wide stuff it would pass over the top of them.
A device for this purpose, so far as relates to the
40 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
lowering of the matcher-spindles below the bed when surfacing, had already been in public use and on sale for more than three years previous to this time ; and this device was well known to the writer, and had al- ready been applied to seventy-five or more machines which were in public use. The same was true of many other patents which were issued about this time, none more conspicuous than the patents of Henry D. Stover. In his application he was obliged to swear that he was the original and first inventor of the several devices set forth in his specification and mentioned in his claims. Now, while other inventors might have made the same affidavit — not knowing of the previous use of the same invention — and acted in good faith, believing that they were the original inventors of the devices named, in the case of Stover there would be no question but what he well knew that there was not one single original idea to be found in the whole thing, but was picked up here and there from other machines that had those same devices, and that had been in use in many of them for years previous.
It is a notorious fact, as before mentioned, that the business of the Patent Office was so conducted at that time that all that was required was to get together any number of devices, no matter whether new or old, swear to being the original inventor, make application to the Patent Office in the prescribed form, pay the government fee (which was the most important part of the programme), and in due time a patent would be forthcoming. It seemed to be the prevailing idea with some manufacturers that if they could only secure the authority of the government to mark the word '' pat-
PATENTS OF J, B. TARR AND OTHERS. 4 1
ented" upon a machine, or an article of any kind, it would insure a ready sale whether the article was good for anything or not.
There is one thing certain : the owners of many of the patents issued about this time never attempted to enforce their claims, for the reason, probably, that they were well aware that, if they did attempt it against others who were using these same devices, the courts would set them aside ; so, many of them con- tented themselves with blustering around and making terrible threats, which they never intended to put in force.
From 1862 to 1866, there were a large number of patents granted for alleged improvements in planing- machines ; but as most of them were for devices that never came into general use, and our space will not admit of a notice of all of them, we pass over until June 15, 1866, the date of the patent granted to J. B. Tarr, of Chicago, 111., for a device for protecting the edge of the board while being matched, and which is generally known among planing-mill operators as the " chip- breaker," and applied to the side-cutters. This patent was assigned to S. A. Woods of Boston, Mass., and applied to all subsequent machines of that manufac- ture. This was really a valuable invention, as all plan- ing-mill operators had long felt the necessity for some such device to prevent the board from splitting and slivering on the edge while being submitted to the action of the side-cutters.
Unfortunately for the inventor, as the patent-laws were construed at that time, the patent was not a strong one. After describing^ his device — which consisted of
42 HISTOR V OF THE PLANING-MILL.
what he terms a mouthpiece, which was in the form of the segment of a circle hinged upon a pin nearly oppo- site the point in contact with the edge of the board, and pressed against it by means of a spring, — he says :
" I claim the construction of the mouthpiece, and the arrangement of the slide and spring in relation to the cutter, substantially as herein described and showny
This claim, under the construction put upon the law, and the rulings of the Patent Office in similar cases, confined him to the particular manner in which it was constructed, and did not prevent others from using a similar device for the same purpose, provided it was constructed in a different manner from that which was shown and described.
Under this construction of the law, in January of the next year (1867), Mr. S. M. Richardson, of Worcester, Mass., applied for and obtained a patent for substan- tially the same thing, which accomplished the same purpose. In the Richardson device, instead of swing- ing the chip-breaker or mouth-piece upon a pin, it was worked in a circular groove, and was pressed against the board by means of a spring. As this was a depart- ure from the manner in which the Tarr patent was shown and described, it could not be held as an in- fringement of his claims.
There is no doubt but Mr. Tarr was the originator of this device, as there is no record in the Patent Office or elsewhere of any device of this kind previous to the time he made his application ; and if his claims had been properly drawn and presented to the Patent Office, a much broader one might have been obtained and worded so as to cover all of the many devices which
EARLY HISTORY OF THE MOULDING-MACHINE. 43
were adopted by the different manufacturers, and his patent would have been a very valuable one.
But as it was, every manufacturer of planing-ma- chines had a particular device of his own, differing just enough from the original to evade its claims ; and after the year 1866, very few machines were sent out from the shops without some kind of a chip-breaker attached to it.
A number of patents were granted to James. A. Wood- bury, of Boston, Mass., duringthis and subsequent years, some of which were new and useful. Some were for old and well-known devices which were worked into the claims, and some of so frivolous a nature that they were not worth the paper they were printed upon, one of his patents which we notice, there were a num- ber of claims intended to cover about every piece of the machine, whether new or old ; and when he comes to the bottom cylinder, he says :
'' I claim the bottom cylinder when placed at or near the end of the framed
It is well known that all bottom cylinders since the days of the Woodworth patent were placed near the rear end of the frame — some forward of the leading-out rolls and some behind them. But, as the owners of this patent never attempted to enforce it against those who placed their bottom cylinder where they preferred, and as each manufacturer continued to put the bottom cylinder just where it suited him best, no court ever had the important question to decide just where ''at or near the end of the frame " was ; so the public are still in profound ignorance of this important locality.
From this time (1866) down to 1870 there were but
44 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
few changes made in the planing-machine. In fact, it had by that time about attained to a degree of perfec- tion that required but very few changes ; and those im- provements which were added from that time — many of which were subjects of patents — were more for con- venience in operating and changing than for any other purpose.
Heavy-moulding machines were introduced about this time, and have since become such an important factor in the outfit of a planing-mill that they are fully entitled to be classed under the head of planing-mill machinery. This machine has a history of itself. Starting, out as it did, from a very simple device for working sash-bars, it has worked its way up to its pres- ent proportions and usefulness by the changes in mod- ern architecture, and by the skill of mechanical science, stimulated constantly by the demand for a better class of work than could be accomplished by the original machines, and was of such a nature that it could not be done practically upon a regular planer and matcher.
The first attempt that we have any record of in this country for working irregular shapes by machinery, was made by the firm of Fay & Fisher, at Lancaster, Mass., the date of which we have not been able to ob- tain. This machine, however, proved to be a failure, from the manner in which the cutter-heads were con- structed. These cutter-heads were made in the form of a rim, resembling that of a pulley, with a solid plate upon one side. Slots were made in this rim to allow the cutters to project through, which were fastened to the plate on the inside by means of screws.
The idea seemed to be to represent a common hand-
EARLY HISTORY OF THE MOULDING-MACHINE. 45
plane formed into a circle instead of being straight. These heads were unsafe, and bursted from the cen- trifugal strain upon them ; and after a few had been tested, no one would use them. The same styles of head were applied to a tenoning-machine got up by the same firm, with the same results, and were abandoned.
In 1848, Mr. C. B. Rogers, of Norwich, Conn., com- menced the manufacture of wood-working tools, and soon after associated himself with Mr. J. A. Fay, who had now located at Keene, N. H. The shop at Keene was conducted under the firm name of J. A. Fay & Co., while the one at Norwich was under the firm name of C. B. Rogers & Co. ; and the first successful working sticker, as it was then called, was got up at the latter place.
It was a very simple affair consisting of a wood frame. The arbor which carried the cutter-head worked upon centres fixed to the frame, running upon points about one half an inch in diameter and about three quarters of an inch long. The feed-works consisted of one fluted. roll one and a quarter inches in diameter, placed in front of the cutter-head and forced down upon the stuff by an adjustable spring. This was driven, by a set of wooden cone pulleys, from the back-shaft, so as to reduce the speed and to give the requisite amount of feed. The driving-pulleys were also of wood, at- tached to the same back-shaft ; and this, with a spring to hold down the stuff behind the cutter-head, com- prised about all the machinery there was about it. The table was also of wood, and attached to one side of the frame by means of a bolt at each end working in slots in the frame, and was adjusted up and down,
46 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
to accommodate the different thicknesses of stuff, by means of screws at each end of the table.
The form of cutter head adopted by this firm was what is termed the cap-head ; and as this style of cut- ter-head is still in extensive use with but little change, and is so well known to sash and door makers, a de- scription of it is unnecessary.
This machine, crude as it was, proved to be a suc- cess ; and hundreds of them were sent out from both shops. The most essential parts of this machine were subjects of patents ; and for that reason this firm seemed to have almost a monopoly of this business for a time. Other wood-working machines were added to their list, until the demand for their machines was such that it became necessary to increase their production. A third shop was opened, at Worcester, Mass., and was placed under the management of Mr. E. C. Tainter, who is well known among the wood-workers as an old veteran in that line and by the familiar name of '' Eph." Mr. Tainter managed this shop until about 1857 or 1858, when it was discontinued by this firm and passed into other hands ; leaving only the original two shops in the possession of this firm, which continued until the death of Mr. J. A. Fay, when the tools and machinery, together with the stock and fixtures, were removed to Norwich, and the whole business concentrated at that place.
In 1863, this firm became incorporated under the corporate name of C. B. Rogers & Co., Mr. C. B. Rogers being its first president, which office be held until his death, when Mr. Lyman Gould succeeded him, and still holds that office ; while the active management of the
EARL Y IIISTOR Y OF THE MO ULDING-MA CHINE. 4/
affairs of the business in detail has devolved upon its able and energetic secretary and general manager, Mr. R. W. Perkins.
It is claimed by some that there were moulding- machines made in New York as early as those made at Norwich ; but upon strict inquiry we have failed to obtain any authentic account of any shop at that place that manufactured and put upon the market a mould- ing-machine at that time. We have record, however, of one or two shops which manufactured and sold mouldings about that time ; but it appears, from the best information we can obtain, that these machines, whatever their style was, were got up by the parties themselves for their own especial use, and not manu- factured or introduced to the public. Just when those machines were put in operation and when they went out of use, we have been unable to learn.
But, to return again to our former subject. The ad- vanced state of the art of building, and a consequent increased demand for mouldings of a different and bet- ter design, rendered it not only necessary to work more than one side at a time, but, in order to carry the nec- essary machinery and perform the work in a satisfac- tory manner, a much heavier and stronger machine than had been heretofore built was required.
About this time (between 1863 and 1866), the late Mr. H. B. Smith, then of Lowell, Mass., commenced to produce machinery for the manufacture of sash, doors, blinds, and mouldings, making this a specialty ; and devoted much time to perfecting his moulding- machine particularly. To Mr. Smith, it is believed, belongs the credit of first introducing iron frames ex-
48 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL,
clusively for this class of machinery. Other manufac- turers soon followed, and it was not long after the year 1857 when iron frames were not only applied to this, but to nearly all other, wood-working machines, includ- ing the planing and matching machine. Mr. Smith also introduced a much heavier machine than had here- tofore been used ; and although they were quite light as compared with other machines which a few years later succeeded them, his work became very popular at that time. One of his improvements which he se- cured by letters patent was attaching the table to the frame by dovetailed slides and gibs, and the raising and lowering of the same was accomplished by one screw located near the centre of the machine, and easy of access.
Previous to 1862, all moulding-machines were built with the overhanging head ; and as long as narrow strips only were worked, there was no difficulty in mak- ing smooth work. But when the demand for heavier work required wide strips to be used for heavy mould- ings, there was a tremble, which manifested itself upon the work, which was very objectionable. Various de- vices were applied, such as an outside bearing to sup- port the head ; but as those bearings were necessarily attached to the table, and required to be loosened every time the thickness was changed, they only partially an- swered the purpose sought for, and could not be con- sidered a practical device — although some manufac- turers are still using it on certain machines.
THE INSIDE-MOULDER. 49
CHAPTER VII.
THE MOULDING-MACHINE, CONTINUED— THE INSIDE- MOULDER— INTRODUCTION OF THE RES A WING- MACHINE— THE CROSBY PATENT— MYERS &' UNI- SONS CLAIMS— SUIT BROUGHT AGAINST THE MESSRS. HAWLEY AND MR, DONCASTER — RE- SULTS, ETC.
The increased demand for heavy work was such that, in order to meet it, a new departure in moulding- machines became necessary, which required the cutter- head to be placed between the bearings in the same manner as a planer and matcher.
The Lee machine was the first which came into use constructed in this manner. It was got up very light. In the first machines, one side cutter-head was placed in front of the cyHnder, while the other was placed behind it. Notwithstanding this machine did not fully meet the expectations of the wood-workers, yet a great many were sold and put into use.
In 1864 and 1865, three heavy twelve-inch inside- moulders were put upon the market — one by C. B. Rogers & Co., of Norwich, Conn. ; one by S. A. Woods, of Boston ; and one at Rochester, N. Y., by the author. These machines, although somewhat different in con- struction, were all intended to overcome the objections that had been urged against the Lee machine by the wood-workers, who claimed they were too unhandy to operate successfully.
There is always a certain class of mechanics who are ready to oppose any new departure from the old beaten
so HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
track; and in this case there was no exception. Some would still argue in favor of the overhanging head, for the reason that they could always have a number of duplicate heads set up for different kinds of work, and it was much easier to change the heads than to change the cutters. But the fine, smooth work turned out by their neighbors, when compared with the wavy and uneven work of their own, soon compelled them to fall into line and use the inside machine for heavy work, or allow the work to go to their competitor in the same business who had one. Besides, its availability was still more appreciated when it was found that when not in use for mouldings it could be profitably employed in plan- ing and matching ceilings, siding, door-casings, and wainscoting to better advantage than the same could be worked upon a planer and matcher.
The introduction, also, of the four-sided slotted head greatly facilitated the setting of the cutters ; and the operators soon began to discover advantages which had not presented themselves before. The head hav- ing four sides, and provided with caps, sectional cutters could be used consisting of hollows and rounds, square, and other shaped tools, so that a great variety of dif- ferent shaped mouldings could be stuck with the same tools by simply changing the combination ; ' besides being much easier to keep in order.
The inside-moulder, so called, is now extensively used in planing-mills where large quantities of ceiling are manufactured. As there are no feed-rolls behind the cylinder to draw the stuff out, it requires that the strips should all be of one width, so that one may follow the other in succession ; otherwise, whenever it became necessary to change the width, a narrow strip would
THE INSIDE-MOULDER. 51
require to be run in order to push the last piece beyond the side-cutters.
The work on fine ceiling is much smoother than when run on a common matcher, as there are no rolls to pass over the face of the stuff, after being planed, to mar its surface by chips or small particles of gum which are liable to adhere to them.
The modern planing-mill, well equipped in order to meet the requirements of the present time, requires a number of auxiliary machines for fitting and preparing the lumber for use both previous to and after it has been planed. It is true that the mills of an early date, with the limited amount and variety of work which were required of them, only demanded a saw-table for ripping up the lumber to the requisite width ; and after being run through the planer, the work was completed, so far as the planing-mill was concerned.
The modern mill goes still further — it not only planes and matches the lumber, but fits it for the dif- ferent uses required in building ; so that when the lumber leaves the planing-mill, there is but little hand labor required.
In speaking of the improvements in planing-mill machinery, and the improved methods of getting out lumber for building purposes, an old planing-mill owner remarked : " A few years ago, if you wanted to build a house, you would employ a carpenter to do the work ; but now all you have to do is to get your architect to make your plans, then go to the planing-mill and order your house made, then purchase a few kegs of nails, and hire a carpenter to put it together." This was per- haps putting it a little too strong ; but it is a fact that
52 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
the amount of hand labor which is required to complete an ordinary dwelling-house is very small, in comparison to what it was a few years ago.
One of the early machines that came into use in connection with the planer was the resawing machine. Saw-tables, it is true, were in use for resawing certain kinds of work, particularly bevelled siding, long before the introduction of the resawing-machine. These were provided with bevelled guides, and springs to hold the stuff up to the guides while the board was fed to the saw by hand. This style of making bevelled siding — or clapboards, as they were called — was expensive, as it required the labor of two men — one to push the board forward, and another at the opposite end to pull it out; besides, the irregularity of the feed would cause the saw to run, frequently, making thick and thin places in the siding, which was an objection to this method. The progress that had been made in working lumber by machinery demanded greater accuracy, and the want was felt of something that would turn out truer work with greater economy of labor.
The Crosby resawing-machine, which was patented in 1842, was intended to supply that want. Its manner of construction was an upright saw, working in a frame similar to an old-fashioned saw-mill. This was mounted upon a suitable frame and provided with an automatic feed. This machine, although very effective and ac- curate in its work, was slow as compared with the ma- chines which succeeded it, or even with the saw-table with the hand-feed, and did not fully meet the require- ments of the planing-mill owners. It is true, the ex- pense of running it was small, as it could be attended
THE CROSBY PATENT. 53
by a boy, after being properly set and adjusted ; so that, in the end, a much better quality of siding could be made, and at less expense, than by the old process of sawing by hand. This machine had a rapid sale, and in a short time very few mills of any capacity could be found without one.
The claims of the Crosby patent were so broad as to effectually shut off any improvements while the patent was in existence. After describing the ma- chine by the usual specification, he says :
'' I claim the combination of automatic feed-rolls with a saw, either circular or upright."
This claim gave him as complete a monopoly as the claims of the Woodworth patent ; and, like the owners of the latter, customers could take this or nothing, there being no choice in the matter.
This patent, or the right to manufacture and sell, came into the possession of the late John Gibson, of Albany, while he was manufacturing the Woodworth planer; and the two monopolies worked well together — at least, as far as Mr. Gibson was concerned — while it lasted. Although Mr. Gibson personally was opposed to improvements of any kind, saying that the machines were " good enough," yet, through the influence of Mr. Doncaster, who was his foreman at that time, he consented to allow him to introduce a circular saw on the small-sized machines which were intended for saw- ing bevelled siding, using the same frame-gearing and rolls.
This machine, which afterwards became known as the "Doncaster machine," soon superseded the up- right, and was manufactured and sold for several years
54 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MTLL.
before the Crosby patent expired, and long after Mr. Doncaster became the successor of John Gibson. Up to this time no attempt, so far as we can ascertain, was made to cut anything wider than six or eight inches, and a saw twenty-two inches in diameter was about the largest size used, which was ground to an even thick- ness of about 13 gauge.
The demand for a machine to cut wider stuff led to the introduction of the taper-ground saw ; as a straight saw of sufficient diameter to cut wide stuff would nec- essarily require to be so thick that there would be but little economy in its use. Upon the introduction of the taper-ground saw, another change was required, in order to relieve the centre of the saw from the pressure upon its sides while the stuff was passing over it. This was met by Mr. Doncaster by introducing two small plates, one on each side of the saw, and firmly at- tached to the bed-plate, so that, when the lumber that was being sawed came in contact with those plates, it was sufficiently spread to relieve the saw from the fric- tion which would otherwise be exerted upon it.
There is no doubt about Mr. Doncaster being the original inventor of this device. But as he never applied for a patent upon it, when the Crosby patent expired, and other manufacturers commenced the manufacture of resawing-machines, this same device, with various modifications, was generally adopted; and up to 1869 nearly every manufacturer of wood-working machinery included in his catalogue a resawing-machine.
In this year a cloud appeared, which threatened for a time a general raid upon both the manufacturers and users throughout the whole country. It appeared that,
MYERS AND UmsON'S CLAIMS. 55
years before the original Crosby patent had expired, Messrs. Myers & Unison had jointly taken out a pat- ent for alleged improvements in resawing-machines in which {a la Stover) they had claimed, not only what they had invented, but everybody else. Their claims covered the spreaders referred to ; also the use of wide collars and adjustable guides ; and, in fact, everything which went to make up a resawing-machine.
This patent, originally granted for fourteen years, had run the allotted time and been extended for seven years longer ; and just before the seven years expired, Mr. Unison took his grip-sack and started out for a general raid, threatening both manufacturers and users with immediate suits and injunctions, provided they did not make immediate settlement with him for in- fringing a patent that had never been advertised or in any manner put upon the market, or any steps taken to notify the public of its existence. Some were fright- ened into a settlement, while others told him to go ahead. There was only one suit commenced, and that was against the Messrs. Hawley, an extensive lumber firm in Albany, N. Y., in connection with Mr. Doncas- ter. The Messrs. Hawley were using a number of machines of Mr. Doncaster's make. They, to use a slang phrase, " did not scare worth a cent," but went at it in earnest.
The result of the litigation was that Mr. Unison was not only defeated in the Circuit Court of the United States, but his patent was set aside as null and void. Other raids were made about this and subsequent years, which will be referred to hereafter.
56 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
CHAPTER VIII.
ABUSES OF PATENT-LAWS— THE ACT OF i^-jo— THE WOODBURY PATENT— ATTEMPTS TO BUILD UP ANOTHER PLANING-MILL MONOPOLY— A SUIT IN WHICH THE PATENT WAS SET ASIDE.
It is not our purpose at this time to discuss the ad- vantages or the disadvantages under which the pubhc have labored from time to time in consequence of per- verted patent-law, or the alleged patented inventions which have grown out of it. There is no question but the original intent of the patent-law and the institution of the Patent Office was to protect the honest, bona fide inventor in the works of his brain. But a good law perverted by designing men may become an unjust one, and work injury not only to the individual in- ventor, but the public also. It may be almost impossi- ble to so frame a law that its provisions may not be evaded or taken advantage of by selfish and designing men for their own purposes, thereby working injustice to an honest and unsuspecting public ; and it does not require a very profound lawyer to discover this fact in many cases.
The act of July 8, 1870, sec. 24, was intended to cor- rect certain faults which had existed under the former laws, and to enable an honest, bona fide inventor, whose application may have been rejected through the ignor- ance of the examiner, or otherwise, to obtain another
THE WOODBURY PATENT. 57
hearing, and again present his claims for a further con- sideration before the Patent Office. The section referred to reads as follows :
" And be it further enacted, That any person who has invented or discovered any new and useful art, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof not known or used by others in this country, or not patented or described in any printed publication in this or any foreign country before his invention or discovery thereof, and not in public use or on sale for more than two years prior to his application, unless the same is proved to have been abandoned, may, upon payment of the duty required by law, and other due proceed- ings had, obtain a patent therefor."
While the provisions in this act were intended to re- lieve a certain class of inventors who had failed to obtain their just claims, the same act was taken ad- vantage of by others whose inventions were not orig- inal, and for that reason were justly refused, and had long since been abandoned to the public with their full knowledge and tacit consent. Many of these old claims were revived and, by the assistance of skilled attorneys, pushed through without any regard to the welfare of the public. Conspicuous among this class of pretended inventors was Joseph P. Woodbury, with his alleged invention of the pressure-bar, which is used upon all planing-machines, and had been in public use for more than twenty years ; and the manufacturers and users were more than astonished when it was an- nounced that a patent had been granted to him dated April 29, 1873.
$8 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
At first the planing-mill men looked upon it as a huge joke, as it became known that this same Joseph P. Woodbury had, on the 3d day of June, 1848, made appHcation for a patent on this same device, and, after a close examination, it was rejected upon the grounds that the same device was shown on a machine patented several years previous, and consequently he was not the original inventor ; and, further, he had withdrawn the application and the Government had refunded a certain portion of the fee, as provided by law in cases of rejection and abandonment.
No further notice was taken of it until it was an- nounced by circulars received that the patent had been assigned to a certain company of capitalists under the title of "The Woodbury Patent Planing-machine Com- pany, of Boston, Mass.," with a capital of several million dollars, and that they were about to adopt certain measures for enforcing their claims.
Those circulars set forth — which were sent to all users and owners of planing-machines — ^that the follow- ing royalties upon all lumber planed or dressed from the date of the aforesaid patent, and in future, would be as follows : *' Twenty cents per thousand feet of boards, plank, or timber (board measure estimated at one inch thick or less) planed, dressed, manufactured, tongued, grooved, sided, or straightened upon the machine or machines upon which said invention and improvement is hereby licensed to be used ; twenty cents for each and every thousand of clapboards planed by the use of such machine having said improvement licensed as aforesaid (estimated at four feet long, ox pro rata for all over four feet long); and twenty cents for
THE WOODBURY PATENT. 59
each and every thousand Hneal feet of gutters, con- ductors, mouldings, or any other irregular forms of lumber planed or cut with any machine on which said improvement maybe used under this license; — payable in quarterly payments on the first days of February, May, August, and November of each and every year hereafter."
Notice accompanying this document was to also notify all that if this form of license was not signed at once, and its provisions complied w^th, suits for in- fringement would be commenced without further notice.
Finding this company were in earnest, and that an attempt would be made to enforce the claims of that patent, circulars were prepared and sent out among the wood-workers, inviting them to meet with the manufacturers, and all other parties interested, at Albany, N. Y., to take into consideration the proper means for their own protection. It was unanimously resolved to form themselves into an association, raise the necessary funds, and employ the best counsel to defend any actions that might be brought against any member of the association. John T. Drew, an emi- nent patent-attorney, was retained with instructions accordingly.
Nothing, however, was done by the company except to annoy the planing-mill users with threatening letters and circulars until May 4, 1875, when a petition was filed with the Attorney-general of the United States, by Mr. Lyman Gould, of Norwich, Conn., for a scire facias proceeding to set the patent aside. This was done in order to arrive at some decision, and relieve
6o HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
the planing-mill owners from being constantly annoyed by threatening letters and circulars from the Wood- bury company.
The ground upon which this petition was made, as set forth in the petition, was that he had proposed to them, through his attorney, Mr. Drew, that they should commence a suit against him or any other party which they might select, and thereby test the validity of the patent, and stop the annoyance to his customers and others by constantly threatening them with a multiplicity of visits. Another reason set forth in the petition was, that many of the witnesses were old men and feeble, and that, by constant and pro- longed delay, their death might be the means of their testimony being lost ; that he believed the patent was obtained by fraudulent representations at the Patent Office ; and that the device covered by the said patent was in common use and on sale, with the knowledge and consent of the patentee, for more than two years prior to his application for a patent in 1848 ; and that the said Joseph P. Woodbury was engaged in selling, as the agent for another firm, machines, with pressure- bars attached, as early as the 28th of March, 1846.
While the investigation which followed did not show any direct fraud on the part of the Patent Office, it brought out the fact that the patent had been rejected on the same grounds as before — for the lack of novelty, and that M. D. Leggett, the Commissioner of Patents, had finally issued it under protest, and in opposition to the judgment of the board of examiners in chief, but in accordance with a decision of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia in the ex parte case of Gray. The
THE WOODBURY PATENT. 6 1
owners of the Woodbury patent appeared, by their counsel, in opposition to this petition, and, by bring- ing in a mass of testimony and promising to bring suit at an early day in order to test its validity, the order for scire facias proceedings was countermanded.
The next move in this interesting game was a circu- lar sent out by the Woodbury Patent Planing-machine Company, indorsed by Mr. John T. Drew and some of the prominent members of the Planing-mill Associ- ation, recommending a compromise by each paying one hundred and sixty dollars per year royalty for each machine, in lieu of the former schedule of prices ; also requiring each one so licensed on these terms to sign an agreement recognizing the validity of the Woodbury patent, and that they would in no way aid "Or assist, in any manner whatever, in the defence of any suit that might be brought against those who might refuse to take out a license under this patent. Some were inclined to comply with those terms, and paid the royalty demanded and obtained a license.
In this arrangement the manufacturers were left out, and no provision made for them ; and as there was a strong suspicion of treachery somewhere, a meeting of the manufacturers was called at the St. Nicholas Hotel, in New York, to discuss the situation and devise means for their own protection. The result was that they formed themselves into an association under the name of " The Planing and Moulding Machine Manufactur- ers' Association ;" elected their officers, with authority to employ counsel to defend any suits which might be entered against them or their customers. Each manu- facturer notified his customers to make no compro-
62 HISTORY OF THE PLAMING-MILL.
mise with the Woodbury company; and that if any suits were entered against them, they would be de- fended by this association.
This effectually put a stop to the compromise meas- ures, and there was no other resort for the Woodbury company but to commence suit or abandon their claims.
The object of the manufacturers in forming this as- sociation was of a twofold nature. One was the desire to protect their customers who had purchased their machines in good faith ; and another was that, if the Woodbury company succeeded in sustaining the patent without any provision for the manufacturers, when this object was accomplished it was suspected that it was their intention to start a large manufactory of their own, and refuse to license any one to manufacture and sell under their patent ; thereby creating another monopoly greater than that of the Woodworth.
Mr. Lyman Gould, who was elected president of the association, was authorized to retain counsel and appear on the part of the association as the defendant, in case a suit was brought, the expenses to be assessed upon the members and such other interested parties who might wish to unite with them.
The Woodbury company, finding there was no other recourse, finally entered suit against one Allen W. Keith, of Maiden, Mass., for infringement of the afore- said patent. The bill of complaint set forth their grievances in the usual manner, and was filed in the Circuit Court of the United States for the District of Massachusetts, on the eleventh day of December, 1875. Messrs. D. Hall Rice, Benjamin F. Thurton, and Charles E. Pratt were retained as counsel for the de-
ANOTHER PLANING-MILL MONOPOLY, 63
fence, and filed the answer for Mr. Keith in the usual manner, setting forth the grounds for the defence, and ^ also filed it with the court on the seventh day of Feb- ruary, 1876.
The suit was vigorously contested on both sides ; and a vast amount of testimony was produced by the de- fence showing conclusively, first, that Woodbury was not the first and original inventor of the pressure-bar ; and, second, that if he was, he had clearly abandoned it after its rejection in 1848, and allowed it to go into public use and on sale with his full knowledge and con- sent for more than twenty years.
These facts were so clearly set forth by testimony and exhibits on the part of the defence that the patent was declared void and set aside by the Circuit Court. The Woodbury company, not satisfied with this deci- sion, appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States, which, after reviewing the testimony, confirmed the decision of the Circuit Court, thus putting an end to one of the greatest frauds that was ever attempted upon the public.
There were in use at that time twenty thousand machines that would have been liable to a tax under the offered compromise of one hundred and sixty dol- lars per year, which, if they had succeeded, would have taken from one of the prominent industries of the country the sum of three million two hundred thousand dollars annually for seventeen years, provided no more mills had started ; making, in the aggregate, the sum of fifty-four million four hundred thousand dollars that would have been wrung from the industries of the
64 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
country to enrich half a dozen greedy cormorants, without any compensation in return whatever.
If Joseph P. Woodbury had been the first and origi- nal inventor of the pressure-bar, — which it was plainly proved that he was not, — and had given the public this really valuable- and useful device, there is no reason why he should have been deprived of a reasonable compensa- tion for his labor and expenses ; but even if he was, there would be a manifest injustice in awarding any such sum as was demanded by the company who at- tempted unjustly to enforce his claims.
Since the time referred to, the manufacturers of plan- ing-machines have increased. Many valuable improve- ments have been added, until the planing-machine of to-day, for perfection in its construction and the quan- tity and quality of its work, ranks second to no other class of labor-saving machinery ; and by the use of special tools and improved machinery for their con- struction, and with no royalties to pay to greedy cor- porations, the manufacturers are enabled to put this valuable and useful machine in the market at a price within the reach of lumbermen of moderate means. The introduction of cast-steel cylinders renders them strong and safe, and enables them to be run at a much higher rate of speed than formerly, and with a faster feed — thus increasing their capacity and usefulness.
We have now traced the planing-machine from its earliest inception down through its various stages of improvement to the present modern-made machine ; and to pursue this subject further would be uninterest- ing to planing-mill men, who are supposed to be famil- iar with most of the machines of the present time,
ANOTHER PLANING-MILL MONOPOLY. 65
But we cannot close this history without indulging in a few reflections upon modern improvements and the inventive genius which naturally suggest themselves.
The object and ambition of the original inventor of any machine — who sometimes spends many valuable years of his life in the development of his idea — is to produce a certain result ; when that result is accom- plished and looked upon by another inventor, it ap- pears to him exceedingly simple.
The object sought by the first inventor of the plan- ing-machine was to devise certain means whereby boards could be planed by machinery. Little attention was given to the style, beauty, or symmetry of its parts. A strong wooden frame was the first thing required ; and then to adapt certain devices to that frame to per- form the work was the next consideration. No mat- ter if the cylinder was composed of three triangular pieces of wrought-iron fastened to a bar of iron for a shaft, with nothing to support the knives between them but their own strength, it demonstrated the principle and established the fact that lumber could thus be planed by the action of rotary cutters.
Inventors had exhausted their skill for years in en- deavoring to invent some means of planing lumber other than by the slow and laborious process with the hand-plane. But in all their efforts they seem to have never departed from the idea of the reciprocating mo- tion of the hand-plane. Their machines were not suc- cessful in accomplishing the object sought for ; and it would seem that rotary cutters running at a high speed were only resorted to after every other device had failed. In the first attempts to apply the rotary cut-
66 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
ter-head, the lumber was pushed through by hand ; but this was found to be not only a laborious opera- tion, but a dangerous one. With the imperfect de- vices for holding down the stuff while being acted upon by the cutters, the knives were liable at any time to catch the stuff and throw it back towards the operator with great force. In fact, it was very soon discovered that some automatic feeding-device must be adopted in order to render the machines safe, effec- tive, and practical ; and the introduction of rolls for this purpose was the first thing that presented itself. Although they were nothing but blocks of wood with iron gudgeons, and turned round by a wooden pulley attached to the gudgeon for driving them, yet it estab- lished a principle and demonstrated the fact that lum- ber could thus be automatically fed through the ma- chine while the surface was being acted upon by the cutters.
And so on with every other part of the machine. One idea suggested another, and improvements were made from time to time as their necessities presented themselves.
Although Mr. Woodworth has the credit of inventing the planing-machine, — which still bears his name, — much had been done towards it by other inventors pre- vious to his time ; but to him, no doubt, belongs the credit of collecting the various abandoned experiments of other inventors which had preceded him, and so com- bining, modifying, and arranging them with his own ideas as to make a successful and practical machine.
This is the history of all new and useful inventions ; and it may be truly said that it is doubtful if there
SUIT IN WHICH THE PATENT WAS SET ASIDE. 6/
is one of the many useful machines of the present day, either for working wood or iron, that is purely the in- vention of any one man. An inventor, for instance, discovers the necessity for a machine to facilitate the manufacture of a certain article ; he devotes his time and energies to discover the necessary combination of mechanical devices which will imitate substantially the same motions of the hand in performing the same work. After a time, by hard study and close applica- tion, he succeeds in bringing together the necessary mechanical devices to produce those motions, and the work which had heretofore been performed by hand can now be successfully performed by the machine — just as perfect and a great deal faster.
But after all, certain defects may be discovered that were not anticipated by the inventor at that time, which he or a subsequent inventor may remedy, and thereby render the machine much more simple and effective. A third inventor, after examining and studying what the first and second have done, will also discover cer- tain defects and chances for improvements, which the first and second inventors never thought of. And so it goes on from one to another, just as the planing-mill of the present day was evolved from Mr. Woodworth's first machine.
The sewing-machine is another practical illustration of progressive mechanical invention. The first sewing- machines exhibited at the World's Fair in New York were crude affairs as compared with those at the pres- ent time. And although Mr. I. M. Singer and others had devoted years of study to construct a machine which would stitch a plain seam, it was only a partial success until another inventor, Mr. Elias Howe, Jr.,
68 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
came forward with a needle having an eye near the point, which enabled them to accomplish that object which had been so long sought for. The original machines, as exhibited at the time and place just referred to, were run by a crank with the right hand, while the work was guided by the left, and an expert operator could make about one hundred stitches per minute. This was considered lightning speed as compared with hand-sewing, and excited the wonder and admiration of the immense crowd of spec- tators which gathered around them daily to watch their operation. Nothing but plain stitching was then at- tempted. Now, when we compare those machines with the machines of the present day, with all their attach- ments of hemmers, tuckers, rufflers, quilters, braiders, and the Lord knows what else, together with the light- ning speed at which they are run, we may truly ex- claim, " Great is the progressive inventive genius of the present age !" If our girls, with all the stitching, flouncing, and puckering that is put upon their dresses, were obliged to perform all this work by hand, as their grandmothers did, they would pray for the fashions to change and give them their grandmothers' simplicity of dress.
The mowing-machine and reaper are also illustra- tions of this subject. While McCormick had expended thousands of dollars and years of time in his attempts to perfect this machine, it was only a partial success until Hussey invented the finger-bar, which proved to be the connecting-link between it and success. And although Mr. Hussey had a hard struggle to sustain and protect his rights against money and powerful in- fluence, he was one of a few original inventors who
AA^ A M ERICA N CHA RA C TERIS TIC. 69
were successful in sustaining their rights. His death occurred in a railroad accident between Baltimore and Washington, while the suit with McCormick was pend- ing at the latter place ; yet his friends carried on the suit to a successful termination, and his widow realized a large fortune from it.
It is characteristic of the American people that, if one man invents anything new and useful, another will make an effort to invent something better. After years of untiring labor, when Prof. S. F. B. Morse had succeeded in establishing the fact of telegraphy, other inventors came forward to share the honors and divide the profits with him ; but after many a hard-fought battle, the Morse system prevailed over its competitors.
But even now that system has found a rival of no mean proportions, in the telephone. This system, of transmitting the human voice to a distance is still in its infancy, and only the '' iron-clad patent " of Prof. Bell prevents other and better systems from being in- troduced.
Inventive genius, however, is at work ; and when the Bell patent expires, there is no doubt but more perfect and delicate instruments will be put in use, so that messages may be transmitted by telephone as far as by telegraph. And when that time arrives, the telegraph, like the stage-coach and the canal-packet as compared with railroads, will be obliged to give way to its more rapid rival.
Truly we live in a fast age !
The following chapters are devoted to the construc- tion, care, and management of planing-mill machinery.
70 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL,
CHAPTER IX.
CONS TR UCTION OF MA CHINER Y— QUALITY A ND STRENGTH OF CASTINGS— CARE IN MOULDING- FRAMES FOR MACHINES, ETC .
The important purposes to which iron is appHed in the construction of machinery render it always a sub- ject of interest to the scientific mechanic ; and there is no time in its history, from its first discovery to the present time, when its importance and the necessity for its use is more appreciated. There is scarcely any- thing connected with the mechanic arts at the present time but what iron, either cast or malleable, enters into its composition directly or indirectly.
Castings for machinery should never have less te- nacity than sixteen thousand pounds to the square inch ; and the safest plan, when machinery is to be constructed requiring great strength, is to require tests to be made of certain mixtures of iron, and specify in the contract that the castings shall show a certain strength. And then leave it to the foundryman to se- lect his own grades of iron, and mix them according to his own fancy. Poor iron in castings is bad enough at all times ; but even with good iron the machinist often has other troubles to contend with.
Patterns may be carefully made according to the drawings, and all necessary allowances made for shrink- age, planing, turning, etc. ; but if the moulder is care-
QUALITY AND STRENGTH OF CASTINGS. 7 1
less with his work, the casting may come out crooked and winding- so that it will require double the work in finishing. Sometimes it may happen that the faults are so great that the casting cannot be used ; and then the labor of moulding, casting, and remelting is a loss to the foundry.
Another difificulty machinists have to contend with, in castings that require to be finished upon the surface, is large holes just below the surface. These holes are frequently so well concealed by the outer surface that they are not discovered until nearly the whole surface of a large piece is planed off. If not too large, they are sometimes filled up with other metal ; but if they are large enough to materially weaken that part of the machine, they must be returned to the foundry. In this case, the foundry loses the casting, and the ma- chine-shop the labor of planing.
In most cases these faults may be avoided by reason- able care on the part of the moulder. These spots, or, as they are generally called, blow-holes, are caused by the penf-up gases that are generated by the melted iron coming in contact with the sand. The sand being damp, and containing more or less Vegetable matter, generates a large amount of gas and steam ; and if some provision is not made for its escape through the sand, the upper surface of the casting will be filled with those air bubbles that cannot escape. This may be avoided if proper care and attention is exercised on the part of the moulder in giving the mould sufificient vent. This is accomplished by running a small wire through the sand in the cope before the pattern is withdrawn, so as to form a series of small holes — not
72 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
large enough to allow the iron to run through, but suf- ficient to allow the gases to escape as the iron rises in the mould.
In heavy castings, to insure success it is not only necessary to perforate the sand in the manner just de- scribed, but also to use what moulders call risers. A riser is a round piece of wood, varying in size and length according to the size of the casting. This piece of wood is placed in the sand, one end resting upon the pattern, and the other projecting above the flask, so that when the flask is filled with sand and rammed up, the riser may be withdrawn, leaving an opening from the mould to the surface of the sand. The iron rises in this hole when the mould is filled, and not only al- lows the gases to escape, with other lighter matter which may float upon the surface, but also exerts a pressure upon the iron while in a liquid state, in the same manner that a column of water exerts a pressure upon a pipe ; and castings thus made, under a moderate pressure are more compact and of finer grain.
Good castings, when taken from the sand arid brushed off, should have on the outer surface a smooth, clear, and continuous skin, with regular faces and sharp angles; and when broken, the surface of the fracture should be of a bright bluish-gray color, of close-grained texture, and uniform, except that the portion near the surface may be somewhat brighter, and the grain closer. A mottled appearance upon the face of the fracture is an indication of a poor casting, that will be deficient in strength from the lack of uniformity of the iron.
In designing patterns for castings, great care and judgment should be exercised in giving each part, as
QUALITY AND STRENGTH OF CASTINGS. 73
near as possible, an equal distribution of iron. There should be no abrupt variations in the thickness ; for if one part is thinner than another in the same piece, and cools before the other, the shrinkage of the thinner part will have a tendency to draw the heavier part, that may still be in a semi-liquid state, out of its place, and the casting will either be distorted, or the thinner por- tion separated from it. A pulley, for instance, with light arms and a very heavy rim and hub, will be very likely to separate from the arms in cooling, or draw the rim out of a true circle opposite to each arm; and if not entirely separated, there will be so much strain upon them that the slightest blow will cause them to separate from the rim or hub. And whenever this hap- pens, there will always be an open space between the two surfaces of- the fracture. This may be avoided by artificial cooling of the hub, or by making the arms curved, so that the strain by unequal shrinkage will only straighten the arm somewhat, instead of tearing them asunder.
Whenever it becomes necessary to construct patterns with a thick and thin portion in close proximity to each other, it is better, if the nature of the work will admit, to give to one portion or the other a slight curve. The frames for machinery that are cast in one piece with the various sections joined together should have all the lighter portions connected with it made, if possible, in curves ; otherwise, some portions will be either warped or the lighter portions parted from the heavier by unequal shrinkage.
It frequently becomes necessary to construct patterns for machinery of such shape that, if the pattern itself
74 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MJLL.
was the exact counterpart of the casting required, it could not be withdrawn from the sand. In this case, resort must be had to cores. The pattern-maker at- taches a plain block to the pattern, to indicate to the moulder the exact spot where the core is to be set. He then constructs a core-box of a shape to meet the requirements of the casting. In this box the moulder makes his core, which is composed of coarse sand, mixed with flour or some other substance, such as molasses or sour beer, which is added in order to give it sufficient strength after being dried in the oven to handle without danger from crumbling. This core is then placed in the mould in the exact posi- tion indicated by the block or print, so that, when the iron runs around, it forms the shape required in the casting.
Carelessness in setting cores, on the part of the moulder, is another one of the troubles which the ma- chinist has to contend with. If a hub is to be bored to a certain size, and the pattern-maker has made ample allowance for that purpose, if the moulder is careless in setting the core, so that it is not central with the hub, the machinist often finds it a difficult matter to bore it out to the size indicated on his draw- ings.
All these mistakes — which should be avoided — enter into and add to the net cost of the machine, which falls, in most cases, upon the proprietors ; and if every em- ployee would consult the interests of his employer, much needless expense might be avoided. '
As many of the castings used in planing-mill machi- nery require to be made with cores, the hints given in the
CARE IN MOULDING. 75
foregoing pages on this subject, as well as castings gener- ally, are applicable to this class of work ; for probably there is no class of machinery that is subjected to greater strain and the same wear and tear as that. When we speak of planing-mill machinery, we include all that class of machines used for wood-working ; as the conditions under which they all work are substantially the same.
The planing-machine, being the largest and heaviest machine in the outfit, and required to perform the heaviest work, should be made of sufficient weight and possess strength in all its parts in proportion to the labor which each part has to perform. The frame, which is now made of iron by all first-class manufac- turers, should be strong and of sufficient weight to give it solidity and support the working-parts without any vibration ; but the most important parts of a first-class planing-machine are those parts which perform the work. There is no economy in putting a large amount of superfluous iron in the frame, and making the other parts light— especially those which perform the most work and are often subjected to the greatest strain.
A machine of this kind may weigh sixty-five or sev- enty hundred pounds, and yet not be any stronger or able to perform as much heavy work as one that might weigh five or ten hundred pounds less. Such a ma- chine, while having much less iron in the frame, may have in its working parts one third more strength.
The correct principle in the construction of planing- mill machinery is to so apportion the several parts as to get the greatest amount of strength from a given amount of material.
76 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
The custom of purchasers inquiring of the manufac- turers the weight of their machines, and then compar- ing their prices with the gross weight, is a bad one, and often leads to disappointment and unsatisfactory re- sults. This practice has led some makers to put an unnecessary amonnt of iron in their frames, so as to give the impression that, because their machines are heavy, they possess superior qualities over another, who may claim less weight ; when the real facts in the case are, the lighter machines may be much the strongest and durable.
The cost of a planing-machine is not all in the frame ; and a few hundred pounds of iron either way makes but little difference. The working-parts is where the cost comes in, and the heavier they are and the more accurately they are fitted up, the more they cost whether the frame is heavy or light.
The feed-works, next to the cylinder and side-cut- ters, is the most important part of the machine, and one that is in many machines very deficient. How often do we find planing-machines with the cylinder and side-cutters fitted up in good shape and capable of performing good, fair work, but spoiled by having only one pair of feed-rolls, three or four inches in diameter, — and the top one fluted at that, — and held down by rub- ber springs or some other worthless device, with scarcely power enough to surface a three-eighth panel. Yet such machines are expected to carry a two-inch plank two feet wide through the machine, and take off a heavy cut ; and, if the feed will not do it, it is expected that the operator will make up the deficiency with his abdomen. We have a poor opinion of that style of
FRAMES FOR MACHINES, ETC. 7/
machine. Yet many will purchase them because they are cheap ; but the fact is, such machines are dearest in the end.
A planing-machine, to give a good and reliable feed, should have not less than three pair of feed-rolls, from six to eight inches in diameter, and connected by some good system of expansion-gears, and weighted so as to give a uniform pressure whether the lumber be thick or thin. Two pair should be placed in front of the cyl- inder, as more friction surface is required to feed the lumber in than to feed it out ; especially when the lum- ber is damp and frosty. But after it has passed under the cylinder, and one side is planned, one pair of feed- rolls, if properly weighted, is amply sufficient to carry it out..
We abominate fluted rolls, and they never should be used on a machine that is expected to do good, smooth work. Smooth rolls, if of proper size and sufficiently weighted, will always give a reliable feed, and one strong enough to carry anything through the machine that is fit to" go through it. While fluted rolls with the same pressure may give a stronger feed, the trouble with them is that, if the lumber is soft or damp, the projecting points of a fluted roll press into the lumber, bending the grain to a depth just in proportion to the weight that, is brought to bear upon it, and, before those indentations have time to come back again to the sur- face, it is planed over, leaving the grain in that position ; and, in a fev/ days, or sometimes in a few hours, when exposed to the air, rises again to its former position, and shows upon the surface a series of corrugations corresponding to each flut^ in the roller.
78 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
For this reason, no machine, no matter how perfect it may be in all its other parts, can do smooth work under these conditions.
The cylinder should be large enough in diameter to give a fair width of knife and clear the bolt-heads, with- out having too much scrape. Manufacturers within the last thirty years have gone from one extreme to another in the size of their cylinders. The old Les- ter machines, that were in use thirty years ago, are no doubt well remembered by some of the old planing- mill men. The cylinders were of gun-metal, in some cases as large as fourteen inches in diameter, and were skeleton-shaped, or what was then known as the " open cylinder," usually having three knives hung inside of the wings, and fastened by counter-sunk headed bolts, with nuts screwed upon the face of the knife.
These old-timers required an immense power to run them, and, at a feed of about thirty to forty lineal feet per niinute, they turned out very good work ; but the music of those old machines could be heard for a mile around.
The solid iron cylinder was afterwards introduced, and came into general use, not only on account of its being cheaper, but it proved to be much better, and could be made smaller in diameter, and run with much less power and greater speed. Some manufacturers went to the other extreme, by making their cylinders just as much too small as the old ones were too large, and just as much out of proportion.
CONSTRUCTION OP WOOD-WORKING TOOLS. 79
CHAPTER X.
CARE REQUIRED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF WOOD- WORKING TOOLS— BEST PROPORTION FOR THE CYLINDER— RELATIVE LENGTH AND SIZE OF JOURNALS— CAST-STEEL CYLINDERS— THE BEST PRACTICAL METHOD OF FITTING THEM UP, ETC.
There is no piece of machinery pertaining to the business of wood-working that requires more care in its construction than the planing and matching ma- chine. The speed is so rapid with the principal work- ing-parts that any Httle imperfection will soon manifest itself. A steam-engine, or almost any other slow-run- ning machine, may have slight imperfections, which may not manifest themselves for months after they have been put in use ; but let one of the journals of a plan- ing-machine cylinder not be perfectly round or be slightly sprung or a pulley or cutter head not in perfect balance, and you will find it out in less than ten minutes after the machine is started.
Again, wood-working tools — especially the planing- machine — do not always go into the hands of experi- enced mechanics. An iron-turning lathe, planer, or upright drilling-machine, when put up in the machine- shop, goes into the hands of a competent machinist — one who is not only competent to put it up and run it, but, in most cases, with the suitable tools and patterns for that purpose, able to construct it and put it to- gether ; and if there should happen to be a slight im-
8o HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
perfection in the work which has escaped the notice of the workmen at the factory where it was fitted up, he will quickly discover the cause and correct it.
But not so with a large majority of the planing-ma- chines that are sent out from the different manufac- tories. A few, it is true, go into the hands of men who thoroughly understand their business ; and if a machine is properly put up and adjusted at the factory, there never will be any trouble in putting it in successful operation. But a large portion of the planers which are sent out from the different manufacturers go into the hands of inexperienced operators, who are not prac- tical mechanics, and whose experience with machinery is very limited. And as a general rule the machine is belted up, and started just as it came from the factory ; and if everything happens to be in perfect adjustment, and is level and out of wind, it may go off all right. But if there should be any little imperfection in the fitting or adjustment, it is not usually discovered until something begins to smoke, and then perhaps the dif^- culty, whatever it may be, is not remedied until the machine is seriously damaged.
The rapid motion of a planer is such that, in order to avoid vibration, it requires that the frame be not only solid, but well put together. And here is a point where the skill and judgment of the designer are brought into requisition. It is not always the case that the frame having the greatest number of pounds of metal is the strongest and most efficient in resisting vibrations. Frames are frequently met with, the plates of which may be an inch thick, surrounded by a flat moulding. Such frames, although they contain an abundance of
BEST PROPORTION FOR THE CYLINDER. 8 1
metal, are not well calculated to resist lateral vibra- tion ; for it must be understood that, with a combined planer and matcher, the tendency for vibrating sidewise is as great as perpendicular. Therefore, if the same frame, instead of its plate being one inch thick, it were just one half of that thickness, and the other half were put into wide, heavy ribs, with the same quantity of metal, doublethe strength to resist vibrations wouldbe obtained.
The double plate frame which has recently been adopted by many first-class firms, if properly propor- tioned, and the plates far enough apart to give suffi- cient depth, is probably one of the strongest frames that can be made from the same amount of metal. But to answer well the purpose designed, the space between the plates, for heavy machines, should not be less than two inches.
The plates in this style of frame may be quite thin, and yet very strong and substantial. Whatever style of frame may be adopted, it should be put together with planed joints ; and the top, wherever any of the works are attached, should be planed square and straight and lengthwise, so that when it is set up and bolted together the top of both sides of the frame will be square and parallel with each other. Then the whole frame should be levelled up both crosswise and lengthwise before any of the other parts are at- tached ; and when thus set up, it should never be moved or changed until the machine is completed. The bed-plate for the top cylinder should next be put on and bolted to the frame ; and if it has been carefully and accurately planed, it should agree with the frame and be perfectly level both ways. The back shaft
82 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
should then be fitted into its boxes by the same level, and squared from a line previously drawn through the bed and square with the frame. From these two points all other parts of the machine should be put up and squared and levelled.
The advantages of erecting a machine in this man- ner, and always working from these two points, are that if every part is thus put up with reference to these two points, when the machine is finished and shipped to its destination and set up, if carefully levelled from these two points, every other part of the machine will be true and out of wind. Frequent cases have occurred where machines have been set up without reference to these two points, but levelled anywhere on the frame, that have given a great deal of trouble by heating the rol- ler-boxes, binding so as to cut and. get stuck fast, and many other troubles, before the real cause was discov- ered, and the manufacturer it often blamed for the ignor- ance of the operator ; whereas, if proper instructions had been given, and those instructions carried out, the machine would have started off all right in the first instance.
In all modern machines the bearings are all much longer than formerly. The cylinder-boxes, instead of from four to six inches, are now made from ten to twelve inches long ; and when bearings of that length are babbited and scraped down to a perfect fit and suf- ficient packing put between the box and cap, the caps may be screwed down tight, and yet the cylinder will be perfectly free to revolve. But just raise one foot of the frame sufficient to put a piece of thin pasteboard under it, and it will cause the cylinder-boxes to so bind
RELATIVE LENGTH AND SIZE OF JOURNALS. 83
that it will be impossible to turn it with the hand with- out loosening up the caps and adding nnore packing. And if the machine were run in that condition, it will be found that the shaft does not bear upon the whole sur- face of the box, but only upon a small portion of it ; and the consequence is, it will heat, and continue to heat, until it wears down again to a perfect bearing.
This accounts for the tendency of all new machines to heat when first started. It is almost impossible to place the machine exactly in the same position that it was when first set up in the shop ; but if especial care is manifested in levelling across the bed-plate and through the boxes of the back shaft, that point may be found so near that a machine will frequently start up without any inconvenience from heating.
For a planer weighing 8000 pounds the frame should not be less than from 11 to 12 feet long over all. The cylinder should not be less than 7 inches in diameter at the extreme points ; it should be four-sided, and pro- vided with slots planed on all four sides, and of suffi- cient width and depth to admit of af bolt, with a head ij inches square and f thick, for holding the knives. The thickness of metal from the face of the cylinder to the slot should be -f^ inch. The reason for making this part thicker than the head of the bolt, is that in case of accident, when something must break, it is bet- ter for the bolt-head to give way than to tear a piece out of the face of the cylinder, as is sometimes the case when the greatest strength was in the bolt-head.
The cylinder being the most important part of the machine, and as the forged cast-steel cylinder has now come into general use, the hints given for the fitting up of cylinders are applicable to that style.
84 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
The first step preparatory to fitting up a forged cast- steel cylinder, should be to carefully centre the ends which project from it and form the shaft and jour- nals. After the proper centre is found, and marked with the center-punch, a fine drill should be run in at least one fourth of an inch, so as to prevent the ex- treme point of the lathe-centre from coming in contact with the steel during the process of turning ; other- wise, as the centre in the shaft wears away during this process if allowed to bear upon the extreme point, it would be very apt to work to one side or the other of the true centre and cause the work to run out before it was finished. Besides, the small hole forms a recep- tacle for oil, and prevents it from cutting the centre.
When the centres are properly prepared, the work should be put in the lathe and tested. If found suffi- ciently true, and there is surplus stock enough to work to the standard size, it is better to fit it up just as it came from the forge ; but if not sufficiently true and the shaft requires to be sprung, never attempt to bend it cold, for two reasons : One is that they are liable to snap off, and the cylinder be spoiled ; another is that a cast-steel shaft bent cold is very liable to go back again after being finished, especially should it ever become heated when running. Therefore, the safest way, if the shaft must be sprung before turning, is to heat it care- fully and uniformly at the forge until it shows a dull red heat, and spring it in a press for that purpose. If there is no press at hand, it may be put in the lathe on its centres, and, by the use of a bar over the rest, may be sprung in that manner.
When the straightening is completed, never lay it on the ground to cool. Place it upon something in some
CAST-STEEL CYLINDERS. 85
convenient place so that the air may have free access to it on all sides. Otherwise, if placed so that one side cools faster than the other, that side will in all proba- bility be harder than the other, and every experienced operator of planing-mills knows that, unless the journals of a planing-machine cylinder are perfectly round, they will not run without heating ; and when one side of a journal is harder than the other, it is impossible to keep them round. If the machinist succeeds in making them round in the first place, it will only be a question of a very short time when they will not be so. When the cylinder is sufficiently cool to work a cut should be taken over every part of the surface ; then, if there should be any imperfections or any part disposed to spring, these defects should be discovered before pro- ceeding to finish it.
The journals, or that part of the shaft which forms them, should be left large enough to admit of another turning in order to finish it after the planing is com- pleted. When ready for the planer, it should be put upon its centres, and, by means of templets, every part should be reduced to the same uniform size and shape, in order to secure a correct running-balance when fin- ished. When taken back to the lathe after the planing is cpmpleted, the points should be carefully tested with a tool to ascertain whether any part has become sprung during this process. If so, never attempt to spring it back, but, with a pointed scraper, scrape out from the opposite side of the centre so as to draw it sufiiciently to cause every point of the cylinder to touch the tool alike when it is turned carefully around with the hand.
Now, with a sharp, well-tempered tool, the bearings
86 HISTORY OF THE PLANING- MILL.
may be turned for the pulleys, and lastly, by a series of light, fine cuts, the journals may be finished to the standard size. If the last cut is very light, and the point of the tool the proper shape, it may be finished without the use of a file ; for the least filing that is done, the better. But if a file must be used, it should be a very fine one, and used lightly.
When the finishing is completed, it is ready to bal- ance. The balancing-bars should consist of two pieces of steel not over one sixteenth of an inch thick on the edge, and perfectly straight, set into cast-iron blocks, with adjusting-screws attached to the foot of each, so "that, when placed upon a planer bed or other suitable platen, they may be adjusted to a perfect level ; so that, when the cylinder is placed upon them, the least variation in weight may cause it to roll.
A cylinder or any other body when so placed upon its journals or a mandrel, if in perfect balance will re- main at rest in any position it may be placed. If found in perfect balance after being tested upon the bars, it is supposed to be finished ; but if not, then it should be placed upon the planer, and a small amount taken off from the heavy side to correct it. But in all cases, whatever is taken off should be from the whole length and upon the centres.
The practice of drilling holes upon the heavy side is abominable, and should never be tolerated. Each bolt and nut should be tested upon a pair of sensitive bal- ancing-scales (which every shop should possess), so that each may be of the same weight, and also that if by any means they should become changed, the balance of the cylinder may not be affected by it. The cylinder pulleys
CAST- STEEL CYLINDERS. 87
should be turned on the inside as well as the outside, and each carefully balanced afterwards separately ; for if either of them should not be in balance, it will affect the working of the machine just as much as if the cyl- inder itself was out of balance.
Lastly, the knives should be examined and tested. Although each knife composing a set is supposed to be balanced at the factory where they are manufactured, yet it is difficult to find a set that is sufficiently per- fect to send out with a high-speedecf machine without rebalancing.
This is one of the most difficult operations to con- tend with unless a machine expressly designed for that purpose is at hand. A set of knives may each show the same weight when placed upon opposite sides of the scales, and still be far from a perfect balance when attached to the cylinder, and run. This is caused by the grinder not being particular enough in preserving a uniform thickness from one end to the other, or in punching the slots not uniform in depth.
Now, if any two knives in a set should happen to have the same defect on opposite ends, while they might show the same weight on the balancing scales, the difference in weight on the opposite ends would make music that would be anything but harmonious to the ears of a careful operator.
In the absence of an instrument for this purpose, the best way to test this fault and correct it is with a sin-' gle bar. An old knife set in a block of wood answers the purpose very well. Then, with a sharp scratch, draw a line across the back of the knife exactly in the centre, making it deep enough so that it will not sHp off when
88 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
jaid across it ; then lay the knife across the bar in the manner just described, when any imperfections in this respect may be discovered and remedied by grinding off from the back towards the heavy end. Some de- pend upon the caHpers for testing the width and thick- ness ; but if a knife has the defects just described, the calipers will not correct it.
It may be said that all this care takes time and money, and adds to the expense of the machine. The answer is that, if you intend to send out a perfect-run- ning machine, and one that will give satisfaction and keep up your reputation, you must expect to spend time and money ; and if your customers are not willing to pay a fair price that will warrant a good machine, it is better to let them go to some firm that makes a specialty of cheap work, and suffer the consequences.
SPEEDING WOOD-WORKING MACHINERY. 89
CHAPTER XL
SPEEDING WOOD-WORKING MACHINERY — VARIA- TION OF SPEED IN DIFFERENT MILIS— CENTRIF- UGAL FORCE— TENSILE STRENGTH OF BOLTS- PULLEYS, ETC.
Much has been written by practical men upon the subject of speed. Cylinders, cutter- heads, steps, boxes, etc., have all been pretty well overhauled ; but after all, little has been said upon the subject of the proper speed that should be given them. This subject, as Jack Easy would say, will admit of argument.
Proper speed for all wood-working machinery is of vital importance both to the owner and the operator. It is important to the owner, because machines speeded in a proper manner are enabled to turn out the great- est quantity of first-class work in a given time without unnecessary wear and tear. There is no profit in forc- ing a machine to earn seventy-five cents more in a day by overspeeding it if the spoiled work and extra cost for repairs amount to ninety. It is also important to the operator to know whether the speed at which his machine is running is beyond the margin of safety, and whether his own life is not constantly in jeopardy in consequence. Again, if a machine is speeded below the average, a sufificient quantity of good work cannot be turned out in a given time to make it profitable;
90 HISTORY OF THE FLANING-MILL.
and in many cases the operator is unjustly blamed in consequence.
It would astonish any one to put a speed-indicator in his vest pocket, and visit a few planing-mills located in different parts of the country, and note the difference in speed among the same class of machines. He would find in about six cases out of ten that the proprietor or his foreman could not tell just what speed their ma- chines were running.
Speed, like everything also, is based upon certain principles and governed by general laws, no matter whether it be the cylinder of a planing or moulding machine, a circular saw, or a pulley. There is always a point which it is neither safe or profitable to go be- yond. One man may for a time get twice the amount of work out of a machine that his neighbor does ; but if he does it at a large expenditure of wear and tear, he will find in a short time that his machine is used up and incapable of doing good work, while his neighbor's is practically as good as ever.
Now, the only question involved is : Did the first man get enough extra earnings besides repairs in that time out of his machine to enable him to purchase an- other as good ? If not, then he is a loser by the trans- action.
We are well aware of the fact that machines that are kept in first-class order, with every part in perfect bal- ance, will stand more speed than those which are not ; but as every machine, if run at all, should be kept in order, it is not necessary to discuss the speed of those which are not.
If asked for an opinion as to the best speed at which
VARIATION OF SPEED IN DIFFERENT MILES. QI
a planing-machlne cylinder should be run that was not in balance I should reply : Do not run it at all— at least until it is balanced.
There is a question of safety involved with all fast- running machinery, as well as profit, to be taken into consideration. No one has the right, either legally or morally, to cause his machinery to be run at a speed that will endanger the lives of his employees, for the sake of extra profit. Implicit reliance cannot be placed in the circulars which are sent out by different manu- facturers, as far as speed is concerned. One manufac- turer will say that the best and most economical speed for the cylinders of his machine is 3600 revolutions per minute ; another will give 4000 ; while another will put it at 4500 ; while still another will say that his machine, " owing to its extra strength, etc., will run 5000 revolu- tions per minute with perfect safety," and he will guar- antee it to do first-class work at that speed.
Now, from personal knowledge of each machine, there is no perceptible difference, so far as the cylinders are concerned. They are all about the same diameter, and the shafts and boxes about the same size, and fitted up in the same manner ; and each have the same strength, and one runs as smooth as the other, and there is no good reason why one will not stand as much speed as the other.
If 3600 revolutions per minute is the best and most profitable speed for one, 5000 revolutions is altogether too much for the other. The only true way to decide this question is to reduce it to plain figures, which "do not lie," and then let the candid judgment of those who are in favor of '' lightning " machines decide
h
92 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
whether there is safety or profit in being governed by the circulars of those manufacturers, put forth in that shape for the sole purpose of selling their machines, and who, as long as they can make a sale, and their own lives are not jeopardized, give no further thought of the consequences that might follow.
It is a well-known fact that all bodies revolving around a common fixed centre have a tendency to fly off in a line tangent to that centre, and that force in- creases in proportion as the square of the velocity. Hence, in all bodies of equal weight, moving in equal circles and at a uniform velocity, the centrifugal force is the same. But all bodies of equal weight in equal circles, but moving with unequal velocities, are inversely to each other as the square of their velocities.
In calculating the centrifugal force of a revolving body, the diameter should be taken at the centre of gravity. This is a line through which, if the body were divided upon that line, each part would be of equal weight. With pulleys, fly-wheels, and other regular- shaped bodies of that kind, the centre of gravity usually lies near the outward surface, and is more readily de- termined than irregular-shaped bodies — such as planing- cylinders and side cutter-heads, etc.
To find the centrifugal force of a revolving body, the following rule is applicable : Multiply the square of the velocity in feet per second by the weight, and divide this product by 32 times the radius in feet at the centre of gravity. This quotient will give the centrifugal force in pounds. Now examine this cylinder, which is 7 inches in diameter, and said to be safe at 5000 revolutions per minute. As the knife is the only weight which will be
CENTRIFUGAL FORCE. 93
considered at this time, and is carried upon the outside, it is safe to say that the centre of gravity Hes not far from a point taken from the under side of the knife, which would be a circle of 7 inches diamater, or a radius of 3|- inches.
Assume the weight of a 24-inch knife to be 8 pounds. Then, 5000 revolutions would be equal to 152.75 per second, the square of which is equal to 23,332.5; then 23,332.5 X 8 == 186,660.48 -^ 9i(the pro- duct of 32 times the radius in feet) = 19,999.31 pounds for the centrifugal strain. As nearly all knives, and this one in particular, are fastened to the cylinder by 6 bolts f of an inch in diameter, each bolt would be re- quired to withstand one sixth of the strain, which would be equal to 3333.21 pounds.
The tensile strength of the best Norway iron is 80,000 pounds to the square inch, and a bolt f inch in diameter at the bottom of the thread has a sectional area of .24 square inch, the breaking strain of which would be 19,200 pounds ; so that if there was nothing but centrifugal strain to contend with, there would be no danger at that speed. But the screwing of them down is an important factor, to be taken into consideration ; and here is where the greatest danger lies, especially in the hands of a careless or in- experienced operator. It is quite common to find wrenches used for this purpose with a handle 12 inches long, and sometimes more.
Let us consider the effect that this long-handled instrument may have upon the tensile strength of the bolt. The average bolt, as we said before, is five- eighths of an inch in diameter, with a lead of 12 threads
94 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
to the inch. Therefore, to move the bolt forward yV inch, it must make one complete revolution, and the handle of the wrench would move through a space of 75 inches ; and, by the rule for calculating the power of a screw, the proportion would be as -^^ to 75. And if the operator exerted a strain, upon the extreme end of the handle, of 25 pounds, then the proportion would be thus: J^ : 75 :: 25 : 22,500 pounds. Now, add to this the 3333-21 pounds of centrifugal force, and the result is 3333.21 -]- 22,500 = 25,833.21 pounds.
Now, by comparing this with the tensile strength of the bolt (19,200 pounds), the result is 6633.21 pounds beyond the tensile strength of the bolt. But friction, which is generally considered as the enemy of all mechanical movements, here comes in as a friendly element. The friction upon two similar surfaces within the point of abrasion is .25 of the weight which is pressing them together up to that point. As soon as the. point of abrasion is reached, it increases to from .40 to .50 and upwards ; and as the marks on the back of the knives immediately under the bolt-heads plainly show that, every time they are screwed down, the point of abrasion is reached, the frictional resistance offered to this long-handled instrument is at least .40 of its power.
Assuming this to be the case, the tensile strain upon the bolt would be reduced from 22,500 pounds to 13^500, which, with the original centrifugal strain of 3333.21 pounds added, the result would be 16,833.21 pounds. This deducted from 19,200 pounds, the ulti- mate strength of the bolt, would leave a margin of
TENSILE STRENGTH OF BOLTS. 95
safety of only 2367 pounds, which is much too small to meet all contingencies. And is it any wonder that bolts break and knives fly off on those fast-running machines ?
The strain upon the cylinder-bolts and the liability of the knives flying off in over-speeded machines is not the only element of danger. Over-speeded pulleys are just as liable to fly to pieces, and do damage to the machine, as well as the operator. It is not practical to use pulleys on the cylinder shaft of less diameter than 4^ inches, as smaller ones soon destroy the belts and are deficient in friction surface. Neither is it practical or convenient, as the planing-machine is usually constructed, to use pulleys on the back-shaft of a greater diameter than 20 inches ; otherwise, the back-shaft would be too high to allow the matcher- belts to run in their proper place.
Now, suppose the pulleys on the back-shaft to be 20 inches in diameter and 4J- inches wide on the face : which would be the right proportion for this purpose, with the average thickness of the rim f of an inch? This pulley, in order to drive the cylinder 5000 revolu- tions per minute, would require a speed of 1125 revolu- tions per minute. Allowing the weight of the rim to be 30 pounds (the weight of the arms and hub not taken into consideration ), which is about the average for pulleys of this size, the centrifugal strain, by the rules already given would be as follows : The circum- ference in feet (5.2375) multiphed by the speed (i 125 revolutions), and divided by 60, equals 98.202, the speed in feet per second. The square of this number, multi- plied by the weight and divided by 32 times the radius
9^ HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
in feet, equals the centrifugal strain ; which will be found to equal 10851.79 pounds. The rim of this pulley contains a sectional area of about one square inch, and the tensile strength of the best samples of cast-iron, as determined by Major Wade, of the United States Ordnance Department, is from 15000 to 16000 pounds to the square inch.
It will be remembered, however, that those tests were made upon the basis of cast-iron bars one inch square, and from the best samples, perfectly sound and free from dirt or air-holes ; and it is a question whether the average castings obtained from the foundry from day to day will come anywhere near to this standard of strength. But suppose every pulley was perfect and the iron up to the standard of strength : there is, then, only a margin of safety of 3810.40 pounds, which is far below the standard of safety ; for no piece of machinery in constant use and submitted to the same constant strain from day to day should be taxed over one half of its ultimate strength. Again, the shape of the material and the manner in which the strain is appHed has much to do with it. If the pulley rim, instead of being a flat piece A,\ inches wide and f inch thick, were put in the shape of a square bar, which would be about one inch square, it is reasonable to suppose that it would stand a much greater strain than in its present form, and in the manner in which the strain is applied.
The same rule may be appHed to this which is ap- pHed to beams and girders ; and it is unnecessary to state what every one knows — that a cast-iron beam 4-|- inches wide and f inch thick will sustain more than four times the load when placed edgewise, that it
PULLEYS, ETC. 97
would if placed flatwise. And there is but one conclu- sion that we can arrive at ; and that is, that pulleys of the dimension given are not safe at such high speed.
Aside from the question of safety, there is also a question of economy involved that is worthy of con- sideration.
98 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
CHAPTER XII.
IMPORTANCE OF CARE IN PUTTING UP AND AD- JUSTING NEW MACHINES— THE NECESSITY OF EMPLOYING COMPETENT MEN— MISTAKES OFTEN MADE IN SPEED — ANECDOTE — ANNOY- ANCE FROM BAD BELTS— MATCHER-BELTS RE- QUIRE EXTRA CARE, ETC.
In a former chapter on the construction of ma- chinery as applied to this class of work, the opinions expressed are the result of over thirty years of practi- cal experience in the manufacture and use of planing- mill machinery.
What we have said of the planing-machine is equally applicable to the moulding-machine, tennoning-mia- chine, sticker, and all other machines used in wood- working. They are all constructed substantially upon the same principle, and may be considered under one head.
No matter how well and perfect a machine may be constructed, if it is not kept in working order, good work cannot be expected from it. It depends a great deal upon the manner in which a machine is set up. Placmg a machine in a mill, and belting it up, is not all there is of it. There are certain points about every machine to level from, so as to take the working-parts out of wind. These points should be ascertained and worked from until every part is free to work, before
PUTTING UP AND ADJUSTING NEW MACHINES. 99
the belts are put on. Many good machines have got a bad name on the start by not being properly set up and adjusted. To a certain extent, the manufacturers themselves are to blame. Whenever a machine is sold, the manufacturer should insist upon having a good competent man on hand to attend to the putting up and starting. Unless the purchaser has a man of ex- perience and ability already in his employ, the manu- facturer should send a man from the works even if he is obliged to do it at his own expense.
When a machine, thus started up by a competant man, starts off all right and performs its work in a satisfactory manner for two or three days, there is no reason why it should not continue to do so as long as it is kept in good running order. The reputation of a machine may thus be established so that, if by subse- quent neglect the machine does bad work, the manu- facturer cannot be held responsible for it.
Competition at the present time is injurious to both the manufacturer and user. In their anxiety to sell, they seem to care but little whose hand it goes into on the start, as long as they can succeed in making a sale, and seldom take the trouble even to inquire whether the purchaser is a practical man himself, or whether he has a man who is. And the result is that many good machines have been condemned and given a bad reputation through the ignorance and incompe- tancy of the operator ; when, if the manufacturer had ascertained these facts beforehand, and insisted upon sending a competant man to take charge of it for a few days, everything would have gone off all right and sat- isfactorily, and the future operator would have received
100 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
valuable information, which would have been of use to him for the future management of it. If the purchas- er is not in possession of a competent man for this purpose, he should be liberal enough to pay at least the expense of a man from the works to give the nec- essary instructions ; for in nine cases out of ten, the delay in starting the mill, and the lumber wasted before the inexperienced operator succeeds in getting the ma- chine in working order, will more than pay those expenses — to say nothing about the liability of accidents or damage to the machine.
It is often the case that the foreman of the mill may be a man of unquestionable experience and ability; yet his whole experience has been limited to some one par- ticular style of machine, and, it might be said truly, that what he did not know about that particular make of machine was not worth knowing. But give him a new machine of some other manufacture, and it will require several days for him to become acquainted with all of its peculiarities. Whereas, a man from the factory, who is accustomed to sitting up and testing those ma- chines, would explain to him in a few hours all of those peculiarities.
But it is often the case, especially where a new mill is started, that, while the proprietors may be first-class lumbermen, but with no practical knowledge of ma- chinery, the man who is engaged to take charge of it may be a competent man or he may not. The machinery is purchased and put in the mill, and the manufacturer must take his chances whether his machine will have a fair chance on the start or not ; or whether he will not be compelled in the end to send a man to straighten
NECESSITY OF EMPLOYING COMPETENT MEN. lOI
things out before he can get a settlement for them — not only to put the machine in working order, but per- haps repair damages which it might have sustained through ignorance on the part of the operator, which might have been avoided had a competent man been sent in the first instance.
There is another thing that manufacturers, as a class, are not particular enough about ; and that is the speed at which their machines are run. It makes consid- erable difference, both in quantity and quality of the work, whether the cylinders are run 3000, 3500, of 4000 revolutions per minute. The purchaser is informed that the cylinder should run perhaps 3600 ; and in order to do so, the speed of the back-shaft must be 900. He goes home and consults with some genius who is a carpenter, blacksmith, machinist, and mill- wright, all combined. He finds the line-shaft will run about so and so, and that a pulley of about such a size will be about right. A pulley is obtained about the size referred to ; in his opinion an inch or two either way will not make much difference and is near enough. Finally, the machine is started up ; it may run 3000, or it may run 4000, and perhaps more or less. However it hums and makes considerable noise, and they finally agree that the speed is about right ; but the work, as far as quantity is concerned, is not satisfactory. The machine is not turning out the quantity of work that it was guaranteed to do ; and the manufacturer is either obliged to go himself or send a man to find out what the trouble is, and correct it before a satisfactory set- tlement can be obtained.
This is no fancy sketch. A case of this kind oncQ
102 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
came under the observation of the writer. A machine was sold in a neighboring city. The machine was war- ranted to plane and match fifty lineal feet per minute, and do first-class work, with a cylinder speed of 3600 revolutions per minute. I suggested that a man from the works should be sent to put it up and start it. The purchaser replied that it would not be necessary, as he had a first-class man, who was a competent millwright, to take charge of it, and the speed would be properly attended to.
In a few days after the machine was started, a letter was received, stating that the machine was not working satisfactory, and that there was a miscalculation in the feed, and that only about forty lineal feet per minute could be dressed and make good work. They had tried a larger feed-pulley so as to bring the feed up to fifty feet, but it made rough work and tore up the edges of the board in matching so that they had to abandon its use. I notified them by telegraph that I would be there the next day.
I arrived at their office in due time, w^hich was in one corner of the mill ; and as soon as I heard the hum of the cylinders, I was satisfied where the trouble was. I inquired if their machinery was running up to the regular speed ; they replied that it was. I informed him if that was the case, unless my ears were greatly at fault, the planer was not running up to its speed by con- siderable. He replied that the machine was running even faster than I had recommended. His millwright, Mr. A., had calculated the size of the pulley, and Mr. A. nev^rmade any mistakes in his figures, and the machine
MISTAKEB OFTEN MADE IN SPEED, IO3
was really running 4200 revolutions per minute, and that I had made a mistake In calculating the feed.
I told him I was not a betting man, but I would agree to purchase cigars for the whole party if, after a close calculation, the speed was over 3200 revolutions; and that Mr. A. should measure the diameter of the several pulleys as soon as they shut down at noon, and, if I was not right, I would make any alterations neces- sary, at my own expense, or they could ship the machine back at my expense.
They admitted that this was fair enough ; and after dinner, Mr. A. brought in a list of the several pulleys, including the band-wheel and speed of the engine. I figured up the speed, and found the cylinders running a trifle less than 3000. I then told Mr. A. that he must lag up that driving-pulley just seven inches, and we would see what effect that would have. Mr. A. demurred a little, saying that he did not believe the machine would stand any such speed, and that It would not be safe to run it. I told him that did not matter, as I would rim the machine myself until he was satisfied on that question, but I must have the speed if they required the machine to fulfil the conditions of my guaranty.
Accordingly the pulley was lagged up and the machine started. It ran perfectly steady and turned out the fifty lineal feet per minute, and was perfectly satisfactory to all concerned ; and Mr. A. was obliged to admit that at least once in his life he had made a mistake in his figures.
After a planlng-machine, or. In fact, any other machine Is started up and put In running order, it must not be
104 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
expected or taken for granted that it will continue so for any length of time unless it is constantly watched and everything kept in perfect adjustment. No class of machinery needs closer watching. With the con- stant vibrations which this class of machinery is sub- jected to, bolts and set-screws and nuts will work loose, no matter how well they are fitted ; knives and cutters will become dull with use, and require sharpen- ing, balancing, and resetting; belts will become slack and require taking up ; the foundation under the machine may settle (especially if none too solid in the first place), and throw the machine out of line, cramp the journals, and cause them to heat ; and a hundred other things, too numerous to mention. And only the diligent and watchful care of an experienced operator will detect and remedy these difficulties.
When a machine, especially if it is a heavy one, has run smooth and free for several weeks, and then, with- out any apparent cause, begins to heat, there is some cause for it ; for when a machine has run free for that length of time, there is no good reason why it should not continue to do so for months, provided that proper care is manifested in reducing the packing, and screw- ing down the caps as the metal lining wears away. But if boxes continue to heat and bind, the probabilities are that the foundation has settled ; and it is always best, before attempting to readjust anything, to try the spirit-level upon those points from which the machine was first adjusted,, and, if the foundation has settled, it will readily be discovered and remedied at once: for a machine should never be run one hour after it is dis- covered to be out of line or winding. If the foundation
ANNOYANCE FROM BAD BELTS. I05
is good, but the shrinkage of the timbers has changed its position with reference to the machine, it is better not to disturb it ; but with a few shingles used under the legs of the machine, .it can be brought back to its former position.
When this is carefully attended to, the chances are that the machine will go off all right without any fur- ther adjustment. But if it should continue to heat, it is evident that there is some other cause, which must be hunted up and remedied, for there is no economy in pouring on oil and running a machine with hot jour- nals. Dirty, gummy oil is frequently the cause. In this case, the cyhnder should be taken out, the boxes well cleaned, and the journals wiped off ; and after properly adjusting the packing so that the caps may be screwed down solid, the shaft will be free to turn without any play in the boxes. It is quite a particular job, and one that requires considerable care and judgment, to so regulate the packing that, while there will be no play in the boxes, they may not bind upon the journals ; for a very slight pressure will cause them to heat, while a very little play will make small corrugations upon the face of the lumber that is being planed.
Care should be taken in grinding knives and cutters, so that they may be kept in perfect balance. If a new set of knives are in perfect balance, it is an easy matter to keep them so if sufficient care is manifested in grinding.
The side-cutters should also have close attention.; and no matter what style of head is used, the cutters should be kept not only sharp and in good shape, but
Io6 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
especial care should be had in filing or grinding, to keep them of the same weight.
The cutting edge of a matcher-bit seldom exceeds two inches in width ; so, that if they are all of the same thickness, and kept the same length, they will always be in running balance.
Bad belts are not only a great annoyance to the operator, but sometimes a source of great damage to the machine. There is no economy in running crooked belts, flopping about from one side of the pulley to the other, with thick, hard laps that spring the shaft every time they pass over the pulley. The sooner such belts are dispensed with and consigned to the junk-heap, the better it will be for the proprietor, and save a great deal of time and swearing on the part of the operator.
It is a fact that may easily be demonstrated in most planing-mills, that the time spent in the course of a year in patching and sewing old belts, if carefully taken and kept an account of, would amount to a sum sufficient to more than pay for new ones. When a belt becomes so rotten and worn that it requires mending every few days, the cheapest plan is to mend it at once with a new one.
The matcher-belts require more care and should be of better quality than any other belt about the machine. From the manner in which they run, they will get crooked no matter how good they may be. When they get so, if they are not attended to, they will run to the top of the pulley and soon cut themselves to pieces against the upright. In order to keep them in shape, so as to run well and remain on the pulleys in their
MATCHER-BELrS REQUIRE EXTRA CARE, ETC. I07
proper places, they should be (especially when new) turned every day ; and. even after they are done stretch- ing whenever they are inclined to ruu high upon the pulley, this may be corrected by turning them over on the pulleys.
I once had a case of this kind, which is cited to illus- trate how little judgment and forethought some men manifest in the management of machinery.
A medium-sized machine was sold to a party who claimed to have a man of large experience as a planing- machine operator to take charge of and run it. After a few weeks, a letter was received, stating that some- thing must be done with that machine, for the matcher- belts run over the tops of the pulleys and cut them- selves to pieces in a short time, and that he had already used up two new sets of belts. His foreman thought there should be flanges on the upper end of the pulleys, but the back-shaft was too high and should be lowered ; in fact, every man in the mill had a remedy for it, ex- cept the right one.
I called on him, and he informed me that he had put on a new set of belts only a day or two previous ; and they had already began to act in the same manner as the others had done. I asked the foreman if he had ever turned them. He replied no ; that he had never heard of such a thing before. He had run So-and-so's machine for six months before, and never had any trouble of that kind with the belts.
The belts were taken off and laid out on the floor. Instead of being straight, they described a circle of twelve or thirteen feet radius. The belts were turned end for end and put on again, when, instead of running
I08 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
up on the pulleys, they ran down hard on the bottom flanges for a while, and then worked up to the centre of the pulleys, where they remained. I advised him to turn the belts frequently, and they would give him no further trouble. And as there were no further com- plaints, I concluded that the suggestion was acted upon.
It is well known among all skilled mechanics that all quarter-twist belts, where the upright shaft is at right angles to the driving one, will find their own natural position upon the face of a pulley, no matter whether it is crowning or straight on the face, so long as the rela- tive position of the two shafts remains unchanged ; and where an upright shaft is driven by a pulley on a hori- zontal one, as is the case with the matcher spindles of a combined planing and matching machine, the lead- ing side of the belt, or that side which is running to- wards the driven pulley, will always follow a line at right angles with the upright and the top or driving side of the belt. That being the center of the pulley, one half of the width of the belt will run above that line, and the other half below it, provided the belt is perfectly straight ; and as long as these conditions are fulfilled the belt will run in the centre of the pulley upon the upright shaft.
It is also well known to all practical men that the position of a quarter-twist belt is such that the strain upon the upper edge is much greater than upon the lower. And when the belt becomes stretched out of a straight line, it has the same effect as changing the angle of the upright shaft ; and the belt will run above its real path just in proportion as it would vary from a
MATCHER-BELTS REQUIRE EXTRA CARE, ETC. IO9
straight line provided it was taken o£f and laid upon the floor. Hence the necessity of frequently changing such belts by turning them over ; and all quarter-twist belts, no matter what their size or width or for what- ever purpose they are used, should be joined together by fastenings that will admit of either side being run next to the pulley
no HISTORY OF THE PLANlNG-MlLL,
CHAPTER XIII.
FEED-ROLLS — MANNER OF CASTING THEM— TROU- BLE CA USED B V IMPERFECT ROLLS, IMPERFECT GEARING, ETC.
The feed-rolls of a planing-machine, although not requiring the same mechanical skill and judgment as the cylinder and side cutters, should be carefully and accurately fitted. In most cases, they are cast upon the wrought-iron shafts that are used for their bearings, and to which the driving-gears are attached. If the shafts are heavy and properly prepared, the rolls may be cast upon them so as to be as strong and dura- ble as any other means of fastening. The trouble ex- perienced in many mills by the rollers working loose upon the shafts is in the imperfect manner of prepar- ing them before being taken to the foundry.
In many cases, where rolls have been brought to the shop for repairs, upon examination it was found that only a few shallow holes had been drilled into the shaft at that point where the iron closes around it, the centre being cored out, leaving a bearing of from one and one half to two inches upon each end, the balance forming a cylinder of about one half inch thick.
The coring out of the centre is well enough, as a round cylinder one half inch thick is strong enough to stand all the strain that would ever be brought to bear upon it. But the short bearings at the ends, and se-
MANNER OF CASTING FEED-ROLLS. Ill
cured only by a few holes drilled into the shaft, is not sufficient to hold it ; and with rolls cast upon the shafts in this manner, it will only be a question of time when they will work loose.
All practical mechanics should know that the shrink- age of cast and wrought iron is not equal, the latter expanding by heat and contracting by cold more than the former ; and as that part of the shaft which comes in immediate contact with the melted iron be- comes as hot as the casting in a few minutes, when both cool off together the wrought-iron will shrink more than the cast and have a tendency to draw away from it unless some provision is made to counteract this tendency. If not, in nine cases out of ten, a slight jar will start them loose from the shaft before they leave the foundry.
The most effective manner to prevent this defect is: In the first place, there should not be less than three inches bearing on each end of the roll where the wrought and cast iron come in contact. This may be done by casting collars upon each end of the rolls long enough to fill up the space between the boxes and the end of the roll.
That part of the shaft which comes in contact with the casting should be turned down just sufficient to insure a clean surface ; for the cast-iron will not lay upon the surface if there is rust or other foreign mat- ter adhering to it, but will boil and bubbl^so that the surface in contact, instead of being smooth and solid, will be spongy and of no use.
Heating the bar white-hot and while in that state, if all the rust and scales are carefully scraped off and the
112 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
iron used as soon as it cools, will answer the same pur- pose as turning, so far as the casting is concerned.
After the shafts are prepared, either by heating or turning, the spaces should be laid out so as to indicate where the cast and wrought iron are to meet. Then cut three or four square slots similar to a key-seat, — except they should begin near the end of the roll, — about three eights of an inch deep, and taper towards the centre so as to run out near the inside edge of the casting. These slots for a shaft two inches in. diameter should not be not less than one half inch wide.
Now, when the melted iron is poured into the mould it runs into these slots, and that part of the bar soon becomes as hot as the casting. But the centre of the bar, being protected by the core, will not be heated much above a red heat ; so that, when the whole cools, the casting will shrink endwise more than the bar, and the ends will be drawn towards the centre upon the in- clined surface at the bottom of the slot, so that, the more they shrink, the tighter they will become. Rolls cast upon the shafts in this manner, with proper care in fit- ting up, will never get loose.
The shafts are frequently sprung by the intense heat in casting, so that they require straightening before they are turned off. When such is the case, never lay them on the anvil and pound them with a sledge, as is frequently done, for that will be liable to start them loose, no matter how firm they may be. If they require straightening, the proper way is to use a press and spring them with the power of a screw. This is easily accomplished^ for that part of th^ shafting close to thq
MANNER OF CASTING FEED-ROLLS. II3
casting is always quite soft, being annealed by the in- tense heat of the melted iron that surrounds it.
In fitting up rolls, it is important that they be per- fectly round of the same diameter, straight from end to end, and true with the journals. There is more trouble caused by imperfect rolls than many are aware of. If they are not true with the shafts or journals, and run out — especially the bottom ones — at every revolu- tion, they will lift the board from the bed unless the pressure-bar or roll in front of the cylinder, as the case may be, is weighted down sufficiently to spring the board and prevent it from lifting.
This will do very well for thin stuff ; but with lumber two or three inches thick, if the pressure is set so close as to prevent it from raising, it will stick every time the high side comes up, and the machine will feed by jerks and make imperfect work. Again, if the feed-rolls vary in size, no matter how small that variation may be, one or the other must slide upon the surface of the board ; for they are so geared together that each pair are com- pelled to make the same number of revolutions in a given time. And it is evident that this unnatural strain upon the extension-gears, if not sufficient to break the teeth, will soon wear them away so as to render them useless.
My attention was once called to a case of this kind which fully confirms what has just been said. The ma- chine Vas a heavy six-rolled one of a certain well-known manufacturer, and was really a first-class machine ; but the owners were having trouble with the extension- gears on the joUs behind the cylinder. They informed me that the gears on both pairs of the rolls in front of
114 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
the cylinder had never given them any trouble, and the same gears were on now that came with the machine and were in good condition ; but the pair behind the cylinder had always given them trouble — had broken and worn out three sets already.
This machine was provided with a steel scraper, at- tached to the top roll to prevent the accumulation of gum ; and it had performed its duty so well that it had not only scraped off all the gum, but it had scraped off the roll also, until it was fully one eighth of an inch smaller than its mate ; so that the gears had not only to perform the duty of carrying the board along at its regular feed, but to overcome the friction of one roll constantly sliding upon its surface — so that this set of gears were doing double duty, as compared with the others.
The remedy suggested was to take all the rolls to the machine-shop, and have them all turned to the same size ; then throw the steel scraper into the scrap-heap, and in its place apply a piece of hard wood covered on the side in contact with the roll with about three thicknesses of stout felt or cotton duck, and so adjust it that it would press lightly upon the roll, and, by the use of a few drops of kerosene oil applied once or twice in the day, the roll would be kept clean and there would be no further trouble from the wearing out or breaking of gears. This plan was adopted, and there was no further trouble with the machine.
Good, smooth-running gearing is essential to a well- working machine. It would seem as if some manufac- turers had expended all their mechanical skill and in- genuity on their machines before the gearing was ar-
MANNER OF CASTING FEED-ROLLS. II5
rived at, and that part left to chance ; and as if they had picked up the first thing for a pattern in the shape of a gear that might be of the right diameter, regardless of pitch or width of face. Others seem to have given this subject considerable attention, with well proportioned patterns. But after all, there seems to be no standard for pitch. or width of face, some going to one extreme and some to the other. On one machine maybe found gears with very wide face and fine teeth ; while another will go to the opposite extreme, of making a very nar- row face, with the pitch coarse enough for mill-gearing.
Now, there is a medium for all things. Fine wide- faced gears for planing-mill purposes are objectionable for the reason that it is difficult to keep them in line, especially those which run loose upon studs and pins ; and if they are not in line, and bear only on one half the width of the tooth, they are really no stronger than they would be if they were only one half the width of face. It is a mistaken idea that gears of medium coarse pitch cannot be made to run as smooth as fine- pitched gear.
In my experience, I have found that the most suit- able proportions for the gearing of a heavy, first-class planing-machine should be two-inch face and one-inch pitch. If such gears are cast from good iron patterns, accurately cut, they will wear well, run smooth, and are less liable to break than any other proportion that has come under my observation. Wooden patterns are not suitable for this purpose ; for, no matter how accurate- ly they may be constructed, after using them a few times, the change from the moisture of the foundry to the dry air of the pattern-room will soon cause them
Il6 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
to shrink and swell until they are anything but the proper shape for a good pattern.
All gearing, before they are attached to a machine, should be carefully examined ; for, no matter how per- fect the pattern, by a little carelessness on the part of the moulder there are liable to be teeth that are swelled, which, if not dressed off so as to correspond with the others, there will be a jerk every time that tooth comes in contact with the others : and much of the wavy and imperfect work which is complained of may be traced to this cause.
I was once sent for to examine a machine that had a trick of making corrugations on the face of the lumber about two feet apart, while the surface between was perfectly smooth. The operator in charge, who had only been in the mill a short time, and who was a very competent man, had puzzled his brains to discover the cause, and had given it up. I went for the gearing the first thing ; and sure enough, there was a tooth in the intermediate gear that had been broken out, and some one not well skilled in gear dentistry had inserted one in its place which was neither the right size nor shape to agree with the others, and every time it came in contact with its neighbor it gave him a punch, who resented it by giving him a punch back : and the re- sult was a small corrugation on the face of the lumber that was being planed. I took the gear off, and, with a file and calipers, reduced it to its proper shape and size, so that it would work smooth and regular with the others : and the corrugations from that time disap- peared.
Very few operators are aware of the sensitiveness of
SENSITIVENESS OF PLANING-MACHINE. WJ
a planing-machine, and seem to think that, if they have a good heavy machine, it ought to do good smooth work under all conditions and under all circumstances, which is not the case. And I once had an opportunity of demonstrating this fact to a party who entertained this notion. He had in his mill a heavy, six-rolled machine, weighing about nine thousand pounds, which he claimed was cranky. Some days, he said, it would plane perfectly smooth on any kind of work, while other days the work would be wavy in spite of all he could do, and he had failed to discover the cause, and claimed it must be some defect in the machine.
I looked the machine over carefully and could dis- cover nothing wrong ; and as it was turning out very smooth work at the time, I remarked that I was sure no one could complain of the quality of such work as he was then turning out. He said this was one of its good days, but he wished I could see some of the work that it turned out when it was '' buUing," as he ex- pressed it. I examined some of the work that had been done under those conditions, and was forced to admit that it was not first-class work. I examined the floor and the foundation underneath the machine, and found it fair, but not quite as solid as it should have been. I told him there was a cause for it, and I should stay there until I discovered it, " if it took all summer."
To satisfy him that a planing-machine was more sen- sitive than he was willing to admit, I gave the machine a good smart kick with my foot, against the side of the frame ; and sure enough, when the board came out, although perfectly smooth in every other part, just at
Il8 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL,
the point where it was working when I gave it the kick there was a small corrugation.
I then went up stairs, which was occupied as a sash and door factory, and right over the planer I saw a heavy power mortising-machine, but which was not run ning at the time. I requested the foreman of that es- tablishment to start it up, which he did : and sure enough, just as soon as it began to work, the planer commenced to '' bull," and the work was anything but smooth. I told him I guessed we had found the trouble without my staying '' all summer," and that, if he want- ed his planer to do smooth work every day without " bulling," he must take the '' bull by the horns" and either remove the mortiser to some other part of the building or put an independent post under it reaching down to the ground, so that the mortiser would stand upon its own responsibility, and not communicate every vibration it produced to the planer below ; also to put an extra post under the planer to help support the floor.
This was done, and from that time no more " bull- ing" was complained of.
L UBRICA TION. 1 1 9
CHAPTER XIV.
LUBRICATION— DEFECTIVE BOXES— THE SELF-OILING , BOX— GLASS OILERS— ADULTERATED OILS— THE BEST OILS FOR PLANING-MILL PURPOSES.
As all wood-working machinery needs lubricating, it is unnecessary to say that without some system of lubrication no machinery can be successfully run.
The different modes and the great number of lubri- cants in use at the present time form a good and profitable theme for discussion. When two surfaces in working contact are brought together, no matter whether the motion is circular or reciprocating, unless some substance be introduced between those surfaces to keep them from intimate contact with each other heat and abrasion will result. Perfect lubrication cannot be had unless suitable boxes to receive and retain the lubricant are provided.
The old-fashioned box with a hole in the cap is still in use, and has its advocates. This may do well enough for some of the coarser kinds of slow-running machinery, but with fast-running machinery, of that class which comes under the head of planing-mill machinery, this box is out of the question for certain parts of the machine. The principal objection to this style of box is, the oil is not retained in the oil-hole, but runs down immediately upon the journal, and is thrown off by the rapid motion of the shaft and wasted, except what
I20 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
may adhere to the journal ; and unless the operation of oiling be frequently repeated, the journal soon be- comes dry and heated before the operator is aware of it. Enlarging the oil-hole, by cutting away a part of the cap so as to form a receptacle for a piece of suet, not only takes away just so much of the wearing surface, but materially weakens it, besides forming an excellent receptacle for dust and grit, which are carried in with the melted tallow and helps to cut the journal and wear out the box.
The self-oiling box introduced several years ago, and adopted by most of the leading manufacturers, was probably the best system that was ever adopted for lubricating fast-running machinery. This box was provided with a reservoir below the bearing to contain the oil, which was drawn up to the journal by capillary attraction through tubes inserted in the bottom of the box and filled with cotton wicking, sponges, or some other fibrous substance. Openings were provided at each end of the inside box which formed the bearing, so that the surplus oil drawn up through the tubes could flow back again into the reservoir after it had passed over the journal, and not be wasted.
This style of box had no oil-holes in the cap (the reservoir being filled when the caps were taken off), and was free from dust and grit ; and as the oil was constantly filtered by being drawn through this fibrous substance in the tubes, the journals were always sup- plied with perfectly clean oil, while whatever impurities might be contained in the oil were left to settle in the bottom of the reservoir.
THE SELF-OILING BOX. 121
This style of box, although somewhat expensive, would run formonths without re-oiling if properly taken care of. But the trouble was that, if a box would run successfully for three months without cleaning and being replenished with fresh oil, the chances were it would be neglected until the oil was exhausted, and before the operator was aware of it the journals would be cut or the metal lining melted out of the box.
We remember one case that came under our own observation. A line of shafting about ninety feet long was put up with self-oiling boxes ; the speed was three hundred revolutions per minute, and the reservoir under each bearing contained about a pint of oil. This shaft was warranted to run six months without reoiling, but it was stipulated that at the end of that time the boxes should be taken out and cleaned, and replenished with a fresh supply of oil, when it would be good for another six months' run.
One day the foreman of the mill came into the shop where the shaft and boxes were made, holding in his hand one of the boxes with the metal lining melted out and the iron shell nearly cut through ; the shaft was also badly cut in the journal. Of course he heaped all manner of curses upon the self-oiling boxes.
When he had sufficiently relieved himself, the pro- prietor of the machine-shop inquired how long since those boxes were cleaned and oiled.
He replied that he did not know, — there had been nothing done with them since he had been in the mill.
" And how long have you been in the mill ?" inquired the proprietor.
122 HISTORY OF THE PLANING-MILL.
" Well, let's see," replied the foreman : " I think it is a year last month."
" And how long had the mill been running when you took charge of it ?"
" I don't know exactly," replied he.
'' Well, I know," replied the proprietor. " The mill was first started on the third day of April, and you took charge about the first of June following ; so you see, according to your own statement, that shaft has been running constantly everyday for about fourteen months, without cleaning, oiling, or any other care whatever ; and the only wonder is that, instead of one box being cut out, they were not all cut out, and the mill set on fire long ago from hot journals."
Another case was a planing-machine that had been in operation a little over a year when the writer visited it. The cylinders were fitted with self-oiling boxes of a capacity to hold sufficient oil to last three months. When I visited the mill I found each box fitted with a glass oiler. I inquired how the machine was working. He replied. "All right ;" but his foreman said the self- oiling box was a failure and had condemned them and substituted the glass oiler in their place.
Upon further inquiry I learned that for about three months the machine ran all right, and then began to heat so that it could not be run. I asked him if he would stop long enough to allow me to examine the boxes. " Certainly," he replied.
The caps were taken off and the cylinder taken out, when the reservoirs below the journals were found to