MACHINE FOR FORMING THE CHEEKS OF PLANK OR MADE SHIPS' TACKLE-BLOCKS - United States Patent 19

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71 B/ajwAtfrd,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS BLANCHARD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.
MACHINE EOR FORMING THE CHEEKS OE PLANK OR MADE SHIPS' TACKLE-BLOCKS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 19, dated August 31, 1836.

To all whom, it may concern :

Be it known that I, Thomas Blanchard,
late of Springfield, in the county of Hamp-
den and State of Massachusetts, but now
5 of the city, county and State of New York,
have invented, made, and applied to use cer-
tain new and useful improvements in ma-
chinery for making ships' tackle and pul-
ley blocks, which machinery is applicable-

10 to forming or shaping the sides of blocks
the shells of which are made in pieces and
conveniently known as plank or made blocks,
as distinguishable by such name from com-
mon or solid shell blocks, and that the said

15 machinery and the method of constructing
and using the same are correctly and fully
set forth and shown in the following de-
scription and in the drawing annexed to
and forming a part of this specification,

20 wherein is shown an orthographical per-
spective of the machine, Figure 1, in
which — ■

A, A, are two lower bearers, B, B, are
two short posts, or legs supporting c, c, c,

25 three pieces forming a frame on which the
working parts of the machinery! are mounted,
and which at one end joint into D, D, two
other standard posts or legs, these are shown
in the drawing as of wood but may be made

30 of iron. Between the legs B, B, is fixed
the swing frame E, mounted on centers, or
pivots going through the end pieces into
the frame B, B, and supported by the steady
frame F, to which it is jointed by the bars

35 a, a, and ears 5, &, and the direct motion
of these two frames is given by the crooked
lever C, whose fulcrum is fixed on the frame
e, the lever being jointed by the bar d,
to one side of the frame E. Between the

40 two upper parts of the frame E, is fixed the
block e, mounted on centers which come
through the frame E, and having a wide
flanch on the end next the lever C. Behind
this block e is the plate /, and at right angles

45 to this are the posts or standards h, h, and
centrically upon the plate / and between the
standards h, h, is fixed the conical shaft i,
held in place by bearings g, g, upon the outer
end of the shaft i, is the forked carriage j,

50 and between the points of this fork the
swing center plate K, is mounted on a pivot
or center at each end centrically in this
swing center plate is a pair of flanches on
each edge so. fitted that they stand out at

55 right angles to, and lengthwise parallel with
the edges of the plate h. The two adjusting

plates I I are fitted in the same manner with
flanges behind them and are mounted on
the plate k, by screw centers, which go
through the flanches of the plates I, I, into eo
the flanches of the plate k, and the distances
of the ends of the adjusting plates I, I, from
the face of the plate k, are regulated by
set screws in the swing plate k. Upon the
face of the adjusting plates I, I, are fitted 65
the cheek plates to, m, so fixed by screws
that they may be removed, and give place
to larger or smaller plates when needful.
Each end of the cheek plates M, M, is turned
up to form a permanent nut through which 70
four holding screws, n, n, n, n,. are fitted to
work either with center points or to spur
plates for the purpose hereafter described.
The clutch lever o, is mounted in center
working into a pair of cross arms on the 75
lever from the standard posts h, h. This
lever is formed with a T head on the under
side of which at each end is one of the clutch
plates p, p, having flanches by which they
are screwed onto the T head of the lever 80
through slots in the head which allow of
these clutch plates being adjusted at any
required distance from the center of the
lever o. These parts are shown in ortho-
graphic projection in a front view, in the 85
detached Fig. 2, and in a side view in the
detached Fig. 3, and the same letters of ref-
erence apply in all the figures.

The brace r is fixed with, its shaft in a
wood or metal stock s on the head of the 90
post or standard t at the side of the cheek
plates in such a way that the center or nose
of the brace r is corresponding with and
fitted to receive the heads of the screw cen-
ters n, n,.n, n, and turn them in or out of 95
the nuts on the ends of the plates m, to, upon
the frame I, I. In front of the last described
parts are two standards G, G, connected by
a linthVhead, and between these standards
the rotary cutter shaft H, is hung on cen- 100
ters, and has mounted on it four cutter
stocks q, q, q, q, each having fixed upon it a
cutter blade with a curved edge, the stock
and cutters being fixed at right angles to the
shaft and diagonally to cut at a similar an- 105
gle to that of a carpenter's plane iron. ■ On
one end of the cutter shaft H is the drum on
pulley I, to give a rapid rotary motion to -the
cutters by a belt, or band from any first
moving power, and themethod of using this 110
machine as thus far described, is as follows.
A piece of plank to form the side of a block

19

having been cut into a rough form and
planed on the part intended to go inside is
placed by the workmen between the two nuts
on the ends of the cheek plates m, m, while
5 the plates are laid horizontally by turning
the fork j. The workman then enters the
screw centers n, n, into the ends of the wood
by the aid of the brace r, then rolls the
spring and check plates round on the center

10 in the fork to put a second piece in on the
opposite side in the same manner. Having
done this he sets the fork vertically under
the clutch plates p, p, under the end of the
lever ; the stop pieces s, s, on the sides of the

15 fork come against the lever o, preventing
the apparatus from rolling too far on the
conical joint i, and the^guide piece t aids in
bringing down the lever o, so that the clutch
plates p, p, come tightly down one on each

20 side over the adjusting plates I, I, and the
lever having a click stud which takes into
the ratchet teeth in the vertical spring bar u.
The workman by lifting the outer end of the
lever fixes the whole apparatus so firmly that

25 it can only move toward the cutters on the
lower center of the swing frame E, with a
limited motion on the centers of the joint
block e. In this direction the workman now
by the lever c, makes the whole approach

30 the cutters g, q, which are to be in rapid
rotation, and they will now cut the middle
part and edge of each wooden cheek piece
to their own shape as they revolve. The
form board u, on the nanch of the joint

35 block e, now comes in contact with the guide
board w, shown in the detached Fig. 4, and
the workman depressing the clutch lever o,
the compound curve formed by moving with
the edges of the form board and guicleboard

40 in contact will bring the apparatus and
wooden checks upward in such a direction
that the cutters will finish the lower and
forward quarters of each pair of cheeks in
the required form. The operation of these

45 cutters being such that they cut diagonally
from the grain of the wood operated on so as
to make a drawing stroke, or cut by which
the work is at once finished with a smooth
surface, and by the set screws on the plate

50 K. The plates I, I, are allowed to be drawn

in at top by the clutch piates p, p, so as to
let out the opposite ends of the cheeks for
the cutters to cut the ends thinner than the
middle of the cheek, and by these conjoined
adjustments the cheeks are formed in the 55
proper curves both transverse and length-
wise as the same are required to give a fin-
ished form to the side of the block. The
workman then withdraws the apparatus from
the cutters, and disengages the lever 0, from 60
the ratchet bar v, and raises the clutch plates,
so as to tarn the cheeks, and apparatus upon
the center of the swing plate, and present
the opposite lower quarters of the cheek to
the cutters, then securing the whole by the 60
clutch plates, lever, and ratchet bar, he re-
peats the motion above described, and there-
by the second lower quarter of the wooden
cheeks is cut to form. He then withdraws
as before, and disengages the lever and 70
clutch plates, and turns the forked carriage
j end for end on its conical shaft i, and '
again repeats the previously described op-
erations, thereby cutting successively the
four quarters of each ch'eek into a precisely 75
similar form. These are then taken out by
reversing the operation by which they have
been placed in successively to be formed for
use in a similar manner.

And I, the said Thomas Blakchakd, do 80
hereby declare that I claim as my inven-
tion —

1. The application of rotary cutters in the
form hereinbefore described to the purpose

of shaping the cheeks of plank blocks. 85

2. And I also claim as my invention the
combination of mechanical means for fixing
and holding block cheeks, and presenting
the same to the operation of the cutters as
hereinbefore substantially described and set 90
forth, by which such cheek pieces are cut
without being moved from the machine into
the form and curves required on a cheek
piece of a finished block.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 95
my hand August 11th, 1835.

THOS. BLANCHARD.
Witnesses :

John N. Taylok,
Jas. H. Sanford.