US70288A - Improvement in machines foe stepping willow - Google Patents

Description

@uitrit taten gattini4 fitte' JAMES S'WAN, 0F PATERSON, NEW JERSEY.

Letters Patent No. 70,288, dated October 29, 1867. i

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR STRIPPING WILLOW.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, JAMES SWAN, of Paterson, in the county of' Passaic, and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and improved Machine for Stripping Willow; and that the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, hereinafter referred to, forms a full and exact specification of the Same, wherein I have set forth the nature and principles of my said improvements, by which my invention may be distinguished from all others of a similar class, togethenwith such parts as I claim an'l desire to have secured to me by Letters Patent.

VThis invention relates to a new and improved machine for stripping Willow of its bark preparatory to the `manufacture of the same into baskets.

The invention consists of a rotaryrstripping device provided with blades or strippers arranged, in connection with a spring or springs, in such a manner that the strippers will be made to bear or press upon the willow hy centrifugal force generatedby the rotation of the hollow mandrel to which the stripping device is attached.

The invention also consists in a means for cleaning the strippingpdcvice or preventing the same from clogging, and Y l The invention finally consists in a clamp of peculiar construction for grasping the willow and drawing it through the stripping device, as hereinafter fully shown and described. In the accompanying sheet of drawings- Figure 'l is aplan or top view of my invention. y

Figure l2, a transverse vertical section of the same, taken in the line :z: zt, fig. l.

Figure 3, ahorizontal section of the stripping device pertaining to the same, taken in the line y y, tig. 2.

Figure Li, a side sectional view of a portion oi` the same, taken in the line s z, l.

Figure 5, a section of the stripping device4 taken in the line z 2, Eg. 3.

Similar letters of reference indica-te like parts.

A represents a head, which may he constructed similar .to the head of anl ordinary turning-lathe, and provided with a hollow mandrel, B, on the inner end of which the stripping device C is secured. This stripping device is composed of a circular huh, o; having a recess, Z1, extending entirely across it, in whiohthe strippers D D are tted and allowed to slide freely. These strippers are composed each oi' two parallel plates c e, connested at their outer ends hy a rivet or bolt, d, a suilicient space being allowed between them Vto` admit of the plate cof one stripper fitting and sliding between the plates of the other stripper, and vice versa. (See g. Through the two plates of each stripper there is made an opening, e, semicircular at one end, and V shape the other. (See iig. 5.) The V-shape end is essential, the opposite end may be of semicircular or other form, 'but the semicircular form would prohablyhe as good, if not preferable to, other forms. The innermost stripper D has the extent of its inward movement limited by ledge or lange,f, at one end of the recess b, against which the inner end of said stripper comes in contact when both strippers are fully inward, the inward movement of. I

the .other stripper being limited by its rivet or bolt i coming in contact with the outermost plate c of the stripper first named. The strippers are retained in the recess l5 by a plate, E, screwed to the end-or face of `huh a. F is an elastic hand which encompasses the huh a, and extends around the outer ends of the strippers D D, said hand serving as a spring, and having a tendency to keep the strippers pressed inward. In the hollow mandrel B there is fitted a tube, Gr, around which a spiral spring, e,vis fitted, one end of the latter bearing against the outer end of the maudrel'and the opposite end bearing against a disk,f, on the outer part of tube G. (See figs. l and 3.) The mandrel B has three pulleys, gg g, upon it, g being a fast pulley, and y y idle ones. H I are two shafts, euch of which has three pulleys, 7i it It, upon them, the pulleys t being fast, and it lL idle ones. J is a belt which works around these pulleys, and a driving-pulley, K, underneath the machine, as shown in iig. 2. The shafts H I are connected by bevel-wheels z', with a shaft, L, on which a toothed wheel, M, is placed, and around which an endless chain, N, passes, said chain also passing around a wheel, M', as shown clearly in tig. 4. To this endless cha-inN a slide, O, is attached, which works or travels on ways P P, and to this slide O there are pivoted two levers Q Q, ,which act against two jaws R R, pivoted on the slide O, as shown atjj. The rear ends of these jaws R It are encompassed by an elastic band,vS, which has a tendency to keep the ends of the jaws which grasp the willow disteuded or spread apart, these ends of the jaws ybeing provided with teeth k, as shown clearly-in fig. 3. T T are two uprights secured to the base of the' machine near the stripping device, and T' T' are two similar uprights secured to the base, near the rear ends of the ways P P. These uprights are placed at each side of the ways P, as shown clearly in iig. 1. U represents a slide-rod, which has its bearings in two of the uprights T T', at one side of the ways P P. This slide-rod is provided with a projection, V, which extendsacross the path of the movement of the slide O, and one end of the slide-rod is connected to a belt-slipper, W, which throws or moves the belt J upon the idle pulleys of the mandrel and shafts at the termination of each movement` ofthe slide, the belt being moved upon the fast pulleys by hand, so as to give the reverse movement to the slide, so that the shafts H I may drive alternately the shaft L, and give a recipro-. eating movement to the slide O, the shafts H I, owing to the manner in which Athe belt J is larranged in relation with them, rotating in reverse directions.

The willow to be stripped of its bark, if not green, has its bark softened by steaming or soaking, and the willow rods, one at a time, are passed through the mandrel B, and the end grasped by the jaws R R, which, if they have not reached the extent of their inward movement towards the stripping device, are open, and kept open by the levers Q Q, which are in the position shown in tig. 3, but are closed when said levers strike the inner uprights T T, the spring. The mandrel B is not putin motion until after the rod has beenpassed through it, and when the jaws 'R R grasp the willow, the slide O moves back or outward, and draws the willow through' the stripping device, the strippersD D, owing to centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the head or hub a, Causing the V-shaped ends of the openings to bear or press against the willow rods, and strip the bark therefrom. As the slide O reaches the termination of its outward movement, the levers Q Q strike the outer uprights T', and cause them to be moved in such a manner as to throw open thejaws R R,.and release the willow, the

jaws remaining open until the slide O nearly reaches the extent of its inward movement, when they are allowed to close under the inuence of the spring or elastic baud S to grasp a succeeding willow rod, and so ou. In case the stripping device should become choked or clogged by the detached bark, it may be readily cleaned by shoving forward the tube G, which will drive or force all the bark out from the openings in the strippers D.

This machine performs the work for which it is designed in a thorough and eiiicient manner, and with great rapidity.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patenti l. The stripping device, consisting of the rotating head or hub a, having the transverse groove b, strippers D D, each composed of two parallel plates c c, having openings e, whose outer edges are Vshaped,-th`e plate of one stripper sliding between the plates of the other said plates, secured together at their outer ends by the pins cZ, and to the hub a by the cap E. The hub and strippers surrounded by the elastic band F, substantially as described for the purpose set forth.

2. The reciprocating slide O, provided with'the jaws R R and levers Q Q, the uprights T T T T', 4endless chain N, shafts L H I, connected by bevel-gear z', driving-belt J, xed and loose pulleys on the mandrel B ,and shafts H I, all arranged and operating as and for the purpose speciiied 3. The slidingtube G,f1tted within the mandrel B, for guiding the willow to the strippers, as herein shown and described.

JAMES SWAN'.y

Witnesses:

WM. F. McNAMARA, MICHAEL DooDY.

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