US2635653A - Apparatus for embossing graining of wood - Google Patents

Description

Apnl 21, 1953 c. H. 'HENNELL APPARATUS. FOR EMBOSSING GRAINING 0F WOOD Filed July 27, 1950 INVENTOR. Cwecss H H'E/vA/Ez. 1,

A7- TEA/EK Patented Apr. 21, 1953 I Fwoony Charles H. Hennell, Inglewoo'd, Calif. Application July 27, 1950, Serial N0.'176',105

-Wood utilized for, finish work on furniture or walls is intended, to be decorative. Although a plane surface exposing th grain is often quite acceptable, a further decorative effect has been heretofore securedby providing a roughened surface for the wood, as by removing some of the softer parts around the dense areas. Thus, an

embossing of the graln isobtained that is highly.

effective forawal vering, or the like.

Fine plywood, or similar soft grained wood, is

especially adaptdito this treatment, since there are? relatively jlarg intermingled exposed sur faces or softand hard character.

It is one of the objects of this invention to provide a simple and inexpensive apparatus for treating wood in this manner.

iAbrasiv action on the wood surface iseffective to wear down the softer areas without materially affecting the harder parts. Thus, wire brushes may be used, the bristles performing the abrasion, and these bristles also to some extent produce a burnishing effect upon the harder surfaces.

It is another object of this invention to provide a device of this character, in which the power required is reduced.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a device of this character in which the entire surface of the wood is substantially uniformly treated by a single manipulation.

This invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objects which may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration of several embodiments of the invention. For this purpose there are shown a few forms in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification. These forms will now be described in detail, illustratin the general principles of the invention but it is to be understood that this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claim.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of an apparatus incorporating the invention, part of the figure being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View, taken along a plane corresponding to line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view, mainly pictorial, illustrating a portion of a board prior to its being operated on by the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and'2;

Fig. 4 is a pictorial view, similar to Fig. 3, illllS-r trating a'portion of the board after it has been treated bythe apparatus;

5 isa plan view of a modified form of the invention;

there is asupporting shelf or bracket 2.

2 Fig. 5 is a sectional view, taken, along a plane corresponding t line fi -B of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view, taken along 5 a plane 'corresponding'to line 1-l, of Fig. 6;

A stationary table is provided, above which This table I is provided with the guide cleats 3 and 4 to guide the movement of the plywood board 5 along the table I.

The shelf 2 serves to support a plurality of rotary wire brushes 6 which have shafts I mounted in thrust bearing structures 8 supported on the shelf 2. Above the structure 8', the

shafts 1 have shaft extensions 9 to which are keyed pulleys l0; 'As shown'most clearly in Fig. 1, the axes of these pulleys form a series of horizontal rows." The axes of the pulleys of adjacent rows are slightly offset to provide a staggered 7 arrangement ofthe brushes in the direction of movement of the board 5.

The bristles of these brushes 6 contact the upper surface of the board 5, and define circular abrasive areas that operate upon that surface.

Preferably, the shafts I are rotated at the rate of about 2,000 revolutions per minute, and the board 5 is passed through the machine at the rate of forty to sixty feet per minute.

Since succeedin rows of axes of the shafts 1 are offset horizontally from the preceding rows, the circular abrasive areas overlap so that the entire surface of the board 5 is acted upon by the brushes 6.

In the present instance, there are four rows of brushes. The two upper rows are rotated by the aid of a belt ll, driven by an electric motor i2 mounted on the bracket l3 fastened to the shelf 2. This belt H passes around the pulleys in such manner that adjacent pulleys in the row are driven in opposite directions, and the end pulleys of these rows are rotated in the same direction.

The two bottom rows are similarly driven by electric motor [4, mounted on a bracket 13, and by the aid of the belt l6 which passes around all of the pulleys in the two bottomrows.

Upon passage of the board 5 through the apparatus, the graining is embossed by the removal of the softer material, to result in a surface illustrated in Fig. 4.

Although four rows of wire brushes are illustrated in this form, any desired number may be row overlap the spaces formed between the topmost row, as viewed in Fig. 1. In this way, it is ensured that the entire surface of the board 5 will be abraded by the brushes 6.

In the form shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the brushes 6 have axes arranged in rows as before. Each of the shafts 1 carries a bevel gear IT. The bevel gears of each row are driven respectively by motors I85 ISFZG; andi2l: Eachwof these'rmotors has a horizontal shaft 22; extendi'ngabovethe shelf 2 and supported by bearing brackets 23. '10 Each of the shafts 22 is provided with a plurality? of bevel gears 24, facing in alternatelyopmsite directions and meshing respectively witlri the'bevels. gears H. In this way, alternate shafts in a row are driven in opposite directions; 'Iheev chm-s shafts of the rows are driven in the-same direc-.-- tion.

A thrust and radial bearing structrue,=utilized:l for supporting the shafts 1; is shown most clearly inFig. 7. Thuswa pedestal--25. isiprovidedlfor the lowernrace 26-; The.shaftl'lpassesathrough, theslower. race and islprovide'iwitli a. shoulder 2T against iwh'ich' th'eupper. racelBL rests. Ball bearingslZ'Si are interposedlbetween theraees; In order to hold the bearings pin-a. proper position, an upper collar 30isIpr0videdI. Bolt's..3l,"passing through the flanges of the pedestal. 25? andcthe collar 30, serve to secure the structure: to shelfJZ.-

Theegrain oflboards such flashcards-H5; -,is haphazard. and I highly; irregular The brushes 6 sweep over the. surface of ith'e: board tin circular" areas, andattacklorwoperate upon thesofter wood. at alll angles .4 as: the board advances. from vone; brush to theonex-t; Thisflaction is ienh'ancedtby, I the different directlonsuofrrotation. of "adjacent brushesi Accordingly, no smatterr. how u irregular: thegraining may befit is assured thatthe brushes. will reach. and abraded allnofi. the soften. exposed surfaces of the boards 5, and will produce clean, sharp steps at all portions of the edges of the harder material. A much better appearance of the finished surface is thereby attained.

The inventor claims: 7

In apparatus for removing softer parts around the denser areas of a wood surface: a plurality of rotary: wire brushes having :bristles? arranged too. provide; an area of abrasion corresponding substantially to a circle, the abrasion areas beingzirespectively normal to the axes of rotation, andthe. centers. ofithe circles falling respectively omtheseaxes; 'th'e'aXes being arrangedin parallelrows, and the axes of adjacent rows being offsetitmamextent that the progress of the wood surface iina. direction normal to the axes and past the'rows will-cause the brush areas to sweep oveivall'iofithe wood surface; means for driving alternate brushes in a row in opposite directions; and meansy-providingfa guide for the:movement ofathedwoodlin saidmormalndirectionh. I

CHARLES;HM HENNELLQ.

References ,Citcdlinllle oflthis .patentl UNITED :S'ZCATES PATENTS Number Name Date 487,198 McCut'chan" Nov. 29,- 1892' 652,581" Ayars- Jiine26jl900" 1;616j007 Smith Feb; 1; 19'27 2,080,197? Brandenburg May' 11; 1937 2,080,198 Brandenburg May? 11'; 1937- 2,46'7,194 Dewitt Apr-$12, 1949* FOREIGN BATENTIS-i Number Country: Date 7 4031976. Germany Oct: 9 1924

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