Mr. Bramah invented a planing machine, which he used very advantageously for planing all kinds of timber flat, at a very trifling expense. In 1802, he took out a patent for the invention, which he describes, in his specification, to con sist in the following particular& "The cutting tools employed to reduce the wood, instead of being worked by hand, are to be fixed on frames, some of which are moved in a rotatory direction round an upright shaft, and others have a shaft lying in a horizontal position, like a common lathe. In other instances, the tools are fixed on frames, which slide in stationed grooves to he driven also by machinery. The principal points on which the merits of the invention rest are, 1. The materials to be wrought are made to slide in con tact with the tool, instead of the tool being carried by the hand over the work in the usual way. 2. The tool is made to travel across the work in a square or oblique direction, except in cases where it may be necessary to fix the too] in an immovable station, and cause the work to fidl in contact with it by a motion. 3. Instead of common tools, bent knives, spoke-shaves, or deep cutting gouges, are used for cutting off the roughest parts, and planes of various shapes and constructions, as the work may require, are applied to follow the former in succession, under the same operation, and which latter I call finishers. 4. These are fixed on frames which move in cases, like those on which the saws are fixed in a sawing-mill ; and in other instances, these frames are fixed un a rotatory upright shaft turning on a step, and carrying the frame round in a direction similar to the upper mill-stone for grinding corn ; and sometimes the frames turn on a horizontal shaft, resembling the mandrel of a common turning lathe. The different planes, tools, &c., are fixed in the frames, so as to 1411 successively in contact with the wood or other materials to be cut, so that the cutter or tool caleblated to take the rough and prominent part, operates first, and those that follow must be so regulated as to reduce the material down to the line intended for the sur thee. These cutter frames must also have the property of being regulated by a screw or otherwise, so as to approach nearer the work, or recede, at pleasure, in order that a deeper or shallower cut may be taken at discretion, or that the machine may repeat its action, without raising or depressing the material on which they act. 5. When an upright shaft is used the pivot is to turn in oil, and it may be raised t r depressed at pleasure, by means of a greater or less quantity of the said fluid being confined between the end of the shaft and the bottom of the step. G. The materials to be cut must be firmly fixed on a frame, similar to those in sawing mills, on w hich the timber is carried to the saws. These frames must be moved in a steady progressive manner as the cutter frame turns round, either by the same power which moves the latter, or otherwise, as may be tbund to answer best in practice. 7. The motion of the cutter frames must be under the control of a regulator, so that the velocity of the tool, in passing over the work, may be made quicker or slower, as such work may respectively require, to cause the cutter to act properly to the best advantage." For this pur pose, Mr. Brainah proposes to use what he calls an universal regulator of velocity, and which he describes as follows: " I take any number of cog-wheels, of difVerent diameters, with teeth that will exactly fit each other through the whole ; suppose ten, or any other number, but, for an example, say tell, the smallest of which shall not exceed one inch in diameter, and the largest suppose ten inches in dia meter, and all the rest to mount by regular gradations in their diameters, from one to ten. I fix these ten wheels, fast and immovable, on an axis perfectly true, so as to form a cone of wheels; I then take ten other wheels, exactly the same in all respects as the fbrmer, and fix them on another axis, also perfectly true, and the wheels in per fect gradation also; but these latter wheels I do not fix fast on their axes, like the former, but leave them all loose, so as to turn on the said axes, contrary to the former, which are all fixed. All these latter wheels I have the power of locking, by a pin or otherwise, so that I can, at dis cretion, lock or unite any single wheel at pleasure to the axis. I then place the two axes parallel to each other, with the wheels which form the two cones, as above des cribed, in reverse position, so that the large wheel at one end of the cone may lock its teeth into the smallest one in the cone opposite, and likewise vice versa. Then suppose the axis, on which the wheels are permanently fixed, to be turned about, all the wheels on the other axis will be carried round with velocities correspondent to their dia meters and those of the former, but their axis will not move. Then lock the largest wheel on the loose axis, and,
by turning about the fastened axis, as before, it must take ten revolutions, while the opposite wheel performs but one ; then by unlocking the largest wheel, and locking the smallest one at the contrary end of the cone in its stead, and turning as before, the fastened axis will then turn the opposite ten times, while itself only revolves once. Thus the axes or shafts of these or conical com binations of wheels, may turn each other reciprocally, as one to ten, and ten to one, which collectively produces a change in velocity, under a uniform action of the primeta mobile, as ten to a hundred ; for when the small wheel on the loose axis is locked, and the East one makes ten revo lutions, the former will make one hundred ; and by adding to the number of those wheels and extending the cones, which may be done ad infinitum, velocities may be likewise infinitely varied by this simple contrivance : A may turn n with a speed equal to thousands or millions of times its own motion ; and by changing a pin and locking a different wheel, as above described, a will A in the same pro portion, and their power will be transferred to each other, in proportion as their velocities, reciprocally. llere is a universal regulator at once for both power and velocity. In some instances I produce a like effect, by the same neces sary number of wheels made to correspond in conical order, but, instead of being all constantly mounted on the axes or shafts, as above described, they will reciprocally be changed from one axis to the other, in single pairs, to match according to the speed or power wanted. just as in the former instance. This method will have, in all res pects, the same effect, but not so convenient as when the wheels are all fixed." In 1803, Mr. Ilevans obtained a patent for a machine for planing,, (or sticking, as the joiners term it,) all kinds of mouldings or rebates, and ploughing grooves, as well as formingflat surtitces of small breadth, which it does with very little labour : in this machine, the operations are performed by the planes commonly used fill' similar purposes, with only such alterations as are necessary to adapt them to the machinery by which they are put in motion with mechanical power instead of human labour; they are to be used either singly, or combined together in any number, according to the width of the boards to be worked at once, and the nature of the work to be done, so as to plane up, at one operation, such moulding as joiners work up, by using several planes successively for the different parts; this is effected by a kind of frame, or box, which admits of fixing any number of planes in it, side by side, and at any distance asunder, to form the compound moulding required. The work is fixed fast on a bench, and the box of planes is made to pass over it, in the direction of its length, by a connecting rod communicating at one cud with the box or frame con taining the planes, and, at the other end, with machinery capable of affording a reciprocating motion.
This machinery consists of a crank, whose radius must be nearly half the length of the required stroke, and must be regulated accordingly : this regulation is effected by the arm of the crank passing through a mortise in a strong box, fixed on an axis, and sliding in the said box to any required length, where it must be fixed by strong screws, the axis being turned by manual exertion, by horses, steam, water or any other power, and having its motion regulated by a fly-wheel.
The planes are loaded, to keep them in contact with their work, by a long beam of wood, set up on end upon the sides of the box, and connected therewith by being divided into two cheeks, which, at the lower sides, are formed to an arc of a circle, and united to the box by chains, in the same manner as the beams of steam-engines are connected with their piston-rods. The upper part of the beam is made to pass always through one point, by sliding between friction wheels, or otherwise, in a tube hung on two pivots, perpen dicularly over the centre of the work, and at such heights as may be most convenient for the length of the stroke required : the eonneeting-rod, from the crank before men tioned, is jointed to the upright beam, near its lower end, and by this means the motion is given to the box of planes, the chains and arches at the bottom allowing it, in all posi tions, to preserve the plane horizontal. To guide the box of planes in a rectilinear 'notion, and also to hear them off when the plank has been reduced to the depth required, fences are used, which are irons sliding perpendicularly in tubes or sockets, in the box or frame, and clipping a tongue, or ruler, fixed in the direction of the required stroke, in the frame supporting the bench.