MOLDING MACHINES. Under this bead there are many classes, the most important of which are outside machines, which have the bed, with two or three of the heads, outside the frame of the machine ; inside machines, which have all the heads and tables inside of the frame ; edge-molding machines, which have the heads placed vertically in a table, and are designed for molding the edges of carved work ; carving and recess molding machines, which are for face molding or working forms of panels in the surface of work ; and universal wood-workers, which are combinations of the outside molding machines with a machine for planing out of wind, grooving, etc., producing straight work only.
Outside machines, which are the most common, are made with from one to four heads. Inside machines properly have four cutter heads ; edge-molding machines have either one or two spindles, the single-spindle machines being arranged to run and cut in either direction. and the double-spindle machines running in one direction.
The Egan FMtr-sided Molder.—In the 9-in. four-sided molder shown in Fig. 1, and brought out by the Egan Co., the table, together with the side beads and the lower head, is raised and lowered by a large hand wheel in front ; the lower head has both independent vertical and lateral adjustment, as have the side heads, which can also be set beveling if desired. By this plan of having the side heads raised and lowered, raising and lowering the table does not interfere with the cut of the heads. The feed consists or fora• driven rolls, two above and two in the table, and all geared. The table can be dropped 16 in. The upper feed rolls are hung on trimnions, and raised and lowered parallel. The pressure on the front or back roll can he increased or diminished at the will of the operator.
7'1e /Mickey cf; Jfafler.—A four-sided molder, shown in Fig. 2, and made by Rowley & Hermance, is one of a series of different sizes of the same class of machine, by the same makers. Its frame is heavy and cast in one piece, which makes it more rigid and steady as an inside molder. It has an outside hearing for the outer end of the top cutter head shaft. There arc two 5-in. feed rolls above, and two below. The gearing which drives
the lower rolls is not affected by lowering the table to the full capacity of the machine. The feed works are started and stopped with a binder. The boxes supporting the main arbor are so arranged that the wear caused by the belt forcing the arbor toward the countershaft is confined to the bottom of the box, and Can be taken out by tightening the caps. The belts which run the side heads do not pull on the caps which support them. The bottom and side heads are adjustable both horizontally and vertically.
The Frank Universal this machine, the front and back tables are each borne upon two screw columns, and may be raised and lowered together or inde pendently by hand wheels operating chains gearing with sprocket wheels on the screws. The fence in this machine is divided at Lhe line of the cutter, the front part resting on the front table, and the back part resting on the back table, no matter what the height of these with respect to each other or the rest of the machine.
The Smith Blind-fintAing 11achine.—This is a machine for finishing blinds, cutting the rebate, and beading and joining them, manufactured by the H. B. Smith Machine Co. It has two horizontal cutter shafts, lying parallel in the same vertical plane, and the upper one borne by a carriage having a vertical adjustment on a vertical column, to suit the varying widths of sashes. The stock slides between parallel ways, one above and the other below, the upper one having the same vertical adjustment for sash width that the upper cutter has. Both the top and the under cutter-heads are so constructed and placed as to give an even draw cut on the work, and are furnished with chip breakers and shavings bonnets.
It may be said in connection with outside bearings for horizontal mandrels, such as are used on molding machines, that if the machine is properly designed and constructed they will be entirely unnecessary, and they are certainly very inconvenient. being in the way in changing cutter-heads, while those that are furnished are seldom strong enough or rigidly enough attached to be of real service, as they shculd be.