Manufacturers Index - Nicholas G. Norcross
Nicholas G. Norcross
New York, NY; Lowell, MA, U.S.A.
Manufacturer Class:
Wood Working Machinery
This page contains information on patents issued to this manufacturer.
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7,027
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Jan. 15, 1850
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Circular-saw mill
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Nicholas G. Norcross |
Lowell, MA |
The patent rights for the state of Ohio were assigned to Lee and Leavitt on March 28, 1856 (information taken from "Lee v. Blandy, Southern District of Ohio, May 1860).
"The nature of my invention consists in suspending the saw so that it can have lateral vibration, and when thrown out of line will recover itself by the action of the driving belt, and the arrangement of the parts by which it is sustained, while at the same time the arbor has no lateral play in its boxes, and is made to fit close with shoulders, to prevent the oil from getting out while in operation—a matter of great importance when the motion is so rapid as in circular saws. This is effected by supporting the boxes in which the journals of the arbor run upon standards, to which said boxes are jointed, and which are themselves jointed to the foundation to which they are attached, so that the arbor is kept horizontal, while it is allowed a sufficient lateral play, the motion being a curved line, and of course, inclining downward as the tops of the standards recede either way from a vertical position. To sustain the frame upright, the driving belt passes around the pulley on the arbor, up over a driving pulley above, and thus holds the frame up to the proper point, so that the saw is actually suspended by the belt, while it is kept steady and made to move properly by the frame below. By this arrangement it will be seen, that while the slightest force will cause the arbor to deviate a little laterally, the constant tendency of the reacting agent is to bring it back to place again. By this means I am enabled to use a much thinner saw, and save material and power to a great degree."
"What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by letters patent, is the application to circular saw frames, of rocker boxes and a swing frame, as herein set forth, and suspending said frame in position by means of the driving belt, as above described, for the free and successful operation of the saw by the motion before mentioned." |
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7,087
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Feb. 12, 1850
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Planing-machine
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Nicholas G. Norcross |
Middlesex County, MA |
This patent covers two important features: the planer pressure bar, and the use of air currents to blow the wood chips into a "conductory", a passage, that carried them safely away. This patent was litigated all the way to the U. S. Supreme Court where it prevailed against the Woodworth patent. See the VintageMachinery.org link on this page for more information.
Some years after this patent was issued, Henry D. Stover was granted a patent, 30,993, that had a similar "conductory" feature. Stover then set up a patent holding company, the Boston Conductory Co., to try to secure licensing fees from the users of many different machines that used a similar principle. Stover would not take any of those users to court because he apparently realized that his patent would not withstand close scrutiny due to the existence of prior art in the form of this Norcross patent. A coalition of planing machinery makers publicized this fact and the Boston Conductory Co. disappeared. For another important Norcross planer patent, see 10,844. |
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9,058
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Jun. 22, 1852
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Planing-machine
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Nicholas G. Norcross |
Lowell, MA |
This machine used a cylindrical cutterhead that turned in the opposite direction-climb-cutting-than is usual, plus a secondary cylinder covered with emery paper or file-teeth. |
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10,705
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Mar. 28, 1854
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Feed-motion for sawing lumber
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Nicholas G. Norcross |
Lowell, MA |
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10,844
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May. 02, 1854
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Device for tonguing and grooving lumber
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Nicholas G. Norcross |
Lowell, MA |
To no-one's surprise, Norcross was sued by the holders of the Woodworth planer patent as soon as this patent was issued. But to the astonishment of all, Norcross prevailed even though this machine is a more direct infringement on Woodworth's patent than many others that lost. According to Charles Tompkins' 1889 book, "The History of the Planing-Mill", the owners of this Norcross patent had quietly made a deal with the Woodworth cartel: they would support the Woodworth cartel's attempt to get another extension if the Norcross cartel could "compete" in the same marketplace. Since the Norcross machine is really a bit of a kludge, and the presence of competition in the marketplace might tame the growing resentment against the Woodworth cartel. Apparently it was not difficult to control the outcome of the court ruling. Even before the lawsuit was finished, quite a few Norcross machines were sold, with the Norcross patent owners indemnifying the purchasers for any damages if the Woodworth cartel prevailed in court.
The Norcross design was fairly similar to the Woodworth design: a pair of upper and lower feed-rolls were mounted to a frame, albeit Norcross's roles were somewhat larger than Woodworth's. The feed-rolls were geared using star gears that allowed a certain amount of adjustment to accommodate different stock thicknesses. Different sized gears were also provided as necessary. A slotted bedplate was situated close behind and below the rolls, with the planing cylinder beneath the slot so that the knives could protrude slightly through the slot. This contrasts with the Woodworth planer and all modern planers where the cutter-head is above the bed rather than below it. In this respect the Norcross planer works somewhat like a modern jointer. An upper press-plate provided a surface to hold the wood down against the cutter. The cylinder bearings were attached to this upper press-plate via arms passing down through the main bed-plate. To adjust the machine for different thicknesses of lumber, cast-iron strips were inserted between the press-plate and the cylinder boxes. This adjustment method was clunky but effective and solid. Once the Woodworth planer cartel lost its monopoly in 1856, however, the Norcross tonguing and grooving machines quickly fell into disuse, replaced by integrated planer-matchers. That helps explain why the Norcross cartel had supported the Woodworth cartel. |
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RE1,002
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Jul. 10, 1860
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Improvement in circular-saw mills
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Nicholas G. Norcross |
Lowell, MA |
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