66 



TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



arbor carrying the wing of cutters, say 16 in number, if made to 

 revolve with the same speed as the wood, each cutter will cut a 

 line from end to end, as both the cutters and the wood turn, and 

 the ring of cutters is carried along. 



These 1 6 cutters are pushed out from centre by means of cams 

 of such form as to give the required shape, the cams being acted 

 on by a cone that is pushed in by a lever as the cutters move 



along the stick. 



Thus, if a square be required, then only four of these cutters 

 are pushed out. If an oblong, then two opposite are pushed out 

 more than the other two. If the wood and the cutters move 

 with different velocities, then a spiral square or spiral oblong 

 will be produced. 



If this description be comprehended, then it will be understood 

 how any form with any number of sides (up to the number of 

 the cutters) can be produced, either the same for the whole 

 length, or constantly varying. But without a drawing it can 



hardly be made intelligible. 



[A silver medal awarded. 



Conover's Wood-f'plitting Machine. 



JYo. lUQ— Machine for Splitting Kindling Wood. 

 J. A. Conover, 130 Horatio-street. Effective and expeditious. This, 

 like the match machine, is a remarkable instance of small things 

 done on a large scale. It is asserted that it is a heavy business 

 in the city of New- York. Our matches were formerly made by 

 children, of split sticks dipped in sulphur at each end, tied in 



