U.S. patent number 3,692,340 [Application Number 05/026,870] was granted by the patent office on 1972-09-19 for finger joint for jointing boards, battens, planks, and other comparable bodies.
Invention is credited to Ahti Aadolf Roth.
United States Patent |
3,692,340 |
Roth |
September 19, 1972 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
FINGER JOINT FOR JOINTING BOARDS, BATTENS, PLANKS, AND OTHER
COMPARABLE BODIES
Abstract
This invention relates to a novel finger joint for joining butt
ends of timber, boards, planks and the like. Conventional finger
joints have their fingers and notches extending transversely at
right angles to two parallel side walls in the timber or plank.
This means that at the juncture of a finger tip with a notch bottom
that the effective glue surface is only equivalent to the width of
the timer or plank. By making the fingers and notches diagonal to
the two parallel side walls, the glue surface between contacting
finger tips and notch bottoms is greatly increased thereby
improving the strength characteristics of the jointed pieces.
Inventors: |
Roth; Ahti Aadolf (Helsinki 42,
SF) |
Family
ID: |
26156415 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/026,870 |
Filed: |
April 9, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
403/364; 52/848;
428/33; 428/163; 428/537.1; 52/592.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B27F
1/16 (20130101); F16B 12/04 (20130101); F16B
2012/043 (20130101); Y10T 428/24537 (20150115); Y10T
403/7045 (20150115); Y10T 428/31989 (20150401) |
Current International
Class: |
B27F
1/16 (20060101); B27F 1/00 (20060101); F16B
12/00 (20060101); F16B 12/04 (20060101); F16b
007/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;287/2.92T
;161/37,48,111 ;156/355,304,159,49,270,250,230 ;144/39L
;52/726,593 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Other References
"End Joining of Wood by means of Finger Joints" By V. P. Pavlov,
engineer, from a translation of an Russian article published by the
U.S.S.R. Central Scientific Research Institute of Mechanical
Woodworking. .
Forest Products Journal article "Improved Tips For Finger Joints"
by D. B. Richards, pp. 250 & 251, published in June
1963..
|
Primary Examiner: Williamowsky; David J.
Assistant Examiner: Shedd; Wayne L.
Claims
I claim:
1. A finger joint for end joining first and second body members
such as boards, battens, planks and other comparable materials
including fibrous materials and synthetic resinous products, each
said body member comprising a first pair of spaced and generally
parallel sidewalls defining the width of the member and a second
pair of spaced and generally parallel sidewalls transversely
connecting said first pair of sidewalls and defining the thickness
of the member, the cross section of each member comprising a
quadrilateral shape, said joint comprising fingers on the end of
said first body member pressed into corresponding notches between
fingers on the end of said second body member, the medial planes of
said fingers and notches on the end of each body member extending
parallel to each other and diagonally relative to the planes of
said first and second pair of sidewalls, some of said fingers and
notches extending from one of said second pair of sidewalls to one
of said first pair of sidewalls, some of said fingers and notches
extending between the sidewalls of said first pair, some of said
fingers and notches extending from the other of said first pair of
sidewalls to the other of said second pair of sidewalls and none of
said fingers and notches extending between the sidewalls of said
second pair.
2. A finger joint as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the
directional angle of the medial planes of the fingers and their
notches is in the range of from 10.degree. to 80.degree.,
preferably about 45.degree., from the direction of the planes of
the first pair of sidewalls, and correspondingly from the planes of
the second pair of sidewalls, in the cross section of the body
members.
3. A finger joint as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the
length of the outermost fingers in the length direction of the body
members, and correspondingly the depth of the notches between the
fingers, are greater than the length of the intermediate fingers,
and correspondingly the depth of the notches between the
fingers.
4. A finger joint as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the
length of the fingers in the length direction of the body members,
and correspondingly the depth of the notches between the fingers,
gradually increases toward the center.
Description
The present invention concerns a finger joint for jointing boards,
battens, planks and other comparable bodies of wood, fibrous
material deriving from wood, plastics or other comparable material,
with another body by joining these together with the aid of the
said finger joint, at which the fingers at the jointing end of both
bodies are pressed into the corresponding notches between the
fingers of the meeting body and are bound together by their side
surfaces with the aid of glue.
In the joint structure sofar used in jointing bodies of the
above-mentioned type the direction of the finger and the notches
inbetween has been vertical relative to the plane of the side of
the body, i.e. of the same direction as the plane of the adjacent
side.
A finger joint structure of this kind, however, has certain
disadvantages. In jointing construction timber gluing involves in
addition to the usual end-to-end pressing also lateral pressing,
which naturally retards the jointing work. On those sides of the
body which are of the same direction as the fingers and the
notches, a harmful notch bottom of the width of the side is formed
between the finger tip and the notch bottom. In subjecting such a
joint to normal strain, pull or bending, tension tops are formed at
the extreme spots of the joint, due to which the joint is liable to
break.
Thanks to the present invention the disadvantages mentioned are
avoided and improvements are accomplished also in other
respects.
The main characteristic feature of the finger joint according to
the present invention is that the similarly directed fingers at the
joint end of the bodies, and the notches inbetween, are running
diagonally relative to the planes of the broad sides and the edges
of the body.
The other characteristic features of the invention are defined in
the patent claims 2-5.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the joint end of a timber made in
accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an elevational view of a joint wherein the outermost
fingers have a length greater than the length of the intermediate
fingers;
FIG. 3 is a view taken generally along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a view of FIG. 2 taken from the left side;
FIG. 5 is a view of FIG. 2 taken from the right side;
FIG. 6 is an elevational view of a joint wherein the intermediate
fingers are longer than the outermost fingers;
FIG. 7 is a view taken generally along the line 7--7 of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a view of FIG. 6 taken from the left side; and
FIG. 9 is a view of FIG. 6 taken from the right side.
In the drawing the symbol 1 means the broad side of the timber,
e.g. the plank, and 2 the corresponding edge surface. A large
number of notches 4 at equal distance from one another are made
into the end of the plank, thus forming fingers 3 inbetween. The
notches 4 opening from the end side of the plank narrow down in the
direction of depth, whereas the fingers 3 between them widen
correspondingly. The working of the notches 4, however, is carried
out in such a way, that the direction of the notches and the
fingers is at an angle of about 45.degree. to the planes of the
broad sides 1. Said direction is also at equal angle to the planes
of the edge surfaces 2.
In order to join the illustrated plank with another plank of the
same size and shape of cross-section, the latter plank is provided
at the jointing end with a corresponding number of notches and
fingers of corresponding shape and size and in corresponding
angular direction, locating of course in such position with respect
to the notches and the fingers of the illustrated plank, that the
fingers when the planks are brought end to end are guided into one
another's notches on joining the planks together. Before jointing
the notch and finger surfaces pressing against one another are
coated with a suitable glue, upon which the final gluing together
of the joined planks is carried out entirely by longitudinal
end-to-end pressing and possibly under application of heat.
The invention offers the following advantages: no side pressing is
needed in gluing. In the joint there is on no side surface of the
body a notch bottom of the width of the side, so that in subjecting
the joint to normal strain, pull or bending, tension tops are not
formed by notch effect in the outermost spots of the joint. On this
account the strength of the joint increases considerably,
particularly in bending, compared to the joint previously used. The
bending strength is almost the same as that of unjointed timber. In
additional the distribution of the values of bending strength
decreases to a marked degree. Due to these circumstances the
permitted values of bending strength can be increased. The relative
strength of the joint in bending is equally high on the broad side
as on the edge, because the joint is similar in the direction of
the board side and the edge. Because there is no butt joint on any
side the joint on painting is not visible under the paint surface,
and the timber can be planed just as unjointed timber. The joint
displays estetic beauty, because the joint is similar in appearance
both on broad sides and edges. Furthermore, the joint can be worked
with convention machines making small changes.
Naturally the invention is not restricted only to that which is
illustrated in the drawing and described above, but the modes of
finger joint constructions according to the invention applicable in
practical work may vary considerably within the scope of the
invention from the construction presented in the drawing. Thus, for
example, the shape of the cross-section of the fingers and the
corresponding notches, their number and direction as well as the
length of the fingers and correspondingly the depth of the notches
may differ entirely from those presented in the drawing.
Furthermore, the surface determined by the tips of the joints in
the sections of the fingers and the corresponding notches in the
direction of depth may run straight or diagonally. Likewise, part
of the fingers and the corresponding notches at the jointing ends
may be longer and deviate in shape from the other fingers including
notches. The length of the outermost fingers, and correspondingly
the depth of the notches inbetween, may be greater than the length
of the intermediate fingers, and correspondingly the depth of the
notches inbetween, or vice versa. Likewise the length of the
fingers, and correspondingly the depth of the notches inbetween,
may gradually increase or decrease towards the center.
* * * * *