The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-02-09
MACHINE MAY RIVAL ART.
Device shown in Chicago to Take the
scnlptOr,s Place.

/ Tor II VIII be great ana FURIOUS Wnen an
enterprising inventor hands out the
! facts concerning a remarkable machine
| which he has devised and which is now
| in Chicago. Stauary is to be made by
| machinery. A contrivance that VIII very
4 likely startle the sculptors of the world
has been operated in a rudimentary way
in Chicago for some time, but in such a
4 quiet manner that ii Is as unknown as
! If II had been invented but yesterday.
/ VIII Angelo, Phidias and the rest of
/ them lie still in their graves while vul-
4 gar machinery turns out statuary as
perfect and as beautiful as the greatest
works of art chiseled out by the mas
1 tiers? They may for they will at least
I have the small consolation that the ma
chine will turn out only copies of the
works that have been made by hand.
But even at that just think of going
into "a statuary factory and ordering a
half dozen of Angeles statue of Moses"
made and sent around to the house by
day after tomorrow at the farthest, or
a couple of dozen apollo Belvideres."
extra fine, on rush order, to be deliV-
cred by dinner time. But when the new
machine is brought To the point Of the
highest possibilities il is claimed that
things about like those enumerated can
be accomplished with little difficulty.
few years ago Robert Morgeneier,
photographer of Ashland, began Won
defing why no one had ever found a
way to produce exact copies Of great
pieces of statuary either in wood or in
the same kind of stone in which the
originals We're carved. About three years
ago he solved the problem over which he
had worked so long. The device here in
Chicago was the result of his work.
The inventor was not thoroughly skilled
in all the features of mechanics and
James Pollock a mechanical engineer of
this city. assisted the inventor in con-
structng and improving his model Yes
terday one of the three machines in
Chicago was shown to a representative
of the Sunday Chronicle. The princi-
pies of the invention are simple and
easily explained. The central idea will
perhaps most readily be understood by
comparing it to that of the paragraph.
In principle the two are very similar, for
as in the case Of the paragraph guide
fingers follow the model and correspond
ing tools do execution on raw material,
which is turned into a likeness Of the
model But the machine instead of hav-
ing only one guide finger like the panta-
graph has nine fingers, thus increasing
the rapidity of accomplishing work.
When no model or raw material is in
position every part of the machine can
easily be seen, as ii is largely open
framework, With no solid parts. The ma
chine is about seven feet in height and
the bottom frame is about u feet in
length and six feet in width. This bot
tom or lower frame is only about three
feet in height and upon 1t is narrower
and shorter frame. The upper frame is
only six feet in length by four in
breadth. The lower frame contains the
arrangements for furnishing the motive
lower such as the belt wheels, etc. and
the upper frame contains the guide fin
gers, cutting knives and Il movable
frame for holding the model and raw
material. This movable frame. which
works in the upper frame, is six feet
long by two in width. Its two rectangu-
lar sides are Independently movable and
can be moved a few inches toward or
away from each other When the ma
chine is in action the two sides are usu-
ally about 20 inches apart.
The model is clamped in the side of
the movable frame, which is to your
left as you face the front of the ma
chine. The raw material is then
clamped in the frame on the right. or
between the sides of the frame Is the
combination OF guide fingers and
knives. The guide fingers are. of
course. on the left side and the knives
on the right. Each set is in vertical
row. There are nine guide fingers and
the same number of knives. In action
they work in pairs, finger and a knife
making a pair. Each finger works in
dependently of every other finger, and
the same is true of the knives. one
long belt furnishes the motive power
to each one of the knives, but supplies
il to each individual knife independent
~. The motor wheel is in the lower
frame. and it has groove correspond
ing to each one of the cutters The /
long belt winds back and forth, haV-
ing a separate loop for every cutter. In |
each pair of knives and fingers the |
knife and finger are fastened on the OPP
posite ends of lever in sucn way |
that every motion of the finger is inn
parted to the cutter at the opposite end. !
A spring presses the finger against the |
surface in front of il, so the knife on |
the opposite side is always in exactly |
the same position in relation To the raw |
The knives used are of |
hundred different patterns, but the one /
placed in the bit is much like /
a boring instrument. with two or three |
sharp edges running lengthwise.
After the machine is in operation it's I
action is automatic until the work of |
reproducing the pattern is complete. |
The finger and knife device remains |
and the frame holding the /
pattern and raw material moves back /
and forth its entire length of six feet
The spread of the motion can be con-
trolled and varied at the will of the
in charge. In difficult work
the speed would be very slow and in |
the simple operations il would be |
much faster. The row of cutters is al
most loot IN length and consequently
half the width of the largest piece of t
work that can be done by this machine
passes under the knives every time the
frame makes a trim. Each |
time as the frame reaches the end of |
its run IL strikes a trigger. which |
throws the belt on the power wheel to
another power wheel. which moves the
frame back again in the opposite direc-
ton. by another automatic arrange
ment the frame drops one-fourth of an
inch at the same time that il starts on
the return trip. As there are nine
knives in the row. which is "A foot in
length. and as the frame drops only a
fourth of an inch each time. each part
of the new product is gone over many
times by the cutters.
The inventor claims thar any sub
stance which will offer strong resist
ance IL the cutting knives can be used
for making copies of the model bur II
Is supposed that wood will be used
more frequently than any other sub
stance. 1t is claimed that machines