IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR CUTTING TYPE AND CARVING, MOULDING, PLANING, AND ORNAMENTING WOOD, IVORY, BONE, T AWOD MAMEDIALS "
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William John Cunningham, of 480, New Oxford
Street, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR CUTTING TYPE AND
CARVING, MOULDING, PLANING, AND ORNAMENTING WOOD, IVORY, BONE,
T
AWOD MAMEDIALS
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William John Cunning-
ham at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 6th January 1872.
I, WILLIAM JOHN CUNNINGHAM, of 480, New Oxford Street, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR CUTTING
TYPE, AND CARVING, MOULDING, PLANING, AND ORNAMENTING WOOD, IVORY, BONE,
STONE, METAL, AND OTHER MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
The wood, metal, ivory, or other material to be carved, moulded, or
ornamented, is placed upon a moveable table working on the machine

page_text: bed or foundation, said machinc bed being fixed in any suitable frame-
work. The said moveable or travelling table is actuated by two or more
double-jointed hand levers, and is made in two or more portions, the
lower one sliding right and left in grooves on the machine bed, the
upper part sliding backwards and forwards in grooves on the lower part
of the travelling table, which latter can by means of the levers be moved
in any desired direction. The tool or tools for operating on the work
placed upon the travelling table is or are arranged immediately over the
said table as follows:-The framework in which the tool and tracer or
pointer are arranged is mounted on and extends over the machine from
end to end, and the centre portion is grooved and contains a sliding
plate moved up and down by means of a set screw.
In this sliding
plate are also other smaller sliding plates for the tool or tools and tracer;
or the latter may be fixed to the first-mentioned and larger plate, instead
of to a plate sliding in that one. The tool or tools, as also the tracer if
placed on a separate sliding plate, are raised from or lowered to the work
by small hand levers regulated by tightening and stop screws.
The tools may be revolved by a treddlc or by steam power, the band
or bands passing around wheels at the end or ends of the machine frame-
work to wheels on the upper ends of the tools. For some descriptions
of work as medallion carving I connect the sliding plate on which the
tools are mounted to an india-rubber or other elastic band coming from
above the machine, so that by this means the depth to which the tools
are required to cut can be easily and readily regulated by clongating or
relaxing the spring.
To obtain an even pattern or design of certain descriptions I place on
the bed of the machine a graduated scale, and on the moveable table a
small bar or strip of metal in which is a pointer; thus when the table
slides from end to end the pointer is moved along the graduated scale on
the machine bed. To regulate the pattern when the table works from
front to back, and vice versa, the scale is placed underneath the table,
and another pointer arranged to run along it.
For the purpose of enlarging and reducing a pattern placed under-
neath the before-mentioned pointer or tracer I use two small travelling
tables, on one of which is placed the pattern or model, on the other the
material to be cut out or ornamented; the former to be placed underneath
the tracer, the latter underneath the tool. These two moveable or sliding

page_text: tables are both worked by one and the same hand lever, which lever is
many armed and jointed, said joints being adjusted by means of screws.
One of the lever arms is much longer than either of the others, and in
it are holes arranged at suitable distances or scales. The ends of two
slotted T shaped lugs or connections are attached by screws to the
respective tables, whilst their upper or slotted portions are connected to
the long lever arm by screws, the slots allowing the lugs or connections
to work freely on the said sonatus
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William John Cunningham in the Great Scal
Patent Office on the 6th July 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
JOHN CUNNINGHAM, of 480, New Oxford Street, in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William John Cunningham, Her special
licence that I, the said William John Cunningham, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William John
Cunningham, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR CUTTING TYPE,
AND CARVING, MOULDING, PLANING, AND ORNAMENTING WOOD, IVORY, BONE, STONE,
METAL, AND OTHER MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said William John Cunningham, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of

page_text: manner herein-after described). The table A works upon the machine
B, B, said machine bed being fixed upon any suitable framework.
The moveable or travelling table A is actuated by two or more double-
jointed hand levers C, C¹, and is made in two or more portions. The
lower portion A¹ of the table slides in grooves or jaws longitudinally on
the bed B, B, and is actuated by the lever C. The upper portion A
slides backwards and forwards in grooves or jaws placed transversely
upon the lower portion A' when actuated by the lever C². The lever C
is pivoted at a to the machine bed B. At 6 is pivoted the "double
joint" or arm D, which at its opposite extremity c is pivoted to the
lower portion A¹ of the table. By moving the lever C to the left the
lower portion A¹ of the table is by D forced to the left, and A the upper
portion of the table working (as before stated) in grooves placed
transversely upon the lower portion A' is moved by the action of the
lever C to the left along with the lower portion A¹. The lever C¹ is
pivoted at a¹ to the lower part A' of the table. At 61 is pivoted the
double joint or arm D', which at its opposite extremity c¹ is pivoted
underneath the upper part A of the table, and centrally thereto. By
means of the arm D' connected to the lever C' as described, the upper
part A of the table can be moved backwards and forwards in the grooves
upon A¹, but by the movement of A' longitudinally on the bed B, B, of
the machine, A. has a longitudinal movement, as well as (by the lever C')
a transverse movement communicated to it. It is obvious that either of
the movements above described could alone be imparted to A, and that
by a simultaneous action of the levers a compound or "floating" move-
ment would be obtained, thus enabling curves or other eccentric lines
to be traced with facility upon the material to be operated upon.
Fig. 1 is a detached view of the surface of the table A, and shows
the mode of fixing thereon the material to be operated upon; Fig. 1" is
a side view, and a front view is shown in Fig. 2 not detached. Slots or
grooves d, d¹, d, are sunk in the surface of the table, and at right angles
to said slots is fixed a strip of metal or bar e. Two bars e¹, e¹, having
cast to their under side lugs f,f,f, for fittting into the slots d, d', d, lic
parallel to e. Two screws g, g, work through threaded holes in the
lugs f¹ of e¹, e¹, and traversing the slot take into a block in the bar c.
On the edge of the table A are screwed or otherwise fixed plates h, h,
perforated centrally. Through the central perforations of the plates h, h,
the outer extremities of the screws J, J, pass. The outer extremities of

page_text: portion A¹ of the a small bar or strip of metal L in which is a
pointer; thus when by the action of the lever C the longitudinal motion
is communicated to the table A. the pointer is moved along the graduated
scale K. To regulate the pattern when by the action of the lever C¹
the table A works from front to back, and vice versa, a scale is placed
on the side of the lower portion A¹ of the table, and another pointer is
arranged to run along it, thus facilitating the application at regular.
intervals of the graver to the material to be operated upon.
is communicated to the table A the pointer is moved along the graduated
scale K. To regulate the pattern when by the action of the lever 0¹
the table A works from front to back, and vice versa, a scale is placed
on the side of the lower portion A' of the table, and another pointer is
arranged to run along it, thus facilitating the application at regular
intervals of the graver to the material to be operated upon.
By another part of this machine an enlarged or a reduced copy of a
pattern placed underneath the before-mentioned pointer or tracer can be
produced.
I use two small moveable tables, on one of which is placed the pattern
or model, on the other the material to be cut or moulded, the former to
be placed under the tracer, and the latter under the graver. The two
small moveable tables slide in suitable guides upon a plate, which in
its turn is secured in any suitable manner to the table A. Fig. 3
illustrates this part of my Invention.
Upon M, in guides i, i, i, i, slide the two small moveable tables N, N¹, to
which are attached two slotted T shaped lugs N2, N³. In slots in the
hand levers C, C¹, are adjustable pins P, P¹, which take into the slots in
the lugs N³, N³; scales are marked on the levers to which the position of
the pins P, P¹, can be adjusted. The lever C is pivoted in this arrange-
ment farther to the left upon the lower part A' of the table than in the
arrangement first specified.
It will be seen on referring to the Drawings that the distance from the
pin P to the pivot upon which C works is less than that from P¹ to the
pivotting of the lever C³, and that when the table is moved to the right
or left by the lever O the small moveable table N is moved by the pin P
a less distance than the table N°, and the like occurs when the table is
moved backwards and forwards by the lever O¹. Consequently if it is
required to enlarge a pattern place the pattern upon the table N under
the tracer and the material to be cut or moulded on the table N' under
the graver.
When it is required to make a reduced copy the operation is simply
reversed.

page_text: can be produced, as (for instance) from ordinary printed characters the
production or the cutting of type; and the arrangement consists of the
application to the lengthened lever C (for this purpose a double set of
levers can be provided) of a cranked lever C which is pivoted through a
slot or clongated hole k to the extremity of the lever C, and is at
one end cranked back (for the economy of space and compactness of
construction) upon said lever, and at the other end is cranked to
extend across the machine bed. At the back of and upon the machine
bed is fixed a suitable bearing which supports C². In a slotted hole in
the lever is an adjustable pin P, and upon the small moveable
table N', which is now screwed or otherwise fixed to the plate M in
guides ', ', I fit a further small moveable table Q, having fixed thereto
the slotted T shaped lug Q', into the slot of which is introduced the

page_text: U1, U2, gearing with each other at right angles, and revolved by the
action (to be herein-after explained) of U, cause the spindle upon which
U is mounted to revolve. The opposite end of the said spindle is
threaded for holding any suitable "chuck" V. Between two guides
W, W, works a bearing W¹ which carries a screw W; the bearing W' is
held in its place by the screw W³, for which threaded holes are provided
theha D

page_text: under the graver, the said table being held stationary by tightening or
stop screws, and the disk of the chuck, upon which is fixed the material
to be operated upon, is moved round by hand. The plate 1 is that
portion of the chuck which is immediately applied to the table A, and
in this plate is a slide 2 which is moved backwards and forwards by the
set screw 3. Upon the slide 2 is fixed a hoop 4 which is embraced by
the two lugs 5, 5, of Fig. 5ª when that portion of the chuck is fitted to
and fixed upon the portion shown in Fig. 5 by a screw 6. The lugs 5, 5,
are fixed upon a slide in the plate 7, and upon said slide is fixed the
disk of the chuck. But the plate 7 by the screw 6 is secured to the
plate 1, therefore when the point of centre of the hope 4 which is fixed
to the plate 1 is by the set screw 3 thrown out of the line of centre or
axis of the screw 6, and the disk of the chuck is moved round the slide
in the plate 7 is worked backwards and forwards in consequence of the
lugs 5, 5, embracing the hoop 4 and moving round said hoop, thereby :
imparting to the disk of the chuck an eccentric movement under the
graver. A hoop 8 perforated upon its "band" surface is fixed upon the
plate 7, and a spring stop 9 is mounted upon the plate 1.
It will be seen upon referring to the Drawings that Fig. 5 shows the
under side of the upper portion of the chuck, and that when applied to
the lower portion (see Fig. 5) the spring stop 9 will take into the per-
forations upon the surface of the hoop 8, which can of course be released
by retiring the stop.
For securing the material to operated upon by the graver to the
surface of the disk of the chuck I use a small bar of metal 10 (shown in
Fig. 5b) which carries three screws; the middle one 11 is screwed into
the disk, and the others are screwed down upon the disk, and the
material to be secured respectively "griping" the material down upon
the disk's surface. Two or more of these gripers can be used.
The threaded holes upon the surface of the disk for accomodating the a
screw 11 are arranged in a curved line thereon, by which arrangement
the material to be cut or moulded can be fixed in any desired position
under the graver. By the use of this eccentric or oval chuck regular
designs of certain characters and results which could not otherwise be
obtained are secured.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention.
3

page_text: I claim the improved means and apparatus for cutting type and carving,
moulding, planing, and ornamenting ivory, wood, bone, stone, metal,
and other materials substantially as herein set forth and shewn on the
Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William John Cunningham, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of July One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
W. J. CUNNINGHAM. (L.S.)