Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for Sawing Stone, Marble, and the like.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd June, 1891-Accepted, 25th July, 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
Improvements in the Method of and Apparatus for Sawing Stone,
Marble, and the like.
I, GEORGE FRANCIS CLARK, residing at Rutland, in the County of Rutland and
State of Vermont, one of the United States of America, Engineer do hereby
declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:—
This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in the method of
and apparatus for sawing stone, marble, etc., and while it is designed primarily for
use at the quarry for sawing the stone in the quarry, yet it is well adapted for
sawing stone into slabs, after it has been removed from the quarry.
It has for its object among others, to provide simple and efficient means readily
applied and automatically causing the endless wire or wires to descend as the
stone is cut. I provide receptacles at the bottom of the holes formed in the stone,
whereby the substances remaining in the holes after the stone is sawed may be
readily removed or the water and sawing material forced or pumped up through
suitable piping and deposited in the saw-cut above the wire.
As a factor to aid in sawing the stone, there may be used with the wire or wires
small grains of chilled iron chilled steel, sand, emery crushed stone, or other like
hard substances mixed with water and fed in any suitable mauner into the cut
until the sawing is completed. I provide for the keeping of the wire or wires
taut by means of weights suspended from the wire or wires. I also at times
provide suitable guides for the vertically moving posts, and when necessary provide
a lining to the holes in which said posts work.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following
description and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the
claims.
The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying two sheets of drawings
which with the letters of reference marked thereon forms a part of this Specification
and in which :-
:-
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved apparatus shown in position for
operation in the quarry with the wires shown as having sawed partially into the
stone;
Fig. 2 is a top plan of the same;
Fig. 3 is a detail in end elevation of the post on an enlarged scale.
Like letters refer to like parts in all the figures of the drawing.
In carrying out my invention, I employ preferably the form of apparatus shown,
that being what I consider a preferable form at present, but it may be varied
within certain limits without departing from the spirit of the invention or of
sacrificing any of the advantages of said invention. In any suitable manner I
form, first; in the stone, holes A, of the desired depth and diameter. These holes
may be formed in any of the ways known and in use for testing quarries, one of
which I will mention; that is by means of a cylindrical metal tube placed with
its end resting on the stone and caused to be rapidly revolved, the cutting edge
meantime to be fed with grains of emery or other hard substances, or the said
cutting edge may be studded with diamonds. When the cut is of the desired size,
the tube may be withdrawn and the core thus be removed. These holes may be
formed in any other desired manner if preferred.
After the holes have been made in any of the above ways, a metal bucket or
pail b, nearly equal in diameter to that of the hole A, can be lowered into the
bottom of the same. The object of these buckets or pails b, is that when the

page_text: sawing is completed and the posts or frames B removed, the materials that remain
in the holes A. may be removed by means of said buckets . Instead of a bucket
or pail, a box, tube or pipe may be placed in the hole and the sawing materials be
pumped or forced up through the pipe or tube and through a connecting pipe to
be again deposited in the saw-cut above the wire or any other suitable means may
be employed, thus making the feed process continuous and using the same materials
a number of times until the sawing is completed.
In case the sides of the holes A, are found to be too rough for the proper
working of the radial guide-wheels e a lining a, with a slot for the passage of the
wire c, may, if necessary be lowered into said lioles A, with the top of said lining
projecting above the surface a sufficient distance to allow the guide-wheels e to
properly hold the posts or frames B in position when commencing to saw.
The upright posts or frames B, are placed in position and the wire or wires c
are placed on the pulleys & and d¹, and the flywheel D. The wire or wires c may
be drawn tight by means of weights W, suspended by wires or ropes 7, from the
endless wires c, by trolleys h. The trolleys may be held in place by the wire or
ropes ån.
The posts or uprights B, may be held in place and guided in their descent by
means of the guide-wheels e, guy ropes E, or by clasps f, fastened into the walls
of the quarry and connected with the posts E, by suitable friction-wheels g or by
other like contrivances held in place by the wire or rope m.
The operation will be readily understood and is as follows:-
Motion is imparted to the wheel D in any suitable manner, not shown and
motion thus conveyed to the endless wire or wires e; as the saw proceeds the
posts B with their pulleys, over which the wire or wires pass, automatically feed
downward, being guided by the guides e, and as the saw proceeds, the dust formed
by the wires is deposited in buckets b, which may be emptied after the wire has
made one complete cut through the stone, or when they become filled. Recipro-
catory movement may be given the wire by slight changes in structure, but the
construction shown is preferred.
After one or more saw-cuts have been made in one direction and it is required
to make cuts crossing the same, a thin strip of wood or metal may be placed
vertically in the former, one piece upon each side of the proposed saw-cut, and
the space between these pieces filled with plaster of Paris or other material, for
the purpose of preventing the sand or other material from escaping into the cut
previously made.
In place of using the holes A, in which to allow the posts B to, descend, a space.
for the purpose can be channeled out by any quarrying or channeling drill.
When it becomes necessary to put a new wire or wires e in the apparatus, one
end of the wire or wires c can be fastened to the old wire and drawn over or
around the pulley by setting the old wire or wires in motion.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim.is:
1st. The herein described improvement in the art of sawing stone in the quarry
which consists in first providing openings in the stone for the movement of the
support of the cutting means, then dividing the stone by the action of an endless
wire, wires or band and automatically advancing said wire, wires or band into
said openings and through the stone as the sawing advances substantially as
described.
2nd. The herein described improvement in the art of sawing stone in the quarry
which consists in forming holes vertically in the stone, arranging vertically,
automatically movable wire supporting devices above said holes, dividing the stone
in the quarry by the action of an endless wire or band around said means and
keeping the said endless band or wire taut by the application of weights bearing
upon said wire or band, substantially as described.

page_text: 3rd. The combination with the fly-wheel and the vertically adjustable or
movable posts carrying guide pulleys, of the endless band or wire passed over said
pulleys and around the drive pulley, substantially as described.
4th. The combination with the fly-wheel and the vertically movable posts free
to automatically move in holes in the stone, of the removable receptacles at the
bottom of the holes and the endless wire passed around the fly-wheel and over
pulleys on said posts, substantially as specified.
5th. The combination with the vertically movable posts, the guide sheaves
thereon, and the removable receptacles beneath the posts of the guide pulley, the.
endless wire passed around the same and over pulleys on the posts and the
weights suspended from said wire, substantially as described.
6th. The combination with the vertically movable posts, the guide sheaves
thereon and the removable receptacles beneath the posts, of the guide pulley, the
endless wire passed around the same and over pulleys on the posts and the weights
suspended from trolleys on said wire, substantially as described.
7th. The combination with the drive pulleys and the vertically movable posts,
free to move vertically in holes in the stone of the endless wire passed around the
drive pulley and over pulleys on posts, and the weight suspended from trolleys
supported by the said wire, substantially as described.
8th. An improved method of sawing stone in the quarry which consists in the
forming of vertical holes in the stone and then severing the stone into slabs by
the continuous action of an endless cutter to descend as the sawing proceeds
without interrupting the continuous action of the cutter, substantially as specified.
9th. As an improved method of sawing stone in the quarry which consists in the
forming of vertical holes in the stone and then severing the stone into slabs by
the continuous action of an endless cutter, moving into and between said holes and
gradually causing the cutter to descend as the sawing proceeds without interrupting
the continuous action of the cutter and automatically collecting in said holes the
dust and clippings formed by the cutter, substantially as described.
Dated this 22nd day of June 1891
H. B. BARLOW,
Agent.