IMPROVEMENTS IN DRESSING STONE, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR.
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Adams, of Glasgow, in the County
of Lanark, North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN DRESSING STONE, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED
THEREFOR.
"
Sealed the 28th June 1870, and dated the 22nd February 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Adams at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
22nd February 1870.
I, WILLIAM ADAMS, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN DRESSING STONE, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED
THEREFOR," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention, which has for its object the effecting of economy in
the cost of and time occupied in the dressing or finishing of the surfaces
of blocks of stone used in buildings and other structures, consists of a
special arrangement of machinery wherein the stone to be dressed or
finished is operated upon.

page_text: The machinery consists of a pair of horizontal or inclined tables or
frames having adjustable vertical frames placed on them, and against
which the stones to be dressed are held during the dressing operation.
The tables and frames are connected at both ends to crank shafts which
are rotated by an engine or other motive agent, the motion of the cranks
producing a compound sliding motion of the tables, cach table at any
onc instant of time being thus moved in a direction opposed to that of
the other table. When, then, the stones to be dressed are placed on the
tables one surface of the stone on one of the tables is brought into
contact with a corresponding surface of the stone on the other table, so
that being adjusted by screws and-pressed-by-springs-against each other,
as they move correspondingly with the tables they rub against cach
other; in this manner the disintegrating effect of the rubbing action
being assisted by water and sand the uneven surfaces are rubbed down
until the stones have true or level surfaces.
For the purpose of feeding the sand gradually, and for stopping its
being fed at the moment the machine is stopped, a feeder consisting
of a spiral tube is employed, this tube being revolved in a box of
sand in such manner that the sand passes into it at one end and is
discharged through the spiral at the opposite end on the surfaces being
dressed,
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Adams in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 20th August 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ADAMS, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, send
grecting,
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the a
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Adams, Her special license, that
I, the said William Adams, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said William Adams, my executors, administrators,
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time a

page_text: 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 DRESSING STONE,
AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said William Adams, by an instru
ment in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Adams, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention, which has for its object the effecting of economy
in the cost of and time occupied in the dressing or finishing of the
surfaces of blocks of stone used in buildings and other structures, consists
of a special arrangement of machinery wherein the stone to be dressed or
finished is operated upon. The machinery consists of a pair of horizontal
or inclined tables or frames having adjustable vertical frames placed on
them and against which the stones to be dressed are held during the
dressing operation. The tables and frames are connected at both ends.
to crank shafts which are rotated by an engine or other motive agent,
the motion of the cranks producing a compound sliding motion of the
tables, each table at any one instant of time being thus moved in a
direction opposed to that of the other table. When then the stones to
be dressed are placed on the tables one surface of the stone on one of
the tables is brought into contact with a corresponding surface of the
stone on the other table, so that being adjusted by screws and pressed by
springs against each other, as they move correspondingly with the tables
they rub against each other, in this manner the disintegrating effect of
the rubbing action being assisted by water and sand the uneven surfaces
are rubbed down until the stones acquire true or level surfaces. For
the purpose of feeding the sand gradually and for stopping its being fed
at the moment the machine is stopped, a feeder consisting of a spiral
tube is employed, this tube being revolved in a box of sand in such

page_text: manner that the sand passes into it at one end and is discharged
through the spiral at the opposite end on the surfaces being dressed.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I
now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner
in or under which the same is or may be used or practically carried into
effect, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings,
that is to say :—
In Figure 1 of the said Drawings that side of it with A superposed is a
half longitudinal elevation, and the other side with B superposed is a half
longitudinal section (shewing certain parts in elevation) of the improved
-machine-for-dressing the surfaces of stone herein-before referred to.
Figure 2 is a half end elevation and half transverse section, and Figure 3
is a plan of the same having the sand box removed, whilst Figures 4 and 5
are cularged horizontal sections respectively of the vertical frames upon the
line a, a, Figure 1, and line b, b, Figure 2, here given in order to the
elucidation of these parts more distinctly than shown in the preceding
Figures. The same letters of reference mark the same or corresponding
parts upon the different Figures in which they occur.
The arrangement of this improved apparatus illustrated upon the
appended Sheet of Drawings consists of two horizontal tables A, A,
constructed by preference of strong timber planking in the manner
shewn, although they may be constructed of other material, and carried
by means of longitudinal bearers B, B, which are also by preference
made of timber and sheathed or covered on the sides with iron plates
a, a, as more particularly shown at Figure 2. The said bearers B, B,
are also made to serve the purpose of connecting rods by having bearings
C, C, attached to each end and coupled to the cranks D, D, upon the
shafts E and F, which shafts are carried by means of the pillow blocks
F¹. Upon the horizontal tables A, A, vertical frames G, G, are placed
which are capable of being moved transversely to any required distance
apart, according to the width or thickness of the stones to be or being
dressed, by turning the screw spindles b, b, through the intervention of
the hand wheels c, c, which cause the frames or brackets H, H, upon
the grooved frames I, I, to move transversely in a direction outwards or
inwards according as the hand wheels c, c, and therewith the screw
spindles b, b, have been turned. The vertical frames G, G, are con-
structed of timber, but they may be constructed of iron, and have their
upper edges and ends sheathed by plates of iron d, d, riveted or bolted

page_text: thereon. They have also stringers J, J, of iron running longitudinally,
between which the timber planking is secured, and passing transversely
through the stringers J, J, and at suitable distances apart, a series of
screwed bosses e are situated, and into any of which the set screws f,f,
may be inserted for the purpose of adjusting the article to be dressed.
Between the vertical frames G, G, and the brackets HI, H, bow springs
K, K, and spiral springs Y, Y, are fixed; these have the effect of pressing
the frames G, G, inwards, that is, towards the centre of the machine,
and consequently the surfaces of the articles to be dressed upon both of
the tables are thus kept continually in rubbing or grinding contact.
For the purpose of keeping the stones when on the tables A, A, from
being raised off or otherwise loosened from them by the action of the
mechanism when in motion, the frames G, G, are provided with
vertical grooved stringers L, L, upon which the gripping blocks or jaws
M, M, are moved vertically and pressed firmly down upon the tops of
the stones to be or being dressed by means of turning the screw
spindles g, g, through the intervention of the hand wheels h, h.
The mechanism for feeding the sand consists of a spiral tube R fixed
upon an axle S, upon one end of which a crank T is secured which is
coupled at U to the connecting rod V, the lower end of which is fastened
to any convenient part of the vertical frames G, and thereby the spiral
tube R is made to revolve by the action of the said frames G. One end
of the spiral tube R is situated in the interior of a hopper W containing
sand, a certain quantity of which enters the tube R, and by the spiral
action is carried onward and discharged through the opposite end at X'
and distributed over the entire length of the inclined guide board Y,
from which it drops upon the surfaces being dressed. The entire
apparatus is actuated or put in motion by means of a spur wheel N fixed
upon one end of the crank shaft E, and geared into another and corre-
sponding spur pinion O which is placed upon the driving shaft (actuated
by the prime mover) P and provided with an ordinary clutch arrange-
ment as shewn at X, Figures 2 and 3, so as to enable the dressing
apparatus to be stopped without the necessity of stopping the engine or
driving power. In order to secure as far as possible an uniform load
upon the working parts, and consequently a regular motion, a balance
weight Q is fixed to the end of the crank shaft F in a position so as to
counterbalance the weight of the cranks D, D, and the tables A, A, with
their respective loads.

page_text: Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of carrying the same into practical effect, I would observe in
conclusion, that I am aware that machines have previously been con-
structed for dressing stones wherein the dressing has been effected by
bringing the surfaces of the stones in contact, and by causing them to
rub against each other whilst revolving on circular tables; the dressing
of stone, therefore, by the rubbing or grinding together of their surfaces,
constitutes no part of my present Invention; but what I do consider
novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me
by the hercin-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First. The general arrangement and construction of mechanism_for_
dressing the surfaces of stone, substantially as herein-before described.
Second. The dressing of stones by causing their surfaces to be rubbed
together through the action of tables driven by cranks, as herein-before
described.
Third. The employment of springs for pressing the stones together as
they are being dressed, and the construction of the jaws or grippers by
which the stones are held upon the tables, substantially as herein-before
described.
Fourth. The arrangement and construction of the spiral feeder for
supplying sand to the surfaces of the stones being dressed, substantially
as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Adams, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of August, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy.
ET
WILLIAM ADAMS. (L.S.)