IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR DRESSING SLATES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Edwards Amos, of the Grove, in the Borough
of Southwark, Engineer, and John Francis, of the Penrhynn Slate
Quarries, near Bangor, North Wales, Engineer, for the Invention of
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Edwards Amos
and John Francis at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 27th July 1861.
I, CHARLES EDWARDS AMOS, of the Grove, in the Borough of Southwark,
Engineer, and I, JOHN FRANCIS, of the Penrhynn Slate Quarries, near
Bangor, North Wales, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR DRESSING SLATES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention of improved machinery for dressing slates relates to a novel
arrangement of machinery, whereby roofing slates may be cut, trimmed, or
dressed to the different sizes used for building purposes.
The machine consists of a rectangular frame, which may, if necessary, be
mounted on wheels for the convenience of transporting or removing the
machine from one locality to another. This frame is provided with a fixed
knife and suitable bearings for a lever or "sword arm," which carries a
moveable knife. The "sword arm or lever" is suspended by a spring or
springs, so that when in a normal position the moveable cutting edge is raised

page_text: "
above the lower knife edge, and the two edges resemble a pair of open shears,
and act in the same manner. A treadle frame" is attached by means of a
link to a lever, which is upon the same spindle as the "sword arm," and the
knife edges are brought together by the pressure of the foot of the workman.
Or when it is desirable to work the machine by mechanical power
the power
may be applied to the treadle lever, or the treadle lever may be dispensed
with and the power may be applied direct to the "sword arm." The spindle
of the sword arm is made adjustable to compensate for wear in the cutting
edge and other working parts. A gauge plate with suitable marks or points
corresponding to the different recognized sizes of roofing slates is placed on
the framework, so that the rough slates may be laid in their proper places and
adjusted with facility. If desired, a double set of shears or cutting edges may
be employed, so that two sides of the slate may be cut, trimmed, or dressed
at the same time.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed 1
by the said Charles Edwards Amos and John Francis in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 27th January 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CHARLES
EDWARDS AMOS, of the Grove, in the Borough of Southwark, Engineer, and
JOHN FRANCIS, of the Penrhynn Slate Quarries, near Bangor, North Wales,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Charles Edwards Amos and John Francis, Her special license that we,
the said Charles Edwards Amos and John Francis, our executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Charles Edwards Amos
and John Francis, our 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 "IM-
PROVED MACHINERY FOR DRESSING SLATES," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said Charles Edwards Amos and John Francis, by an instru-
ment in writing under our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of

page_text: one of us, 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 Charles Edwards Amos on behalf
of myself and of the said John Francis, do hereby declare the nature of our
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement, refer-
ence being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters and
figures marked thereon (that is to say):
Our Invention of improved machinery for dressing slates relates to a novel
arrangement of machinery, whereby roofing slates may be cut, trimmed, or
dressed to the different sizes used for building purposes.
The machine consists of a rectangular fraine, which may, if necessary, be
mounted on wheels for the convenience of transporting or removing the
machine from one locality to another. This frame is provided with a fixed
knife, and also suitable bearings for a lever or "sword arm," which carries a
moveable knife. The "sword arm" or lever" is suspended by a spring or
springs, so that when in a normal position the moveable cutting edge is raised
above the lower knife edge, and the two edges resemble a pair of open
"shears," and act in the same manner. A treadle frame is attached by
means of a link to a lever, which is upon the same spindle as the "sword
arm," and the knife edges are brought together by the pressure of the foot of
the workman; or, if desired, the machine may be worked by mechanical
power by applying power to the treadle lever, or the treadle lever may be
dispensed with and the power may be applied direct to the "sword arm."
The spindle of the sword arm is made adjustable to compensate for wear in
the cutting edge and other working parts, and a gauge plate with suitable
marks or points corresponding to the different recognized sizes of roofing slates
is placed on the framework, so that the rough slates may be laid in their
proper places and adjusted with facility. If desired, a double set of shears or
cutting edges may be employed, so that two sides of the slate may be cut,
trimmed, or dressed at the same time, but this will not be found a convenient
arrangement in practice. .
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a slate-dressing
machine, to be operated by the foot of the workman; Fig. 2 is a plan view
of the same, some of the parts being shewn in section; Fig. 3 is an end
elevation.
a, a, a, is the framework of the machine, which is supported at one end on

page_text: wheels or rollers b, b, for the convenience of transporting the machine from
place to place; c is a fixed cutting edge, made of steel or other hard metal,
and secured to a cast-iron cheek or back plate, which is fixed on the top
framing of the machine by screw bolts and nuts, so that it may be adjusted at
pleasure; d is a knife, or moveable steel cutter or shear, secured by bolts or
screws to the vibrating sword arm d', which is mounted at its inner end on
the horizontal shaft e. A horizontal lever or arm f is also mounted on the
shaft e, and is provided at its outer end with an eye, into which is hooked a
rod, rope, or chain, whereby the lever or arm f is connected with the treadle
or foot lever g below. In order to support the sword arm and moveable
cutting edge in an elevated position, as shewn at Fig. 1, (so as to be ready to
operate upon a slate when it is brought up to the shears), a coiled spring his
attached by one end to the arm d', and by the other is suspended from the
upper end of a bracket i, which is fixed on the top of the framing; a vertical
gauge plate is secured in a proper position on the framing by screw bolts or
otherwise, and it must be so adjusted as to be exactly at right angles to the
shears. The operation-of-the-machine-is-as-follows:-The workman-takes-in-
his hand a slate that requires to be dressed, and having presented one edge to
the shears he places his foot on the treadle g, and brings down the lever f
and sword arm d¹, and thus cuts and dresses one side of the slate. The dressed
side is then placed against the vertical gauge plate j, and a fresh undressed
side is presented to the shears, which by the workmen depressing the treadle g
are made to trim this side also. The third and fourth sides of the slate are
presented to the shears in like manner and are properly trimmed, their edges
being cut at right angles to each other and to the proper size, which is done
by bringing up the slate to certain marks on the gauge plate j. The stationary
cutting edge c is adjustable vertically, as shewn in Figures 1 and 2, to com-
pensate for wear; and in order to adjust the cutting edge of the upper or
moveable blade d the bearings of the shaft e are made adjustable, as shewn
in Fig. 3. The ends of this shaft are supported in the blocks k, k, which rest
on thin pieces of wood, metal, cardboard, or other substance 1, and by altering
the position or thickness of this packing the shaft e may be raised or lowered
bodily, as may be required:
Fig. 4 is a side elevation, and Fig. 5, an end view of another machine
which is a modification of the one just described. In this instance the treadle
is dispensed with, and the moveable cutting shear is operated through the inter-
vention of a cam m on the main driving shaft n, which is driven by a band
passed round the pullies o, o, and at one end carries a fly wheel q. Instead of
employing a spring to support the sword arm ', and keep it elevated when in

page_text: a quiescent state, as in Figures 1, 2, and 3, a strong wooden spring or sword p
is secured in standards r, r, above the sword arm d¹, to which it is connected
at its outer end by the jointed links s; and the tendency of this spring sword
is to force down the arm d¹ in the direction of the arrow. The normal or
quiescent state of the shears in this arrangement of the cutting edges is there-
fore to be closed or shut like a pair of scissors, and in order to open them for
the purpose of inserting the rough side of a slate to be trimmed the driving
shaft n must be set in motion, and the cam m by bearing against and lifting a
pin t fixed in one side of the sword arm d¹, will raise the same and open the
shears, so as to admit of a slate being placed between the cutting edges; but
immediately the highest point of the cam passes from under the pin t the
arm d' will be forced down by the elasticity and power of the wooden spring
sword p, and will cut or trim the edge of the slate. It will be seen that the
axle e of the sword arm d' is mounted in adjustable blocks k, k, as in the
former instance, and the bearings of the main or cam shaft n are also adjust-
able vertically. It will be seen that the machine, shewn at Figures 4 and 5,
is not provided with wheels b, b, to facilitate its removal from place to place,
as the machine when driven by mechanical power is supposed and intended to
be stationary; but, if desired, this machine may also be provided with wheels,
the same as the smaller machine.
Having now described our Invention of "Improved Machinery for Dressing
Slates," and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, we
claim, as the Invention secured to us by Letters Patent, the nodes herein set
forth of mounting and operating the shears and the combination of the shears
with the gauge plate, whereby the sides of the slates may be trimmed, squared,
and cut to the required dimensions.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Edwards Amos, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-seventh day of January, in the
year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
C. E. AMOS. (L.S.)