IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING, PLANING, OR DRESSING AND SAWING STONE, SLATE, MARBLE, AND SIMILAR SUBSTANCES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Walton Urquhart and Joseph Lindsay, both of
Dundee, in the County of Forfar, North Britain, Engineers, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING, PLANING, OR DRESSING
AND SAWING STONE, SLATE, MARBLE, AND SIMILAR SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 14th October 1876, and dated the 18th April 1876:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Walton Urquhart
and Joseph Lindsay at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th
April 1876.
WILLIAM WALTON URQUHART and JOSEPH LINDSAY, both of Dundee, in the
County of Forfar, North Britain, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
CUTTING, PLANING, OR DRESSING AND SAWING STONE, SLATE, MARBLE, AND
SIMILAR SUBSTANCES."
This Invention relates in part to machinery in which stone, slate, marble, and
similar substances are cut or dressed by chisel-like cutters acting to some extent as
in a metal planing machine and in part to machinery in which the cutters are
fixed round the edge of a disc which acts like a circular saw.
In one modification of the improved stone plaining or dressing machinery the
stone blocks or slabs are held on a horizontal table to which a comparatively slow
progressive or feed motion is given, whilst the cutters are moved from side to side
across the stone. The tool box is mounted on a rail or beam fixed on side pillars
or standards; and moves on planed guide surfaces on the beam or on antifriction
rollers. The tool box slides are arranged to move downwards with the usual screw
adjustment at a slight inclination from the vertical for the purpose of putting a
slight bevil on the joint edges of pavement slabs, or for other similar purposes.
The tool box is moved from side to side by means of chains or of steel or hemp
ropes or bands, or by means of chains and ropes or bands combined, such chains,
ropes, or bands being attached to and worked by pulleys driven by suitable gearing,
and being attached to the tool holder so as to cant it at each end of the stroke
for the return cut. The table for carrying the stone or other blocks or slabs is
provided with two sets of wheels at right angles to each other, and when the table
is moved on one set of wheels to a certain position it can be turned a quarter
[Price Sd1

page_text: round on a swivelling centre bogie, and be then moved back on the other set of
wheels so as to have joint edges or other parts cut at right angles to each other.
The progressive movement of the table is by preference effected by means of racks
acted on each by two worms which can be adjusted to or from each other on their
shaft so as to prevent back lash between the rack teeth.
The
In other modifications the tool box may be fixed on the beam, this beam being
fitted to move on or between planed surfaces or on or between rollers on lateral
standards or supports, or the tool box may be moved on a fixed beam, as herein-
before described, by means of the ordinary pinion rack and connecting rod.
driving arrangement with chains, ropes, or bands and pulleys may be advan-
tageously applied to machines constructed otherwise as formerly or with only some
of the present improvements.
In the improved machines for sawing stone and similar substances the saw
shaft is carried in bearings fitted eccentrically in discs which are mounted in
circular housings, and are fitted or formed with worm wheel teeth to be acted on
by worms on shafts geared to act together. The saw shaft is raised or lowered
by turning the discs round, and if it is driven by toothed gearing an intermediate
wheel is connected by links to the driving wheel, and to the one on the shaft, so
as to keep in gear in all positions. The saw disc is made of cast steel, malleable
cast iron, cast iron, bronze, or other suitable metal or alloy, with the. cutter holders
formed in it, instead of having to be separately fitted as heretofore.
The table for carrying the stone or other blocks or slabs to be operated on by
the sawing machine may be advantageously arranged so as to be turned a quarter
round like that herein-before described in connection with the planing or dressing
machinery.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Walton. Urquhart and Joseph Lindsay in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 16th October 1876.
WILLIAM WALTON URQUHART and JOSEPH LINDSAY, both of Dundee, in the
County of Forfar, North Britain, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
CUTTING, PLANING, OR DRESSING AND SAWING STONE, SLATE, MARBLE, AND
SIMILAR SUBSTANCES."
1
Our said Invention relates in part to machinery in which stone, slate, marble,
and similar substances are cut or dressed by chisel-like cutters acting to some
extent as in a metal planing machine, and in part to machinery in which the
cutters are fixed round the edge of a disc which acts like a circular saw.
In one modification of our improved stone planing or dressing machinery the
stone blocks or slabs are held on a horizontal table which has imparted to it a
comparatively slow progressive or feed motion at right angles to the notion of the
cutters. The tool box is mounted on a rail or bean fixed on side pillars or
standards, and moves on planed guide surfaces on the on the beam or on antifriction
rollers, and the tool box slides are arranged to move downwards at a slight inclina-
tion from the vertical. The motion of the tool box from side to side is effected by
means of chains, ropes, or bands attached to and worked by pulleys driven by
suitable gearing. The table for carrying the stone blocks or slabs is provided with
two sets of wheels at right angles to each other, and when the table is moved to
a certain position it can be turned a quarter round on a swivelling centre
bogie.
In other modifications the tool box may be fixed on the beam, the beam being
fitted to move on or betwen planed surfaces or on or between rollers on lateral
standards or supports, or the tool box may be moved on a fixed beam by means of
the ordinary pinion, rack, and connecting rod.

page_text: In our improved machine for sawing stone and similar substances the saw shaft
is for the purpose of being easily raised or lowered carried in bearings fitted eccen-
trically in discs which are mounted in circular housings, and are fitted or formed
with worm wheel teeth to be acted on by worms on shafts geared to act together.
The saw disc is cast with the cutter holders formed in it instead of having to be
separately fitted as heretofore.
And in order that our said Invention and the manner of performing the same
may be properly understood, we hereunto append three Sheets of explanatory
Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and representing various modifications of
stone dressing and sawing machinery embodying our improvements.
In these Drawings the same reference numerals are used to mark the same or
like parts wherever they are repeated.
The
Figure 1, on Sheet 1 of the Drawings, is a plan, Figure 2 is a side elevation,
and Figure 3 is an end elevation of one modification of our improved stone planing
or dressing machinery. The stone blocks or slabs to be acted on are held on a
horizontal table 1, to which a slow progressive motion is given in the direction of
the arrow in Figure, 1, whilst the cutters are moved from side to side across the
stone.
A tool box 2 is mounted on a rail or beam 3 fixed in side pillars or
standards 4, and moves on antifriction rollers 5, which are fitted in bearings in the
The tool
tool box so as to roll on the upper and lower surfaces of the beam 3.
box slides 6 are arranged with the usual screw adjustment arranged to act vertically,
or in some cases with a slight inclination to the vertical, for the purpose of putting
a slight bevil on the joint edges of pavement slabs, or for other similar purposes.
The tool box 2 is moved from side to side by means of iron, steel, or hemp ropes
or bands 7, or it might be by means of chains or of chains and ropes or bands
combined. The ropes or bands 7, of which there are two pairs, are all in this
example attached to two grooved driving pulleys 8, and one pair proceed directly
to the tool, whilst the other pair pass to and round pulleys 9 at the other end
of the machine, and thence return to the tool box. All the ropes or bands 7 are
attached to the upper parts of tool holders 10, which are centred on a pin 11 fixed in
the tool box 2, and the action of the ropes 7 cant the tool holders 10 over against
adjustable stops 12 at each end of the stroke for the return cut. The pulleys 8
are fixed on a shaft 13 supported in bearings in side frames 14, and are driven
from the first motion shaft 15 of the machine by means of spur gearing 16.
table 1 is mounted on wheels 17 running on rails 18, and is guided between
rollers 19 carried by brackets 20 on the standards 4. A second set of wheels 21
is provided at right angles to the first set 17, and when the table is moved on
one set of the wheels to a position clear of the rails 18 it can be turned a quarter
round on a swivelling centre bogie 22, and then be moved back on the other set
of wheels 21, so as to have joint edges or other parts cut at right angles to those
cut when the table was in the other position. The centre bogie 22 has four
wheels a running on a pair of rails b, which extend beyond the ends of the rails 18.
The progressive movement of the table 1 is effected by means of racks 23 fixed to
its under side and acted on by pinions 24 on horizontal shafts 25. The shafts 25
have fixed on them spur wheels 26, gearing with a spur wheel 27, which is moved
in either direction, as desired, by a double toothed pawl 28 on the arm of a bell-
crank lever 29, the other arm of which is connected by a chain 30, passing over a
pulley 31 to a second bell-crank lever 32, and this lever 32 is connected to a rod 33
which is actuated by the tool box coming in contact with the stops on the rod as it
approaches one end of its stroke. A second rod 34 has attached to it a lever 35,
connected to a bell-crank lever 36, which moves a rod 37 carrying the guide
forks 38, to shift the belts which drive fast and loose pulleys 39 on the shaft 15
and reverse the motion of the driving gear 16. Levers 40 are provided for con-
trolling the motion of the driving gear by hand, and a hand wheel 41 acting by
spur gearing on the pinion shafts 25 and racks 23 is also provided to move the
table 1 into position for commencing the cutting operation. A quick motion can
be given to the table by means of a bevil wheel 42 on the shaft 25, and driven by

page_text: one or other of two bevil pinions 43 on a shaft 44, carrying fast and loose
pulleys 45 for a driving belt.
If preferred the feed motion may be effected by means of racks 23 (shown in
Figures 4 and 5) acted on each by two. worms 46, 47, one of which 47 is adjust-
able to or from the other 46 by screw nuts 48 on the shaft, so as to prevent
back lash between the rack teeth.
Figure 6 on Sheet 2 of the Drawings is a side elevation showing a second modi-
fication of parts of our improved stone planing machinery. In this machine the tool
box 2 is fixed on the beam 3, and the beam is fitted to move between rollers
supported in bearings in the standards 4. Ropes or bands 7 are attached to the
tool holder 10, and passing to the driving pulleys 8, move the tool box from side
to side as in the first modification.
In a third modification, shown in side elevation in Figure 7, the tool box 2 is
moved on a fixed beam 3 by means of a connecting rod 49 attached to the tool
holder 10 and to a rack 50 which is actuated by a pinion 51 (shown in dotted
lines).
The driving arrangement with ropes or bands and pulleys may be advantageously
applied to machines constructed otherwise as formerly, or with only some of the
present improvements.
Figure 8 on Sheet 3 of the Drawings is a horizontal section, and Figure 9 is a
side elevation of a modification of our improved machine for sawing stone and
similar substances. The saw shaft 52 is carried in bearings 53 fitted eccentrically
in discs 54, which are mounted in circular housings 55 formed in standards 56.
The discs 54 are fitted or formed with worm wheel teeth to be acted on by worms
57 on vertical shafts 58, having fixed on their lower ends bevil wheels 59 in gear
with bevil wheels 60 on a horizontal shaft 61. The saw shaft 52 is raised or
lowered by turning the discs 54 round, and if it is driven by toothed gearing an
intermediate wheel is connected by links to the driving wheel and to the one on
the shaft so as to keep in gear in all positions. The saw disc 62 is fixed to a boss 63
fast on the shaft 52, and is made of cast steel, malleable cast iron, cast iron, bronze,
or other suitable metal or alloy with holders 64 for the cutters 65 cast or formed
in it (as shown on a larger scale in Figures 10 and 11), instead of having to be
separately fitted as heretofore.
The table 1 for carrying the stone or other blocks to be operated on by the sawing
machine may be advantageously arranged so as to be turned a quarter round like
that herein-before described with reference to Figures 1 and 2.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention and the manner of per-
forming the same, we have to state that we do not restrict ourselves to the precise
details herein described or delineated; but that what we believe to be novel and
original, and claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
1. The combination of parts constituting the first modification as herein-before
described with reference to Sheet 1 of the accompanying Drawings of our improved
machinery for cutting, planing, or dressing stone, slate, marble, and similar
substances.
2. The mounting of the tool box (2) so as to move with or without rollers upon
planed guide surfaces on à fixed beam (3), as herein-before described.
3. The fitting of the tool box slides so as to be adjustable downwards at a slight
inclination from the vertical line, as and for the purposes herein-before described.
4. The moving of the tool box from end to end, whether separate from or fixed to
the beam, by means of steel or hemp ropes or bands or of chains attached to and
worked by pulleys, as herein-before described.
-
5. The herein-before described arrangements admitting of the table (1) being
turned a quarter round so that cuts can be formed at right angles to each other.
6. The moving of the tools by means of racks acted on by pairs of worms, the
worms of each pair being adjustable to or from each other as and for the purpose
herein-before described.

page_text: 7. The mounting of the shaft of a circular saw for sawing stone and similar
substances in bearings situated eccentrically in discs which can be turned round to
raise or lower the saw, as herein-before described.
8. The casting of the saw discs for stone and similar substances in cast steel, mal-
leable cast iron, cast iron, bronze, or other suitable metal or alloy with the cutter
holders formed in them, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Walton Urquhart, on behalf of myself
and the said Joseph Lindsay, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this
Thirteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
and hundred seventy-six.
W. W. URQUHART. (L.S.)