IMPROVEMENTS. IN: CUTTING STONE AND OTHER MINERAL SUBSTANCES
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Stewart, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Miner, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS. IN:
CUTTING STONE AND OTHER MINERAL SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 30th December 1856, and dated the 25th July 1856..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Stewart at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
July 1856.
I, ROBERT STEWART, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Miner, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN CUTTING STONE AND OTHER MINERAL SUBSTANCES," to bo as follows;
that is to say:-
This Invention relates to improved machinery or apparatus for cutting stone
and other mineral substances into blocks, whereby the manual labor usually
employed in performing this operation is dispensed with or considerably
diminished, and the injurious effect on the health of the workers from the dust
is avoided..
According to one modification of the improved apparatus, a suitable sole
or bed is laid down for the traverse upon it of a carriage carrying the cutting
tools, the stone to be cut being placed beneath. The carriage traverses upon
rails upon the sole or bed, being supported upon wheels, one or more of which
are toothed to gear into a rack or racks upon the rails or sole. The machine
may
be furnished with any convenient number of cutting tools, arranged in a
line one behind the other, and following each other in the cut.
cutting chisel, which may be of any suitable form, is fitted into
a
Each tool or
socket in the

page_text: lower end of a vertical or slightly inclined bar, capable of sliding easily in
guides attached to the carriage framing. The cutting action is made to take
place by raising and letting fall this bar, which is of considerable weight, and
causes the cutting tool to forcibly strike the stone, and so effect an increment of
the cut. The bar is lifted by means of a socket piece embracing it, and which has
jointed to its inner side, a short lever or eccentric piece, which grips the tool
bar when the lifting action takes place. This short lever is linked at a point
outside of the joint which connects it to the socket to a lever above, and
the whole socket is lifted by means of this connection; the lever above being
worked by hand, or by steam, or other motive power applied through a crank
shaft or otherwise, so as to cause the lever to reciprocate. The short lever or
eccentric piece jointed to the lifting socket is made with a tail, which comes in
contact, with a cross bar or stop on the socket reaching its highest point, and
thereby causes the socket to release the tool bar, which falls, by its own weight;
then the movement of the upper lever lowers the lifting. socket, which again
takes hold of the tool bar in order to raise it. In this manner the tool always
follows its work, the lifting socket taking hold of it higher up as the cut
gradually deepens. The carriage. may be moved. forward by hand by means of
a suitable lever connection with the running wheels, or a self-acting feed
motion may be employed, such motion consisting, for example, of-a ratchet
wheel and pall lever movement, actuated by any of the reciprocating parts of
the machine, and also in connection with the running wheels; or again, in
some cases, the carriage may be kept stationary during a number of strokes, so
that the cut may be made vertically downwards on the side of the stone.or at
an other nont.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
11"
by. the said Robert Stewart in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd January 1857.
22nd
.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,. ROBERT
STEWART, of. Glasgow, in the County, of Lanark, North Britain, Miner, send
greeting.
"
WHEREAS Her most Excellent, Majesty. Queen Victoria,, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred, and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of, Her, reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give, and grant unto me, the said
Robert Stewart, Her special license that I, the said Robert Stewart, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Robert

page_text: Stewart, my executors, administrators, or 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, usė; exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man; an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CUTTING STONE AND OTHER MINERAL SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Robert Stewart, by an instrunient 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 montlis
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Stewart, 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
in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
My said Invention relates to improved machinery or apparatus to be used
for cutting stone and other minerál substances into blocks, whereby the manuál
labour usually employed in performing this operation is dispensed with or
considerably diminished, and the injurious effect on the health of the workers.
from the dust is avoided.
According to one modification of the improved apparatus, a suitable sole
or bed is laid down for the traverse upon it of a carriage carrying the
cutting tools, the stone to be cut being placed beneath.
The carriage
traverses upon rails upon the sole or bed, being supported upon wheels,
one or more of which are toothed to gear into a rack or racks upon the
rails or sole. The machine may be furnished with any convenient number of
cutting tools, arranged in a line one behind the other, and following each other
in the cut. Each tool or cutting chisel, which may be of any suitable form, is
fitted into a socket in the lower end of a vertical or slightly inclined bar,
capable of sliding easily in guides attached to the carriage framing. The
cutting action is made to take place by raising and letting fall this bar, which
is of considerable weight, and causes the cutting tool to forcibly strike the
stone and so effect an increment of the cut. The bar is lifted by means of a
socket pièce embracing it, and which has jointed to its inner side a short lever
or eccentrić piece, which grips the tool bar when the lifting action takes place.
This short lever is linked at a point outside of the joint which connects it
to the socket to a lever above, and the whole socket is lifted by means of this
connection, the lever above being worked by hand, or by steam, or other

page_text: motive power applied through a crank shaft or otherwise, so as to cause
the lever to reciprocate. The short lever. or eccentric piece jointed to the
lifting socket is made with a tail, which comes in contact with a cross bar or
stop on the socket, reaching its highest point, and thereby causes the socket to
release the tool bar, which falls by its own weight; then the movement of the
upper lever lowers the lifting socket, which again takes hold of the tool bar in
order to raise it. In this manner the tool always follows its work, the lifting
.socket taking hold of it higher up as the cut gradually deepens. The carriage
may be moved forward by hand by means of a suitable lever connection with
the running wheels, or a self-acting feed motion may be employed, such motion
consisting, for example, of a ratchet wheel and pall lever movement actuated
by any of the reciprocating parts of the machine, and also in connection with
the running wheels; or again, in some cases, the carriage may be kept
stationary during a number of strokes, so that the cut may be made vertically
downwards on the side of the stone or at any other part.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I shall
now proceed to describe the several Figures on the explanatory Sheet of
Drawings which I have hereunto appended, in illustration of the general
eharacter of my improvements.
Figure 1 on my Sheet of Drawings is a complete front elevation of one
modification of my apparatus, showing it as in action with four several cutters
or stone-working tools. Figure 2 is a corresponding side or end view of the
apparatus, as taken at right angles to Figure 1. In this modification of
my machinery, the framing, which is of the open rectangular kind, consists of
the two vertical end pieces A, B, firmly bound and held together by the cross
bars C, the whole being supported upon the floor D of the quarry, or upon a
suitable horizontal surface. The apparatus does not run upon this surface
direct, but it is carried upon a pair of parallel timber rails E, adjustable at
the proper part by means of vertical set screws F. The lower part of the
framing has suitable eye bearings for receiving the four running wheels G, H,
working upon the rails E, as upon an ordinary railway; two of these wheels G
being formed with spur teeth to gear with corresponding rack teeth upon the
rail E on that side, whilst the other two wheels are plain to run or work upon
the plain surface of the opposite rail. With this arrangement, one or other of
wheels G having a positive rotatory motion given to it from the move-
ments of the machine, the necessary traverse of the whole is insured along the
rails: This movement is produced in the present instance by a lever J, jointed
freely at one end upon the stud pin of one of the spur wheels G, and carrying
a: detent catch-K, working into the teeth of a ratchet wheel fast upon the side
the
spur

page_text: of the spur wheel. The other end of the large lever. J is jointed to the' lower
end of a descending link rod L, the upper end of which is jointed at M to an
intermediate part of a short lever piece N, having one end jointed at O as a
fixed centre to the main framing. The other end of the lever N is jointed at P
to the working connection of one of the cutting chisel bars, so that as the chisel
works the whole apparatus has the requisite horizontal traverse action given to
it. The vertical bars or holders Q of the actual cutters or chisels R are guided
in deep eyes S and T, attached to the main framing at the lower and upper
parts thereof, so as to be securely retained in proper vertical working action.
The lower ends of the bars are recessed out for the reception of the chisels,
which are held in position by lateral screws or cutters. They are all worked in
concert by the winch handle U, fast in the side of the fly wheel V, which is set
upon the overhanging end of the crank shaft W, working in bearings in the
main framing. This shaft W is cranked in four places X to give the requisite
movement to the corresponding number of chisel bars. The pin of each crank
has jointed upon it a short connecting rod Y, the upper ends of which are all
similarly jointed to the ends of the three double levers Z. These levers
are carried upon the fixed centre a in the main framing, and their opposite.
ends are jointed to the upper ends of short link rods, the lower ends, of
which are respectively jointed at the parts 6 to the chisel bars. In this way,
as the shaft W is made to revolve, the chisels or cutters are raised up and
brought down again, one after another, so as to operate upon the stono
and form the cut represented at c.
Figures 3 and 4 on my Sheet of Drawings represent another form of the
improved machinery. Figure 3 is a side or end view of the machine, and
Figure 4 a plan corresponding. In this arrangement the framing. A is of mal-
leable iron, and it is supported upon four plain wheels B, running upon parallel
iron rails C, set upon suitable timber bearers. The whole of the movements of
this machine are derived from the horizontal shaft D, running in end bearings
in the framing, the overhanging portions of the shaft being squared for the
reception of winch handles for driving by. On this shaft are a pair of parallel
levers E, working together as one, and having between them an antifriction
roller F. This roller is carried loosely in end bearings, and it is adjustable so
as to give a longer or shorter stroke as may be desired. As it revolves round
the axial line of the shaft D it comes in contact at each revolution with the tail
of the lever G, which is fast on the horizontal shaft H, carried in end bearings
J in the central portion of the main framing. This shaft carries on its opposite
side a pair of parallel levers K, the ends of which are jointed to the upper ends
of descending links E. The lower ends of these links are respectively jointed

page_text: to tail catches M, hinged to the holding studs N of the chisel bars O. These
chisel bars are guided in the collars P attached to the main framing, and they
are elevated at each turn of the first motion shaft D, which acts by depressing
the lever G, and thus elevating the two levers K, causing the inner eccentric
nipping ends of the levers M to bind the bars in their holding studs N, the
levers M turning slightly upon their centres Q for this purpose.
At R is an
adjustable horizontal bar fixed to the frame, and as the tails of the levers W
come up against the lower side of this bar the nipping effect in the holding
collars is destroyed, and the chisel bars consequently fall and give their cutting
effect to the stone being operated upon. These movements occur at each
revolution of the shaft D, and thus the chisels or cutters are alternately
elevated and let fall to give the required cut, as at S. The necessary traverse
action during the cutting operation is effected by a worm T on the first motion
shaft, which worm is in gear with a horizontal worm wheel U, fast on the upper
end of a vertical shaft V-running in collar bearings on the main framing. The
lower end of this shaft V carries a spur pinion W, in gear with a horizontal
toothed rack X fast to the quarry floor.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict myself to
the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to describe or
refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating from
the principles or main features of my Invention; but what I consider to be
novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is, the herein-before described
arrangements of machinery, apparatus, or means for cutting stone and other
mineral substances.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Stewart, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of January, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-seven.
ROBERT STEWART. (L.S.)