IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SAWING MACHINES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Hugh Prichard Hughes, of 31, Mottram Street,
Stephen Street, Salford, Manchester, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SAWING MACHINES,"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Hugh Prichard Hughes
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
26th August 1862.
I, HUGH PRICHARD HUGHES, of 31, Mottram Street, Stephen Street, Salford,
Manchester, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SAWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
machinery or apparatus for sawing stones, slates, slabs, and other hard sub-
stances, and consists, firstly, in having the saw shaft A placed on moveable
pedestals B that can be slidden upwards and downwards, so as to be able to
take large saws and cut the materials, such as slates, slabs, &c., with the
upper part of the saw, thus rendering it more effective for that purpose;
secondly, in having the saw and saw shaft reversible, so as to saw towards both
ends of the table A¹ by having the saw refixed, or having the teeth properly
made, so as to saw towards both ends without refixing it. In this way the
table can be loaded and unloaded at one end while the saw is cutting at the

page_text: other; whilst for sawing in the opposite direction with a new load the saw
must be refixed, so that the teeth will be in the opposite direction for sawing
the new load. The saw J can be refixed by means of the pin C, screwed into
the end of the saw shaft carrying the outward saw collar, which can be
screwed and unscrewed by means of a hand wheel D at the other end; it
is also supported by a small bracket E fitted to the framing. The shaft can
be reversed by means of two straps or bands acting on the pulleys F in
opposite directions; by moving one of the straps to the middle or fast pulley
the required motion can be given to the saw. The feed motion consists of
two spur wheels and pinions; the small pinion G is fitted on the saw shaft,
which turns a spur wheel H, with a small pinion on one side of its boss that
turns on a pin, and can be moved up and down in a slot-hole I (Fig. 1)
with the saw shaft. The small pinion K on the boss of the spur wheel gives
motion to an internal spur wheel turning on the chain spindle, by means of
which motion can be transmitted to the chain shaft by moving the internal
spur wheel L into connection with the fixed clutch box M on the chain shaft,
which also carries the fixed chain roller N, from which the chains run round
sheaves in blocks on each end of the frame, and again through other
sheaves secured under the middle part of the table or platform, and into a
hook on fixed blocks P at each end of the framing. The fixed block, with
roller under the table, is for reducing the speed of the fixed motion and giving
less strain on the chain. Should it be requisite to draw the platform back
with a quick motion, it can be done by throwing the spur wheel on the chain
shaft out of gear and the pinion Q into gear by means of the handle S and levers
R, and the same pinion receives its motion from spur wheel H, and therefore
gives a quick backward motion to the table, so as to be able to receive another
load in an ordinary way. The speed of the feed motion can be altered by
means of different sized pinions on the saw shaft, to be changed according to
the required speed. Thirdly, in having V-grooved rollers T, with V-bearings
to the spindles; the V on the rollers is to receive another V in the table as in
the ordinary tables, this is to guide and steady the table. The rollers also are
steadied by the groove bearings U and small set pins screwed to the end of
the rollers' spindles. The framing of the machine is made in the ordinary
way; the long pieces W are of cast iron, with their stands w of the same
piece, these are bolted to the stays X. The small rollers are for carrying
the table in the ordinary way; part of the table is omitted in Fig. 2, to show
the wheels; the spur wheels and pinions are shown by their pitch circle.
It will thus be seen that my mode of application is more effective and the
feed motion will work with less friction than the ordinary worms, and with,

page_text: more regular motion than eccentrics; also that my rollers will carry and
guide the table with less friction than ordinary slide V, and that the V-bearings
for their spindles áre steadier than ordinary bearings.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Hugh Prichard Hughes in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 24th February 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HUGH
PRICHARD HUGHES, of Black Bridge Foundry, Holyhead, in the County of
Anglesea, and formerly of 31, Mottram Street, Salford, Manchester, .send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Hugh Prichard Hughes, Her special licence that I, the said Hugh
Prichard Hughes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Hugh Prichard Hughes, my 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
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SAWING MACHINES," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Hugh Prichard Hughes, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, 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 Hugh Prichard Hughes, 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 :-
•
The said Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
machinery or apparatus for sawing slates, slabs, and other hard substances, and

page_text: consists, firstly, in having the saw shaft A placed on a moveable pedestal B
that can be slidden upwards and downwards, so as to take large saws and cut
the material with the upper part of the saw, thus rendering it more effective;
likewise in having the saw and saw shaft reversible, so as to saw towards both
ends of the table. This may be done by having the teeth of the saw made to
cut both ways, and by having an ordinary saw refixed, so as to cut in the
required direction; in this way the table can be loaded at one end while the
saw is cutting at the other; whilst for sawing in the opposite direction, the saw
can be speedily refixed for the new load. This is done by means of the pin C
screwed into the end of the saw shaft carrying the outer saw collar, which
may be screwed and unscrewed by means of the hand wheel D at the other
end; it is also supported by the small bracket E fitted to the framing. The
saw can be refixed, likewise, by having the saw shaft come through the saw
collar a and a nut or cotter on its end in the ordinary way. The shaft may
be reversed by means of two belts turning the pulleys F in opposite direc-
tions; by moving either of these to the middle or fast pulley the required
direction can be given to the saw. Secondly, in the feed motion, which consists
of two spur wheel H and L, and pinions G, K, and Q, represented in eleva-
tion, Fig. 1, by the pitch circles. The spur wheel H receives its motion from
the pinion G on the saw shaft, and rotates on the pin v, which can be moved
up and down the slot hole I with the saw shaft. The small pinion K on the
boss of the spur wheel H transmits motion to the internal geared spur
wheel L, which is fitted loose on the chain spindle; the boss of this spur
wheel and pinion Q is as an ordinary clutch box. Motion can be transmitted
to the chain shaft by moving the wheels L and Q into connection with the
fixed clutch box M on the chain spindle, or by having the clutch box moveable
instead of the wheels, on which also is fitted the chain roller N, which carries
the two feed chains; these are passed from the roller N to the block O fitted
to the stays at each end of the framing, and through another block P fitted to
the table Y, and to the hook on the top of the blocks. O at each end of the
framing; thus a most regular and antifrictional motion is transferred to the
table. Should it be requisite to draw the table backwards with a quick
motion, it can be done by simply throwing the spur wheel L out of gear and
the pinion Q into gear by means of the handle S and levers R, and this
pinion receives its motion from the spur wheel H, and gives a quick back-
ward motion to the table, so as to be ready for another load in the ordinary
way. The speed of the feed motion can be altered by means of different
sized pinions on the saw shaft, which may be changed according to the
required speed. Thirdly, in having the V-grooved rollers r with V-bearings

page_text: to the spindle; the V on the rollers to receive another V in the table, as in
the ordinary tables, this is to guide and steady the table; the rollers t are
also steadied by the groove bearings u; thus the table may be traversed and
guided along the frame steadily and without friction. The frame of the
machine is made in the usual way. The long pieces W are of cast iron in
one piece with their stands w; these three are bolted to the stays X.
The improvements thus introduced will be found to consist, firstly, in
working the saw reversible, and enabling it to cut the materials with the
upper part, by which means the machine will accomplish a greater amount of
work than ordinary machines, and be also more effective.
Secondly, in my arrangement of spur gear for feed motion which will work
more steadily, with greater regularity and less friction than others.
Thirdly, in my apparatus for traversing the table, which is by V-rollers
working on V-bearings instead of slides, which work more steadily and with
far less friction than in the ordinary machines.
In witness whereof, I, the said Hugh Prichard Hughes, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of February, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-three.
HUGH PRICHARD HUGHES. (L.B.)