IMPROVEMENTS IN CUTTING AND DRESSING STONE, AND IN TOOLS AND MECHANISM EMPLOYED THEREFOR
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Michael Rowand McHaffie, of Eastwood, in the County of
Renfrew, North Britain, Quarry Master, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN CUTTING AND DRESSING STONE, AND IN TOOLS AND MECHANISM EMPLOYED
THEREFOR."
Sealed the 4th June 1878, and dated the 27th December 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Michael Rowand McHaffie at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th December 1877.
MICHAEL ROWAND McHAFFIE, of Eastwood, in the County of Renfrew, North
Britain, Quarry Master. "IMPROVEMENTS IN CUTTING AND DRESSING STONE, AND
IN THE TOOLS AND MECHANISM EMPLOYED THEREFOR."
"
This Invention has reference to certain improvements in hewing and dressing the
surface of freestone and other stone for building purposes, and to the construction,
arrangement, and mode of actuating or working the actual cutting tools and their
holders, whereby the tools are made to dress the surface of the stones more in
accordance with the action and mode of doing so by the human hand, and which
will be more simple in construction and action, and produce more even work than
the machines heretofore in use.
And the nature and novelty of the Invention or improvements consist, according
to one modification, in mounting each cutter much as the mason or stonecutter
holds his chisel, longitudinally, in the direction the upper surface of the stone is
being hewn or dressed, with the head lying back, over, or down towards the stone
below and behind it, at an angle of about from 25° to 60°, according to the hard-
ness of the stone and greater angle of the face of the cutting edge of the tools. The
tools are preferred to be parallel, and round or polygonal at the lower and middle
body part, which is fitted tightly through a hollow socket holder, resting by a
shoulder formed by the head part, which is larger than the body part, with the
head rounded and projecting up above the holder sufficiently to be struck by oscil-
lating or sliding mechanical motive mallets, hammers, compressers, orother equivalent,
one mounted preferably over each cutter, which has its cutting edge projecting down

page_text: to and acting on the upper surface of the stone to cut and dress it when struck, sub-
stantially in the manner that the masons strike their hand tools, all as will be
herein-after explained. The cutter being secured in its socket by a pinching screw
or cotter, it can neither rise nor dip to give irregular motion or uneven work.
The cutting end edges of the improved tools are sharpened to the different shapes
of diamond points for narrow rippers or broad flat dressers, or with convex or
concave cutting ends when required for cutting or dressing moulding or curved
surfaces along the stone, which, as in many other stone-cutting machines, are pre-
ferred to be set and secured on the top of the travelling bed plate, table, or carriage,
traversed on slides or wheels on long planed slides or rails on the under stationary
sole or bed frame, and constructed and actuated substantially as in other such
machines, or in iron planing machines, there being no special improvement in this
part of the mechanism. These hewing or cutting tools and their improved sockets
are mounted each in special narrow horizontal carrying slide frames by lateral
trunions or journals projecting out from near the lower or middle part of the
holding socket, secured and oscillating in journal snugs formed on or secured to the
sides of the carrying slide frames by angled or dovetail grooves and screw bolts or
other secure fastening, with the tool projecting down through an elliptical or oblong
hole in the centre, and at the angle desired, as before stated, in which position it is
regulated or set and fixed by strong fore-and-aft snugs on the holding socket with
setting and fixing pinching screws and jamb nuts, either screwed in the snugs or in
the carrying slide, to which it is thus secured before and behind the trunions on
which it turns to be fixed at the required angle.
These improved carrying slides (cach with a cutting tool in its holder mounted
on it as described) are set or mounted parallelly side by side at and by their end
in slots formed in strong transverse carrying frames above the stone and its
travelling table in one, two, or more rows behind each other, the tools of the one
row being ranged opposite the alternate spaces or divisions in the other, so that the
tools of the back row cut and dress the parts left by the edge corners of the front
rows. The tools and their carrying slides are thus ranged as close as convenient in
each row to suit the width of tools and stone to dress it across its whole width, and
nre allowed to reciprocate longitudinally in the end slots to the extent of each cut
of the tool when it gets the stroke in the reverse direction to that in which the
stone is being fed forward to the tools, which are quickly brought back to their
normal position by blade or other springs, or other equivalent, and also held down
in their slotted guides during their forward and backward motion by springs or
other equivalent acting above, so that the cutter and tool frame might rise slightly
in its slotted guides in coming backwards, the slots being made to give a little play
for this purpose; but being always held down in its guides by the springs, and the
direction of the cutting blow or force exerted, it could not rise in the forward
stroke, and must thus cut the stone parallel to its slotted guides in the strong trans-
verse frames, which at their ends might be joined and secured to strong vertical
side frames, projecting up from the foundation frame on each side of the travelling
stone-carrying table, with slides and screws or other equivalent for the carrying and
raising and lowering of the said transverse tool frames and cutting edges of the
tools to the proper height for the thickness or depth of stone to be hewn or
dressed on the travelling carriage or table below.
The tools might be made with washers or other equivalent to fit between their
bearing shoulder and their bearing socket for setting them individually to the
proper height or depth of cut, and instead of the transverse frames carrying the tools
and their holders being set parallelly and at right angles across the stone, they might,
if preferred, be set at an angle or askew across the surface of the stone, and although
these tools have only been described as operating on the upper surface of the stone
as traversed below, it will be understood that the tools might be ranged to work in
vertical guides across the edge or sides of the stone to dress these in a similar
manner, and the cutters may be struck or depressed by reciprocating or oscillating
mauls or hammers raised by cams or other equivalent, and struck or depressed by

page_text: their own weight or the force of springs, or it might be by air in small cylinders, or
by the direct action of compressed air or pressure of steam from pressure vessels let
into these cylinders, as air or steam hammers are used for light iron and copper
work.
Under another modification, instead of each tool being made in one piece,
sharpened as ordinary masons' tools are at the cutting point, they might be formed
with gripping recesses with small pinching screws or wedges for holding thin
cutters of tempered steel, such as the small pieces punched out of or between the
teeth of saws while being made, thus utilizing these which are at present of little
value, and considered as waste material, or small pieces of punched sheet or malleable
iron, case-hardened, might be used when particular shapes of cutting edges were
required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Michael Rowand McHaffie in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th June 1878.
MICHAEL ROWAND M'HAFFIE, of Eastwood, in the County of Renfrew, North
Britain, Quarry Master. "IMPROVEMENTS IN CUTTING AND DRESSING STONE, AND
IN THE TOOLS AND MECHANISM EMPLOYED THEREFOR."
My said Invention has reference to certain improvements in hewing and dressing
the surface of freestone and other stone for building purposes, and to the construc-
tion, arrangement, and mode of actuating or working the actual cutting tools and
their holders, whereby the tools are made to dress the surface of the stones inore in
accordance with the action and mode of doing so by the human hand, and which
will also be more simple in construction and action, and produce more even work
than the machines heretofore used for cutting and dressing stones.
And in order that the full nature, novelty, and mode of performing my said
Invention may be properly understood, I shall now proceed to describe the several
Figures on the Sheet of Drawings which I have hereunto appended for that purpose,
the same reference letters indicating the same parts in all the Figures where seen.
Figures 1, 2, and 3 are a side elevation, a transverse section, and a plan, all respec-
tively of the central gearing and tool cutting part of a stone hewing or dressing ma-
chine, all constructed in accordance with and illustrative of the improvements of my
said Invention; and Figures 4 and 5 are a sectional elevation and a plan of the new
or improved tool-cutting mechanism A, B, C, D, and the striking mall or hammer,
and their actuating cam gearing, all as in the act of cutting the upper surface z ---21
of the stone Z.

page_text: Referring to these Figures 1 to 4, the nature, novelty, and mode of performing
my said Invention or improvements consist, according to one modification, in
mounting each cutter A much as the mason or stonecutter holds his chisel, longi-
tudinally, in the direction the upper surface of the stone is being hewn or dressed,
with the head lying back over or down towards the stone, below and behind it, at
an angle of about 25° to 60°, according to the hardness of the stone, and greater or
lesser angle of the face or cutting edge of the tools.
Each cutting tool A is preferred to be parallel, and round, square, or polygonal at
the stem or holding body part A, which is fitted tightly up into or through a
hollow angled socket B of the holder B, B', with pinching screws b for gripping the
stem which bears by the shoulder at a, which is formed longer than the body part
A, preferably having the head of the socket roller B, B', rounded and projecting up
above the swivelling socket B and holding arm B¹, sufficiently to be struck by the
oscillating, swivelling, mechanical, motive mallets or hammers H (or it might be
other equivalent sliding strikers or compressers), one preferably mounted loosely
and actuated, as will herein-after be explained, over each cutter A and its socket B,
the former of which has its cutting edge projecting down to, and acting on the
upper surface z---z of the stone Z, Z, being cut, so as to strike the socket B and
its cutter A nearly in a line through their centre, and dress the stone, all sub-
stantially in the manner that the masons strike their hand tools and dress the
stone. Each cutter A is secured by a pinching screw and jam nut b (or it might
be by a cotter) in its socket B, which swivels on the centre and eye in each longi-
tudinal slide C, to which the socket is fixed, and set by the arms and pinching
screws B', b¹, the slide working (when its tool and holder A, B, are struck) in the
slotted guides at d¹, formed and fitted in the two cross rails D, with setting and
tightening screws and nuts c, all so that the cutter A travils in a true horizontal direc-
tion or parallel to the traverse of the stone, anddoes not dab or cut into the stone, but
forms the said even surface required, and takes its cut right before it, neither rising
nor dipping into the stone, to give irregular motion or uneven work on its surface.
The cutting end edges of the cutter A of these improved stone-dressing tools
A, B, C, D, are formed and sharpened (much as for hand, and for other machine
chisels) to the different shapes, of diamond points for narrow rippers, or broad
chisel-like points for flat dressers, or with convex, concave, or curved cutting ends,
when required for cutting or dressing mouldings or curved surfaces along the stone.
As in many other stone-cutting machines, the stones Z are preferred to be set
and secured on the top of the travelling bed plate, table, or carriage I, traversed on
slides I (or it might be wheels on long planed slides or rails J, formed on the
upper side of the under longitudinal stationary sole or bed frame J, and constructed
or actuated substantially as in other such machines, or in iron-planing machines,
by the toothed rack i, secured on the under side of the traversing table I, and the
pinion (gearing into the toothed rack) secured on the inner end of the transverse
shaft j, carried in the bush bearings j', on the bed frame J, J, and actuated at a
slow speed by the screw wheel k, on the outer end of the shaft j, gearing into the
screw on the side shaft K, carried in bearing brackets K', secured to the one side
of the sole plate J, and actuated by the bevel wheels 1, l', from the transverse shaft
L, actuated by the belt pulley ¹¹, on its other end, and carried in the bearing
brackets L¹, secured to the opposite side of the bed frame J.
These hewing or cutting tools A and their improved sockets B, B¹, are mounted
each in special narrow horizontal carrying side frames C, by lateral trunnions or
journals 2 projecting out from near the lower or middle part of the holding socket B,
secured and oscillating in journal snugs c¹ formed on or secured to the slides C of
the carrying slide frames D, fitted with tightening-up angled or dovetail or slotted
grooves and set screws and bolts b (or other equivalent secure fastenings), with the
tool A projecting down through the central hole in its socket B, set and fixed to the
position and angle desired, as before stated, by the strong fore-and-aft arms B¹ and
screws b¹ to the snugs c¹¹ on the holding and carrying slide C, to which it is thus

page_text: secured before and behind the oscillating trunnions 62, 62, on which the carrying
socket B turns, to allow it to be set and fixed at the required angle to the upper
surface of the stone, not altering the cutting motion of the tool, except that it lies at
a less or greater angle.
These improved carrying slides C (each with a cutting tool A in its holder B, B',
mounted on it, as described) are set or mounted parallelly side by side as and by
their ends in slots at d, formed in the strong transverse carrying frames D, D, above
the stone Z and its travelling table I, in a single row, as shown in the Drawings, or
it might be in two or more rows behind each other, the cutters A of the one row
being ranged opposite the alternate spaces or divisions in the other, so that the
tools of the back row would cut and dress the parts left by the edges or corners of
the front rows; or the tools might be set alternately slightly in advance of each
other on the out carrying frame, so that those behind, being broader than the spaces
between those in front, would be set to dress off the parts left by and between
the front tools flush with the cuts made by these. The tools A, B, B¹, and their
carrying slides C are thus ranged as close as convenient in each row to suit the
width of cutters A and stone, and in number sufficient to dress it across its whole
width, as seen particularly in Figure 2, while they are each and all allowed to
reciprocate longitudinally in their end slots & to the extent of each cut of the tool A, B,
when it gets the strike of the hammer H in the reverse direction to that in which
the stone is being fed forward to them, while they are each brought back to their
normal position ready for a fresh cut by the forward motion of the stone, or by
springs or other equivalent (not shown in the Drawings), where they are held down
in their slotted guides D, d, during their forward and backward motion by the
guides C' and pinching screws c; or it might be by springs or other equivalent acting
above the ends of the slides C, to allow the cutter and tool frame A, B, B, C, to rise
slightly in its slotted guides in coming backwards, when that is desired, the slots d
in this case being made deep enough to allow of a slight play for this purpose, but
being always held down in its slots d and guides C¹, the pinching screws c, or the
said springs when these are used, and the direction of the cutting blow or force
exerted being forward and downward, the tools would not rise in the forward stroke,
and must thus of necessity cut the stone parallel to the slotted guides in their strong
transverse carrying frames D, D, which are set and secured at their ends D' parallel
to the traversing table I and surface ---2 of the stone Z to be dressed, by screw
bolts to the side cheeks E, E, of the portable raising and lowering frame E, E,
secured together by cross stays and tie bars E³, and mounted by slides e on planed
guides e¹ on the strong vertical side frames F, F, secured to brackets J2 below on
the sole frame J and above by cross rail F', where the hand wheel cross shaft f, f',
is carried in bearing brackets f', and having two screws g, g, on it working into
screw wheels g¹, g', on the upper end of the vertical screws G, mounted in the guide
frames for carrying and raising and lowering the said transverse tool frames E, E,
and cutting edges of the tools A to the proper height for the thickness or depth of
stone to be hewn or dressed on the travelling carriage or table I below them, the
screws G working through deep nuts formed or secured on the frames E, É, all
actuated and set by the hand wheel f
The frames E, E, also carry the actuating cam shaft h, which actuates the hammers H
in bush bearings E" at their upper ends, with the hammers oscillating loosely on
their carrying eyes or bosses Hi between the cams h', which raise or actuate the
hammers H by the lateral pins H¹ projecting from the side of each of their arms H²,
the cam shaft h being actuated by a belt pulley h" on its one end from any adjacent
first-motion shaft which actuates the travelling carriage and stone I. Each hammer
is fitted with hard wood in its striking face at H³, and falls by its own weight on
the tool holder B and cutter A set below it for that purpose, as seen particularly in
Figure 4.
The lever H2 of each hammer H is preferably fitted to slide through a parallel
slot or eye in its carrying oscillating boss H", to which it is attached by the spiral

page_text: or it might be other springs h¹, which force each hammer H back to its normal
radius or distance from the oscillating centre, so that its cam h¹ will raise it by the
lateral pin H' after each fall or blow. The height to which the hammers H are
raised to give the desired fall and force of blow to the tools A, B, to suit the
particular stone and work of the machine at the time, is regulated by the height
and radial position to which the transverse spindle m is set in the segmental guides
M in the side frames E, E, in which it is mounted, with a set of loose rollers h³
mounted on it, one opposite the back-rounded end of each hammer lever H2, so as
to push it forward against the power of the springs hill, and so press the pin H¹ off
the cam h', as this brings the hammer H up, and the back end of the lever H' down
against its disengaging roller h³. This roller spindle m is raised or lowered by the
two links m' connected to its ends above, outside the frames E, E, and below to
the free ends of the two lovers ml on the rocking and carrying spindle m11, working
in journal bearings in the frames E, E, and actuated and set to any position by the
hand lever m³ and fixing quadrant m³ at one side, so as to give any desired lift to
the hammers and force of blow through them to the tools, all as described. The
tools A might be made with washers, or other equivalent, to fit between their
bearing shoulder a and their bearing socket B, for setting them individually to the
proper or uniform height or depth of cut; and instead of the transverse frames D, D,
carrying the tools and their holders A, B, B¹, C, being set parallelly and at right
angles across the level surface z ---z of the stone, they might Z, if preferred, be set
at an angle or askew across the surface of the stone.
And, further, although the tools and their holding frames have only been described
and shown in the Drawings as set, and operating on the upper surface z --- of the
stone Z, traversed below, it is to be understood that the tools A, B, B¹, might be set
and mounted in vertical guides C, D, up and down or across the edge or sides of the
stones, and so made to dress these all otherwise in a similar manner to that
described and shown in reference to the upper horizontal surface. And although
the hammers H have been described and shown as raised by cams, and allowed to
fall and act by the force of their own gravity to strike the tools A, B, B¹, it will be
understood that the hammers might be forced down by strong springs, or by the
pressure and elasticity of air in small cylinders, or by the direct action of compressed
air or pressure of steam from a pressure vessel or steam boiler let into these cylinders, all
otherwise substantially as in the air or steam hammers used for light iron and copper-
work.
Under another modification, instead of each tool being made in one piece and
sharpened at the cutting point as ordinary masons' tools are, they might be formed
with gripping recesses, with small pinching screws or wedges for holding thin cutters
of tempered steel, such as the small pieces punched out of or between the teeth of
saws while being made, thus utilizing these which are at present of little value and
considered as waste material; or small pieces of punched sheet or malleable iron
case-hardened might be used when particular shapes of cutting edges were
required.
Having now particularly described the nature of my said Invention, and the
mode and means by which it is or may be put into effect or practice, I have to state
that I do not confine myself to the precise details of construction and arrangement
of many of the parts and mode of actuating these in stone-cutting machines;
neither on the other hand do I desire to claim the special use of many of these,
except in combination with the improvements which form the distinguishing
features and substance of my Invention, and which I claim to be secured to me by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, namely,-
First. The general construction and arrangement of the parts of a stone hewing
or cutting machine or mechanism, with a row or rows of cutting tools or chisels
struck by malls or hammers, and which cannot dip into the stone, but must cut
its surface straight and flat longitudinally, all substantially as herein described in
reference to and shown in the accompanying Drawings, or any mere modification
thereof,

page_text: Second. The construction and arrangement of the cutting tools A, in swivel socket
holders B, B¹, and slides and guides C, D, in stone-cutting machines, so that they
must cut the surface of the stone straight or flat longitudinally, and cannot dip into
it, all substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying
Drawings, or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Michael Rowand McHaffie, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
Witness,
W. R. M. THOMSON,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
M. R. M'HAFFIE. (L.S.)