A UNIVERSAL SELF- ACTING SAWING MACHINE
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Henry Thompson, of Old Charlton, in the
County of Kent, Engineer, for the Invention of "A UNIVERSAL SELF-
ACTING SAWING MACHINE."
Sealed the 23rd January 1855, and dated the 28th July 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Henry Thompson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th July 1854.
I, ROBERT HENRY THOMPSON, do hereby solemnly declare the nature of the
said Invention for "A UNIVERSAL SELF-ACTING SAWING MACHINE" to be as
follows:-
A machine whereby wood, stone, or any material capable of being sawn,
may be cut into any shape required by cabinet makers, builders, wheelwrights,
ship builders, and others, either for useful or ornamental purposes, almost
entirely by the self-acting motion of the machine.
The improvements over the ordinary sawing machines hitherto in use, and
which I claim as of my Invention, consist, firstly, in giving from the recipro-
cating motion of the saw frame any desired motion to the saws, so that the
saws, during the process of sawing, may be caused to travel in any angular
direction, and to be turned partially round, and, when required, to turn entirely
round and cut backwards, or during the back motion of the timber.
Secondly, in obtaining any desired motion or cant of the "canting roll"
which carries the timber, and of the "dogs" which hold the timber, in order
to present the timber at any angular position with respect to the saws.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 shews a plan view of the machine; Fig. 2, a side elevation; Fig. 3,
an end elevation.
The manner in which the saws are turned about in any direction while
sawing is explained by the following gearing:-
a, worm wheels, with hole in the centre, and grooved across the top, to secure
the buckles of the saws; b, pairs of screws working into worm wheels a, to
move the saws forward and backward across the frame, turning the saws
round in any required direction; c, pairs of mitre wheels for working the
screws b; d, pairs of grooved shafts for working the mitre wheels c; e, short
buckles for connecting the saws with the long buckles at the worm wheels.
These are made taught by a connecting key. f, pairs of ratchet wheels for
working the shafts d; D, pairs of palls for working ratchet wheels; g, levers
for working the palls D; h, brackets for carrying the levers 9, palls D, and
the ratchet wheels f; Q, links connecting the two levers g; B, diagonal shafts
for working the links Q. These shafts give motion to all the above-mentioned
gear by working the links Q backwards and forwards at each stroke of the
saw frame. The palls D'are, at the will of the attendant, lifted in and out of
gear, and the motion reversed, as required, by means of a cord attached to the
palls (colored red in Fig. 1), or by a small iron shaft, with spiral springs or
other elastic substance, attached to the palls.
The second motion, viz., that of giving any desired cant or angular position
of the timber, or other material under operation, with respect to the saws, is
effected by the under-mentioned gearing :-
9,
J, roll for carrying the timber; k, swinging frame to carry roll J; 1, frame
for raising and lowering the swinging frame k and roll J; m, connecting links
for connecting the swinging frame k and crank p; p, a crank keyed on the
worm wheel shafts and connected to links m; j, worm wheel and worm for
working cranks p to cant or turn the roll to the angle required; o, grooved
shaft to work worm into worm wheel j; q, bevel wheel for working the grooved
shaft or, grooved shaft for working a second bevel wheel into bevel
and
a worm at each of the transoms A, for the shafts W; s, worm and worm wheel
for working the grooved shafts r; Y, worm wheel and shaft with bevel pinion
working into bevel wheel N for turning the shaft T; T, shaft for turning the
dog R to any given angle; R, dog for securing the timber at the end, keeping
it in the required position; Z, brackets for carrying grooved shafts W; .S,
crank handles for working screws at dogs R; x, spur wheel for working
worms; y, connecting rod for working feed and regulating crank E and pall

page_text: into spur wheel x. This pall works the spur wheel either way, as required.
F, regulating screw. This screw, crank, pall, and spur wheel give motion
and regulate all the above-described twisting or canting gear. G, a pair of
mitre pinions for working shafts t; t, shafts for working worm and worm
wheel at H; H, worm and worm wheel for working the indicator hand, shewn
at I. This indicator shews the bevils of the cut surfaces of the timber accu-
rately at all times. O, spur wheel for feed motion on rack B, for feeding
either way; N, crank and feed pall to work the spur wheel O; E, brackets
for carrying the screws b. The remaining portions of the machine marked
A, B, J, J, l, n, H, & W. G, F, K, K, M, D, Z, are constructed in the same
manner and for the same purposes as in the machines now used for sawing.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Robert Henry Thompson in the Great Seal Patent Office ou
the 27th January 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
HENRY THOMPSON, of Old Charlton, in the County of Kent, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of July, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself,
Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Robert Henry
Thompson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Robert Henry Thompson, 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 the Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "A UNIVERSAL SELF-ACTING SAWING MACHINE," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Robert Henry Thompson, by an instru-
ment 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 months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Henry Thompson, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is

page_text: to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
A machine whereby wood, stone, or any material capable of being sawn, may
be cut into any shape required by cabinet makers, builders, wheelwrights, ship
builders, and others, either for useful or ornamental purposes, almost entirely
by the self-acting motion of the machine. The improvements over the sawing
machines hitherto used, and which improvements I claim as of my Invention,
consist, firstly, in obtaining from the reciprocating motion of the saw frame
any desired motion of the saw itself during the process of cutting, so that
the saws may travel across the frame. or gate, and may also be partially
turned round, and, if required, to turn entirely round and thus cut backwards,
or during the back motion of the timber.
Secondly, in obtaining any desired side motion or cant of the canting roll
which supports the timber, and of the dogs which carry the ends of the timber,
in order to present the upper surface of the wood at any angular position with
respect to the saws.
First, with regard to the moving of the saws across the gate which carries
them. This part of the machinery is seen only in the Figures 1 to 10, both
inclusive. Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of the framing, partially in
section, the saw gate, and the driving shaft, all the remaining parts of tho
machino being removed for clearness. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of Fig. 1
through the line A, A; Fig. 3, a horizontal section on the line B, B; Fig. 4,
a horizontal section at C, C; Fig. 5, a horizontal section through the sill of
the saw gate, at D, D; Figs. 6, 7, and 8, details which will be described
hereafter; Fig. 9, a vertical section of the traverse block which carries the
saw; Fig. 10, an end view of the saw gate.
The saws E are stretched in the saw gate, and secured by cotters at top
and bottom to the spindles a, which spindles are free to revolve in the
blocks F. These blocks, which I term the traverse blocks, slide across the saw
gate upon inclined or V edges at the top of the head, and at the under side of
the sill of the saw gate G are racks fixed to the saw gate; b are worm wheels,
secured to the traverse blocks, and gearing into the racks G; consequently,
when in motion, as the racks are immoveable, the worm wheels 'push the
traverse blocks and saws across the frame.
The manner in which motion is communicated to the worm wheels b from
the reciprocating motion of the saw gate is as follows:-The sides of the saw
gate at c, c, are hollow, see the sectional Fig. 3. In the hollow portion are
fixed inclined guide bars d, d, see also Fig. 10. e is a vibrating bar centred upon

page_text: a bracket secured to the framing; one extremity of the bar e is spherical, and
fitted into a rectangular block sliding within the guide bars d, d. It will be
evident that as the saw gate moves up and down, the bar e will vibrate at
cach stroke. This motion is communicated to two other bars e¹ and e², lying
parallel to the centre bar, and connected to it by links. Upon the outer bars
are fixed palls f, acting upon the spur wheels H, to which the palls communi-
cate a partial rotation at each stroke. The palls are kept up to their work by
spiral or bent springs, as may be found most convenient; they are thrown out
of gear or reversed by a gut strap. Through the centre of the spur wheels H
pass the shafts h; they are fixed at the extremities to the saw gate, and con--
sequently move with it. The wheels H, on the contrary, are secured to the
side frames, the rotation of the wheels being communicated to the shafts h by
a key projecting from the wheels into a slot in the shaft. The motion is
carried from the shafts h to the worm wheels b in the traverse blocks through
the mitre wheels i, i, and shaft k. The amount of the throw of the bar e and
of the palls is regulated by a block, joining the two links, which slides in a
dovetailed groove in the bar e. By fixing this block farther from or nearer to
the centre on which tho bar vibrates, the amount of throw of the palls is
regulated, as required. Fig. 6 is a section through the bracket and through
the bar e. Fig. 7, a similar section through the centre bar e; and Fig. 8, a
section of the block in its dovetailed groove, and of the links joining the outer
bars e¹ and e.
By reference to Fig. 3, it will be seen there are 4 of the wheels H, two on
each side of the saw gate. The two on the right hand only are required for
causing the two saws to traverse across the frame, as described; the other
two on the left, with their corresponding vibrating bars, are actuated in the
same manner, but are used for the purpose of giving motion to the worm
wheels g, for turning the spindles a, to which the saws are keyed..
These two motions of the saws enable the workman to cut the following
forms:-
First, by throwing all the four spur wheels H out of gear, the machine
becomes a simple straight-cut machine, with this advantage, however, that
when the saw has reached the end of the timber, by throwing into gear the
wheels which turn the saw spindles, and allowing them to remain in gear
sufficiently long to turn the saws half round, a second cut may be made
during the back motion of the timber, the thickness of the plank so cut.
depending upon the amount of traverse given at the same time to the saw.
Secondly, by allowing the saws to traverse while cutting, and proportioning
the speed of such traverse motion with regard to the speed with which the

page_text: timber is fed up to the saws, any angular or curved cut may be produced, care
being taken to give such a slow revolving motion to the saws, that the edge
of the saw is always in line with the cut in the timber, the absence of this
revolving motion being the cause of frequent failure in sawing machines
hitherto used.
Thirdly, a cross cut may be made by the machine with the same gearing.
In the manner of sawing hitherto described, the action of the saw is always
at right angles to the upper surface of the timber under operation, and in
order to cut at any angle or bevil to such surface other gearing is requisite, as
is shewn at Figs. 2, 11, 12, and 13.
Fig. 2, as before described, is a vertical section of the saw gate, but shows
also one of the dogs which grip and secure the ends of the timber; Fig. 11 is
a plan of the dogs and feed racks; Fig. 12, a vertical section of the machine,
with the saw gate and its gearing removed; Fig. 13, an end view of it; and
Fig. 14, a horizontal section at the line a, x. The dogs I (Figs. 2 and 11),
which hold the ends of the timber, are centred upon the shaft 7, by turning
which the timber is canted to any required angle. The motion is given to
the shaft from the feed shaft K, through the gut band m, the cones n, n,
and mitre wheels o, to the vertical shaft L, thence through the mitre wheels p
to the horizontal slotted shaft M. This shaft passes through a worm wheel r;
fixed to the bed plate of the dogs. The worm wheel gears with a worm s
on to the shaft l, carrying the dog itself.
If it is required to, cut any length of timber at a fixed bevil, the mitre
wheels o are thrown out of gear by the clutch t so soon as the timber is canted
to the required angle. It frequently occurs, especially in cutting timber for
ship building purposes, that the angle of the bevil is required to be varied
during a portion or the whole of the length of the piece; any variation of such
bevil is obtained by shifting the band on the cones n, n, to facilitate which the
clutch u is introduced, which throws the shaft N out of gear with the slowly
revolving shaft K, and communicates to it the more rapid motion of the
driving shaft o, through the gut band v. In order that the workman may
know at all times what amount of cant or bevil he is cutting, the shaft M
gears through, the shaft P to an indicator Q, the wheels being so regulated
that a complete revolution of the, dog on its spindle produces a corresponding
revolution of the index hand upon the face of the dial, and consequently the
dial, being graduated into degrees, shews by the position of the index hand the
exact bevil of the timber.
The canting roll R, which supports the timber in front of the saws, is caused
to cant uniformly with the dogs thus:-The vertical slotted shaft L passes

page_text: arms
through a worm W, shewn in dotted lines at Fig. 12. This worm W gears with
a worm wheel on the axis of the lever S, which lever, by the connecting
link a, cants the frame y, supporting the canting roll R. As by canting the
timber in this manner it is thrown out of the centre of the machine, and it is
necessary in practice to keep the centre of the cross section of the timber in a
vertical plane to the centre of the roller frame, the dogs are constructed so as
to impart any amount of horizontal motion to the timber sideways. The
T of the dogs, which grip the timber (Figs. 2 and 11), turn on the worm shaft
U, and are secured in an angular position to the radius bar V by means of
a bolt Y. The radius bar is free to slide vertically, upon the back of the
dog, but is of course incapable of horizontal motion except bodily with the dog
itself. This motion of the dog is also useful for laying on and taking off the
timber. For gripping the timber, the lower arm is fixed, and the upper one
moved up and down to release or bite the timber, by the worm shaft passing
through it, which worm is actuated by the handle Z.
I claim as new and of my Invention,―
Firstly, the method shewn and described of causing the same to be carried
across the saw gate.
Secondly, the method described of causing the saws to turn round to any
required angle.
Thirdly, the use of the inclined guides upon the saw gate for giving motion
to the gearing, whereby the traversing and the turning of the saws is effected.
Fourthly, the method described of obtaining any bevil and of varying the
bevil of the timber or other material under operation by the motion of the
machine itself, as described.
Fifthly, the construction of the dogs for holding the timber, as described.
In witness whercof, I, the said Robert Henry Thompson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this
day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
ROBERT HENRY THOMPSON. (L.B.)
Witness,
WS. POWELL,
54, Parliament Street,
Westminster.