IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING MARBLE AND STONE
Year: 1843

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLTON
JAMES WOLLASTON, of Willing, in the County of Kent, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the First day of August, in the seventh year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Charlton
James Wollaston, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Charlton James Wollaston, my exors, adíñors, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Charlton James Wollaston, my exors, adiñors,
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and law-
fully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR CUTTING MARBLE AND STONE," communicated to me by a certain Foreigner
residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I,
the said Charlton James Wollaston, shall cause a particular description of
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within
six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Charlton James Wollaston, do hereby declare that the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon (that is to say):-
The Invention relates, first, to improvements in machinery for cutting slabs
of marble and stone; and, secondly, to improvements in machinery for cutting
pipes or tubes of marble or stone. And, in order that the Invention may be
most fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to explain
the Drawings hereunto annexed, in the various Figures of which the same
letters indicate similar parts wherever they occur.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A.
Figure 1 represents a side elevation in section of a machine constructed
according to the first part of the invention for cutting slabs of marble or stone.
Figure 2 is a plan thereof. Figure 3 is a plan of the wheelwork, by which
motion is communicated to the various parts. Figure 4 shews another side
elevation, in order that the mode of communicating motion to the cutter frame
from the wheelwork may be better understood. And Figure 5 is a front
elevation of the cutter frame, and some of the other parts. a, a, a, is the
framing of the machinery. b, b, are two rails on which the carriage c, c, of
the block of marble or stone moves and is guided. e, is the main or driving
shaft or axis, which receives motion from a steam engine, water wheel, horses,
or other power, by means of a strap acting on one of the pulleys f, or other-
wise. On the axis e is affixed the pinion g, which takes into and drives the
cog wheel h fixed on the shaft i; this shaft i gives motion to the cutter frame
by means of pins j, j, to which the connecting rods 1, 1, are attached, the upper
ends of such connecting rods being attached to the upper part of the cutter
frame, as shewn. The cutter frame m, m, is guided up and down by the
guides n, which are embraced by the straps or eyes o, o, affixed to the cutter
frame. The extent of movement of the connecting rods is made capable of
adjustment according to the distance the successive cutters are apart from
cach other, by there being holes at different distances from the centre of the
axis i, in which the crank pins may be applied. p is the blade or thin bar
on which the cutters 7 are applied; these cutters (the cutting parts of which
may be of various shapes) are set at some distances apart, and stand off from
the edge of the blade p at greater and greater distances, so that each cutter
will make its cut further and further into the block of marble or stone, so that

page_text: the cuts will form a succession of steps; and it is this peculiar arrangement of
cutters which constitutes the novel character of the machinery. On the shaft i
is affixed the cog wheel r, which takes into and drives the cog wheels on the
shaft t, on which are affixed the two cams and u, the cam v acting on the
lever w, which moves on the axis w¹; to this lever w is attached the driver a,
which is constantly pressed towards its ratchet wheel y, by means of a spring,
as is shewn, and thus is motion communicated to that ratchet wheel, when
permitted so to do, as is hereafter explained. The cam u gives motion to the
lever, which moves on an axis at 1; this lever by means of a connecting
rod A, gives motion to the lever B, which carries the driver C, such driver C
being constantly pressed towards its ratchet wheel D, and thus will the
ratchet wheel D receive motion from its driver, when permitted so to be
driven. The ratchets wheels y and D are affixed on the shaft E, and on that
shaft is also placed a cog wheel F which moves freely on the shaft E, and
motion is communicated to the wheel F by means of the cog wheel G, affixed
on the shaft t, and the intermediate cog wheel G¹; and on the wheel Fare
affixed two projecting plates (1), (2), the projecting bent plate (1) acting
on the driver r, so as to put it out of action when the ratchet wheel D is
receiving motion from its driver; and the bent plate (2) acts on the driver of
the ratchet wheel D, when it is desired to put that driver out of action. The
object of thus having two ratchet wheels with their drivers alternately in
action is to obtain a forward and a backward motion to the stone or marble;
the stone or marble being moved slightly back after a cut has been made, in
order to free the cutters and let them get up, and the forward motion is to
be such that the stone or marble may, after the cutters have gone up, be moved
up to the cutters. On the shaft E is affixed a cog wheel II, which takes
into and drives the pinion I on the shaft J, this shaft has affixed thereon the
bevilled toothed wheel K, which takes into and drives the cog wheel L, affixed
on the screw shaft M, and it is by means of the screw shaft M that motion
is given to the frame c, c, which carries the block of stone or marble, there
being a socket N having a female screw affixed to the frame or carriage c of
the bloks of stone or marble; and it will be understood that by the simple
rotatory motion of the main shaft, the necessary up and down motion will
be given to the cutter frame, and the stone or marble will be moved from the
cutters, as the cutters go up and towards the cutters before the cutters
commence a fresh cut, and the successive cutters will form the cuts in steps,
as above explained, and as will be clearly seen in Figure 1, where the block
of stone or marble is shewn in section, the lower cutter being the least
distance into the stone, the next above being further into the stone or marble,

page_text: and so on; and the raising the cutters after they have made their cuts causes
the lowest to come above the lower part of the cut previously made by the cutter
next above it; and when the block of marble or stone is moved forward, the
lowest cutter commences cutting at the place where the cutter next above it
left off, and so on in respect to the other cutters.
I have shewn the machinery as above described, so that after a cut has
been made the stone moves back; this might however be dispensed with by
having the cutters attached so as to move on axes, as is shewn at Figure 6,
by which arrangement when the cutters go up they give way, and as they
descend they are resisted by the shoulders of the cutters bearing against the
notches in the plate p, as is shewn. (3) is a plate affixed to the blade,
which carries the cutters, as is shown, in order to give strength and stiffness
to the blade.
I will now proceed to describe the second part of my Invention, which
relates to making pipes or tubes of marble or stone.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING B.
Figuro 7 shows a side elevation partly in section of the machine; Figure 8
shews a front view of the machine; Figure 9, two plans thereof. A, A, are
two pillars, which act as guides to the plates B, C; these plates B, C, are
combined together by means of the screws D, D; on the plate B is placed
the block of stone or marble to be cut, and E is a plate brought to press on
the upper end of the block, in order to keep it in its place; and F, F, are
nuts moving on the screws D, D, for keeping down the plate E; the frame
consisting of the plates B, C, and screws D, are suspended from the cross
head or top plate G, by means of the screw H, and this screw is caused to
descend by means of the cog wheel I, which turns in a suitable bearing in the
cross head or top plate, and a female screw is formed through the nave of
the wheel to fit the screw H; hence, by turning the wheel I, the frame with
the stone or marble will descend, and motion is given to the wheel I, by
means of the pinion J, affixed on the shaft K. The pinion J takes into
and drives the cog wheel I, which moves on the axis 2, and to the wheel 1
is affixed the pinion 3, which takes into and drives the cog wheel I; the
shaft (K) receiving motion from the main or driving shaft L, in the following
manner: M is a scries of pullies to receive a strap from a steam engine or
other power.
On the shaft L is affixed the bevilled toothed wheel N,
which takes into and drives the bevilled toothed wheel O, affixed on the
shaft K, and on the shaft K is affixed the pinion P, which takes into and
drives the cog wheel Q, which cog wheel Q is affixed on the axis R, which

page_text: carries the cutter tube S, which tube is affixed to the axis, and turns there-
with. On the upper end of the tube are affixed a series of cutters as shewn,
hence as the cutters revolve with their tube the stone or marble will be cut,
and as it is cut it will be lowered, the inner part cut out descending into
the tube, and will serve, if desired, for making another tube in a similar
manner.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details shewn, so long as the peculiar character
of either part of the Invention be retained. But what I claim is,-
First, the mode of cutting stone and marble by a succession of cutters, as
above described; and,
Secondly, I claim the mode of cutting tubes of marble and stone, by affixing
cutters on a tube, as above described, combined with suitable machinery for
moving the cutters and stone or marble, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charlton James Wollaston, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this First day of February, One thousand
eight hundred and forty-four.
CHARLTON JAMES (L.s.) WOLLASTON.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the First day of February, in
the year of our Lord 1844, the aforesaid Charlton James Wollaston came
before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the First day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-four.