IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH MACHINERY FOR SAWING WOOD, STONE, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Palmer; of Bath, in the County of Somerset, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND CONNECTED WITH MACHINERY FOR
SAWING WOOD, STONE, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 7th February 1879, and dated the 8th August 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Palmer at the
.
"
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th August 1878.
WILLIAM PALMER, of Bath, in the County of Somerset.
AND CONNECTED WITH MACHINERY FOR SAWING WOOD, STONE,
SUBSTANCES."
IMPROVEMENTS IN
AND OTHER
This Invention relates to improvements in and connected with machinery for
sawing wood, stone, and other substances, and the improvements have especial
reference to apparatus for hauling the timber, stone, or substance to be sawn up
on to the traveller of the bench, to the actuating mechanism of the saw frames,
and to the driving mechanism.
As the improved apparatus is especially designed to be of a portable nature its
framing is provided with travelling wheels and with a raised bench, on to which
the timber or stone is elevated by the mechanism I will now describe.
At right angles to and on the side of the bench at which the timber or stone to
be raised lies I set a suitable inclined plane, provided with a traveller or carrier
running on rollers, and on to which the timber or stone can in the first place be
And on the other side of the
easily raised by any suitable or convenient means.
bench I set an arrangement of winch mechanism in line with the inclined plane,
and I hitch a chain from the shaft of the winch on to the carrier, and by actuat-
ing the winch handle I thus draw the timber or stone up the inclined plane
with great ease, and this I am enabled to effect by the following improvements in
the actuating mechanism of the winch:-On its shaft round which the chain is
coiled are two wheels driven by two pinions on a spindle, on which is also a
ratchet wheel, which is prevented from turning in the wrong direction by a

page_text: .
pawl, but is actuated by a lever or handle carried by a pair of arms centred on
the spindle, so that when the lever is lowered it is disengaged from the ratchet
wheel (the latter being then held by a pawl to prevent the load going back) and
it can then be moved to engage with another notch or tooth thereof, and upon
being again raised it then turns the ratchet wheel and consequently further
raises the carrier with its load.
The bench of the saw frame is provided with a traveller or carrier with a
ratchet rim, and this is actuated so as to feed the timber to the saws while they
are cutting in their descending, motion.
The driving mechanism by which the motion of the saws and of the traveller
or carrier is effected when driven by manual power is constructed with a handle
or lever formed beyond its fulcrum with a toothed segment, which engages with
another toothed segment of a greater radius and which at a convenient part is
linked to a connecting rod, this segment and the connecting rod being toothed at
their adjoining portions, and the connecting rod carries at its other end a pinion
which revolves in the manner of the ordinary sun-and-planet motion around
another pinion fast on a shaft on which the driving pulley is set, these pinions
being linked together so as to be always in gear and all the parts being carried
by a suitable framing. A strap passes from this pulley to a pulley on the driving
shaft of the saw frame, which is formed with cranks at its extremities, connected
by rods to a crank on a second shaft parallel with the driving shaft, and which
within the framing is provided with two arms, to the ends of which the lower
end of the saw frame is suitably connected, the upper end thereof being suitably
connected to counterbalanced levers carried by a shaft at the upper part of the
framing. One of the cranks on the second shaft carries a bar perforated at
intervals, and in the perforations an arm carrying a pawl can be set in such
positions as to give more or less feed as required, and this pawl engages with a
ratchet wheel prevented from reverse rotation by another pawl and made fast to a
smaller toothed wheel, which by a second toothed wheel gives motion to a third
toothed wheel, on the shaft of which is a smaller grooved wheel, which by means
of a connecting chain gives motion to another grooved wheel made fast to a
toothed wheel which engages with the above-mentioned ratchet rim of the feeder,
and thus as the saws are descending and cutting the wood is fed forward, and
not while the saws are rising and not doing work as in ordinary wood-cutting
machinery. But for cutting stone the feed may be actuated at each up and down
stroke of the saw frame by providing two arrangements of ratchet mechanism one
on each side of the machinery. It will thus be seen that each up and down
motion of the handle of the driving mechanism gives two revolutions to the fly
wheel thereof, and the motion from which is communicated by the strap to the
driving shaft of the saw frame, which thus actuates the saws and feeds the timber
or stone at either each down stroke of the saws or at each up and down stroke
thereof.
The above-described driving mechanism can also be used for actuating other
machinery than saw frames.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Palmer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th February
1879.
" IMPROVEMENTS IN
WILLIAM PALMER, of Bath, in the County of Somerset.
AND CONNECTED WITH MACHINERY, FOR SAWING WOOD, STONE, AND
SUBSTANCES.'
"
OTHER
This Invention relates to improvements in and connected with machinery for
sawing wood, stone, and other substances, and the improvements have especial
reference to apparatus for hauling the timber, stone, or substance to be sawn up
on to the traveller of the bench, to the actuating.mechanism of the saw frames,
and to the driving mechanism.
The improved apparatus is illustrated on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
in Figures 1 to 3, of which Figure 1 represents a side elevation, and Figure 2 a
plan view, Figure 3 being a transverse sectional elevation through about the
fine a-b, Figure 2, the hauling mechanism being shown in side elevation.
As the improved apparatus is especially designed to be of a portable nature it is
provided with travelling. wheels 1 and with a raised bench 2, on to which the
timber or stone is elevated by the mechanism I will now describe, reference being
had to Figure 3 of the accompanying Drawings.
At right angles to and on the side of the bench 2, at which the timber or
substance to be raised and sawn lies, as at A, Figures 2 and 3, I set a suitable
inclined plane 3, provided with a carrier or lifter 4 running on rollers 5, and
on to which the timber or substance can in the first place be easily raised by any
suitable or convenient means. And on the other side of the bench 2, as at B,
Figures 2 and 3, I set an arrangement of winch mechanism in line with the
inclined plane, and I hitch a chain 6 from the shaft 7 of the winch on to the
carrier 4 or to a chain 8 surrounding its load 9, and by actuating the winch
handle 10, I thus draw the timber or substance up the inclined plane 3 with great
ease, and this I am enabled to effect by the following improvements in the actuat-
ing mechanism of the winch:-On each end of the shaft 7, round which the
chain 6 is coiled, is a toothed wheel 11 driven by a pinion 12 on a spindle 13,
on which is also a ratchet wheel 14, which is prevented from turning in the
wrong direction by a pawl 15, but is actuated by the lever or handle 10, which is
carried by a pair of arms 16 centred on the spindle, 13, so that when the lever is
lowered it is disengaged from the ratchet wheel 14 (the latter being then held by
the pawl 15 to prevent the load on the carrier going back) and it can then be
moved to engage with another notch or tooth thereof, and upon being again
raised it then again turns the rachet wheel and consequently further raises the
carrier with its load.
The bench 2 of the saw frame is provided with a traveller carrier or feeder 17,
formed or provided with a ratchet rim 18, and actuated so as to feed the timber to
the saws 19 while they are cutting in their descending motion. The traveller is
provided with wheels 20 which run along rails 21 laid along the bench, and the
load rests upon rollers 61 carried by the bench 2.
The driving mechanism by which the motion of the saws 19 and of the feeder.
or carrier 17 is effected when driven by manual power is constructed with a
handle or lever 22, formed beyond its fulcrum 23 with a toothed segment 24,
which engages with another toothed segment 25 of a greater radius, and which
at a convenient part is linked as at 26 to a connecting rod 27, the segment 25 and
rod 27 being also toothed at their adjoining portions, and the rod 27 carries at
its other end a pinion 28 which revolves in the manner of the ordinary sun-and-

page_text: planet motion around another pinion 29, fast on a shaft 30, on which the driving
pulley or fly wheel 31 is set, these pinions 28, 29, being linked together, as at 32,
so as to be always in gear. From the pulley 31 a strap 33 passes to a pulley 34
on the driving shaft 35 of the saw frame, the shaft being provided with a crank
36 at each extremity, these cranks being connected by rods 37 to other cranks 38
on a second shaft 39, parallel with the driving shaft 35, and which between the
uprights or side frames 40 is provided with two arms 41, to the ends of which
the lower end of the saw frame 42 is suitably connected, the upper end thereof
being suitably connected to counterbalanced levers 43 carried by a shaft 44 at
the upper part of the side frames 40.
The arms 41 may also be provided with counterbalance weights, if required.
One of the cranks 38 carries or is provided with a bar 45 perforated at intervale,
and in the perforations an arm 46 formed as or carying a pawl 47 can be set in
such positions as to give more or less feed, as required, and this pawl engages
with a ratchet wheel 48, prevented from reverse rotation by another pawl 49
and made fast to a smaller toothed wheel 50, which by a second toothed wheel 51
gives motion to a third toothed wheel 52, on the shaft 53 of which is a smaller
grooved pulley 54, which, by means of a chain or band 55, gives motion to
another grooved pulley 56, made fast to a toothed wheel 57, which engages with
the above-mentioned ratchet rim 18 of the traveller or feeder 17, and thus as
the saws 19 are descending and cutting, the wood is fed forward, and not while
the saws are rising and not doing work as in ordinary wood-cutting machinery.
But for cutting stone the feed may be actuated at each up-and-down stroke of
the saw frame by providing two arrangements of ratchet mechanism 48 to 52,
one on each side of the machinery, dispensing however with the wheel 51 between
the wheels 50 and 52 in one of the arrangements. By the above-described
arrangements, the parts being properly proportioned, each up-and-down motion
of the handle 22 gives two revolutions to the fly wheel 31, the motion from which
is communicated by the straps 33 to the driving shaft 35 of the saw frame, and
which by the means described actuates the saws and feeds the timber or stone
at either each down stroke of the saws or at each up and down stroke thereof.
Should the apparatus be driven by steam power the belt from the engine may be
put direct on to the pulley 34; or when driving the apparatus by manual power
the motion may be communicated more directly to the cranks 38 by connecting
them, by a rod 62 to the wheels 28, as shown by the dotted line, Figure 1.
I would here remark that the above-described driving mechanism can also be
used for actuating other machinery than saw frames, and that the above-described
improved winch mechanism can also be used for loading timber carriages, and
raising loads generally, and for other similar purposes.
When the machinery is required to be moved from place to place the bench
is unbolted at the points 58, when the necessary disconnections of the parts
being made the disconnected parts of the bench can be separated, and as the
parts 2 of the bench are hinged at 59 to the parts 2 the former can be turned
up on to the latter so as to rest upon the parts supported by the travelling
wheels 1 for economy of space and convenience of transit, and a team of horses
can be harnessed to the shafts 60 when the apparatus can be most easily and
expeditiously transported from place to place and quickly set in order again for
work.
.
Having now described the nature and objects of my said Invention, together
with the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into
practical effect, I would remark in conclusion that I claim as my Invention, the
above-described improvements in and connected with machinery or apparatus for
sawing wood, stone, and other substances, and especially the above-described
improvements in the apparatus for hauling the timber, stone, or substance to be
sawn up on to the traveller or feeder of the bench, and the above-described
improved methods of and apparatus or mechanism for actuating the saw frames

page_text: and for driving the machinery, substantially as described, and as illustrated on
the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Palmer, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifth day of February, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-nine.
WILLIAM PALMER. (L.S.)