IMPROVEMENTS, IN SAWS FOR CUTTING STONE AND SIMILAR MATERIALS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS RELATE TO EMBEDDING AND SECURING DIAMOND POINTS OR TEETH, IN METAL PLATES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS, IN SAWS FOR CUTTING STONE AND SIMILAR MATERIALS, PARTS
OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS RELATE TO EMBEDDING AND SECURING DIAMOND
POINTS OR TEETH, IN METAL PLATES." A communication from abroad by
Richard Spotswood Robertson, of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, United States of
America Manufacturer.
Sealed the 23rd February 1877, and dated the 2nd October 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 2nd October 1876.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SAWS FOR CUTTING STONE
AND SIMILAR MATERIALS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS RELATE TO EMBEDDING
AND SECURING DIAMOND POINTS OR TEETH IN METAL PLATES." A communication.
The object of this Invention is to construct a circular saw for sawing stone,
having the teeth so arranged as to be removable, reversible, or interchangable; for
soft stone I use only metallic chisels for teeth, with their ends beveled doubly so as
to be reversible; for harder stone I use metallic chisel cutters alternated with
diamond or mineral points set to project on opposite sides so as to score the kerf,
the chisel cutters chipping away the intermediate space. For very hard stone or
very soft stone streaked with iron or other hard substance I use diamonds as the
teeth of the said saw.
For merely scoring the kerf the diamond points may be embedded in cavities in
the adjacent faces of twin holders, which are correspondingly ridged and grooved
like the chisel cutters, and are made according to the same standard, so that with
the same saw plate can be made three different saws, that is to say, one with all
chisel cutters, one with chisel cutters and diamond points alternated, and one with
all diamond points. The chisel cutters and diamond holders are held in the saw
plate by having the meeting edges grooved and ridged, and clamped by a pivoted
clamp piece tightened by a wedge.
To still further secure the diamonds, and to save the holders in case a diamond
becomes broken, worn out, or lost, the following feature is introduced :-The

page_text: diamond is wrapped or folded in soft sheet copper or other equivalent substance.
This is then placed between two similarly shaped plates of soft iron or steel, cold,
and pressure is applied till the diamond and copper wrapping are embedded so far
in the plates that the faces of the latter meet. Then the metal is chipped away or
otherwise removed until at one end the cutting edge of the diamond is bared. Then
the whole is fixed either into the twin holders or between the jaws of a spring
holder in one piece having a slot for its reception, and the casing and plates about
the diamond can be cut away so as to expose the diamond for kerf scoring on either
side, or kerf cutting in the middle, the remaining portion that projects laterally
being cut down to the plane of the holder. The diamond and holder are then
inserted in the saw blade ready for use.
Thus if the diamond, should break, wear
out, or be lost, nothing is required but to prepare the casing of soft metal and the
embracing soft metal plates, the former holder serving again.
By these means the saw may be adapted to different varieties of stone by a mere
change of the kind or position of the cutting points or teeth which change
requires but a short time to effect.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
-the-said-William-Robert-Lake-in-the-Great-Seal-Patent-Office-on-the-31st-
March 1877.
i-
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SAWS FOR CUTTING STONE
AND SIMILAR MATERIALS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS RELATE TO EMBEDDING
AND SECURING DIAMOND POINTS OR TEETH IN METAL PLATES." A communication
from abroad by Richard Spotswood Robertson, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United
States of America, Manufacturer.
The object of this Invention is to construct a circular saw for sawing stone,
having the teeth so arranged as to be removable, reversible, or interchangeable for
soft stone, using only metallic chisels for teeth, with their ends beveled doubly so
as to be reversible for harder stone, using metallic chisel cutters alternated with
diamond or mineral points set to project on opposite sides so as to score the kerf,
the chisel cutters chipping away the intermediate space. For very hard stone or
soft stone streaked with iron or other hard substance I use diamonds as the teeth
of the said saw.
For mere scoring the kerf the diamond points may be embedded in cavities in
the adjacent faces of twin holders, which are correspondingly ridged and grooved
like the chisel cutters, and are made according to the same standard, so that with
the same saw plate can be made three different kinds of saw, namely, one with all
chisel cutters, one with chisel cutters and diamond points alternated, and one with
all diamond points. The chisel cutters and diamond holders are held in the saw
plate by having the meeting edges grooved and ridged, and clamped by a pivoted
clamp piece tightened by a wedge.
To still further secure the diamonds, and to save the holders in case a diamond
becomes broken, worn out, or lost, the following feature is introduced:-The
diamond is wrapped or folded in soft sheet copper or other equivalent substance.
This is then placed between two similar shaped plates of soft iron or steel, cold, and
pressure is applied till the diamond and copper wrapping are embedded so far in
the plates that the faces of the latter meet." Then the metal is chipped away or
otherwise removed until at one end the cutting edge of the diamond is, bared.
Then the whole is fixed either into the twin holders or between the jaws of a
spring holder in one piece having a slot for its reception, after which the casing
and plates about the diamond can be cut away so as to expose the diamond for kerf
scoring on either side, or kerf cutting in the middle, the remaining portion that

page_text: projects laterally being cut down to the plane of the holder. The diamond and
holder is then inserted in the saw blade ready for use.
Thus if the diamond break,
wear out, or get lost, nothing is required but to prepare the casing of soft metal
and the embracing soft metal plates, the former holder serving again.
By these means the saw may be adapted to different varieties of stone by merely
changing the kind or position of the cutting points or teeth which requires but a
short time to effect.
The object of this Invention is to overcome the difficulties heretofore existing, so
that hard stone as well as wood or other material can be successfully sawed with a
circular saw.
To effect this object the said Invention comprises,―
Firstly. The construction of the adjustable and reversible chisels or cutters. The
manner of holding them in the saw plate, and devices for that end. The con-
struction of a holder or jaws for diamond carbon or other points, and a saw as
constructed with these devices for sawing stone.
Secondly. The additional mode of setting the diamonds or carbons in metal
plates or beds. The mode of holding these plates or beds in the saw plate.
In the Drawing,―
Figure 1 is a section of a circular saw for stone, with different kinds of cutters
and different projections of the cutters, a reversible cutter and the clamping
devices; Figure 2 is an edge view of the same.
Figure 3 is an edge view showing only diamond cutters or points.
Figure 4 is an edge view, showing only chisel cutters of hard metal.
Figure 5 is a view of a reversible chisel cutter; Figure 6 is the same with
serrated edge.
Figure 7 shows a diamond holder detached from the jaw plate.
Figures 8, 9, and 10 show some of the shapes of diamonds or carbons employed
as points.
The foregoing illustrations comprise the first part of this Invention. The second
part is shown as follows:-
Figure 11 represents a portion of saw having the points, holders, and the like
complete. Figure 12 is an edge view of the same.
Figure 13 shows the spring diamond holder; Figure 14 is a modification of the
same.
Figures 15, 16, and 17 shew details explanatory of the manner of preparing
the various parts.
A is a section of saw constructed to receive the tooth and clamp; B is a chisel
edge cutter, the edge e being in the middle, as seen in Figures 1 and 5; B¹ is the
same, except that the serrated edge e¹ is used as in Figure 6. These cutters are
made thicker than the saw plate, thicker at the cutting edge than elsewhere, have
parallel edges with V shaped grooves o in both, and all being made according to a
standard are interchangeable throughout the saw. B11 are jaws for diamonds or
other points, made as in Figure 7, one part fitting the other, with a cavity at their
outer ends on the meeting faces corresponding in shape to the point b, as seen at f,
Figure 7.
C is a clamp of the form, substantially as shown having a neck c and
pivoted end c. It is punched out of the saw, and the saw plate is then prepared
to receive the cutter or cutter holder, and is made with a tapering space a between
the clamp and saw plate. The adjacent edges of the parts are prevented from
lateral displacement by having them correspondingly grooved and ridged. The
saw may be tempered and finished with the clamp in place or not, as desired. The
pivoted piece c¹ and its circular bed in the saw plate may also be ribbed and
grooved.
D is a wedge grooved on its edges to fit the edges of the saw plate and clamp.
It is used for tightening up the clamp against the cutter or holder.
b is a diamond or other mineral or artificial hard point set in the jaws B¹¹ so as
to project beyond the jaws and outside the line of width of the cutter B when
used therewith, and so that such points b shall cut a kerf wide enough to clear the

page_text: BBW.
For the mere purpose of scoring the width of kerf the points 6 will be such
as shown in Figures 2 and 3, but when they are to be edged to cut the whole
width of kerf they will be such as seen in Figures 9 and 10, and in the latter
event the jaws B will have to be constructed with a view to more securely
holding such points, and it is to that result that the second part of this Invention
is directed.
The angle at which the cutters are to be set must be based upon the qualities of
the stone. Experience is the best guide to this. The metal cutters B or B¹ having
their cutting edges in the middle of their thickness can be reversed when worn
down on one side. This can be done several times with hard granite before forging
out will be necessary. The temper of the metallic cutters must be governed by
the quality of stone to be cut, the rule being that the harder the stone the harder
must be the tool to cut it.
The cutters are adjustable and reversible, and can be kept constantly sharp with
little trouble. They can be adjusted to any required projection easily, and with
but little loss of time, and can be worn up to within an inch in length, and still be
securely held in place. The same may be said of the diamond holders and the
points held by them. If a cutter or diamond be broken at any time it can be
reset or the cutter sharpened and put back to the same projection as before, though
somewhat shortened in its whole length.
The metal cutters alone, as in Figure 4, can be used on the softer grades of stone;
harder-grades-will-require an alternation of mineral-points-for-scoring, and metal
cutters for clearing the kerf, as in Figure 2.
For very hard stone or stone still more difficult to cut the saw will be made up
of all diamond or mineral points, as in Figures 3 and 12. The judgment and
experience of the operator must determine which is best suited to any particular
quality of stone.
Such a saw is also well adapted to channelling or grooving natural beds of stone
so as to facilitate quarrying, and reduce it while in the quarry to about the specific
dimensions of particular blocks, thereby saving a large per-centage of the loss
generally sustained by the usual mode of drilling, and breaking into irregular
forms which must be wrought over again for use.
The second part of this Invention relates to the particular method of securing
the diamond or carbon points in the saw blade, and is illustrated by Figures 11 to
17 inclusive.
H represents a portion of a saw plate as having the diamond holders clamped in
the saw in substantially the same manner as above described.
Heretofore in this Invention the diamonds have been described as having been
set into the jaws of the holder by embedding them therein in a cavity formed for
the purpose, but as the diamonds are seldom of the same form or size when a
diamond is broken or becomes loose in its holder or lost, a second diamond cannot
be fitted and secured in the same holder, and the holder must be discarded for a
new one with a new diamond, which is very expensive; but by the following
method the holder is saved, and can be used successively with any number of
diamonds, each having a different form and size.
K is the holder made from a single piece of steel, with an opening K¹ near its
base and a central slot k from this opening to the upper edge of the holder, as
shown. The base of the holder below the opening is tempered to be a spring, so
that the two holding jaws 1, 1, can be sprung apart for the insertion of the metal
plates that hold the diamond or the removal thereof
The slot k has plain smooth sides that are parallel, or nearly so, that is a trifle
narrower at its outer end so as to compensate for the springing apart of the jaws
to receive the metal plates in which the diamond is held and ensure a close fit at
the extreme outer point of contact between these plates and the jaws l, l.
The diamond is first embedded in some soft sheet metal (copper preferred) which
is wound or folded around it, as seen at m, Figures 15 and 16, by pressure applied
to the entire surface so as to compact the copper upon every part of the diamond.

page_text: Then the diamond i and its copper or soft metal covering is placed between two
soft iron or steel plates n, n, and force applied sufficient to press the diamond and
copper casing into the face of the plates n, n, so that these plates will come
together, as in Figure 15. Hard rubber or other substance instead of copper may
be used to incase the diamond, but sheet copper is probably the best.
When the diamond i and its casing are thus embedded in plates n, n, the metal.
is then removed from the outer end and sides of, the plates by chipping, grinding,
filing, or other means, until the diamond is exposed and projects in the manner
desired. The whole is then inserted between the jaws 1, 1, in the slot k of holder
K, and the holder then clamped in the saw plate, as in Figure 11, by means of the
clamping plate C and wedge D, as before.
The arrangement of the diainonds would be the same relatively as in Figure 2,
save that the chisel cutter would be replaced by a diamond a little wider than the
thickness of the saw plate. This clears and the alternating smaller diamond points
score the kerf. The outer edge of the holder K is case hardened or steeled to
prevent undue wear by contact with the flying particles of stone.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. The reversible and adjustable cutter with or without a serrated edge
constructed in the manner set forth and used in a circular saw plate for sawing
stone and other like materials, as above set forth.
Second. The interchangeable and adjustable jaws or holders constructed as above
described for the purpose specified.
Third. The clamp or throat piece constructed as above described, and the wedge
in combination with the cutters and saw plate, as above set forth.
Fourth. The combination of the adjustable interchangeable diamond holders
with the clamp piece, the wedge, and the saw plate, as above specified.
Fifth. The spring holder, with the slot in combination with the plates, the casing
and the diamond constructed as above set forth and for the purposes specified.
Sixth. A circular saw for sawing stone and other like materials, having the
removable and adjustable cutters with chisel edges, and made reversible and inter-
changeable with each other, and arranged as shown in Figure 4 of the Drawings,
and as above set forth.
Seventh. A circular saw for sawing stone and other like materials, having the
adjustable jaws or holders, with diamond or other points for the cutters when
arranged, as in Figure 3 and as above set forth.
Eighth. A circular saw for. sawing stone and other like materials, having the
removable, reversible, and adjustable cutters alternated with the adjustable holders,
arranged as seen in Figure 2, and as above set forth..
Ninth. The process of fitting and setting diamonds into metallic plates by first
encasing them in soft tough metal by gentle and even pressure and then pressing
the diamonds and their casings into harder metal plates, or by embedding them by
pressure into the metal when the metal is soft and cold, as above described, or by
embedding them in metal plates and then removing the surplus metal to expose
the cutting edges of the diamonds, and fitting the cutting edges to the exact
position with relation to the saw by removing the metal around the diamonds, as
above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
WM. ROBT. LAKE. (LS.)