Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Jan., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 5th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 9th Nov., 1888
We, JOHN MACKENZIE, of Egglescliffe, Yarm-on-Tees, Engineer, and WILLIAM
ARMSTRONG, of Yarm-on-Tees, Plumber, both in the County of York do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to machines or apparatus for cutting fret. work, scroll work
and the like.
The main object of our said invention is to provide a fret cutting machine to work
by hand, so constructed that it can be clamped upon the top of a table or other
convenient place, and that is compact, is composed of very few parts, and can be
made much cheaper than those hitherto in use, and will be an efficient machine for
cutting or sawing wood or other material.
Our said invention also contains various other improvements hereinafter set forth.
Our said invention can be conveniently and advantageously carried into practice in
the following manner, that is to say, we form the bed plate or base plate of the
machine out of sheet or plate metal preferably tin. Portions of the edges of the long
sides of the said bed plate or base plate are turned over two steel or other wires of
suitable guage, the ends of the said wires are bent over and carried under the said
bed plate, or base plate, thus stiffening the said bed plate or base plate, and also
forming a convenient spring clamp for fixing the apparatus to any suitable place.
The table is circular in form and is also stamped, or pressed, or cut out of plate metal
preferably tin and having a turned down part or flange round the edge of the same
which renders it stiffer and more rigid and also improves its appearance. The said
table is provided in the centre with a suitable aperture or hole for the saw to pass
through, and is soldered or otherwise attached to the top of a tin or other plate or
sheet metal standard in the form of a T in transverse section, the parts of which are
stiffened by having one or more channels stamped in them. The other extremity of
the said standard is soldered, or otherwise attached to the bed plate, or base plate of
the machine. One side of this standard has a portion of the edges bent over so as to
form a slide in which moves a brass or other inetal plate, or motion block, upon the
upper part of which is fixed, by means of solder, or in some other manner, a screw
threaded stud, provided with a suitable thumb nut, or wing nut, for securing the saw
to the said metal plate or motion block. Near the lower extremity or in any other
convenient part of this metal plate or motion block, a suitable slot is provided in
which works a bent crank made of steel or other suitable metal, which is capable of
.

page_text: imparting a reciprocating motion to the said metal plate or motion block. The shaft
of this crank is carried in suitable bearings formed in brackets situated one on either
side of the bed plate or base plate of the machine, and either forming part of or
attached in any suitable manner to the same. To one extremity of the said crank
shaft is fixed in any convenient manner a small wheel or pulley stamped, or pressed,
or cut out of tin, or other sheet or plate metal and formed with a concave and a
convex part, in the centre of the same to increase its stiffness; the edge of the said
wheel or pulley is turned over so as to form a rim or flange concave on the outside,
thus forming a groove round the periphery of the said small wheel or pulley. At the
extremity of the bed plate, or base plate, is another larger wheel or pulley also
stamped or pressed, or cut out of tin or other sheet or plate metal and formed with
a concave and convex part, and a grooved rim or flange similar to that of the smaller
pulley above described. This larger wheel or pulley is also provided with an elongated
boss, and is free to revolve upon a spindle fixed in any suitable manner in two other
brackets situated, one on either side of the said bed plate, or base plate, and either
forming part of or attached in any suitable manner to the same. This larger grooved
wheel or pulley is retained upon the said spindle by means of a collar or other
suitable means, and is provided with a convenient handle for imparting rotary motion
to the same.
This rotary motion is communicated from the larger grooved wheel or
pulley, to the smaller one upon the crank shaft, by means of a leather or other strap
or band.
the
On the spindle upon which the larger grooved wheel or pulley rotates, and between
the two brackets upon the bed plate, or base plate, carrying the same is fitted a metal
sleeve, capable of turning upon the said spindle, and having a suitable projection or
lug, or projections or lugs, through which passes, and is firmly attached to, in any
suitable manner a steel or other rod or wire bent or curved in the form of a C,
front end of this rod or wire is provided with a slot or slit and is so arranged that
this slot or slit is directly over the hole or aperture in the table through which the
saw projects, the back of the saw reciprocates in the said slot or slit in the bent or
curved rod or wire and must be long enough to project above the said slot when the
crank is at its bottom centre. This bent or curved rod or wire is close above or
resting upon the material to be sawn, and the saw is thus guided and supported by
the said bent, or curved rod or wire which has moreover owing to its elasticity a
certain amount of spring or play. The other extremity of the bent or curved rod or
wire which passes through and is attached to the projections or lugs upon the
hereinbefore described sleeve is prevented from turning together with the said
sleeve upon the spindle, and is retained firmly in position, by means of a suitable
catch, or fastener, swivelling upon a pin or rivet upon the bed plate, or base
plate of the machine; this catch, or fastener, passes over the extremity of the
said bent or curved rod or wire and fits into a slot or slit provided in a suitable
projection forming part of, or attached to the said bed plate or base plate. The
bent or curved rod or wire can be thrown back by opening the above described
catch or fastener so as to be out of the way and clear of the table, when it is
desired to cut or saw materials the dimensions of which will not allow of their
being turned or manipulated inside the aforesaid bent, or curved rod or wire.
Although we have herein before described various parts of our improved fret
cutting machine, as being formed of tin, or other plate or sheet metal, it is
obvious that they can if desired be made of cast iron or any other suitable
material. It is obvious moreover that we can modify the construction of the said
apparatus without however in any way departing from the nature of our said
invention.
Dated this 5th day of Law 1000
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.;
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.

page_text: We, JOHN MACKENZIE, of Egglescliffe, Yarm-on-Tees, Engineer, and WILLIAM
ARMSTRONG, of Yarm-on-Tees, Plumber do hereby declare the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
Our invention relates to machines for cutting fret-work, scroll-work, and the
like.
One feature of our said invention is the construction of a fret-cutting machine
with a saw which is secured at one end to a reciprocating slide or motion-block and
which at its other end works freely in a suitable guide, that is to say, the saw, instead
of being held or clamped at both ends as in fret-cutting machines heretofore
constructed, is held or clamped at one end only, the other end being left free.
Another feature of our said invention is the provision of a movable or adjustable
saw-guide which is so arranged that it can be moved clear of the work-table, to
permit the placing of the work thereon and its removal therefrom, and means for
retaining the said guide in its operative position during the working of the
machine.
Our said invention, moreover, comprises other improvements hereinafter set
forth.
Our improved fret-cutting machine is so constructed that it can be conveniently
clamped to the top of a table or the like. It is compact, and composed of very
few parts some of which may be advantageously stamped from sheet-metal. The
machine can, therefore, be manufactured at a lower cost than those hitherto
employed.
In the accompanying drawing, we have shown how our said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
. Figure I is a plan,
Figure 2 a side elevation, and
Figure 3 a front elevation, showing one form of our improved fret-cutting
machine.
Figures 4 and 5 are vertical central sections, drawn to an enlarged scale, of tho
driving-pulleys hereinafter described.
Figure 6 is a side elevation drawn to an enlarged scale showing a detail of
construction.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawing.
a is the bed-plate or base-plate of the machine, which is preferably formed by
stamping it from sheet-tin or other metal. The sides of the said bed-plate or base-
plate are turned over so as to form tubular portions b, in which are inserted and
secured the ends or arms of a frame c formed of steel or other wire, which is bent
or curved so that the part c' thereof extends beneath the bed-plate or base-plate a, and

page_text: forms a convenient spring clamp for fixing the apparatus to a table or other suitable
support. The ends or arms of the said frame, moreover, stiffen the bed-plate or base-
plate a.
d is the work-table, which is preferably circular in form and is also stamped or cut
from sheet-metal. The table d' has a turned down portion or flange d' around the
edges of the same, which increases the stiffness or rigidity thereof and obviates any
roughness or sharpness of the edge that might otherwise exist, and, at the same time,
improves the appearance of the machine. The said table has a hole e for the passage
through the same of the saw f, and is soldered or otherwise attached to the top of a
standard g formed of sheet-metal and secured in any convenient manner to the base-
plate a. The standard g is formed with grooves or guide-ways in which moves a
flat slide or motion-block more clearly shown in Figure 6 provided with a screw-
threaded stud or bolt on which is fitted a suitable thumb-nut or wing-nutk by
means of which the saw fis firmly secured or clamped to the slide j. The said slide
is formed with an elongated slot through which extends a crank / formed of bent
wire. The shaft of the crank is mounted in suitable bearings m one on each side
of the bed-plate or base-plate a and either forming part of the same or attached in
any convenient manner thereto. To one extremity of the said crank-shaft is fixed
in any convenient manner a small wheel or pulley n stamped from sheet-metal. The
pulley n is formed with a concave part n', as more clearly shown in Figure 4, to
increase its stiffness or rigidity. The rim or periphery of the said wheel or pulley n
is formed with a groove ². o is a larger wheel or pulley, more clearly shown in
Figure 5.also stamped from sheet-metal and formed with a concave part of having
soldered thereto a stiffening piece o², and with a groove o³ in its periphery similar to
that in the smaller pulley n. The wheel or pulley o is provided with an elongated
boss of, and is fitted to rotate upon a pin or rod p fixed in brackets 7 on the base-
plate a, the said pin or rod p being provided with a collar p¹ to retain the wheel or
pulley thereon. is a handle fixed in the wheel or pulley o for imparting rotary
motion thereto. The wheel or pulley o is connected to the pulley by means of a
leather or other strap or belts placed in the grooves of the said pulleys, so that rotary
motion will be communicated from the pulley o to pulley and through this pulley to
the crank l.
The saw-guide consists of a bent or curved rod t which is fixed in lugs u¹ on. a
sleeve u fitted to turn upon the pin or rod p, and which is provided with a slot or
slit . The saw reciprocates in the said slot or slit t' and should be long enough to
project above the guide t in any part of its stroke or movement. The upper extremity
of the bent or curved rod t rests upon, or is in close proximity to, the material to be
sawn the saw is, therefore, efficiently guided and supported in the slot or slit t¹ in
the said rod, which, moreover, by reason of its elasticity, allows a certain amount of
spring or play. The lower extremity 2 of the bent or curved rod t is arranged in
combination with a suitable catch or fastening e, swivelling upon a pin or rivet v
fixed in the base-plate a and fitting into a slot or slit in a projection w forming
part of, or firmly attached to the said base-plate. When the catch is unfastened,
the bent or curved rod t can be turned upon or about the pin or rod p and thus
moved back clear of the work-table to perinit the placing or adjustment of the work
thereon..
By securing the saw at one end only and making the saw-guide movable or
adjustable to and from the work-table, as above described, we provide for greatly
facilitating the work, as a piece of wood to be cut can, after a hole is bored
therein in the usual manner, be placed upon the work-table in such a
that the saw extends through the said hole, without the necessity for detaching
the saw.
manner
The base-plate a is provided with holes a through which screws may be passed
when it is desired to permanently secure the apparatus in any convenient position
upon a bench or the like.
Although we prefer to make various parts of our improved fret-cutting machine of
piate or slieet metal as above stated, it is obvious that they can, if desired, be made of

page_text: cast metal or other suitable material. It is obvious, moreover, that we can somewhat
modify the construction of the apparatus without departing from the nature of our
invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we wish it understood that
we claim
First. A fret-cutting machine wherein the saw is held or clamped at one end in a
reciprocating slide or equivalent device and has its other end arranged to slide freely
in a suitable guide, for the purpose above specified.
Second. The combination, with a reciprocating saw, of a guide therefor so arranged
that it can be moved clear of the work-table for the purposes above specified, and
provided with means for securing it in its operative position.
Third. The combination, with the base-plate, of the wire-frame forming a spring
clamp for securing the machine upon a table or other support, substantially as set
forth.
Fourth. The combination of a slotted slide fitted in suitable guides and provided
with means for holding the saw, and a crank arranged to work in the slot of the said
slide, substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Fifth. The improved fret-cutting machine consisting of the parts constructed and
combined substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawing and
operating as above specified.
1
1000
Dated this 5th day of October 1888.
JOHN MACKENZIE.
WILLIAM ARMSTRONG.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.