Improvements in Wood Block Sawing Machinery.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Feb., 1896-Accepted, 13th June, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wood Block Sawing Machinery.
I THOMAS BALLARD MARCHANT of Verney Wharf, Verney Road, Rotherhithe
New Road in the County of Surrey Saw Mills Engineer do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
In describing my improvements in the following Specification and accompanying
drawings it must be understood that my invention consists not of the creation of
new mechanical motions but the combination of certain well known motions so put
together as to form an entirely novel sawing machine for the purpose specified. In
the drawings sent herewith the machine is especially designed for cutting wood
paving blocks and certain details such as the variable speeded mechanism for
raising and lowering the saw is sometimes modified to suit the nature of the
particular wood or other material I require to cut.
To a rectangularly formed main frame either mounted on wheels for portability
or fixed to foundations as required & marked A in the drawings (similar letters
denote similar parts in all the views) there is attached at the rear end two
bearings B. B through which is put a driving shaft C. To one end of C is
fitted a pair of fast & loose pulleys D. D which take the driving power from
the motor by in this case a belt E.
To the other end of the shaft C is fitted and fixed theron a driving pulley F
which drives by means of a belt H another pulley G fixed upon another shaft at
the front end of the machine herafter to be described, marked I.
Within the space between the sides of the main frames A, A, is suspended a
swinging frame J, one end of which (that is the rear end) is pivotted to the
shaft C or else to bearings or bushes around or cast upon the said frame J or upon
the bearings through which the said shaft C passes, (in the drawings the hinges
are shewn upon the swinging frame), the effect required being the hinging of the
frame J with the centre of the shaft C as its centre of motion.
At a point nearest the front end of the frame J and at a point or points
marked K are fastened certain chains, wire ropes or other similar connections
which are carried upwards over pulleys L, L, and thence over other two
pulleys M, M, then downwards one on each side of the centre line of the
machine, to the ends of these chains or ropes N N are fastened sufficient
balance weights to counteract the weight of the suspended swinging frame J
when fitted with all its gear hereafter to be described.
To the front end of the swinging frame are formed three bearings 01, 02, 03,
two of which at one end may be cast on but 03 must be made detachable
from J. Through & within these bearings is passed the shaft or spindle I
above mentioned driven by the belt H upon the pulley G, the latter being
placed between the two bearings 01 & 02. Upon the spindle I are placed
circular saws, and between each saw a distance piece according to the depth of
the block to be cut, and when the said saws or distance pieces require removing
from the spindle I the bearing O 3, can be removed bodily from the swinging
frame J, thus enabling the saws to be rapidly removed & replaced for sharpening
or adjustment.
Further at points P P in the front end of the swinging frame J are bored
holes to take a shaft stretching across from side to side of the same, and in a
position parallel to the saw spindle I, and upon this shaft marked Q are placed

page_text: a number of swinging saw packing guides, marked R, which said separate packing
guides have recesses formed in their front ends to hold the saw "packings," each
of the separate guides R can be dropped out of their individual position if required,
but further the whole group of them with the shaft Q to which they are separately
fixed can be dropped downwards by rotation of the, shaft Q around points P, P,
this movement being controlled by the lever Z 8, (Fig. 2, Sheet 2) and thus
dropping down the packings clear of the saws between which they are placed
when at work. In Fig. 1 Sheet 1 these packings are drawn dropped down, and
in Fig. 1 Sheet 2 they are drawn up in their working position. The above
mentioned packing guides R are each provided with the usual recess or slot to
contain the usual packing materials as generally used in circular saw benches
such as plaited.and greased hemp, supplimented with strips of hard wood, the use
and purpose of the said packing materials being to prevent buckling or vibration
of the circular saw, and to ensure the lubrication of the same. It will be noted
that I do not claim the invention of packing guides for circular saws but I have so
improved and modified that portion of a saw bench to which the packings are fitted
namely the slot or recess through which the saw runs that by so constructing the
corresponding part of my invention namely the packing guides R that I get all the
advantages of the fixed saw bench when applied to moveable saws, this object is
attained together with the advantages of facility of removal when changing saws,
their individual adjustment to suit diferent positions of the saws, by the arrangement
above described & shown in the drawings sent in herewith.
To the front portion of the cross frames A A of the machine are fixed a number
of brackets S, in such a manner that there is left between them spaces within which
the circular saws can pass when lowered down to cut the blocks, the said brackets
being so shaped as to support the length of material while being cut, but having.
the front portion removed at a point T so that the blocks when severed fall away
from the brackets thus allowing fresh material to be pushed along to be cut. in its
turn. At a point furthest from the feeding end of the frame is placed a moving
plunger or its equavelant, so constructed as to be worked by the attendant in a
convenient way so that when fresh material is pushed into position to be cut,
the portion overhanging the centre line of the last saw in the group is first
removed, and upon the second stroke of the saws the said plunger marked U is
withdrawn, and the material with its end squared by the preceeding stroke of the
saws is pushed to another permanently placed stop V which stop is provided with
sufficient adjustment to regulate the thickness of the block between it & the saw
immediately next to it.
The mechanism for raising & lowering the said swinging end of the frame J
with its pulley, spindle, saws, shaft, packing guides and balance weights above
described is as follows.
At points W in the swinging frame are formed attachments for a connecting
rod X the other end of the said rod being coupled to the crank pin Y of a disc
which disc is fastened to and revolves with a shaft marked Z 1 supported upon the
lower part of the main frames A. A. Upon this shaft or cast upon the disc Z as
may be desired is either an eliptic, eccentric, or circular spur wheel running into a
similar wheel Z 2 fixed to another shaft Z 3 stretched across the main frames AA
& parallel with shaft Z 1. The result being that either, a regular up & down
motion is communicated to the swinging frame or a variable motion according to
I can thus get
the particular set of wheels interposed, upou the shafts Z1 & Z 3.
either a slow down cut with quick up stroke or vice versa to suit variation in the
material to be cut.
And further I do not confine the scope of my invention to the use of spur
wheels only but prefer to use in some cases the usual slotted arm and its die upon
the crank pin Y.
Between the shaft 21 and its driving pulley marked Z4 is interposed a friction
clutch or its equivenlant which clutch can be thrown out of gear by a lever worked
by the attendant at the front of the machine so that the up & down motion of the

page_text: saws can be instantly arrested or started quite independantly of the revolution of
the saws themselves. Z 5 is the clutch referred to Z4 is the pulley which is worked
by a belt, chain or other suitable means (in this example a belt is drawn) the said
belt obtaining its motion and power from a pulley marked Z 6, shewn upon the
projecting end of the above described shaft C.
The clutch lever is shewn together with its clutch &c. on Fig. 1 Sheet 2 & the
lever is marked Z 7.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1st. The detachable bearing of the saw spindle to facilitate the removal of saws
therefrom & the replacing of saws thereon without removing the saw spindle.
2nd. The especially invented packing guides with their grooves & recesses to
hold packing, together with their independant attachment to their supporting shaft
and the peculiar design of supporting them in a group upon the shaft so that the
whole group of packings can be removed at one movement clear of the saws to
facilitate their removal when desired.
3rd. The variable gear as described & drawn for regulating the relative speed of
the up and down stroke of the saws when cutting.
4th. The interposion of a clutch gear between the feed motion and the cutting
motion as described & drawn.
5th. The especially designed plunger or its equavelant for first removing the end
of rough material as designed and drawn in connection with the permanent but
adjustable stop described & drawn for the purposes set forth.
6th. The combination in one complete machine of the preceeding claims for the
purpose of cutting blocks of wood or other materials of uniform depth in great
numbers.
Dated this 15th day of February 1896.
THOMAS BALLARD MARCHANT.