IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR SAWING WOOD
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Easton, junior, Engineer, and James Chapman
Amos, Engineer, both of the Grove, Southwark, in the County of Surrey,
for the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR SAWING WOOD."
Sealed the 17th April 1863, and dated the 10th November 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Easton and James
Chapman Amos at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 10th November 1862.
We, JAMES EASTON, junior, Engineer, and JAMES CHAPMAN AMOS, Engineer,
both of the Grove, Southwark, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR SAWING WOOD,"
to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to render sawing machines more efficient in
their operation than heretofore. To this end, in order to secure the log from
rising with the drag of the saw on its bed while being cut, we keep it down
by means of pressing rollers or bowles carried by vertical water cylinders, in
which stationary pistons are inserted, their rods being pendent from a trans-
verse beam of the saw frame. The upper and lower ends of each cylinder are.
brought into communication by an outside pipe, which allows of the water
filling the cylinders passing from one to the other side of the pistons. The
water, which forms an elastic packing between the piston and the lower ends

page_text: of the cylinder, serves to retain the bowles of the cylinders in contact with the
timber when once lowered in contact therewith. In order, however, to
facilitate the adjustment of the height of the bowles to suit the irregular
growth, and also the varying sizes of the timber to be sawn, the cylinders
are fitted with a vertical rack, into which gears a pinion for raising and
lowering the cylinders. While thus being raised or lowered, the water confined
within the cylinder will slowly escape from one side of the piston to the other
to allow of the vertical movement of the cylinder.
For the purpose of quickening the moving back motion of the frame carrying
the work, instead of applying the power of the engine which operates the saw
frame, we adapt to the machine a supplementary engine, which when set in
action will run back that frame while the saw frame is quiescent. To ensure
the proper operation of this engine we employ the lever which is used for
throwing the feed motion in and out of action for operating the steam supply
cock, conveying the motion of the lever to the cock by means of a transverse
rock shaft. By this arrangement all possibility of the feed clicks (on the
reversal of the motion of the frame) stripping off the teeth of the feed wheels
will be avoided.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Easton and James Chapman Amos in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 9th May 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
EASTON, Junior, Engineer, and JAMES CHAPMAN AMOS, Engineer, both of the
Grove, Southwark, in the County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said James Easton and James Chapman Amos, Her special license, that we, the
said James Easton and James Chapman Amos, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said James Easton and James Chapman
Amos, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY

page_text: FOR SAWING WOOD," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
James Easton and James Chapman Amos, by an instrument in writing under
our hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that the said James Easton, on behalf of myself
and of the said James Chapman Amos, do hereby declare the nature of our
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and the letters and
figures marked thereon (that is to say):
The object of this Invention is to render sawing machines more efficient in
their operation than heretofore. To this end, in order to secure the log from
rising with the drag of the saw on its bed while being cut, we keep it down
by means of pressing rollers or bowles carried by vertical water cylinders, in
which stationary pistons are inserted, their rods being pendent from a trans-
verse beam of the saw frame. The upper and lower ends of each cylinder are
brought into communication by an outside pipe, which allows of the water
which fills the cylinders to pass from one to the other side of the fixed pistons.
The water forms an elastic packing between the piston and the lower ends of
the cylinder, and serves to retain the bowles of the cylinders in contact with
he timber when once lowered in contact therewith.
As the machine would be required to operate upon balks or logs of varying
thickness, the cylinders C are fitted with a vertical racks I, I', into which gear
pinions J, J', for raising and lowering the cylinders; by this means the
position of the cylinders may be adjusted to suit varying sizes of timber. It
will of course be understood that while the cylinders are thus being raised or
lowered the water confined within them will slowly escape from one side of
the pistons to the other, so as to allow of the vertical movement of the
cylinders.
In the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 (Sheet I.) is a vertical section of
this holding-down apparatus detached from the sawing machine. Two of these
apparatus, or presses, as they may be termed, may be used for properly
holding down the timber to be cut, as shewn in Fig. 2 (Sheet II.), which is
an elevation of a sawing machine with our improvements applied thereto. It
will be seen on reference to Fig. 1 that the apparatus consists of a fixed
piston A, and moveable cylinder C. The piston A and its rod should by

page_text: preference be of wrought iron, and is secured to the cross frame B of the
machine so as to be firm and rigid. Upon this piston and rod works a
hydraulic cylinder C, of such length of stroke as will admit of the largest size
balk intended to be cut by the machine being placed beneath it. A press
roll D is connected by a cross head E to the lower extremity of the cylinder C,
and bears upon the balk of timber. The cross head E works in suitable
guides so as to keep the cylinder C in its traverse truly vertical. A pipe F,
provided with a stop-cock F¹, opens a communication, between the upper and
lower sides of the piston A; and in actual work the cylinder C is filled com-
pletely with water, the cock F' being closed very nearly, in order to give the
requisite resistance. It will now be seen that should the saws at the up-stroke
"lay hold" of the timber, as they frequently do, so as to lift the balk from the
machine bed, the effect of this sudden lift will be to raise the cylinder C
slightly, and drive the water below the piston A and through the pipe F to
the upper side of the piston; but as a great resistance will be produced by the
water endeavouring to pass through the nearly closed cock F¹, this resistance
will effectually prevent the further rising of the cylinder and the jumping up
of the timber. On the other hand, the cylinder must necessarily rise and fall
to suit the inequalities of the timber, but such rising and falling will be very
gradual and moderate compared with the sudden lifting produced by the
"laying hold" of the saws..
In order to ensure the rapid falling of the cylinders so as to be always in
contact with the timber, a small valve G opening downwards has been pro-
vided, so as to give free passage for the water between the top and bottom of
the piston when the cylinder is falling. The valve will, however, prevent the
passage of the water in the contrary direction. It may be probably be found
in practice that no timber so irregular as to require. this valve will have to
be cut; in such case, however, it will do no harm.
The presses may be relieved at any time, as in the case of entering or setting
a balk, by racking up the cylinders C, C, and throwing in the retaining
ratchet H, as shewn in Figure 2.
On the entering side of the machine a grooved press-roll, such as that
shewn at D, Figure 1, is employed, and on the leaving side of the frame plain
rolls are used so as not to enter the grooves, or cuts made by the saws.
The apparatus. above described applies equally to saw frames of any
description, but the under-mentioned apparatus is, more particularly. adapted
for steam saw frames, that is to say, frames in which the steam engine, is
combined with and forms a portion of, the saw machine..
It frequently becomes necessary to move or traverse the bed or table of the

page_text: machine upon which the timber rests quickly to and fro, as in the case of
returning for a fresh cut, for instance, and at such times it is desirable to
have the saws themselves stationary for adjustment; this is ordinarily
accomplished by providing a separate driving motion from the main shaft in
cases where saw frames are driven from a detached steam engine or other
prime mover; but it is obvious that such an arrangement cannot be obtained
in the case of a machine where the saw frame and engine are combined. In
such a case, or in such other cases where a separate driving motion from the
main shaft cannot easily be had, we employ a separate small steam engine J,
Figure 2, provided with any ordinary reversing movement arranged so as to
cause the bed to run in either direction. A lever K is employed to turn the
starting cock of this engine in connection with the working pawls L of the
feed motion, by means of the coupling rod and lever M, M', so that the engine
cannot be started without throwing the pawls L out of gear, and thus
preventing the possibility of accident to the feed motion. This coupling rod
movement may also be connected with the starting lever of the traversing gear
of the ordinary saw frames.
Having now described our Invention of improved machinery for sawing
wood, and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, we
claim, as the Invention secured to us by Letters Patent as aforesaid, "the use
and application for the purposes herein set forth of the hydraulic cylinder and
stationary piston.
We also claim the application of the supplementary engine or steam
cylinder J, with its gear, for the purpose of running back the frame or bed
while the saw frame is quiescent.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Easton, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
JAMES EASTON, J. (L.S.)