IMPROVEMENTS IN WORKING OR DRESSING THE SURFACE OF STONE
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MARK
FREEMAN, of Sutton, in the County of Surrey, Esquire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fourteenth day of November, in the eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Mark Freeman, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Mark Freeman, my exors, admors, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Mark Freeman, my exors, admors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WORKING OR
DRESSING THE SURFACE OF STONE;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso that I, the said Mark Freeman, shall cause a particular description of
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in
part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said

page_text: Mark Freeman, do hereby declare that the nature of my Invention, and
the best means I am acquainted with for performing the same, are fully
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters
marked thereon, that is to say :-
In order that my Invention may be readily understood, I will proceed to
describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine constructed to work according
to one part of my Invention. Figure 2 is an end view thereof. This
machine is arranged to work with a series of bars carrying cutting tools
which, by the working of the machinery, make their cuts in succession by the
percussion produced by the falling of the bars, the bars being so arranged as to
be guided in their movement, and by means of suitable stops they are pre-
vented falling too low, and are in fact regulated by such stops so as to
determine the distance or depth to which they will allow of the cutting tools
acting on the surface of the stone. The machinery is so arranged that the
bars carrying the cutting tools move over the stone first in one direction, then
in the other, successively making cuts by the tools on the surface of the stone.
a, a, is the framing which carries the working machinery, b, b, being two side
rails on which the wheels c, c, of the working parts of the machine travel to
and fro. The wheels c, c, are on axles affixed to the moving frame d. This
moving frame consists of the two side rails d, which are combined together
by means of the cross rails d', thus producing a quadrangular carriage which
moves by the wheels c, c, on the rails b, b. From this carriage d, d', descend
the diagonal bars d³, d, which are fixed to the quadrangular frame d³, d³,
which has guide wheels d' on axles, as is shown, which guide the frame o³ in
its moving to and fro. These parts, from d to d inclusive, may be said to
form a carriage moving to and fro within the frame a, on the rails b; and
this carriage carries the series of bars, hereafter described, which carry the
cutting tools. Motion is communicated to the carriage d by means of two
racks e, f, which are continuously moved to and fro by a steam engine or
other power. The toothed rack e is supported on rollers 9, 9, 9, and the
toothed rack f is kept down by rollers h, h, h, and the flanches of the rollers g
and h guide the toothed racks in their movement to and fro. i is a shaft or
axis of a drum or cylinder. This shaft or axis turns in suitable bearings
carried by the side plates d, as is shown. On this axis i are placed two

page_text: toothed wheels j and k, so that the wheels may turn freely on the axis,
except when such wheels are locked to the axis by means of the ratchet
wheel which is affixed to the axis. I is a ratchet wheel affixed to the axis i,
and m is a catch fixed on the wheel j, by which arrangement, when the
toothed wheel j is driven round by its toothed rack in one direction, it will not
give motion to the axis i; but on being moved in the opposite direction, the
catch will lock the ratchet wheel and the toothed wheel ; together, and
motion will be communicated to the axis i; and the motion of the axis i is
made to take place continually in one direction by the ratchet wheel / being
also capable of locking the wheel k to the axis i in the following manner :-
The ratchet wheel is between the wheels ; and k, and wide enough to have
two clicks, one of which will be acting to lock the wheel; to the axis when
the racks are moving in one direction, and the other click will be acting to
lock the wheel b to the axis when the racks are moving in the opposite
direction, so that the wheels ; and k are in succession the means of giving
rotatory motion in the same direction to the shaft or axis i. It will, therefore,
be understood that the movement to and fro of the two toothed racks will, by
alternately acting on the axis i, through the toothed wheels ; and k, give
rotatory motion to the axis i continually in the same direction. This motion
would be all that would be necessary for successively moving up the bars
which convey the cutting tools, supposing the stone were moved (at the
moment all the cutters were raised off the stone) a distance equal to that
which may be desired to be between two rows of cuts (which might be done
by any suitable machinery), and then there would not be required any motion
to the carriage and parts d, but the arrangement of machinery shewn is such that
the working parts of the machine shall move, and the stone, after being brought
into a proper position by means of a truck or otherwise, is to remain fixed or
stationary. Motion is communicated to the carriage d in the following
manner:-n is a bar with an opening to allow of its sliding on the axis i
within the cylinder or drum, the bar n protruding through openings in opposite
parts of the drum or cylinder, there being a bent spring n¹ to retain the bar
from sliding except when forced, as hereafter explained. The ends of the
bar n are turned and widened so as to form two opposite inclined surfaces, as
shewn at n and n³, in such manner, that when either end n or n³ is pro-
truding out of the cylinder every time the drum makes a complete revolution
the projecting end n* or * will come between two projections on the periphery
of the wheel q, and by the inclination of the surfaces of n or n³ the wheel q
will be turned round on its axis, which is hollow, and has a female screw formed
therein, the nave of the wheel working between two cross rails of the frame d.

page_text: The female screw in the nave of the wheel a receives the fixed male screw :
through it, the male screw r being fixed to the two end rails of the fram
a, a. Hence, when motion is communicated to the wheel q, the wheel wil
move along the screw, and carry with it the carriage d a short distance prope
for the succeeding cut of the cutting instruments. When the carriage d ha
travelled a certain distance in one direction the projection n² shall be moved in by
the lever n coming against the stop o, and by so doing it will cause the bar n to
be slided, and the other end of it to protrude beyond the cylinder or drum
and thus will the end n³ of the bar n be brought into a position to be slided
back by the lever n when it comes to the stop p; and it is by such means
that the carriage d (and working parts carried thereby) are moved first
towards one end of the rails b, and then towards the other end of the rails b
according to the distance apart of the stops o, p, which may be varied according
to the length of stone to be operated on by the machine. It will be seen
that the stop p is moveable, being held on the frame a by a binding screw p¹.
I will now proceed to describe the nature and manner of operation of the
percussive instruments. The machine shews that there are four bars 8, s,
each carrying at its end a chisel or other suitable tool. These bars s, s, move
freely up and down between guide rollers, as is shewn in the Drawings, the
bars being placed out of the upright in order that the cut may be in a slanting
direction, so as nearly as may be to imitate the holding of the tool by a work-
man. And the machinery is so arranged as to cause the series of cutters to
descend twice without any movement of the carriage d, the object being to
ensure the cut of each cutter being made to the same depth in the stone; for
it will be evident, that if part of the cutters have in the first falling completed
their cuts to the depth their stops will permit them to descend, they will not
in their second falling act further on the stone, whilst those cutters which
have not in their first fall completed their cut will in the second fall do so.
And in order to cause the portions of stone which will be between each pair
of neighbouring cutters to be cut, I cause the stone to be moved sideways, and
it will be seen that the truck on which the stone is placed is suitably con-
structed for this purpose, as the platform on which the stone is placed is
capable of being moved laterally by means of giving motion to one of the axes
of the rollers, which, by the surfaces of the rollers, will give motion to the
bars fixed under the platform, and thus cause the stone to be moved; and in
order to retain the stone from moving at other times, the click or stop is
placed between the teeth of the wheel on the axis of the roller, on which there
is a crank handle, as is shewn. The truck which carries the stone moves on
flanched wheels on rails; and in order to raise the stone on the platform of the

page_text: truck two plates are used, hinged to the platform, under which at intervals
are wedges which can be moved under the plates to the required degree by
means of set screws. The cutting tools shewn simply consist of straight
cutting edges, as shewn, which tools are fastened to the bar; and they are
capable of being adjusted in the bars sin such manner that they may fall to
the same distance. And this I prefer to do by having the cutter to move in
a metal socket fixed at the end of the bar s, in which, when the position of the
cutter is adjusted, it may be secured by the screw ; and in order to set
down the cutter correctly with the other cutters I use a wedge r³, which is
forced in by means of the screw passing through the strap r, the top of the
cavity in the metal socket being inclined to correspond with the adjusting
wedge. I would, however, here remark, that other cutters may be used, and
different means of adjustment may be resorted to. On the drum are affixed
steps or lifters t, t, which in succession lift the bars s, and those bars then fall
by their gravity. At the same time I would remark, that where the gravity
would not be sufficient, then I employ the reaction of a spring to each bar s.
The bars s being pressed against their springs in the act of moving by the
cylinder, the springs will react as soon as the steps t pass beyond the
projections on the bars s.
I will now describe another arrangement of machinery according to my
Invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS B.
Figure 1 is a plan, and Figure 2 is a side elevation of this machine. a, a,
is the framing, the nature of which is clearly shewn in the Drawings. b is the
main or driving shaft which receives motion from a steam engine or other
power. On the axis b is affixed the drum or cylinder with steps or lifters
projecting therefrom suitable for lifting the bars s, which carry the cutters;
in this arrangement of machinery the bars & are vertical, and, therefore, are
more favorably placed for obtaining the percussive cut by gravity; but in
order to get the inclined position of the cutter in respect to the surface to
be cut the stone is caused to be placed in an inclined position, and in place of
the machinery moving to the stone as in the previously described machine, the
stone in this case is shown to be moveable, and the machinery stationary as to
position. The cutter in this machine is shown to be adjusted by a different
means of apparatus to that before described; the bars & are hollow, and there
is in each a rod which has a screw formed at its upper end which passes
through a female screw formed in a nut formed in the upper end of the bar s;
by this arrangement the cutter is received into a socket at the lower end of

page_text: the bar s, and the rod on the interior of the bar is caused to adjust the correct
placing of the cutter, and then the set screw at the lower end fastens the
cutter in that position. The mode of fixing and adjusting the cutters may,
however, be varied. The bars s are guided in their movements by means of
the rollers, as is shown, and the bars & are successively lifted and allowed to
descend by the steps on the drum on the axis b. This machine has two
drums and two sets of bars s, in order to work two surfaces of stone at the
same time, the object being that the two surfaces of stone which are being
worked at the same time may keep each other balanced as nearly as may be,
so that the only weight of stone to be raised by, the machine will be the
difference of weight between the two stones, the balance weight being kept in
inotion as easily as on a horizontal rail. The stones are carried by similar
trucks to those before shown and described, and they move on inclined rail-
ways, as is shown, the two trucks being connected by a chain which passes
around a roller z, which receives motion in the following manner :-On the
axis of the roller z is affixed a cog wheel y, which receives motion from the
cog wheel at intervals, so as to move the stones a distance equal to that
between each succeeding line of cuts of the cutters carried by the bars s, and
this is accomplished in the following manner:-w is a cog wheel on the main
axis b, which takes into and drives the cog wheel won the axis c, hence the
axes b and c revolve with like speeds, and as the apparatus put in motion by
the one corresponds with that of the other, what is said of one will apply to
the other. And on each of the drums on the axes b and c there are projec-
tions v, which will, as they come round, take into and drive the cog wheel u
partly round, the axis of which wheel u is carried by sliding bearings, as
shown, hence that wheel can be moved to and fro, and for the time being
work with either of the drums of the axes b and c, the sliding of the bearings
on the axis u being performed by a workman by the aid of the lever (1),
which moves the connecting rods (2) attached to the bearings, and the lever
(1) is retained in the position shown by a spring catch (4) so long as the
wheel u is required to work with the drum on the axis b, but so soon as the
motion is required to be reversed in consequence of the stone which is now
shown to be ascending arriving at the top of the incline, then the workman
raises the lever into the position (5), where it is again held in another notch
of the spring catch or bar (4), by which the wheel u will be brought into
action with the drum on the axis c, and will so remain till the other stone has
ascended, when the action of the machine will be again reversed, the work-
man taking care in reversing the inachine to see that the wheel u approaches
the projections on the drums, so as to cause one of the projections to enter

page_text: correctly between two of the teeth of the wheel u. The bars s in this
machine, as in that previously described, are prevented descending beyond a
certain distance by enlarged heads falling on the transverse rails; but it will
be evident that the stops may be placed or formed in other positions; but it is
an important part of the arrangement of my machinery that each bar should
be so arranged that it shall be stopped to a regulated distance from the
surface of the stone, and when the surface of the stone is to be cut plain and
equal on all parts, then all the cutters must fall to the same line or plane.
I will now describe another part of my Invention, which relates to a mode
of constructing a truck or carriage for blocks of stone.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS C.
Figure 1 represents a side elevation, and Figure 2 an end view of a
carriage or truck for carrying blocks of stone in such manner that when one
side has been worked a workman can readily turn the stone over to bring
another side to be operated on, and so on till all the sides are dressed or
worked. This truck moves by aid of its wheels a, a, on a railway, 6 being the
carriage consisting of the two longitudinal side timbers 6, 6, with the ends 61, 6¹.
These ends receive the axes or necks c, c, of the frame d, d, the frame d, d,
consisting of the two end plates with their axes or necks, such end plates being
tied together by four bars d'; hence it will be seen that the plates d may be
turned on their necks or axes, and in order to the same being turned with a
moderate quantity of power a cog wheel e is fixed on to one end, as is shewn,
and motion is communicated to the wheel e by means of a pinion f driven by
the crank handle g. On the lower of the bars d', d', are placed boards h, h,
on which is deposited the block of stone i to be worked or dressed. And in
this condition the truck is brought under the operation of any suitable
machine, in order that the upper surface of the stone may be worked, and
that upper surface being completed, the workman places boards across on the
upper surface, and wedges the stone securely in the frame d, d¹; he then turns
the stone over by means of the crank or winch handle, when the boards which
were below and now above are to be removed, and that surface worked or
dressed. And in order to work and dress the sides, the workman is to fasten
the stone by placing boards at the sides, and then turn over the stone to one
of the sides.
I will now describe another part of my Invention, which has for its object
the bringing hammers or instruments into action by centrifugal force caused
by the hammers or tools employed being loosely attached to a revolving axis,
the hammers or tools being able to recede at the moment of making their

page_text: blows, so that the blows will not be of a character which would be caused by
a fixed revolving tool, but of that character which results from the centrifugal
action of instruments carried round, by yet not unyieldingly affixed to the axis
of motion.
Figure 3 shews an end view of a cylinder on an axis, having tools mounted
thereon so as to obtain the effect of centrifugal action to the hammers or tools.
Figure 4 shews part of a side view thereof; j is a cylinder fixed on an axis k,
which is to turn quickly in bearings carried by a suitable framing, and the
whole of the upper part I prefer to be covered with a strong cover, and I
prefer that the stone to be worked should be moved under the hammers or
centrifugal tools, so that they may by their revolution act on the surface.
And I would state that the face of the hammer or tool which strikes the
surface of stone may be sharp or blunt, according to the work to be performed,
a blunt instrument or tool acting to produce an even or uniform surface by
knocking off the elevations left after rough tooling, obtaining that kind of face
which in France chiefly is produced by the brochure, and in England by making
the cuts with an edge tool so near together as to be almost imperceptible.
Figure 5 shews a variation of the mode of holding tools to be worked by
centrifugal action, the tool being capable of being moved back in a socket,
there being a spring behind the tool, and other means of holding the tools for
this part of my Invention may be resorted to so long as the tools are capable
of moving back on striking the stone.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best means I
am acquainted with for performing the same, I would wish it to be understood
that I do not claim any of the mechanical parts separately, nor do I confine
myself to the details herein described, so long as the peculiar character of my
improvements be retained, or any of them. And I would state in respect to
the use of percussive tools mounted on sliding bars, that I do not claim the
use of a single bar having one or more cutters affixed thereto, my Invention
so far as the use of sliding bars consisting of using a series of independent bars
worked in the same machine, so as by their combined action to produce the
effect desired.
And I would therefore have it understood that what I claim is,―
First, the mode of adapting machinery to work a series of independent
percussive tools for dressing stone, whereby such tools are caused to produce
a given surface in consequence of the controlled motion of such tools.
:
Secondly, I claim the placing of the tool or body striking when worked by
machinery and controlled as to the depth of its cut at such an angle to the
stone that the latter shall be struck obliquely.

page_text: Thirdly, I claim the combining of the stopping of a series of independent
tools or bodies striking (when working or dressing stone by machinery) with
means of holding the striking tools or bodies in an inclined position in respect
to the surface of stone.
Fourthly, I claim the obtaining this angle of incidence by placing the stone
out of the plane of the horizon. And I also claim the inclining mechanically
held tools or cutters to the surface of the stones.
Fifthly, I claim the application of a travelling machine carrying percussive
tools to work stone.
Sixthly, I claim the mode of constructing apparatus for holding a stone to
be worked, whereby a workman or a person attending a machine for working
stone is enabled to turn over the stone in order to work the different surfaces
of such stone.
And, seventhly, I claim the mode of arranging tools for dressing and
working stone, whereby the tools are made capable of receding when they
strike the stone in their revolution about an axis.
In witness whereof, I, the said Mark Freeman, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of May, in the year of our
T