IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING AND MOULDING STONE
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR DRESSING AND MOULDING STONE." A communication from
abroad by Edouard Berten Nolf, of Brussels, in the Kingdom of Belgium.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd December 1876.
"
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent.
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING AND MOULDING
STONE." A communication from abroad by Edouard Berten Nolf, of Brussels, in
Kingdom of Belgium.
This Invention relates to improvements in machinery for dressing and moulding
stone. I have illustrated it in the accompanying Drawings, in which A, A¹, B,
Figures 1 and 2, represent a traversing carriage carrying the cutting mechanism,
and traversing it slowly in the direction S¹, S, and back in the direction of S¹, S,
when the motion of the screw A¹ is reversed, either by a crossed belt between
pulleys and x or y, or by reversing gear, which, being well known, need not be
described.
In Figure 2, V, V, V, represents the apparatus by which the cutting mechanism
is moved forward or backward in the direction of T, T¹, each time that the
tool H, I, J, arrives at the end of its course, in order to shift it to another position on
the stone. S, S', T, T¹, iron frame on which the whole of the machinery is mounted,
said frame being supported at a convenient height on four pillars bolted thereto at
the corners; R is the stone resting on a movable bed, shown in Figures 3 and 4;
P, Figures 1 and 2, are cams by which a lever D is oscillated, in order to impart a
percussive action to the tool H, I, J, which strikes the stone R three times in one
revolution of the cams P; F is a guide for the tool holder fixed to the supporting
arms C, C¹, bolted to the nut or carrier A, travelling on screw A¹. The arm. C¹ in
advancing rests on the cross frame T, in order that the guide F may be supported on
each side under the blow of the tool holder when the tool no longer striking upon
the stone the whole weight of the tool holder comes upon the guide F by the

page_text: collar I striking thereon; an india-rubber cushion is placed beneath the lever D to
reduce the shock and avoid noise. The guide F is a tube in which is fitted to slide
the tool holder H; in a slot I' in the guide F is a stud screwed into the holder H
and fitting the groove, into which it moves up and down, to prevent the tool holder
turning round in the guide. O, Figure 1, is a form or bellows worked from the
same shaft as the machine by which a current of air is driven through a flexible
india-rubber tube extending from N to N¹, and through a tube L carried by the
guide F, so as to follow the tool in its traverse over the stone, for the purpose of
blowing away the dust as fast as it is produced by the action of the tool.
The tool J may have any desired form, such as those shown at J, JJ, and by
their combination may be used to carve mouldings, cornices, capitals, and such like
architectural ornaments, so that by a proper number of tools working together any
desired form of moulding may be produced at one operation without changing the
tools. By adjusting the collar I on the tool holder H the course of the tool may be
adjusted to suit the height of the stone. As the tool cannot descend beyond the
limit assigned to it the surface of the stone will be preferably plane when the tool
has sufliciently acted on the whole surface of the stone, and the mouldings will be
of the desired form when the various tools used reach the limits of their course.
The supports C, C, carry the-bearings of the driving shaft Y, and are themselves
mounted on the nut or carrier A, which carries the whole of the mechanism with it
in its lateral movement along the screw A¹. The double pulleys W, W, are fitted
on shaft Y by a key sliding in a longitudinal keyway in the shaft to admit of the
shaft sliding through the pulleys, which are retained close to the frame of the
machine by a stop a¹. U, U¹, are two cast-iron shoes sliding on the end frames S, S¹,
and carrying the carriage A, A1, B.
Figure 3 is a top view of the movable bed C and the four pillars A, upon which
the whole machine is supported. These pillars are tubular from top to bottom, and
have screws F, Figure 4, working within them; these screws are stepped at bottom
on a steel bearing and have nuts B', Figure 3, working on them, the said nuts being
part of short arms or claws C passing through a vertical groove at one side of the
pillar for the stone to rest upon, as shown, so that by turning the screws F by the
cross handles H the bed may be raised or lowered. The stone to be dressed is thus
readily levelled and adjusted at the desired height. A graduated scale F is fixed to
each pillar having numbers corresponding as to level, and in relation to the horizontal
movement of the carriages. J, Figure 4, are four screws at the corners of the
bed C, to maintain the said bed stationary during the operation of dressing. This
movable bed also enables the stone to be inclined for cutting inouldings and other
ornaments.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st
June 1877.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING AND MOULDING
STONE." A communication from abroad by Edouard Berten Nolf, of Brussels, in
the Kingdom of Belgium.
This Invention relates to improvements in machinery for dressing stone (in-
cluding marble) and fashioning mouldings and other ornaments thereof. I have
illustrated the machinery in the accompanying Drawings, in which Figure 1
represents in side elevation the tool and mechanism connected therewith, and
Figure 2 a plan of the entire machine. A. represents a nut or carrier travelling on
a screw A¹ mounted in a carriage B. The nut A carries the cutting mechanism, and
is traversed slowly in the direction S, S', and back in the direction of S¹, S, when
the motion of the screw.A' is reversed either by a crossed belt between pulleys w

page_text: 3, or by reversing gear, which, being well known, need not be here
described.
In Figure 2, V1, V₁, V, represents the apparatus by which the carriage B, carrying
with it the chipping or cutting mechanism, is moved forward or backward, as the
case may be, in the direction of T, T¹, each time that the tool H, I, J, arrives at the
end of its course, in order to shift it to another position on the stone. S, S¹, T, T¹, iron
frame on which the whole of the machinery is mounted, said frame being supported
at a convenient height on four pillars bolted thereto at the corners; R is the stone
resting on a movable bed Cs, shown in Figures 3 and 4; P, Figures 1 and 2, are
cams or wipers by which a lever D is oscillated, in order to impart a percussive
action to the tool H, I, J, which strikes the stone R three times in one revolution
of the cam shaft; F is a guide for the tool holder fixed to the supporting arms C, C¹,
which are bolted to the nut or carrier A travelling on screw A². The arm C¹ in
advancing rests on the cross frame T, in order that the guide F may be sustained
on each side under the blow of the tool holder, whose whole weight when the tool
no longer strikes upon the stone comes upon the guide F by the collar I striking
thereon; an india-rubber cushion is placed beneath the lever D to reduce the shock
and avoid noise. The guide F is a tube bored to fit the tool holder H which slides
therein. In a slot I' in the guide F there is a stud screwed into the holder H and
fitting the slot, in which it moves up and down, to prevent the tool holder turning
round in the guide. O, Figure 5, is a fan or bellows worked from the driving shaft
of the machine, by which a current of air is driven through a flexible india-rubber
tube extending from N to N, Figure 1, and through a fixed tube L carried by the
guide F, so as to follow the tool in its traverse over the stone, for the purpose of
blowing away the dust as fast as it is produced by the action of the tool."
The tool J may be of any desired form, such as those shown at J¹, J", J¹¹¹, and
by their combination may be used to carve or form mouldings, cornices, capitals, and
other such like architectural ornaments, so that by a proper number of tools working
together any desired form of moulding may be produced at one operation without
changing the tools. By adjusting the collar I on the tool holder H the course of
the tool may be adjusted to suit the height of the stone. As the tool cannot descend
beyond the limit assigned to it, the surface of the stone will be perfectly smooth
when the tool has sufficiently acted on the whole surface, and the mouldings will be
of the desired form when the various tools used reach the limits of their course.
The arms or supports C", C", carry the bearings of the driving shaft Y, and are
themselves mounted on the nut or carrier A, which carries the whole of the
mechanism with it in its lateral movement along the screw A¹. The double
pulleys W. W, are fitted on shaft Y by a key fixed in the boss of the pulley sliding
in a longitudinal keyway in the shaft to admit of the shaft sliding through
the pulleys, which are retained close to the frame of the machine by a stop c¹.
U, U, are two cast-iron shoes sliding on the ways S, S¹, and carrying the
carriage A, A¹, B.
Figure 3 is a top view of the movable bed 03 and the four pillars A, upon which
the whole machine is supported, all other parts being omitted. These pillars A are
tubular from top to bottom, and have screws F1, Figure 4, working within them;
these screws are stepped at bottom on a steel bearing and have nuts F2, Figure 3,
working on them, the said nuts being on the cuds of short arms B₁ passing through
a vertical slot at one side of the pillars for the stone to rest upon, as shown, so that
by turning the screws F by the cross handles H the bed may be raised or lowered.
The stone to be dressed or fashioned is thus readily levelled and adjusted at the
desired height. A graduated scale E is fixed to each pillar having numbers corre-
sponding as to level and in relation to the horizontal movement of the carrier. By
placing a rule upon the surface of the stone the latter may be readily adjusted in
position with regard to the cutters. J, Figure 4, are four set screws at the corners
of the bed C, to maintain the said bed stationary during the operation. This
movable bed also enables the stone to be inclined for cutting mouldings, bevelled
corners, and other ornaments.

page_text: Having described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner of performing
'the same, I declare, that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is, the improved machinery for dressing, and
fashioning stone, substantially as herein-before shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)