IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHI- NERY FOR GRINDING, DRESSING, SMOOTHING, OR POLISHING FLAGS AND STONES WITHOUT THE USE OF THE ORDINARY CUTTING TOOLS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Chaffer, of Burnley, Stone Merchant, and
James Thompson and Charles Thompson, of Padiham, Engineers, all in
the County of Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHI-
NERY FOR GRINDING, DRESSING, SMOOTHING, OR POLISHING FLAGS AND STONES
WITHOUT THE USE OF THE ORDINARY CUTTING TOOLS."
Sealed the 16th March 1866, and dated the 21st September 1865
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Chaffer,..James
Thompson, and Charles Thompson at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 21st September 1865.
We, BENJAMIN CHAFFER, of Burnley, Stone Merchant, and JAMES
THOMPSON and CHARLES THOMPSON, of Padiham, Engineers, all in the County
of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR GRINDING, DRESSING, SMOOTHING, OR POLISHING
FLAGS AND STONES WITHOUT THE USE OF THE ORDINARY CUTTING TOOLS," to be as
follows:-
We place the flags or stones to be ground, dressed, smoothed, or polished
on a turntable or platform, to which revolving motion is imparted by means
of gearing from any motive power. Above this turntable or platform there are
one, two, or more cages" or casings-containing other flags or-stones, the under
surfaces of which are in contact with the flags or stones on the table ór

page_text: platform. The said cages or casings with the flags or stones are caused to
revolve in an opposite direction to the turntable or platform by means of
suitable gearing from the driving power, and the constant action or attrition
of their surfaces one upon another, and the introduction of water with. sand or.
other grinding or polishing materials, enables the flags or stones to be ground,
dressed, smoothed, or polished to any desired degree or extent without the use
of the ordinary cutting tools.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,-filer
by the said William Chaffer, James Thompson, and Charles Thompson
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 21st March 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, wė, BENJAMIN
'CHAFFER, of Burnley, Stone Merchant, and JAMES THOMPSON and CHARLES
THOMPSON, of Padiham, Engineers, all in the County of Lancaster, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors; give and grant unto us,
the said Benjamin Chaffer, James Thompson, and Charles Thompson, Her,
special license that we, the said Benjamin Chaffer, James Thompson, and
Charles Thompson, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said Benjamin Chaffer, James Thompson; and Charles
Thompson, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR GRINDING, DRESSING, SMOOTHING, OR POLISHING FLAGS AND
STONES WITHOUT THE USE OF THE ORDINARY CUTTING TOOLS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that, we, the said Benjamin Chaffer, James Thompson;
and Charles Thompson, our executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under our, or their, or-one of our or their hands and seals, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that, we, the said Benjamin Chaffer, James Thompson,?
and Charles Thompson; 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 (that is to
say):
:
)
We place the flags or stones to be ground, dressed, smoothed, or polished
on a turntable or platform, to which revolving motion is imparted by means of:
gearing from any motive power. Above this turntable or platform there are
one, two, or more cages or casings containing other flags or stones, the under.
surfaces of which are in contact with the flags or stones on the table, or;
platform. The said cages or casings with the flags or stones are caused to:
revolve in an opposite direction to the turntable or platform by means 'of
suitable gearing from the driving power, and the constant action or attrition
of their surfaces one upon another, and the introduction of water with sand or>
other grinding, or polishing materials, enable the flags or stones to be ground,
dressed, smoothed, or polished to any; desired degree or extent without the use::
of tlie ordinary cutting tools.
These improvements will be clearly understood by referring to the figures
and letters, on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which; Figs. 1. and 2'i
are front and-end elevations, and Fig. 3 a plan of our improved machinery
for grinding, dressing, smoothing, or polishing flags or stones without the use
of the ordinary cutting tools.
j
a represents, the, asblar foundation; b,, the framework of the machine; and:
c, the first motion shaft.. The shaft c.gives, motion to the shaft. d. by means
of the two spur wheels e and f; and on the shaft d are fixed two bevil
wheels g. 9, which gear into two, bevil-wheels h, h, on the upright shafts i, i,
and thus revolving motion is, imparted to the oblong cages or casings j, j,
which are connected to the upright shafts i, i, by the cross heads k, k. In
the 'spur wheel is geared the intermediate spur wheel m, which also gears;
into the spur wheel n fixed to the horizontal shaft o carrying the bevil wheel p
gearing into the bevil wheel q fixed to the upright shaft r, to which is fixed
the turntable or platform s. The shaft c from the motive power gives motion
to all the working parts, some diverging to the upright shafts i, i, and giving
revolving motion to the cages or casings, j; and others communicating at
the same time with the upright shaft r, and giving revolving motion to the
turntables; and it will be seen that in this machine there is no waste of
material, nor any part or parts which are unnecessary.
The working of the machine. is as follows:-A layer of flags or stones
t, t, t, t, is first placed on the turntables, and the cages or casings j,j, aré
:

page_text: filled with other flags or stones u, u, u, and then the machine is set in motion,
the turntable with its flags or stones turning in one direction, and the cages.
or casings with their flags or stones' turning at a 'much quicker speed in an.
opposite direction. The centres of the upright shafts carrying the cages or
casings are a few inches on one side of the centre line of the turntable, by
which means the circles described by the cages are not concentric with. that
described by the turntable.
By this arrangement any unevenness in the surfaces of the flags is. counter-
acted by being brought in contact with fresh parts of their surfaces; and the
result after sufficient working is an even surface throughout the bottom and
top courses or surfaces of the flags or stones:
In the Drawings only two cages or casings are represented, but as many
more may be used as found convenient, it being only necessary to arrange and
construct the shafting and gearing accordingly.
Having now described the nature and particulars of our said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, we desire it to be
understood that in machinery for grinding, dressing, smoothing, or polishing
flags or stones without the use of the ordinary cutting tools we do not claim
the revolving turntable or platform by itself; but what we do elaim is, the
system of causing flags or stones placed in cages or casings to revolve in
contact with other flags or stones on a turntable or platform revolving
in an opposite direction to the cages or casings, as all such improvements
are herein described and illustrated in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Thompson, for and on behalf of
'myself and the said Benjamin Chaffer and James Thompson, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of March, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
CHARLES THOMPSON. (L.S.)
.
Signed, sealed, and delivered
by the within-named Charles
Thompson, in the presence of
E. J. HUGHES,
Patent Agent,
Manchester