IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND TOOLS FOR CUTTING MARBLE. STONE. SLATE. AND OTHER MINERALS
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Thompson, of No. 5, Chestnut Walk,
Stratford-upon-Avon, in the County of Warwick, Architect and
Surveyor, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND
TOOLS FOR CUTTING MARBLE. STONE. SLATE. AND OTHER MINERALS
"
Sealed the 2nd June 1871, and dated the 17th March 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Thompson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 17th March 1871.
I, WILLIAM THOMPSON, of No. 5, Chestnut Walk, Stratford-upon-
Avon, in the County of Warwick, Architect and Surveyor, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
AND TOOLS FOR CUTTING MARBLE, STONE, SLATE, AND OTHER MINERALS," to be
as follows:-
My Invention consists in forming tools for cutting marble, stone,
slate, and other minerals of tubes of steel or other metal, the said tubes
may be in section round, oval, square, or other shape, with enlarged or
upset ends dished or sunk.

page_text: For cutting blocks or slabs of marble, stone, or other minerals I
mount or fix these tools on the edges of one or more discs secured to
an axis (revolving above the table and mineral to be cut) firmly sup-
ported in bearings fixed on plates which are made to traverse on girders
which carry the same. To give motion to the axis on which the discs
are fixed, and also to the sliding plates which carry the axis, I use a
slotted screw, one end of which passes through a girder firmly secured
to the sliding plates, and on each side of the girder a collar is fixed
on the screw between bearings carrying the screw and fixed box,
through which the screw works, is placed a revolving wheel having a
feather through which the slotted screw travels; motion being given to
this wheel, which may be done direct or by gearing, causes the screw
to revolve, and by means of a wheel fixed on the end of the screw and
revolving with it motion is given to another wheel connected with the
axis on which the discs are fixed. I also adapt cutters made of tubes
and fixed to a straight bar, to which a reciprocating motion is given.
Also in connexion with the above I use a table to rise or fall by
means of screws which may be set to any angle required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Thompson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 5th September 1871.;
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
THOMPSON, of No. 5, Chestnut Walk, Stratford-upon-Avon, in the County
of Warwick, Architect and Surveyor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Thompson, Her
special licence that I, the said William Thompson, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Thompson, my 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, excrcise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of

page_text: Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY AND TOOLS FOR CUTTING MARBLE,
STONE, SLATE, AND OTHER MINERALS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said William Thompson, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Thompson, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
My Invention consists in forming tools for cutting marble, stone,
slate, and other minerals of tubes of steel or other metal, the said tubes
may be in section round, oval, square, or other shape, with enlarged or
upset ends, flat, dished, or sunk on their cutting face.
For cutting marble, stone, or other mineral I mount or fix these
tools on the edges of one or more discs secured to an axis revolving
above the mineral to be cut, firmly supported in bearings fixed on plates
which are made to traverse on girders which carry the same.
To give
motion to the axis, on which the discs are fixed, and also to the sliding
plates which carry the axis, I use a slotted screw, one end of which
passes through a girder firmly secured to the sliding plates, and on
each side of the girder a collar is fixed on the screw between the bearing
carrying the screw and fixed box through which the screw works, is
placed a revolving wheel having a feather through the slotted screw
travels; motion being given to this wheel, which may be direct or by
gearing, causes the screw to revolve and the sliding plates or saddles
to traverse the girders, and by means of a bevelled wheel fixed on the
end of screw and revolving with it motion is given to another wheel
connected by a belt, chain, or gearing with the wheel of axis on which
the discs are fixed and rotate with it cutting the stone or other mineral.
The discs are secured in their position by collars bolted to the discs,
and by set screws and keys or wedges fitting in the slot of axis. By
reversing the motion of screw the sliding plates are traversed back ready
for another cut.

page_text: I
I also adapt and use cutting tools made of tubes of steel or other
metal, as above described, and fixed or fitted at intervals to a straight
bar or blade, to which a reciprocating motion is given.
In connection with the above machine a table may be used to rise
or fall by means of screws, and to which the stone or other mineral to
be cut may be secured, or the mineral to be cut may be secured by other
means.
The machine may also be advantageously used for cutting stone or
other mineral in situ, for which purpose the frame or standard carrying
the screw and gearing may be fixed on wheels, and the girders on
which the sliding plates traverse may be fixed on the surface of the
rock to be cut, motion being given as herein-before described, and a
cut having been made the length the screw will permit if the sliding
plates are secured by wedges from moving along the girders, reversing
the motion of slotted screw will cause the standard or frame to travel
up to the cross girder, the wedges may then be removed from the
sliding plates, and another length of the screw cut, and so on, the
distance required.
In order that my said Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will now proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto
annexed.
Figures 1, 2, are elevations, and Figure 3 is a plan of the machine.
A is the disc securely bolted to the collars B, having set screws, and
secured to the axis C by wedges or keys fitting in the slot of axis; D, D,
are bearings firmly bolted and secured to the sliding plates or saddles;
E the frame or standard, to which the bearings carrying the screw
gearing, &c. and fixed box, through which the slotted screw works, are
securely fixed; F, the slotted screw; G, the cog wheel having a feather,
through which the slotted screw travels; H, gearing by which motion
is given to the wheel G; I, J, are wheels thrown into and out of gear
by the handle K, and are used in reversing the machine, or when fast
speed is required; L, L, L, are fast-and-loose pullies; M, shews position
of fixed box through which the slotted screw works; N, bevelled wheel
giving motion to the wheel O and speed wheels P, P, connected by a
belt or chain, causing the axis to rotate on which the discs arc fixed;
Q, handle for throwing the wheels N, O, out of gear when the machine
is reversed; R, girder secured to the sliding plates or saddles T, T;
U, U, U, U, are girders on which the sliding plates or saddles traverse ;

page_text: V, V, packings firmly bolted to the girder R and sliding plates. (The
packings V, V, shewn in Drawing, are only required when cutting
the rock in situ to allow the axis C being kept as near the surface of
rock as practicable, when otherwise used the girder R may be bolted
on to the sliding plates.) The dotted lines W, W, and X, X, in
Figures 1, 2, shew the wheels attached to the standard or frame, and
the metals on which the wheels travel when the machine is arranged
for cutting the rock in situ.
Figure 4 is an elevation, Figure 5 a section, and Figure 6 a plan of
a straight bar or blade with cutting tools attached. A is the straight
blade; B, a thin plate of steel bent over the blade to form tool holder,
and secured to it by rivets; C are cutting tools; D is a steel rod passing
through the cutters and holder B; E is a wedge securing the tool in its
position.
Figures 7, 8, and 9 A, shew how the cutting tools may be attached
to discs. A are the discs; B, the holders, and C, the cutting tools.
Figure 7 shews the tool holder fitted in a hole drilled in the disc to
receive it, and the tool is simply slipped on to the holder and made
secure by a chip of wood or slip of paper; Figure 8 shews a thin
plate of steel bent over the disc and rivetted to it. This method allows
the powdered stone and debris to pass through the cutter leaving its
cutting edge clean. Figure 9 A shews another method. B is a steel
rod passed through the cutter, and it is slipped into the place cut out
of the disc to receive it, and made secure by a wedge.
section of Figure 8.
Figure 9 is a
Figures 10, 12, are two forms of cutting tools, and Figure 11 is a view
of face or cutting edge of same.
Figures 13, 14, 15, are sections of cutting tools.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I do not limit myself
to the employment of my improved cutting tools in the arrangement
of machinery herein-before described, as they may be advantageously
employed in other machines, the machine herein-before described may
also, when desired, be fitted with cutting tools of any other description;
what I claim is,-
First. Forming tools for cutting marble, stone, slate, and other
minerals of tubes of steel or other metal with enlarged or upset ends,
flat, dished on sunk, on their cutting face, as herein-before described.

page_text: Second. The general arrangement of machinery for cutting marble,
stone, slate, or other minerals, herein-before described and illustrated in
the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Thompson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of September, in the year 5
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
WILLIAM THOMPSON. (L.S.)