IMPROVEMENTS IN RAIL SAWING MACHINES
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Nov., 1887
Complete Specification Left, 9th July, 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 10th Nov., 1888
RESERVE C
CO
I, EDWARD CONE SMITH, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, and State of New
York, one of the United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAIL SAWING MACHINES" to be as
follows:-
My improvements consist of an elongated rectangular frame having jaws on the
lower end, between which the rail to be cut is clamped. Within this frame is fitted a
sliding carriage from which projects a shaft to which is pivoted a yoke carrying on its
lower end a serrated blade. As the saw blade is moved back and forth it is fed
downward to the rail by the movement of the sliding carriage, which motion is
controlled by a vertical screw shaft that is swivelled to the sliding carriage, and passes
up through a threaded opening in the top of the main frame, terminating in a crank
by which it is rotated. A Y-shaped frame is pivoted to the face of this sliding
carriage, the upwardly extended arms of which are made with sockets to receive levers
or handles for operating it.
The saw carrying yoke is mounted on its journal bearing by means of a journal
block which has a limited vertical movement independent of the screw shaft, and the
frame is held in its lowermost position by the action of a spring-actuated bolt. This
frame has also a slight vertical and lateral movement independent of the Y-shaped
frame by means of a lug attached to the frame and provided with a set screw which is
made to bear on a projection on the upper end of the same so that the Y-shaped frame
Between the
will turn a short distance before the saw frame begins to move.
Y-shaped frame and the saw frame is interposed a spring, to ensure the return of the
former to its normal position at the commencement of the return stroke.
An automatic saw feed is effected by mounting on the screw shaft a toothed wheel
which is made to engage with a spring-actuated pawl arranged on an arm extending
through an opening in the sliding carriage, and this arm is given a backward and
forward movement by an upwardly projecting lug attached to its end which engages a
notch in the saw frame.

page_text: The spring pawl has attached to it a hook or spring, adapted, when it is drawn out,
to withdraw the pawl from its engagement with the ratchet teeth to hook over the end
of the arm, and prevent the action of the ratchet and pawl.
Instead of the engaging device just mentioned, I may employ an arm pivoted to the
sliding carriage, and having on its lower end a pawl and spring. The movement of
this arm is effected through lugs on the swinging frame which strike a stud on the
arm and cause the pawl to move the ratchet one step at a time and rotating the screw
shaft, lowering the sliding carriage.
To enable the saw to make an oblique cut, the frame is made in two separate parts,
one carrying the saw frame and its operating mechanism, and the other the clamping
device for the rail or bar, and the two parts are swivelled together. The saw-carrying
frame or yoke may be adapted to hold either a horizontal, a curved, or a circular
cutting blade, as desired.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rail-sawing Machines.
I, EDWARD CONE SMITH, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, and State of New
York, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAIL-SAWING MACHINES," and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My invention relates to an improved device for cutting or sawing off railroad-rails,
and belongs to that class in which a cutting-saw is mounted in a suitable frame to
oscillate to and fro past the rail to sever the same; and it consists more particularly,
first, in the peculiar devices for feeding the saw to the rail; and secondly, in certain
mechanism adapted to insure the uniform pressure of the saw against the rail to be
cut during the forward movement of the saw, and to relieve the same of the pressure
during the return movement.
In the accompanying drawings which clearly illustrate the novel features of my
improvements,
Figure 1, is a front view of my improved rail-cutter shown clamped upon a railway
rail.
Figure 2, is a detail view, partly in section of the spring pawl.
Figure 3, is a detail view showing the ratchet-and-pawl movement; and
Figure 4, is an enlarged view of a modified form of the oscillating yoke.
a represents the main or supporting frame, for the operating mechanism. This is
an elongated rectangular frame with open sides, provided at its lower end with
jaws b, b, one of which, b, is curved inward so as to form a bed or rest for the rail c
which is firmly clamped thereto by means of a threaded bolt d, working through a
threaded opening in the opposite jaw, b. Within this frame a is fitted a carriage e,
which slides up and down on ways, formed preferably by bolting on each of the side
bars of the frame, a wider bar ƒ.
The movement of this carriage is effected through a threaded shaft g which is
journaled in a suitable hearing in the carriage, and works t'rough a threaded opening
in the upper part of the main frame a. A crank or hand wheel is provided on the
projecting end of the shaft for operating it.
To the upper part of the sliding carriage e is pivoted a V-shaped yoke i having
upwardly and outwardly extending arms terminating in sockets jj, into which are
inserted levers h, k, by means of which an oscillating movement may be given to the
yoke. Another V-shaped yoke or frame 1, having a cross bar m, is pivoted to the
yoke i concentric with the journal bearing of the latter, and preferably, as shown,
upon the journal pin n, and this frame is made to carry between its extended arms a
saw blade o.
The yoke is mounted upon its journal bearing by means of a journal block p, (see
Fig. 4) which block has a limited vertical movement in said yoke, or saw-frame, so
that the saw-frame may have a slight movement to and from the rail to be cut,
independent of the feed movement.

page_text: The oscillating yoke i and saw-frame are so connected, that when the former is
vibrated, by moving up and down the levers k, the saw-frame will be moved with it
and carry the cutting saw back and forth over the rail.
The carriage e and the saw-carrying frame pivoted thereto, are fed automatically to
the rail by mechanism operated through the oscillating movement effected by the
levers k.
On the screw shaft g is mounted a ratchet s, (see figures 2 and 3). and on the said
shaft is also journaled an arm t, which extends forward through an opening in the
sliding carriage e and is provided with a sliding pawl u actuated by a spring v,
adapted to mesh into the teeth of the ratchet and engage the same to rotate the screw
shaft one step at a time, while the arm moves in one direction, and to snap past said
teeth when the arm moves in the opposite direction.
This arm t is given its backward and forward movement, during the operation of
the saw, by means of an upwardly projecting lug d' attached to its end, and made to
engage in a notch in the saw frame so that as the said frame is oscillated upon its
bearings it will carry with it the swinging end of the arm t.
A curved slot a' is formed in the cross bar of the saw-frame l, and through this slot
projects a pin o' attached to the sliding carriage e which is provided with a nut a.
This acts as a guide to steady and limit the oscillation of the saw frame. The
slot a¹ is made wider than the pin o¹ to allow of a slight vertical movement of the
frame 1.
If preferred, I may pivot the arm t to the sliding carriage e, and provide on its
lower end a spring-actuated pawl to engage the ratchet on the shaft g and arrange on
said arm a stud which is struck by a lug placed on the saw-frame, when the said
frame is moved, causing the arm to vibrate, and the pawl to move the ratchet one
step at a time.
A pin is made to project outwardly from the oscillating yoke i through an
opening in the saw frame which opening is made larger than the pin, so as to allow
of a slight vertical and lateral movement of the frame independent of the yoke i.
A stop or lug is made to project from the face of the yoke and is provided with a
set screw which is made to bear upon an end point or projection on the upper end
of the frame 1. This stop is set, so that at the beginning of the cutting stroke of the
saw the yoke i will be made to turn on its bearing a short distance before the frame
begins to move and this first movement of the yoke i will cause the stop h¹ to bear
upon the upper side of the frame l. Again upon the return stroke of the yoke i the
said yoke will be returned to its first position relatively to the frame, before the latter
begins to move and on this return stroke the frame will be raised slightly so as to
allow of the saw clearing the rail.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In a rail-sawing machine, the main frame, a vertically-sliding carriage, with
suitable means for moving said carriage, combined with a saw-carrying frame pivoted
to the movable carriage so as to swing outside of the main frame, and provided with
horizontal arms for operating it, and having a pin-and-slot connection with the sliding
carriage, as set forth.
2. The combination, in a rail-sawing machine, of a main frame, a sliding carriage,
means for moving said carriage, a saw-carrying frame pivoted on a shaft projecting
from the movable carriage, and a frame secured to said saw-carrying frame and shaft,
and provided with sockets for receiving lever-bars, as set forth.
3. In a rail-sawing machine, the combination of a main frame, a movable carriage
mounted in said frame carrying an oscillating saw-frame, with an arm pivoted to the
said carriage, and provided with a movable pawl adapted to engage with a ratchet-
wheel mounted on a vertical screw-shaft, and a lug arranged to engage the saw-
carrying frame, for feeding the saw to the rail.
4. The combination, with the main frame, sliding carriage, and screw-shaft, mounted

page_text: in said carriage, of an arm pivoted to the sliding carriage carrying a spring-actuated
pawl arranged to engage a ratchet-wheel on the screw-shaft, and an oscillating saw-
carrying frame provided with lugs to contact with a stud on said arm for operating
the same, as set forth.
5. The combination, with the frame, sliding carriage feed-screw, and oscillating
frame pivoted to said carriage, of a saw-carrying frame mounted on its journal by
means of a block adapted to have a limited vertical movement, whereby the said
frame has a movement to and from the rail independent of the feed mechanism, as
set forth.
6. In a rail-sawing machine, the combination, with the frame and its sliding
carriage, of feeding mechanism consisting of a threaded shaft journalled to said
carriage, a ratchet-wheel mounted on said shaft, and an arm journalled on said shaft
projecting through an opening in the carriage and provided with a spring-actuated
pawl meshing with the ratchet-wheel, and having a lug to engage a notch in the
saw-carrying frame, as and for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 22nd day of June 1888.
EDWARD CONE SMITH.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.