Improvements in Saw Benches and other Sawing Machines.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Mar., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Dec., 1893-Accepted, 3rd Feb., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Saw Benches and other Sawing Machines.
We, ALFRED BRIDGMAN of Trewsbury House, Trewsbury Road Sydenham in
the County of Kent, Managing Director and DAVID HOUSE of 16 Macclesfield
Street City Road in the County of Middlesex Engineer do hereby declare the
nature of the said invention to be as follows:-
The invention has for its object improvements in saw benches and other sawing
machines. According to our invention we employ a sliding table provided with
automatic means for gripping or holding the work in its forward and backward
motion, for releasing the grip or hold on the work as it arrives near the end of its
backward motion, and with self acting means for setting the work up to the fence.
This table is mounted in guides on an adjustable canting table and has a com-
paratively slow motion imparted to it when carrying the work towards and past the
saw and a quick return.
In carrying our invention into effect the canting table is mounted at one end or
hinges carried by the saw bench or frame, whilst at the other end it is supported
at the desired angle by adjusting screws operated preferably by a shaft, bevel
gearing and hand wheel.
The sliding table is provided with guides to receive a block or bracket which
may be adjusted and fixed in the desired position therein; to this block is pin
jointed one end of a connecting rod whose other end is adjustably connected to the
upper end of an operating lever whose lower end is pin jointed near the floor to
brackets fixed to the framing. This operating lever may be formed with a
longitudinal slot in which works a crank pin carried by a crank lever, receiving
rotary motion preferably by friction gear, or such operating lever may be adjustably
jointed near its centre to one end of a link suitably guided whose other end is
provided with a truck working in the groove of a cam to give a to and fro motion
thereto and consequently, through the operating lever, to the sliding table. This
cam is preferably driven by friction gear and it is provided with means whereby
the rotation thereof can be readily stopped or reversed at any moment.
The sliding table carries a pair of gripping jaws which are adjustable in suitable
guides. The forward gripping jaw has a strong spring between it and its carrying
bracket to enable it to give way if required, whilst the rear gripping jaw has an
extended carrying rod passing through its carrying bracket and operated at its
rear end by an L shaped lever provided with a truck which runs up and down an
incline at the rear end of the canting table so as to grip the work as it goes
forward and to release the work as it arrives at its rearward position to enable the
setting up gear to set the work up to the fence after which the work is again
gripped to carry it past the saw.
If required the L shaped lever may be assisted in its motion by a spring.
The setting up gear is constructed as follows; two or more springs, carried by
longitudinally adjustable bars, press by their free ends on the work so that when
the work is released by the grips or holders the springs will force it up to the fence;
the spring carrying bars are fitted to slide at their lower ends in a groove in the
sliding table, whilst at their upper ends they are capable of being adjusted and
fixed along a longitudinal bar. We also connect the free ends of the springs by
chains to rings mounted with capability of sliding on a longitudinal rod to follow
the springs in their adjustment and such longitudinal rod is carried by levers fixed
on a shaft operated by a hand lever by which means the springs can be drawn

page_text: backward whenever it is required to introduce a fresh piece of work between the
grips or holders.
If desired instead of employing springs to effect the setting up of the work,
levers acted upon by weights may be substituted therefor.
By holding the work fast in a sliding. table the friction caused by its passing
over a fixed table is obviated, whilst by holding the work secure as it passes the
saw in both directions and not releasing the same until after it has passed the saw
in its return motion, we avoid pressing the work against the saw teeth on its return
motion and thereby prevent any rough markings or scorings of the work by the
saw in such return motion.
The object of employing a canting table is to enable the wood or other material
to be presented to the saw in the most favourable position when a "ground off" or
veneer saw is used, but it may also be used with a parallel saw, whilst the other
improvements herein referred to may be used either with or without the canting
table.
Dth 04h £
L 1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Saw Benches and other Sawing Machines.
We, ALFRED BRIDGMAN, of Trewsbury House, Trewsbury Road, Sydenham,
in the County of Kent, Managing Director, and DAVID HOUSE, of 16 Macclesfield
Street, City Road in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The invention has for its object improvements in saw benches and other sawing
machines.
According to our invention we employ a sliding table provided with automatic
means for gripping or holding the work in its forward and backward motion past
the saw, and for releasing the grip or hold on the work as it arrives near the end
of its backward motion, and with self-acting means for setting the work up to the
fence.
This table is mounted in guides on an adjustable canting table, and has a com-
paratively slow motion imparted to it when carrying the work towards and past
the saw in the forward motion, and a quick return.
Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Fig. 1 is a front elevation and Fig. 2 is a plan of our improved saw bench.
Fig. 3 is a front view showing the rear part of the canting table and the sliding
table and parts carried thereby in their most rearward position and the work
released.
Fig. 4 is a cross section drawn on the line 1-1 of Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is a similar view to Fig. 3 except that the sliding table has moved
somewhat forward and the work is firmly held by the grippers.
Fig. 6 is an end view of Fig. 5.
Fig. 7 is a front view, Fig. 8 is a plan, Fig. 9 is a sectional end view drawn on
the line 2-2 of Fig. 7, and Fig. 10 is a rear end view, of one of the spring pushers
for setting the work up to the fence after each cut.
Fig. 11 is a front elevation, Fig. 12 is a plan, Fig. 13 is an elevation and Fig. 14
is a cross section of parts on line 3-3 of Fig. 11, showing certain additions for
perfecting the operation of the machine which form no part of our present
invention.

page_text: a is the framing, b is the driving shaft, on which is fixed the saw B, and which,
by screw gear 'c', gives motion to the shaft c, which latter, by bevel wheel c²,
gives rotary motion to the two beve! wheels d' d' mounted loosely on the shaft d.
d is a friction clutch mounted on the shaft d and connected therewith by a key
and key way to enable it to slide end wise thereon but compel it to rotate therewith.
This clutch d³ is provided at its ends with friction cones capable of engaging in
conically recessed parts carried by the bevel wheels d' d. The clutch d³ is moved
to and fro on the shaft d so as to be in connection with one or other of the bevel
wheels d' d, or to be placed centrally between and free of the same in the following
manner.
A clutch lever e¹ taking into a groove in the clutch &³, is fixed on the upper end
of a shaft e, on whose lower end is fixed a lever e²; a connecting rod e connects
the lever e with one end of a lever et mounted on the stud or axis e, and the other
end of the lever et is connected to one end of a connecting rod e, whose other end
is connected to the starting and stopping lever e'. Thus, by moving the lever e
to the centre, or to one or other end, of the segment es, so that a spring dog on such
operating lever takes into one or other of the notches e in the segment, the shaft d
is either stopped or caused to rotate in one or the other direction.
fis the canting table, which is mounted at one end on hinges f₁ carried by the
saw bench or frame, whilst at the other end it is supported at the desired angle by
an adjusting screw f' operated preferably by a shaft f³, bevel gearing f' and a hand
wheels on the outer end of the shaft f
9 is the sliding table, which is mounted in guides * on the canting table and
is provided with guides g¹ to receive a block or bracket 92 which may be adjusted
therein and fixed in the desired position by bolts and nuts 93 or otherwise as may
be found convenient; to this block or bracket 2 is pinjointed one end of a
connecting rod g', whose other end is connected to the upper end of an operating
lever g, whose lower end is pinjointed a little below the floor to a bracket a' fixed
to the framing a. This operating lever g³, according to the arrangement shown in
the drawings, is formed with a longitudinal slot g, in which works a crank pin g'
carried by a disc g³ fixed on one end of the shaft h, which latter is driven by spur
gearing hd from the shaft d.
The sliding table g carries a pair of gripping jaws ij mounted in brackets
which are adjustable in suitable guides in said table. The forward gripping jaw i
has a strong spring between it and its carrying bracket i¹ to enable it to give
way if required, whilst the rear gripping jaw j has an extended carrying rod j
passing through its brackets j¹ and operated at its rear end by an L shaped lever j³
provided with a truck or roller which runs up and down an incline f at the rear
end of the canting table f, so that the jaw j shall grip the work as it goes forward
towards and past the saw, and also on its return motion until it has passed the saw,
and shall release the work as it arrives at it rearward position to enable the setting
up gear to set the work up to the fence, after which the work is again gripped
during its forward and rearward motion to carry it past the saw as above
explained. If desired the L shaped lever j³ may be assisted by a spring jas
shown.
The setting up gear is constructed as follows.
Two pushers k, at the outer end of arms k¹ carried by longitudinally adjustable
brackets ², press, by their free ends, on the work, so that when the work is released
by the grip or holder j, the springs will force it up to the fence l. In order that
the pushers k and spring arms k¹ may be capable of being drawn backward and
held in such position whenever it is required to introduce a fresh piece of work
between the grips or holders ij, we mount on each plate k, a slotted guide plate k³,
through which-the arm k¹ passes, and pivotted to such plate k³, is a stop catch 4,
which, when the arm k¹ is drawn forward, drops into position to hold the arm k¹ in
such forward position. If desired, instead of employing springs to act on the
arms to effect the setting up of the work, levers acted upon by weights may be
substituted therefor.

page_text: By holding the work fast in a sliding table, the friction caused by its passing
over a fixed table is obviated, whilst by holding the work secure as it passes the
saw in both directions and not releasing the same until after it has passed the saw
in its return motion, we avoid pressing the work against the saw teeth on its return
motion and thereby prevent any rough markings or scoring of the work by the saw
in such return motion.
66
The object of employing a canting table is to enable the wood or other material
to be presented to the saw in the most favorable position when a ground off" or
veneer saw is used, but it may also be used with a parallel saw, whilst the other
improvements herein referred to may be used either with or without the canting
table.
The fence is moved forward or backward by means of a hand wheel l' on the
end of a screw shaft passing through a nut formed in or fixed to the fence l.
In carrying our invention into effect we have found that when a block is com-
pletely cut up and only a thin board is left, such board has a tendency to fall down
the space between the sliding and canting tables ƒ and g and the fence !, and a
thin board, by being beyond the range of action of the grippers, requires other
means for carrying the same past the saw, and further, we have found that it is
necessary to check the backward motion of the sliding table and other parts.
We will now describe the means for remedying the above inconveniences, which
means however constitute the subject of another application for Letters Patent.
In order to prevent a thin board from falling down the space between the
tables and the fence 1, we employ a support m having guide pins m¹ fitting
in guide holes in the back edge of the canting table f, as shown, or it might be
in the fence, and capable of moving in and out with the fence by means of
springs m² placed around the guide pins m¹, by which means a support for the
work is provided close up to the face of the fence and a thin board is thereby
prevented from falling down the space between the tables fg and the fence l.
In order that a thin board, which, when pushed against the fence 1, is beyond
the action of the grippers i j, may be pushed forward, we employ a thin supple-
mental pusher n mounted in guides on the front of the fence and connected to
the rear gripper bracket j¹ by a rod n¹ provided with a ball and socket or universal
joint at n to permit of its moving to and fro with the fence and yet remaining
connected with the gripper bracket j¹ without strain thereon.
the
In order to check the backward motion of the parts we employ a spring or other
brake o in connection with a cam rise p on the periphery of the disc g³,
brake o being so adjusted by the nuts o2 screwed on the rear end of its stem o¹,
that when in its extreme forward position, it shall just clear the lower portion of
the periphery of the disc 98 but is in position to act somewhat forcibly upon the
cam rise p on said disc.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is -
In saw benches or machines in which the work is set up to the fence by self-
acting means, the combination of canting table, sliding table for carrying the work,
and grippers carried by the sliding table to grip and hold the work fast during its
forward and backward traverse past the saw but which shall release it as the
sliding table approaches its rearmost position to permit the work to be set up to
the fence, substantially as herein shown and described.
A. BRIDGMAN,
D. HOUSE,
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.