IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND CARVING WOOD, STONE, AND OTHER MATERIALS
Year: 1854

page_text: Chenies Street, in the County of Middlesex, Wood Carvers, for the Inven-
tion of "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND CARVING WOOD, STONE, AND
OTHER MATERIALS."
Sealed the 31st October 1854, and dated the 1st June 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles King and Edward
Sutton Benfield at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their
Petition, on the 1st June 1854.
We, CHARLES KING and EDWARD SUTTON BENFIELD, both of Chenies Street,
in the County of Middlesex, Wood Carvers, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND CARVING WOOD,
STONE, AND OTHER MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the operation of cutting or
carving wood, stone, and other materials; for this purpose we mount a
number of revolving cutters in a frame in such a manner that they may
be guided over the work in any direction necessary. The frame is
moved by the inclination of the attendant's body, and guided by the tracer,
which he holds in his hands. The cutter frames are so constructed that
the cutters can be thrown out of an upright in any direction by means of
an adjusting screw, and held firmly while in an oblique position, whereby
the attendant will be enabled to undercut the work at any angle and in

page_text: any direction required. Our improved machine may be thus generally de-
scribed A rectangular frame carries the working parts of the machine. At
cach corner of the frame an iron rail is fixed, forming a tramway, on which
the shifting parts are made to travel; and on each end tramway is an upright
iron plate, running on wheels, connected by iron bars passing across from one
plate to the other, forming a tramway on which the cutter frames are sup-
ported, in such a manner that they can be moved a certain distance along the
bars towards the iron end plates backwards and forwards; and by the iron
plates being made to run on the outside tramway in a transverse direction, the
power of moving the cutters in any direction requisite for passing the tracer
over the model or pattern to be copied is obtained. A vertical movement is
also imparted to the frames which support the cutters, for the purpose
of pro-
ducing any required depth of cut; or, in lieu of the frame rising and falling,
the cutters may be made to slide vertically, while their driving pulleys are
held at a fixed height.
Rotary motion is given to the cutters in the following manner :-Across the
top of the outside frame a shaft is fixed working in bearings, and on one end
of this shaft a wheel is fixed, over which the band from the main driving wheel
is passed, causing the shaft to revolve; on the centre of the shaft is a double
wheel, carried by bearings fixed to the iron plates, which support the rails on
which the cutter frames travel, the double wheel being above the cutters, but
exactly over them. Bands are passed over the double wheel to guide wheels
fixed on the end iron plates, and from the guide wheels round the reels in
which the cutters are fixed.
The double wheel is so constructed that it is carried along the shaft while
it revolves, always keeping in a line with the cutter frames; and by the guide
wheels (which are fixed to the parts that slide up and down with the cutter
frames) rolling up and down wedge-shaped brackets fixed to the end plates,
the guide wheels are allowed to come closer together as the cutters are brought
down, by which means the required quantity of band necessary to permit of
the descent of the cutters is given out, and the band always kept at the same
tension. The double wheel we propose to throw out of gear by withdrawing
the bearings which carry it round with the shaft. We likewise propose to
employ bevil wheels for giving motion to the cutters when working upon hard
materials.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles King and Edward Sutton Benfield in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 1st December 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CHARLES
KING and EDWARD SUTTON BENFIELD, both of Chenies Street, in the County of
Middlesex, Wood Carvers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the
said Charles King and Edward Sutton Benfield, Her special licence that we,
the said Charles King and Edward Sutton Benfield, our executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Charles King and
Edward Sutton Benfield, 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 "Im-
PROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND CARVING WOOD, STONE, AND OTHER
MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Charles
King and Edward Sutton Benfield, by an instrument in writing under our
hands and seals, or under the hand and seal of one of us, 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 Charles King (on behalf of myself and
of the said Edward Sutton Benfield) 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, reference being
had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say) :-
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the operation of cutting or carving
wood, stone, and other materials; for this purpose we mount a number of
revolving cutters in a frame, in such a manner that they may be guided over
the work in any direction necessary. This cutter frame is so constructed and
mounted as not merely to impart the ordinary traverse motions to the cutters
and the tracer, but also to admit of the cutters being thrown out of the upright

page_text: in any direction, and held firmly while in an oblique position, in order to
produce an undercut.
In the accompanying Drawing our improved cutting and carving machine
is shewn in several views; Fig. 1 being a front elevation with the side frame
removed; Fig. 2, a partial plan view; Fig. 3, a cross section taken in the
line 1, 2, of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4, an end elevation of the same.
a, a, is the
main framing of the machine, at the top of which and at opposite sides two
pairs of pulleys b, b, are mounted in suitable bracket bearings, for the purpose
of sustaining the weight of the sliding cutter frames, by the compound
movements of which the cutters are brought into and thrown out of action as
required. Over these pullies are laid suspension chains or cords c, c, which
are connected at one extremity to the top corners of a rectangular frame d,
This balance
and at their other extremity to a weighted balance frame e, e.
frame e slides over the main framing, the standards of which form guides over
which it traverses, it being provided with angular corner plates, which carry
antifriction rollers to facilitate the vertical traverse movements of the frame.
The frame d is also similarly provided at its corners, and its antifriction rollers
run up and down the inner angle of the same standards. f. f, are rails fixed
to the main framing, and forming a railway, over which runs a carriage g, g, it
being provided with wheels g¹ for that purpose. This carriage g carries the
driving pulley g, (which slides on a feathered shaft g³, mounted in bearings
on the main framing,) and also the cutter frame and the guide pullies, which
lead the driving band to the warves of the cutters.
project, for the purpose of
In order to steady the movements of this carriage g, it is provided at its
upper end with antifriction pulleys g', which bear against the under side of
the cross bars of the main framing that carry the bracket bearings of the
pulleys b. This carriage is also provided with antifriction pulleys, which run
upon the inner face of bars g³, bolted to the main framing, for the purpose of
taking off any lateral strain that may arise. From the under side of the
carriage at either end thereof forked pieces
taking on to a horizontal bar g', which is T shaped at its ends, and is provided
with running wheels, that bear upon the suspended frame e, and traverse along
it simultaneously with the movement of the carriage g on its railway. This
bar with its wheels is made equal in weight to the end plates h, and the
guide bars h', on which the cutter frame i slides. These end plates h run on
rails on the suspended frame d, and in order to equalize the gravitating
pressure upon the frames d and e, when the end plates and their bars are
traversed, this counterbalance is provided. The carriage g, with which both
the end plates and the counterbalance are connected, will therefore whenever

page_text: it moves impart a simultaneous movement to the superincumbent weight of
the two frames, and thus equalize the pressure upon them. The end plates h
are caused to embrace the side of the carriage and slide up and down thereon.
The cutter frame i is supported by the guide bars h', and has an endway
motion thereon, it being provided with antifriction pulleys, as shewn in the
Drawing, for the purpose of easing the motion. In order to enable the cutter
frame to move forward and backward the following contrivance is adopted :-
The main framing a carries at its sides rails k, k, which form a railway for
the wheels of mounted side plates 1, 1, against which the antifriction rollers of
a rectangular sliding frame m bear. This frame m is supported by the
rectangular frame d, before mentioned, and is capable of sliding thereon, as
well as of moving up and down with it. The end bars of this frame m form
guides for the end plates n of the cutter frame i, upon which plates the frame i
is enabled to pivot, to change the angle of position of the cutters. It will now
be understood, that when the cutters are required to be moved forward or
back ward, their frame will slide over the frame m, its connection with the
carriage 9 through the bars h' and end plates h permitting of that movement;
but when they are intended to receive a lateral movement, the cutter frame
will slide over the bars h¹, the end plates 7, which are free to move and carry
the frame m in that direction, permitting of that movement. The up and
down motion of the frame d, (which movement is also imparted to the cutters
by the connection of the cutter frame therewith, as above explained,) is effected
by means of a treadle o, which when depressed presses upon a frame o¹,
connected by links o, to the lower extremities of the frame d, as shewn best
at Fig. 3. To equalize the gravitating pressure upon the suspended frames
d and e, which must necessarily be disturbed by the lateral traverse of the
cutter frame, and the rectangular frame m, which carries it, a rectangular
balance frame p, provided with friction wheels, is applied to the frame e, and,
by means of forks projecting from beneath the end plates l, this frame is
traversed over the frame e, so as always to be immediately under the frame m.
To the bar g, before mentioned, a traverse weight q, corresponding to the
weight of the cutter frame i, is attached, and it is caused to slide thereon by
being embraced by the counterbalance frame p.
It now remains to explain the manner of mounting the cutters in their
frame, and of imparting to them a rapid rotary motion. The frame i, (see
Figures 5 and 6,) is affixed at its opposite ends by pivot pins to the end
plates n, for the purpose of enabling the frame to be set at any required
angle. In order to retain the frame in any required position, clamping pieces
jointed to the ends of the frame are employed, to take into the teeth of a

page_text: segment rack formed on the back of each plate n, and they are held in contact
therewith by means of binding screws. This arrangement is shewn best in
the detached views, Figures 5 and 6, the former of which shews the frame i
in end view, as attached to the end plate, and carried by the guide frame m,
and the latter shews it in cross section. The cutters are affixed to stems 2",
set side by side, and they and the tracer are mounted each in separate frames
, (see the enlarged view Fig. 7,) which are attached at their lower ends to
the frame i by a pivot pin, and at their upper ends to a bar ", which is con-
nected at its ends to the frame i by parallel bars 2. When, therefore, one of
these frames it is rocked, they will all take the same movement simultaneously.
i is a segment rack, having its fulcrum on the frame i, in a line with the pivot
pins of the frames it, and it is slotted to receive a pin 2, which projects from
the sliding bar ", through the arm of the segment rack, and through a
segment slot formed in the side of the frame i, (see Fig. 1.) In gear with
the teeth of this segment rack is a worm mounted on a shaft ", which has its
bearings in the frame i. By turning this shaft either to the right or left, by
means of the hand wheel 20, (see Fig. 1,) the cutters can be moved laterally
to any required angle, and they are retained in that position as long as
required by means of a binding nut on the pin . A similar provision is made
for rocking the cutters together with the frame i. For this purpose, the guide
bars h', instead of being fixed directly to the end plates h, are secured to
segment plates 2, which are capable of being rocked on the plates h. Segment
slots are made in each end plate, and binding screws h' pass through these
slots and through the end plates h³, as shewn best at Fig. 3. The plates h²
carry each a segment rack, into which a worm h³ works, and by the rotation
of these worms either to the right or left (which movement is communicated
thereto by bevil gearing, as shewn at Fig. 3), the cutter frame with its cutters
can be rocked to any required angle, and their position may be maintained as
long as desired without the risk of the cutters getting shifted by means of the
binding screws h².
An endless band for driving the cutters passes from the pulley g³, through
slots made in the plates h, over guide pulleys gs, which are carried by slotted
bearings projecting from the outer face of the end plates h. The band thence
passes to the warves 1, 1, on the cutter stems, it being guided thereto by pairs
of guide rollers 2, 2, which are mounted on the rocking frames i, as shewn at
Fig. 7. Rotary motion being communicated to the shaft g³ by a strap from
any first mover applied to the driving pulley of that shaft, the cutters are set
in rapid rotary motion, and when brought into contact with their work, and
guided by means of a tracer, they will quickly reduce the work to the figure

page_text: of the pattern. In order to take up the slack of the driving band, or rather
to keep the band always to the proper tension, the guide pullies g are caused
to recede gradually from each other as the cutter frame is raised. This is
effected by employing sliding wedges g at the opposite ends of the machine,
against which the axles of the pulleys bear, and it is for this purpose that
slotted bearings are used to carry these guide pulleys. The wedges 9" work
in guides on the carriage g, and they are connected together by a cross bar, as
shewn in Fig. 4, and raised or lowered as required by means of a screw shaft
go, which works in the cross bar and is driven by bevil gearing.
It will now
be understood, that when the wedges are properly set, the rise and fall of the
cutters will not affect the tension of the band; and that when the driving band
is required to be slackened, which will be necessary when the cutters are
shifted to the position of Fig. 5 or Fig. 7, the wedges may be raised by
turning the screw shaft, and the guide pulleys will then approach nearer to
each other.
The pattern which is designed to be copied, and the blocks of wood or other
material to be operated upon, are affixed to a stationary table r, by clamps or
otherwise, and this table is carried by cross bars s, s, which have their bearings
on the main framing.
The pattern is set under the tracer point of the cutter frame, as shewn at
Fig. 1, and the tracer, when the cutter frame is brought down (by the depres-
sion of the treadle by the foot of the workman), is traversed over the pattern,
after the manner usually adopted by mechanical wood carvers. The workman
is, however, by the means now to be described, greatly facilitated in effecting
this guiding movement.
The space marked, in the plan view, Fig. 2, is the place in which the
attendant stands to work the machine. It will be seen that four bars here
cross each other at right angles. The two bars marked t, t, drop into the
notched bars t², t², fixed on the ends of the carriage g, and the two bars marked
t, t, drop into notched bars fixed on the outside plates 1. As the workman
stands between these bars (which are intended for guiding bars), with one foot
on the treadle, and the tracing point firmly grasped in his hands, he can, by
inclining his body against the bar t', move the cutters forward, and by bearing
against the bar t draw them back again, or by pressing against either of the
side bars t or the can move the cutters to the right or left. By these com-
bined movements any motion from a straight line to a circle can be obtained,
and by keeping the tracer and the cutters in contact respectively with the
pattern, and the work by means of the treadle, the operation of carving will be
efficiently and expeditiously performed. When under-cutting is required to

page_text: be performed, the machine must be stopped and the cutters set to the required
angle, either by means of the contrivance explained, with reference to Figures
5 and 6, or that explained with reference to Fig. 7. The driving band will
then have to be slackened by raising the wedges g', as above mentioned.
Figures 8 and 9 shew in cross section and front view a more simple mode
of mounting the cutters and tracer. Instead of their being mounted in sepa-
rate rocking frames jointed to the sliding bar ³, (Fig. 7,) they are mounted in
bearings carried by a plate u, which is itself supported by the angle iron plate v,
that forms a substitute for the guide bars h'. Bracket bearings for anti-
friction wheels (which bear against the back of the plate v) project from the
plate u through slots made in the plate v, and thus an easy traverse motion is
permitted for the cutters over the face of the plate v. This arrangement, it
will be understood, admits of the cutters rocking in one direction only.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improved Machinery
for Cutting and Carving Wood, Stone, and other Materials," and explained the
manner of carrying the same into effect, we wish it to be understood that under
the above in part recited Letters Patent we claim,-
First, the general arrangement of the parts, as herein described, whereby
the traverse of the cutter frame in a horizontal and vertical plane is effected.
Secondly, we claim the means above described, whereby the workman is
enabled to move the sliding frames horizontally by the backward, forward, and
lateral pressure of his body.
Thirdly, we claim mounting the cutters and tracer in one and the same
rocking frame, as herein described.
And, lastly, we claim providing the cutters and tracer with separate rocking
frames, which are connected together and caused to move simultaneously, in
the manner and for the purpose above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles King, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the First day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
CHARLES KING. (L.S.)