A METHOD OF CUTTING WOOD BY CERTAIN IMPROVED INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1835

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
STEVENSON, of Leith, Merchant, and JOHN RUTHVEN, of Edinburgh, Mecha-
nician.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth, by His
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of His United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of April, in the
fifth year
of His reign, gave and granted unto us, the said James Stevenson
and John Ruthven, our executors, administrators, and assigns, His especial
licence, full power, and sole privilege and authority, that we, the said James
Stevenson and John Ruthven, our exccutors, administrators, and assigns, and
every of us & them, by our and themselves, or by our or their deputy or
deputies, servants or agents, or such others as we or our executors, adminis-
trators, or assigns, shall at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter, during the term of years therein expressed,
shall and lawfully may make, use, exercise, and vend our Invention of "A
METHOD OF CUTTING WOOD BY CERTAIN IMPROVED INSTRUMENTS," within that part
of His United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England,
His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all
His Colonies and Plantations abroad; by which Royal Letters Patent it is pro-
vided that if we shall not properly describe and ascertain the nature of the

page_text: said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an
in-trument in writing under our hands and scals, or under the hand and seal
of one of us, and cause the same to be enrolled in His High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
His said Letters Patent, that then Ilis said Letters Patent, and all liberties
and advantages whatsoever thereby granted shall utterly cease, determine, and
become void, anything therein contained to the contrary thereof in anywise
notwithstanding, as in and by the same, relation being thereunto had, will
more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we do
hereby declare that the nature of our said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, are particularly described in and by the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and the explanations following, that is to say:
In place of cutting wood by the saw, which scrapes or tears it into small
particles, the instruments which we have invented are formed for cutting
through the wood by a sharp edge, shaped like a chisel used for paring, and
acting upon the wood in the same manner as that instrument, or as a mortico
iron acts upon wood. Figure 1, A, B, C, D, E, will be best understood by
explaining the same as applicable to saw mills, A being a side view, B a front
view, Ca back view, Da scction, and E an end view of our instrument termed a
cutter, which is made of cast steel hardened, or other suitable metal, sharpened
at both ends; and Figure 1 in the Drawing shows the full size of the instru-
ment as made by us, but different sizes and forms may be adopted, according
to the quality of the wood to be cut. Figures 2 and 3 are drawn to a scale
of six inches to the foot. Figure 1 has a mortice through it c, c, for attaching
it to the blade, Figure 2, which has a part of it cut as a tenon d to fit tho
mcrtice of the cutter. Figure 3 represents the cutter (Figure 1) attached to
the blade (Figure 2). After the cutter is fixed on the tenon and made
parallel to the blade it is applied to the wood as in saw mills. The instru-
rents are equally adapted to the circular blade and to the rectilineal blade.
In Figure 2 the edge of the blade e, e, is nearly in a line with the face of the
cutter, and makes a guard or fence where required. F is a face view of
Figure 3, and G a section. As the wood is regularly conducted forward in
saw mills, this fence is not necessary; but, as the forward motion of the wood
must be made when the cutter is free of the wood at both up and down S
motion, while with the saw it is generally conducted forward only during the
descent of the saw, the following method is adopted for our instrument, but
other arrangements which produce a similar effect may answer the purpose:-
Figure 4: A is a ratchet wheel, and B, B, are lever palls. The upright lever

page_text: moves in its fixed centre at C, an'l has inclined planes upon it at each end D, D.
On the moving frame, with the blades and cutters, is fixed a pin, so placed as
to come in contact with the inclined planes D, D, at every descent and ascent
of the frame, thereby drawing the lover palls and moving the ratchet wheel
alternately the space required. This motion will apply either to a carriage for
the wood, with rack and pinion, or where the wood is conducted forward upon
rollers. Such a motion is required for this instrument because the cutter acts
upon the wood at both up an I down motion, while the saw goes up without
acting on the wood. Of course the two advancing motions must be given to
the wool, and these when the cutter is out, above and below. The saws used
in saw mills may be adapted to the instruments invented by us by forming the
blade as in Figure 2. For cross-cutting wood the instrument (Figure 5) is
formed similar to that in Figure 1, with a mortice through it, and fixed on
the blade C, Figure 6, by a teuon at G, or any other way that may answer
the purpose. This instrument has two cutters, the edges of which are parallel
to the sides, or at right angles to the cutters at each end, Figure 5, A being
a side view, B a front view, C a back view; a, a section through the side
cutters; b, an end view; f, g, the side cutters detached. These cutters are
made in one piece with a tenon to fix into the mortice E, Figure 6, the
tenon G, Figure 6, being made to receive the tenon of the side cutters, and
in this way both are fixed to the blade. The fibres of the wood being cut
across by the side cutters the wood is taken out by the cutters at each end.
The fence e, e, Figure 6, regulates the depth or projection allowed to the
cutters. Figure 7 is the blade, with the instrument for cross-cutting placed
on it; d, a section, and e, a front view of Figure 7. The Drawing of the
instruments for cross-cutting, Figure 5, is the full size as we make them;
Figures 6 and 7 are to a scale of six inches to the foot.
The various
applications of this method of cutting wood render it impossible to describe
the adaptation of the instruments to all of these. They will be found of great
service in cutting down trees, squaring logs, and cutting these into planks and
such like. The Patent being claimed for the instruments described, and the
method of cutting wood by them, farther illustration is unnecessary.
In witness whereof, we have to these Presents, written on parchment,
duly stamped, by Anderson Kirkwood, Clerk to Messieurs Gibson and
Hector, of Edinburgh, Writers, and also to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, severally set our hand and seal, at Edinburgh, the First day
of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
thirty-five, before and in presence of these witnesses, viz, Alexander

page_text: Hector, of North Saint David Street, Edinburgh, Gentleman, and
Anderson Kirkwood, of North Saint David Street, Edinburgh, Gen-
tleman.
ourgo,
ANDERSON KIRKWOOD, of North Saint David Street,
Edinburgh, Gentleman, Witness.
Anderson Kirkwood, of North Saint David Street, Edinburgh, Gentleman,
maketh oathand saith, that he was present and did see James Stevenson, of
Leith, Merchant, and John Ruthven, of Edinburgh, Mechanician, severally
sign, seal, and as their and each of their act and deed acknowledgo and
deliver a certain deed poll or instrument in writing hereunto annexed, bearing
date the First day of July, in the year One thousand eight hundred and thirty-
five, purporting to be a Specification, describing and ascertaining the nature
of the said James Stevenson & John Ruthven's Invention of "A Method
of Cutting Wood by certain Improved Instruments." And this Deponent
further maketh oath and saith, that the names "Ja. Stevenson" and "John.
Ruthven set at the foot and back of the said deed poll as the parties
executing the same, are of the proper handswriting of the said James
Stevenson and John Ruthven respectively, and that the names or characters
"Alex. Hector, of North Saint David Street, Edinburgh, Gentleman, witness,"
and "Anderson Kirkwood, of North Saint David Street, Edinburgh, Gentle-
man, witness," indorsed on the said deed poll as witnesses to the signing &
sealing thereof, aro of the respectivo handswriting of the said Alexander
Hector and Anderson Kirkwood.
Sworn this Tenth day of July, in the year
One thousand eight hundred and thirty-
five, before me, one of His Majesty's
Justices of the Peace for the County of

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Affidavit of the said Anderson
Kirkwood the. Invention aforesaid wás inrolled word for word as above
written. And also the instrument aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made in the fifty-fifth year of the reign of His late
Majesty King George the Third.
Inrolled the Twenty-fourth day of July, One thousand cight hundred
and thirty-five.