Im-. PROVEMENTS IN CUTTING METALS AND OTHER SUBSTANCES, AND IN THE APPARATUS USED THEREFOR
Year: 1870

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Emanuel Lawrence at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents,, with his Petition, on the 30th.
July 1870..
I, EMANUEL LAWRENCE, of Northfleet, in the County of Kent,
5 Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-.
PROVEMENTS IN CUTTING METALS AND OTHER SUBSTANCES, AND IN THE APPARATUS
USED THEREFOR," to be as follows :—
The object of my Invention is to greatly reduce the time occupied in
the cutting off lengths of bars of metals and other substances, and has
especial reference to the cutting off lengths of round, cast, and wrought
iron piles, shafting, and tubes. I employ for this object instead of the
usual process of clipping off by hand, or of the combined manual process
of drilling and chipping, a novel time and labour saving machine tool in
accordance with the following description:-
To illustrate my Invention I will describe it as applied to the cutting
off of a length of an iron pile of circular section, the said pile having
been driven or screwed into the ground the required depth, and a length
or piece having to be cut off the top thereof. I. employ for the said
operation a saddle piece or frame which may be compared to the

page_text: .
moveable headstock of a lathe; the saddle piece is provided with a tool
holder and cutting tool; a gauge ring or collar being first dropped
over the top of the pile it is temporarily secured thereto by set screws
or other equivalent means, the position of this gauge ring is determined
according to the length of the metal to be cut off. The saddle piece
with tool holder and cutting tool is then dropped over the top of the
pile and is carried by the gauge ring or collar, on which it is free and
caused to rotate either by working capstan bars inserted into suitable
bosses formed in the saddle piece of the machine, or the cutting machine
might be rotated by steam power.
The tool holder is attached to a screw and ratchet wheel, and the
tool holder with cutting tool secured in it, has an uniform rate of
travel imparted to it by an arrangement of self-acting "feed" in accord-
ance generally with the following description:-I clamp or otherwise
temporarily secure to the pile or other object to be cut at right angles
thereto, and at a height proportionate to the amount or rate of travel
desired to be given to the cutting tool, a bar or rod which as the saddle
piece is rotated comes in contact with a pendant lever or arm, the upper
end of which takes into the ratchet wheel on the end of the actuating
screw spindle of the cutting tool holder, and the cutting machine or
apparatus is thus caused to be thorougly self-acting as in a self-acting
lathe, the metal being cut through with great rapidity and with a
The top and
surface where divided perfectly smooth and finished.
bottom portions of the saddle piece are provided with adjustable arrange-
ments to allow of one machine being used for various diameters of piles
or bars.
Though I have described my Invention as applied to the cutting off
piles in a vertical position, it may be applied for cutting in any other
position. The interior of the saddle piece may also be so modified as
to allow of bars of metal of any other section than that described being
cut. When any other substance than metal has to be cut a cutting
tool to meet the requirements of the material to be operated upon is
inserted into and secured to the tool holder.