CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN. MACHINERY OR TOOLS AND APPARATUS FOR CHIPPING, LEVELING, SMOOTHING AND POLISHING THE SURFACE OF STONE, SLATE, OR SUCH OTHER MATERIALS
Year: 1838

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
March Hoe, late of New York, in the United States of America, but now
residing at the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster the Twelfth day of June, in the first year of Her reign, and in
the year of our Lord, One thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Richard
March Hoe, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said Richard March Hoe, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
and such others as I; the said Richard March Hoe, my executors, adminis-
trators, or assigns should at any time agree with and no others, from time to
time and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned, should and
lawfully might makė, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all Her Majesty's Colonies and
Plantations abroad, an Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN. MACHINERY OR
TOOLS AND APPARATUS FOR CHIPPING, LEVELING, SMOOTHING AND POLISHING THE
SURFACE OF STONE, SLATE, OR SUCH OTHER MATERIALS;" being a communication
from a foreigner residing abroad; in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso, obliging me, the said Richard March Hoe, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature

page_text: of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to
cause the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being there-
unto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso contained in
the said recited Letters, I, the said Richard March Hoe, do hereby declare
that the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to
be performed, are particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
description thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention of certain improvements in machinery or tools and apparatus
for chipping, levelling, smoothing, and polishing the surface of stone, slate, or
such other materials, consists of improved arrangements and constructions of
machinery or tools and apparatus for chipping or levelling, smoothing and
polishing, the surface of blocks or slabs of stone, slate, or marble, or forming
grooves or beads or mouldings thereon, and is constructed of a strong frame-
work of wood or iron, with an adjustable table or platform to receive the slabs
or blocks of stone, slate, or marble to be operated upon, which table is capable
of being raised or lowered at pleasure to suit slabs or pieces of stone of different
thicknesses, and also in order that their surfaces may be placed at an angle to
the plane or axis of the rotatory operating tools. Upon the top part of the
framework is placed a strong travelling carriage, in which the rotatory cylin-
ders or drums carrying the chipping tools or cutters are mounted, and also the
grinding or polishing and sharpening cylinders. The axles of all these cylin
ders or drums have adjustable bearings in the carriage, and are actuated by
suitable toothed wheels and pinions, and riggers or pulleys, with chains or
bands leading from the first mover. The cutting, or chipping, or polishing
cylinders, when operating upon a plain surface, have a gradual alternate
traversing motion given to thein, in order to vary the surface thereof in con-
tact with the stone or marble, and thus prevent the constant wear of the tools
or cylinders in any one particular part; also in the carriage is mounted one or
more grinding or sharpening cylinders, placed near to the cutting or chipping
cylinder, which are capable of being brought into contact with the ends of the
tools or cutters, or removed therefrom at pleasure, for the purpose of grinding
or sharpening the same when they become dull by wear, and to bring their
edges all in one line when a flat surface is to be formed on the stone or
marble. The travelling carriage is made to move along the top of the frame
of the machine by means of racks and pinions or a leading screw, after the

page_text: manner of the slide rest of a lathe, which screw is thrown into or out of gear
or connection with the carriage as it is going into or out of action.
The car-
riage is kept down upon the top of the framework by means of rollers pro-
jecting under and running against ledges on the sides of the frame, and as the
carriage travels along the frame it is carried over the surface of the stone,
whereby the rotatory chipping or cutting tools, as well as the grinding or
polishing cylinders are brought into action upon the surface thereof as they
pass over it, and remove the irregularities or thickness required; and as the
carriage would have to pass and repass the surface of the stone several times,
it should be brought into action by the leading screw, and carried back when
out of action by racks and pinions or other means, in order to save time; or the
carriage may be moved both into and out of action by racks and pinions or
screws alone; and when the tools or cutters are intended to form grooves,
beads, or mouldings on the stone or marble, then the traversing motions of the
cylinders is to be dispensed with, and the tools made to travel in straight lines;
all of which will be better understood by reference to the accompanying
Drawings, of which Fig. 1 is a representation of the machine complete, the
other Figures being detached sections of various parts, which will be better
referred to in the following detail:-A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, are the various
parts of the standards and framework of the machine, which may be made of
wood or iron; the upper longitudinal beams B, B, form the bed upon which
the carriage containing the various operating tools travels; K, L, is the table
or platform, upon which is placed the stone or material to be operated upon.
It is shewn lowered in the Drawing ready to receive a thick block. This table
is supported by the legs L* upon two strong adjustable cross pieces I, I,
which are supported upon the four upright screws Z by means of female
screws fixed in their ends. The screws Z bear in metal cups fixed in the
pieces F and J of the framework, and are to be turned round by any
convenient means, whereby the frame K, L, may be raised or lowered at
pleasure. Section 5 is a detached view of one of the screws Z, with its nut H.
The platform should be covered with iron to protect it from injury by the
stone, and furnished with suitable clamps or means of securely holding the
stone thereon, which is also further secured by iren bars placed inside of the
framework next the top beams when the material is situated upon the table.
These bars are pressed upon its sides by the screws W, W, passed through the
beams B; one of these bars with its screws is shewn detached in section 8.
Upon the inner sides of the rails B are strong iron ledges or ribs, against
which antifriction rollers attached to the lower. rail of the travelling car-
riage work, and prevent it, and consequently the cutters, from rising when

page_text: in operation upon the stone. The framework of the travelling carriage may
be made of wood or iron, and is composed of the several parts marked
M, N, O, P, Q, R, and S, and the bearings of the various shafts or axles
mounted in this frame should be capable of adjustment. There is but one
revolving drum or cylinder, marked X, with its cutting or chipping tools shewn
in the Drawing, but the carriage may be made capable of carrying two or
more such cylinders, with teeth to cut with different degrees of fineness; such
cylinders following each other, the coarsest first, the finer tools next, and
The cylinders for
completing with the grinding and polishing cylinders.
resetting the cutting or chipping tools, are to be situated next their cylinders,
and capable of being brought into action at pleasure; or only one resetting
cylinder may be used, and capable of being made to act upon the tools of one
or other of the chipping cylinders as required. The travelling motion of the
carriage is obtained by the following means:-T, U, are carrier pulleys placed
upon axles, turning in bearings at each end of the machine; a detached view
of the method of mounting the axle t of the pulley U, is shewn in Section 4,
with the means of shifting its bearings by the block u, s, and screw r, and
thereby tightening the endless chain or band V, V, which is passed over these
pulleys, and over or in gear with another pulley Y, on the axis of the cutting
or chipping cylinder. The shaft of the pulley U being put in rotatory motion
from the first mover, there will be a corresponding motion given to the
cylinder X, through the pulley or wheel Y, and at the same time the pulley T
will revolve; and as its shaft is furnished with gear in connection with the
leading screw a, (as shewn in Section 6,) the screw will be made to revolve,
and consequently cause the carriage, by means of the female screw nut b
attached thereto, to travel backwards or forwards, according to whichever way
the screw is turned; its revolutions being determined by the wheel d being in
gear with either of the wheels 6 or c upon the shaft g, (see Sec. 6,) the
pinion e being at all times in gear. with the pinion f, on the end of the leading
But in order that time may be saved in returning the carriage after
the cutters or tools have operated upon the surface of the stone, a contrivance
is provided by which the carriage on its arriving at the end of its motion may
be thrown out of gear from the leading screw, and allowed to be run back by
a rack and pinion movement, as at d, Fig. 1. .One contrivance, by which the
travelling carriage may be connected or disconnected with the leading screw a,
is shewn detached from the travelling carriage at Section 7. It consists of
a pair of chaps a, b, formed on the ends of. levers f, with female screws
within them, which are made to close upon the screw by means of the loop of
the pendulum lever g, which acts upon the curved wedges c, d. The fulcrum
screw.

page_text: of the lever being attached to the frame of the carriage and the chaps, are
opened and thrown out of gear by a tappet acting on the lever, and bringing
it into the position shown by dots in Section 7. The axles of the several
cutting, chipping, or grinding, or polishing cylinders are to be furnished with
means, whereby they can severally be thrown into and out of operation as
required, which may be effected in many different ways, and is not necessary.
for me to particularly describe any one. The lateral or transverse motion of
the cylinders across the block of material may be to any extent desired, and
effected by any convenient mechanical means, (viz.), by cranks or excentrics,
or cams acting upon the ends of the shafts of the various cylinders or drums,
which cams or cranks are to be made to revolve slowly by means of wheels or.
bands in connection with the wheelwork in the travelling carriage. The
operating cylinders may be made of iron, stone, or wood, and the cutting or
chipping tools should be placed around the cylinder X, in helical coils, and
the grinding and polishing cylinders are to be supplied with oil, water, emery,
or other material as required. The grinding cylinders, when in action for
sharpening the tools, should be placed perfectly parallel with their cylinder,
and therefore its bearings should be adjustable, and its axis moved in a
parallel direction. To effect this object the bearings should be moved by
means of screws with pinions on their ends, taking into endless screws or
pinions on a shaft placed across the machine, so that by turning this shaft
both bearings of the sharpening cylinder may be moved forwards or backwards,
simultaneously. The sharpening cylinder should revolve with a quick motion,"
and it should also have the traversing movement before named. The operating
tools to be placed in the cylinder X for chipping or levelling the surface of the
stone, may be of steel, or steel and iron, and fastened into holes formed in the
periphery of the cylinder by screws in any convenient manner; I make them in
two parts, as shewn in Sections 1, 2, and 3; the socket pieces a being secured
into the cylinder by a screw or screw and nut at q; the point or end part b,
being made of steel, and fastened into its socket by a screw pin p, which takes
into a notch in the tail piece. This point or cutter may be reversed or turned
side for side as it becomes worn, the wearing away on one side forming a
cutting edge on the other. When it is intended that the operating tools should
form straight grooves, beads, or mouldings on the surface of the stone or
other material, the cutting edges of the tools must be shaped accordingly.
Sections 9 and 10 are examples of these kinds of tools.
Having now described this Invention, and the manner of carrying the same
into effect, so that any competent mechanic will be enabled to make a machine
and put it into operation, I would, in conclusion, remark that there are

page_text: several motions and minor parts of the machine which are susceptible of
variation without departing from the principal features of this Invention; I
therefore do not confine myself to any particular arrangement or construction,
or detail of such minor parts; and what I claim as this Invention, secured to
me by the above in part recited Letters Patent, is the new or improved
arrangement and construction of machine or apparatus above described as a
whole for the purpose of chipping, levelling, polishing, or otherwise operating
upon the surface of stone, slate, or other such material, together with the
various operating tools to be used therein, such machine consisting of the
framework with its adjustable platform or table for receiving the stone or other
material; and the travelling carriage, carrying the rotatory drums or cylinders
and the operating tools over the surface of the stone, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard March Hoe, have hereunto set
my hand and seal this Twelfth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight