CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINES OR MACHINERY FOR CUTTING OR PREPARING SLATES OR OTHER SIMILAR SUBSTANCES OR MATERIALS FOR VARIOUS USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1834

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, TшомAS
MARTIN, of Withybush House, in the Parish of Rudbaxton, in the County of
Pembroke, Clerk, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the Third day of July, in the fifth year of His reign,
and in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-four,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, givo and grant unto me, the said
Thomas Martin, my executors, administrators, and assigns, His especial
license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Thomas
Martin, my execuors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Thomas Martin, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times here-
after during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN ENGINES
OR MACHINERY FOR CUTTING OR PREPARING SLATES OR OTHER SIMILAR SUBSTANCES OR
MATERIALS FOR VARIOUS USEFUL PURPOSES;" in which said Letters Patent is con-
tained a proviso, obliging me, the said Thomas Martin, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the

page_text: nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
and to cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within two calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Martin, do hereby declare that the nature of my 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):-
:-
My Invention of certain improvements in engines or machines for cutting
or preparing slates or other similar substances or materials consists in an
improved construction of engines, machines, or apparatus for cutting, shaping,
squaring, or forming pieces or slabs of slate or other materials into the required
size and form for various useful purposes, and which improved engine, machine,
or apparatus consists of moveable blades or cutters acting against fixed counter
.beds or blades mounted on the edges of tables upon which the pieces or slabs
. of slate or other materials to be operated upon are placed, each of which
tables has adjustable rests or stops for determining the width or length of the
slate or other material. The moveable cutters are placed in frames moving
vertically up and down on parallel guides, and are actuated by cranks and
connecting rods, chains or ropes, and pullies, in the manner herein-after
described.
The several Figures of the annexed Drawings are representations of one
of my improved engines, machines, or apparatus for cutting slates, which
is constructed as a double machine, that is, with four pairs of cutters, two
on each side, and is intended. to be actuated by manual labour, steam power,
or any other first mover communicating motion to the main shaft or axis by
winch handles, toothed wheels, bands and riggers, or in any other convenient
manner.
Figure 1 is an elevation of one side of the machine, shewing the move-
able cutters in the act of descending to cut off the required portion from
the piece or slab of slate or other material; Figure 2 is an end view; and
Figure 3 is a plan view of the same. The same letters of reference are used
to denote similar parts in all the Figures. a, a, is the framework of the
machine and platforms upon which the persons attending it stand; b, b, b, are
the tables upon which the pieces or slabs of slate or other material intended

page_text: other
to be operated upon are placed, and having the counter or fixed blades c, c,
on their inner edges; d, d, are the moving cutters or blades, which are
mounted at proper angles in frames, and receive their motion in the following
manner-e is the main shaft or axle turning in plummer boxes or bearings on
the cross bars on the framework; fis a toothed wheel mounted on its end, which
receives rotatory motion by the winch handles and pinions g, g, or in any
convenient manner. On the shaft e are the cranks h, h, which communicate
a reciprocating rotatory motion by the connecting rods i, i, to the cross heads
or beams k, k, upon the shaft or axle 1, which shaft is also mounted in
bearings upon cross bars at the upper part of the framework. Upon this
shaft or axle are mounted the large wheels or pullies m, m, with the chains or
ropes n, n, passed over and connected to them. The ends of these chains or
ropes are attached to the bars.o, o, which carry the frames p, p, of the several
moveable blades or cutters d, d, d. These frames are kept in their proper
position by the bearings q, q, on their sides, which slide up and down the guide
rods r, r, as they are moved by the chains. These cutter frames are each
again connected to the one placed on the opposite side of the machine by the
chains or ropes 8, 8, which are attached at their ends to the lower rails of the
frames p, p, and are passed under pullies t, t, turning in bearings at the bottom
part of the framework, thereby forming with the cutter frames an endless
connection round the wheels m, m, and several pullies t, t. u, u, are the guides
or stops against which the edge of the pieces or slabs of slate or other
material rests while under operation, the surplus part or that to be separated
from the slate projecting over the edges of the table and counter blades c, c,
and under the moving cutters d, d. The ends of the guides or rests are
formed into dove-tailed pieces v, v, which slide in corresponding groves
between the pieces w, w, fixed on to the sides of the tables. These guides or
rests are adjustable by the screws x, connected to them at one end, and passing
through a corresponding female screw y fixed on the table. These screws are
turned by small winch handles on their ends.,, are guide rods for the screws
moving in staples on the under side of the tables. By these means the guides
or rests t, u, can be moved further from or nearer to the edges of the counter
blades, to suit the width or length of different sized slates. Upon the other
end of the main shaft or axle is mounted a toothed wheel 1, which takes
into gear with a toothed pinion 2 on the inner end of the axle 3; on the
reverse end of this axle there is placed a fly wheel 4 to overcome the dead
points in the revolutions of the cranks, and render the motion of the machine
more uniform.

page_text: Having now described the particular construction and arrangement of
the parts of one of my improved machines or engines, I will proceed to
describe its operation. The person attending the machine places the pieces or
slabs of slate or other material upon the tables, holding them thereon, when
the moveable cutters descending will cut off the superfluous part on one side of
the piece of slate or other material and form a straight edge. On the cutters
again rising the attendant reverses the position of the piece of slate, placing
the straight edge against the guide rest u, which has been previously adjusted
to the proper width the slate is intended to be made; the cutter again
descending will cut off the opposite portion, and form the two sides of the slate
parallel to each other. In this state the slates may be passed to the person
stationed at the next pair of cutters, when the same operation may be
performed to cut the two ends of the slates at right angles with the sides, and
also of a proper length; the guide u of the second pair of cutters being
previously adjusted for the length of the slates, or the pieces of slate may be
first cut on one edge and then that edge placed against the pieces w, w. The
blades will then cut them at right angles, when they may be sorted for different
sizes. The guides of one pair of cutters being adjusted to the required length
and breadth, the right angles of the slate are to be placed in contact with
them, when the other edges will be operated upon. It will be seen that as the
cutters on one side of the machine are in the act of cutting, those on the
reverse side are in the act of rising ready for the next operation.
Having described the construction and operation of my improved machine, I
would remark that only one crank and connecting rod and beam would give
the same motion to the chain pullies m, as above described; but I prefer
having two in a double machine; in this case it is necessary that one of the
rods should be connected to the beam k by a link and hinge joint, which
is shewn at 5 in the Figures. And I would further remark that the
up-and-down motion given to the cutter frames might be communicated to
them by cranks and connecting rods placed immediately above or below them,
without the intervention of the beam, chain pullies, and shaft, as shewn in
this double machine.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Martin, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-soventh day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-four.
THOMAS (L.S.) MARTIN.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-seventh day of August,
in the fifth year of the reign of His Majesty King William the Fourth, the
said Thomas Martin came before our said Lord the King in His Chancery,
and acknowledged the instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing therein
contained and specified, in form 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.
Enrolled the Third day of September, One thousand eight hundred and
thirty-four.