IMPROVEMENTS IN SAWING AND SAWING MACHINERY
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SAUNDERS, of the Firm of Randall and Saunders, of Bath, in the County of
Somerset, Stone Merchants, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twentieth day of June,
One thousand cight hundred and fifty, in the fourteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Saunders, my exors, adñors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said William Saunders, my
exors, adiñors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Saunders,
my exors, admors, 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
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SAWING AND SAWING MACHINERY;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said William Saunders, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the date in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: William Saunders, hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascertained
in and by the present Specification thereof, reference being had to the Drawings
hereunto annexed, (that is to say):-
My Invention consists,―
Firstly, of a stone sawing machine adapted to the cutting of blocks or slabs
of stone out of beds of solid rock, such as are met with in quarries and other
natural sites. A plan shewing the general construction of this machine is
In the machine as
given in Figure 1, and a side elevation of it in Figure 2.
represented in these Figures, it is arranged for working eight saws simultaneously.
A front elevation of so much of the machine as includes a part of these saws, and
the parts in immediate connection with them, is given separately on an enlarged
scale in Figure 3, and an end elevation of the same on the same scale in Figure.
4. A, A, is a frame of wood or of metal, which is mounted on flanged wheels
B, B, and is moveable to and fro on the rails R, R. C is a cranked shaft
which extends from end to end of the frame A, A, and has its bearings in the
bosses a, a. L, L, are saw frames, one to each pair of saws, which are centred
upon or swing from the same axis as the crank shaft, and turn in their
bearings to any angle required, each independent of the others. I, I, are
rods by which the cranked shaft is connected to the saw frames L, L, and
communicate a reciprocating motion to them. O, O, are the saws. D, D,
are pullies, which, being caused to revolve by the ropes or chains H, H, in the
manner to be presently explained, give motion (through an intermediate wheel
on the shaft C) to pinions b, b, mounted on the same axis as the crank shaft,
which again turn the driving wheels E, E, attached to the crank shaft C.
The ropes or chains H, H, are worked by means of a driving wheel and slack
pulley (both left for the sake of convenience out of the Drawings), the former
of which is placed at a little distance to the rear of the machine, say twenty
to thirty yards, and the latter at a like distance on the opposite side, or in
advance of the machine. Motion may be given to the driving wheel either
by hand, horse, or steam power. F is a double barrel winding apparatus, by
which the frame A, A, is moved forwards or backwards, as required. It is
worked from the crank shaft by means of the eccentric G and connecting rod
G', but as I lay no claim to the construction of this apparatus, and the same
effect may be produced by other means, as for example by weights and pulleys,
and even by manual labour, I need not enter into any detailed description
thereof. To enable the whole of the saws to act independently of one another,
and each to yield to any extent required by circumstances, without interfering

page_text: with the action of the others, they are fixed on the frames in the manner
particularly represented in Figures 3 and 4, and farther illustrated by Figures
5 and 6. K is a slide which extends across each saw frame, and is of the
form shewn in the sectional plan, Figure 5. The rods I, I, which connect
the crank shaft and saw frames together, are attached to the back of the
middle cross piece of this plate, as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 3.
M is an inner side plate, to which the saws are more immediately attached.
This is fixed at right angles to the other plate (K), and inserted in a recess
made for it in the latter. A sectional elevation of this inner plate (M) is
given separately in Figure 6 on the line x, y, of Figure 5, and by comparing
this sectional view with the form of the recess in K, in which it is inserted,
its construction will be readily understood. N is a small cylinder, which
contains a coiled spring n, which abuts against the head of the plate M, but is
capable of collapsing to the extent of about seven or eight inches, which is
about the diameter of the circle described by the crank. In the event of the
saw encountering any obstruction, the spring yields to the upward pressure of
bearing plate M, and so prevents any warping or twisting of the saw. P is a
cross pin, which projects from the plate K, and takes into slots in the plate M,
and prevents the plate M from descending too far. The saw frames are fixed
on the angle to which they are set by means of a quadrant Q, which is con-
nected at one end to the frame L, and works at the other end through a slot in
a beam W, dropped from the frame A. The quadrant is perforated with a
number of holes, and by passing a pin through any of these, and through a
corresponding hole in the end of the beam W, the quadrant, and consequently
the saw frame, is fixed in the position desired. The mode of working with
the entire machine is as follows:-Supposing the body of rock to be cut is
open or accessible on one side, the machine is wheeled (either by means of the
winding apparatus F, or any other suitable machinery or means) in front of
the place where the cuts are to be made with the saws, at an angle of
about forty-five degrees, or such other angle as may be required. Motion is
then given to the crank shaft C, and as the saws enter the rock the carriage
is made to advance by the contemporaneous action of the winding apparatus,
F', or any other machinery or means that may be substituted for it, as before
suggested. The saws must, as is the case of ordinary sawing, be freely
supplied with water while at work, or water and sand, as usual, and the
different bearings be also kept well lubricated.
Secondly, my Invention consists of what I call a "balanced saw frame,"
for cutting blocks of stone, after they have been brought from the quarry, into
slabs or pieces of different thicknesses and dimensions. Figure 7 is a plan

page_text: of this machine, and Figure 8 is a sectional elevation of it, on the line y, z.
A, A, is a fixed bed frame, and B, B, another frame, which carries the crank
shaft C, and turns in the same bearings as the shaft. C³ is the saw frame,
which moves on grooved rollers I, I, mounted on the frame B, B, and is
worked from the crank shaft by a rod H. The frame is represented as
containing five saws, but the number may be varied according to the working
power employed, and to convenience. F, F, are pullies by which motion is
given to the crank shaft, in the same way as in the machine first before
described. L, L, is a guide plate, in which the frame B, B, works at its
outer extreme end, and R³ a rope or chain which is attached to that end, and
carried over a pulley placed in any convenient situation, with such a weight
attached to it as may be sufficient to counterbalance the machine, and to give
the requisite downward pressure to tho saws. M is the block of stone that is
brought under the saws on a tralley or truck N. As the saws enter the stone
both the frames B, B, and C drop together, and when the cuts are completed
the frames are raised, and the saws liberated from the stone.
Thirdly, my Invention consists of a balanced hand saw machine. Figure 9
is a plan of this machine, and Figure 10 a side elevation thereof. A, A, is
an outer frame, of a triangular form, which is loaded at its broad end with a
weight N; and B, E, an inner frame, which turns freely on bearings I, I,
on the outer frame. H, H, are the saws (or one only may be used) which
are fixed in the frame B, in the manner separately shown on the Plan,
Figure 11. T is a hand turning apparatus, which is mounted on a wheel
tralley or truck L, and run upon rails under the frame A, A, in a direction at
right angles with it. C is a crank shaft, and E, E, are fly wheels with
handles, by which it is turned. D is a rod, by which the reciprocating motion
of the crank shaft is communicated to the inner frame B, and through that
to the saws H, H. G, G, are bearings on which the balanced frame A, A, is
centred. K, K, are chains, coupled together by right and left hand screws,
by means of which the upper ends of the frame in which the saws are set
may brought more or less towards each other, and a corresponding degree of
tension be given to the saws. M represents a stone through which the saws
are supposed to have passed.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention in the several
parts thereof, I declare that what I claim is as follows:-
First, I claim the method of sawing stone before removal from the quarry
or other natural site, and the machinery used for that purpose shewn in the
Drawings, Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, and in the preceding description
thereof, that is to say, in so far as respects the mode of bringing the machine

page_text: to its work, the contering of the saw frames and the crank shaft, by which
they are actuated on one and the same axis, the arrangements for driving the
saws from one end only, and the manner of fixing the saws, whereby cach may
in its movements neither affect or be affected by the movements of the others,
or any of them.
Second, I claim the balanced saw frame represented in Figures 7 and 8,
and before described, in so far as respects the centring of the sawing frames
and crank shaft in one and the same axis, and the balancing of the working
parts, in the manner described.
Third, I claim the hand saw machine represented in Figures 9 and 10, and
before described, in so far as regards the combination of the balanced frame
A, A, and inner vibrating frame B, B, with the hand turning apparatus T.
And,
Fourth, I claim the application of the method or methods and machines
aforesaid, all or any of them, to the sawing of wood or any other substances to
which the same may be applicable.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Saunders, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of December, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty.
WILLIAM (L.s.) SAUNDERS.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Eighteenth day of December,
in the year of our Lord 1850, the aforesaid William Saunders came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifica-
tion aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in
form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped accord-
ing to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twentieth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty.