IMPROVEMENTS IN SAW MILLS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Geeves, of the Caledonian Mills, New
Wharf Road Battle Bridge, in the County of Middlesex, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SAW MILLS."
Sealed the 23rd October 1860, and dated the 17th May 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Geeves at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
17th May 1860.
I WILLIAM GEEVES, of the Caledonian Mills, New Wharf Road, Battle
Bridge, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SAW MILLS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in saw mills. For these
purposes, in place of cutting boards by a series of vertical saws, as in ordinary
saw mills, the machinery, according to my Invention, is constructed and
arranged in such manner that the saws are stretched in and carried by a
horizontal sliding frame, which is caused to slide horizontally on a bed frame,
and the wood is caused to be moved transversely across such bed frame. The
bed frame is constructed with two parallel guides, and the horizontal sliding
saw frame is also formed with similar guides. In order to fix the saws in the
horizontal sliding frame it is preferred to construct each of the ends of that
frame with two uprights, having between them an upright spindle in each case.
The saws are each perforated with a hole at one end to fit on to the spindle at
one end of the horizontal sliding saw frame. Each saw has also a slot through

page_text: it for the passage of the other spindle, which is fixed towards the other end of
the horizontal sliding saw frame, the saws at such last-mentioned end of the
saw frame being stretched. As the saws are successively placed on the two
spindles there is a packing or filling piece on each of the spindles, such
packing pieces being of a thickness corresponding with the thickness of the
intended boards to be cut. A bar is then placed on the upper parts of tho
upright spindles, and fastened down so as to press the several saws and packing
pieces together; this bar also acts as a stretcher bar to the upright sides or
plates between which the ends of the saws are received. Motion is com-
municated to the horizontal sliding saw frame by a steam engine or other
-suitable power, and the wood is moved and guided on a suitable bed arranged
transversely of the bed frame, on which the horizontal sliding saw frame slides.
The wood may be moved to and past the saws by means of an endless chain
or otherwise. By this arrangement it will be understood that the boards will
He horizontally in place of being vertical, by which, amongst other advantages,
thin boards may be cut more conveniently than heretofore.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Geeves in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th November 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
GEEVES, of the Caledonian Mills, New Wharf Road, Battle Bridge, in the
County of Middlesex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-third year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Geeves, Her special licence that I, the said William Geeves,.my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Geeves, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SAW
MILLS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Geeves,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-

page_text: tain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Geeves, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in saw mills. For these
purposes in place of cutting boards by a series of vertical saws, as in ordinary
saw mills, the machinery, according to my Invention, is constructed and
arranged in such manner that the saws are stretched in, and carried by a
horizontal sliding frame, which is caused to slide horizontally on a bed frame,
and the wood is caused to be moved transversely across such bed frame. The
bed frame is constructed with two parallel guides, and the horizontal sliding
saw frame is also formed with similar guides. In order to fix the saws in tho
horizontal sliding frame it is preferred to construct each of the ends of that
frame with two uprights, having between them an upright spindle in each
case. The saws are each perforated with a hole at one end to fit on to the
spindle at one end of the horizontal sliding saw frame. Each saw has also a
slot through it for the passage of the other spindle, which is fixed towards the
other end of the horizontal sliding saw frame, the saws at such last mentioned
end of the saw frame being stretched. As the saws are successively placed on
the two spindles, there is a packing or filling piece on each of the spindles,
such packing pieces being of a thickness corresponding to the thickness of the
intended boards to be cut. A bar, is then placed on the upper parts of the
upright spindles, and fastened down so as to press the several saws and packing
pieces together; this bar also acts as a stretcher bar to the upright sides or
plates, between which the ends of the saws are received. Motion is com-
municated to the horizontal sliding saw frame by a steam engine or other
suitable power, and the wood is moved and guided on a suitable bed, arranged
transversely of the bed frame on which the horizontal sliding saw frame slides.
The wood may be moved to and past the saws by means of an endless chain or
otherwise. By this arrangement it will be understood that the boards will lio
horizontally in place of being vertical, by which, amongst other advantages,
thin boards may be cut more conveniently than heretofore.
And in order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and
readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a plan, Figure 2 a side view, and Figure 3 an end view of a
saw mill constructed according to my Invention. a, a, is the main shaft or
axis, which is driven from a steam engine or other suitable power by a strap
passing around one of the pulleys b, b, the other being a loose pulley for
carrying the strap when it is not driving; or motion may be otherwise com-
municated to the shaft a, a; c is a fly wheel on the axis a; and d a crank at
the extremity of the same axis; e is a connecting rod, which couples the
crank d with the saw frame f; this frame is herein-after fully described. The
frame is capable of sliding to and fro horizontally in guides carried by the
casting 9. The casting at one end supports the bearing g' of the axis a.
The guides for the frame fare marked h, h; they are wrought-iron bars, fixed
in the standards g², 92, of the casting 9, the said standards having recesses
formed in them to receive the ends of the bars, and also to receive filling
pieces i, i, which keep the bars at the required distance apart; g³, g³, are
adjusting screws for adjusting the bars laterally as they wear; j, j, are bolts,
screwed securely into the standards g³, and passing up through holes formed in
the guide bars and filling pieces, afterwards covering pieces k, k, are dropped
over the bolts, and held firmly down by screw nuts. The apparatus for
guiding the timber to the saws consists of a cast-iron frame or table Z, secured
to the casting 9; on this the timber rests while it is being cut; it is prevented
from moving laterally by being pressed by the hand lever m against the
upright guide ' projecting from the table l. Vertical motion is prevented by
the timber being pressed down to the surface of the table by a roller n,
actuated by another hand lever, as is shown. The timber is drawn forward by
an endless chain o, which chain passes along under the timber, and through
the groove in the table or casting to the chain wheel p, on the axis of
which a ratchet wheel q is mounted, and it is actuated by a driving pawl r,
taking into the teeth of this wheel; the pawl r is moved up and down by one
end of a bell crank levers, the other extremity of which is connected with an
excentric a¹ on the axis a by the excentric rod t. Arrangement is made for
varying the speed of the feeding mechanism, and for stopping the same as is
usual; is the nozzle of a blower, not shewn in the Drawing, which receives
motion from the drum or pulley y, or by other convenient means, the object
being to remove the sawdust, and to thus free and cool the saws, to which,
however, I make no claim. The construction of the saw frame, and the
method of arranging the saws therein, is shown by the several Figures of
Sheet 3.

page_text: Figure 4 is a side view of the saw frame and saws, Figure 5 a plan,
Figure 6 a longitudinal section, and Figures 7 and 8 end views of the same.
a', a', is a casting, which is furnished with lugs a³, a³, for working between the
guide bars h, h, (Figures 1, 2, and 3,) and also with uprights a³, a³, two at each
end of the frame.
Figures 9 and 10 are a plan and edge view of the ends of one of the saws;
they each have a circular eye 6 attached to them at one end formed by
rivetting plates on to the saw blade, as is shewn; these eyes are threaded on
to a bolt c, fixed into the frame a', washers or filling pieces being put in
between the saws if the thickness of the boards to be cut is greater than that
due to the thickness of the eyes. At their other ends the saws have other
plates rivetted to them, in which slots are formed, which pass over a bolt e,
also fixed in the frame a', filling pieces being placed between the saws here as
at the other end. Beyond the slots d the plates rivitted to the saw have a
keyway formed between them at f, in order to receive a key g to strain the
When the saws have been threaded on the bolts e and c the stretcher
bar h is placed on and by screwing up the nuts on the ends of the bolts the
saws (when they have been strained) are clamped firmly together. The bar h
is furnished with a key at one end, which is driven slightly before the saws
are strained. Before straining the saws the covering piece i is placed on and
screwed down by the bolts and nuts j, but not so as to bind the saws. The
keys of the saws are then driven up uniformly tight. Lastly, the nuts on the
bolts c, e, and j,j, aro all screwed up perfectly tight, and the frame is ready
to work.
saw.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the details; but what I claim is the mode herein described of com-
bining the mechanism of a saw mill, in order that the saws may be caused to
act as above explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Geeves, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
WILLIAM GEEVES. (L.S.)