Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Dressing Stone.
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Dressing Stone.
I PETER CORCORAN of Kingsdown Street Brunswick Street Chorlton-on-Medlock
in the County of Lancaster, Stone Mason do hereby declare the nature of my
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRESSING STONE
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to machinery or apparatus for dressing stone and consists
in arrangements for producing a flat surface upon blocks or slabs of stone.
In carrying my invention into effect I mount the stone to be operated upon upon
a table or carriage which is capable of being traversed to and fro longitudinally
upon the bed of the machine by any suitable means. To the bed of the machine
before mentioned I secure brackets which brackets support a cross frame capable of
being elevated and depressed upon the said brackets by means of screws or other
convenient and suitable means such screws or other convenient and suitable means
being connected by means of a cross shaft and suitable gearing so that the screws
or other convenient and suitable means aforesaid may be acted upon simultaneously
-The before named cross frame I provide with screws or other suitable means by
which screws or other suitable means such cross frame may when desired be secured
rigidly upon the brackets before referred to-Upon the cross frame above mentioned
I mount a carriage capable of being slidden longitudinally by means of a screw or
other convenient and suitable means upon guides formed upon the cross frame before
mentioned. The said carriage I provide with bearings which support a spindle or
mandrel capable of being rotated therein which spindle or mandrel is prevented
from moving longitudinally within the bearings above referred to by means of
collars formed on such spindle or mandrel or by other convenient and suitable
means. Fast upon the spindle or mandrel before referred to I mount a worm wheel
the teeth of which worm wheel take into a worm mounted so as to be capable of
being slidden longitudinally upon a shaft capable of being rotated in bearings
carried by the cross frame previously referred to.
The shaft before referred to I form with a slot by means of which slot and a key
motion is imparted to the worm before mentioned or instead of the worm and worm
wheel above referred to I in some cases employ bevel wheels.
I provide the shaft above mentioned with speed pulleys by means of which
rotary motion is imparted to the said spindle or mandrel..

page_text: Upon the lower end of the spindle or mandrel above referred to I mount a plate
or disc which plate or disc I provide with cutters secured to the said plate or disc
in any convenient manner. The cutters before named may be formed of steel or
any other suitable material or in some cases I propose to arm the said cutters with
a diamond or diamonds or other suitable hard material which diamond or diamonds
or other suitable hard material operate upon the block or slab of stone to be
dressed When rotary motion is imparted to the disc or plate aforesaid and the
cutters carried thereby are rotated and the cross frame carrying the cutters before
named is lowered by means of the screws above mentioned, the cutters above named
will act upon the block or slab of stone to be operated upon and such block or
slab of stone being traversed longitudinally beneath the said cutters such cutters
will as they revolve produce a flat surface thereon. The cutters aforesaid I cause
to revolve in such direction that they cut from the outer edge of the block or slab
of stone towards the centre of the top of the said block or slab of stone and by so
doing I prevent the outer edge of the block or slab of stone aforesaid from being
chipped.
After the block or slab of stone has been traversed longitudinally as often as may
be desired beneath the disc or plate before named I traverse the carriage carrying
the cutters aforesaid sideways by means of the screw before mentioned and again
traverse the block or slab of stone beneath the disc or plate above described until
the whole surface of the said block or slab of stone has been operated upon-In
some cases where it is desired to operate upon blocks or slabs of stone of great
width or to operate at once upon the entire width of a block or slab of stone
I employ two or more discs or plates carrying cutters each of which discs or plates
is mounted and actuated in a manner similar to that above described.
L1001
W. T. CHEETHAM,
Carlton Chambers,
18, Saint Ann's Street, Manchester,
Agent to the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Dressing Stone.
I, PETER CORCORAN of Kingsdown Street Brunswick Street Chorlton on Medlock
in the County of Lancaster Mason do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRESSING STONE and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to machinery or apparatus for dressing Stone and consists
in arrangements for producing a flat surface upon blocks or slabs of Stone, Granite
or other such substances. In carrying my invention into effect I mount the stone
or other such substance to be operated upon upon a table or carriage which is
capable of being traversed to and fro longitudinally upon the bed of the machine
by any suitable means.
To the bed of the machine before mentioned I secure brackets or standards
which brackets or standards support a cross frame capable of being elevated and
depressed upon the said brackets or standards by means of screws or other
convenient and suitable means, such screws or other convenient and suitable means
being connected by means of a cross shaft and suitable gearing so that the screws
or other convenient and suitable means aforesaid may be acted upon simultaneously.
The before named cross frame I provide with screws or other suitable means by
which screws or other suitable means such cross frame may when desired be secured
rigidly upon the brackets or standards before referred to, Upon the cross frame
above mentioned I mount a carriage capable of being slidden longitudinally by
means of a screw or other convenient and suitable means upon guides formed upon
the cross frame before mentioned. The said carriage I provide with bearings
which support a spindle or mandrel capable of being rotated therein which spindle
or mandrel is prevented from moving longitudinally within the bearings above
referred to by means of collars formed on such spindle or mandrel or by other
convenient and suitable means. Fast upon the spindle or mandrel before referred.
to I mount a worm wheel the teeth of which worm wheel take into a worin
mounted so as to be capable of being slidden longitudinally upon a shaft capable of
being rotated in bearings carried by the cross frame previously referred to.
shaft before referred to I form with a slot by means of which slot and a key motion
is imparted to the worm and worm wheel above referred to I in some cases employ
bevel wheels, I provide the shaft above mentioned with speed or suitable pulleys
by means of which rotary motion is imparted to the said spindle or mandrel
Upon the lower end of the spindle or mandrel above referred to I mount a plate or
disc, through which plate or disc cutters are secured to the said plate or disc in any
convenient manner The cutters before named may be formed of steel or any other
suitable material or in some cases I propose to arm the said cutters with a diamond
or diamonds or other suitable hard material, and when not so armed I propose to
use steel pointed cutters which steel points, diamond or diamonds or other suitable
hard material operate upon the block or slab of stone to be dressed.
The
The disc or plate containing apertures through which the cutters or tools before
described are projected is formed or fixed at the extremity of the before named and
described spindle or mandrel, and when in motion the face of the said disc or plate

page_text: with the Bald cutters or tools projecting 18 parallel with the norizontal plane or
surface to be operated upon.
When rotary motion is imparted to the disc or plate aforesaid and the cutters
carried thereby are rotated and the cross frame carrying the cutters within the said
disc or plate before named is lowered by means of the screws above mentioned the
cutters above named will act upon the block or slab of stone to be operated upon
and such block or slab of stone being traversed longitudinally beneath the said
cutters such cutters will as they revolve produce a flat surface thereon The
cutters aforesaid I cause to revolve in such a direction that they cut from the outer
edge of the block or slab of stone towards the centre of the top of the said block or
slab of stone and by so doing I prevent the outer edge of the block or slab of stone
aforesaid from being chipped, After the block or slab of stone has been traversed
longitudinally as often as may be required, or desired beneath the disc or plate
before named I traverse the carriage carrying the cutters aforesaid sideways by
means of the screw before named and again traverse the block or slab of stone
beneath the disc or plate above described until the whole surface of the said block
or slab of stone has been operated upon In some cases where it is desired to
operate upon blocks or slabs of stone of great width or to operate at once upon the
entire width and upon the side or sides of the block or slab of stone or such other
substance I employ two or more discs or plates carrying cutters as aforesaid each
of which discs or plates is mounted and actuated in a manner similar to that above
described, and in cases where it is found expedient, and necessary to operate upon
the side or sides of blocks or slabs of stone or other such substances I employ a
disc, or plate or discs or plates with the before described apertures for tools which
may be mounted on either or both of the before described vertical standards or
brackets (the spindle or mandrel as before described being horizontal to the disc or
plate as before named) or geared for the purpose in any convenient and suitable
means.
The cutters or tools before named I sometimes arm with a diamond or diamonds
or such suitable hard material as before described each cutter is formed of steel or
a suitable metal of a shape and demention to suit the nature of the work required,
when I employ a diamond or diamonds I cause the lower end or the extremity of
the tool I intend so to mount with a diamond or diamonds to be especially prepared
or shaped to allow of the setting of the said diamonds in the following manner
I will call the extremity of the tool the face of the tool or cutter The tool in a
vertical position appears with a straight even and flat face the dimention of the
tool's working face having been determined I take an angular cut at the lower end
of the said tool the cut being of a required and suitable angle, from the outside of
the said tool towards the centre of the face at the extremity of the said tool or
cutter When the tool is fixed in its working position or pitch in the before named
disc or plate it is in such a position that the angular cut above described becomes
parallel with the face of the disc or plate and the remainder of the tool's face above
described is then at an angle with the face of the disc or plate Into the aforesaid
faces of the tools I then mount or set by any convenient and well known method
the diamond or diamonds as before mentioned.
By this arrangement of the tools above described I allow the diamonds set in
the tools to work free that is to say the diamonds set in the portion of the tools
face which is tilted to an angle with the said disc or plate face are working before
the diamond or diamonds set in the heel or portion of the tools face which is
parallel with the face of the before named and described disc or plate I propose
by the extension or diminution of that portion of the tools face which is at an
angle with the face of the before named disc or plate to regulate the depth or
profile of the cut to be made on the block or slab under operation.
In order that my invention may be better understood I have hereunto appended
one sheet of drawings which I will now proceed to describe.
Figs. 1 and 1 are a side elevation and plan of the complete machine. Fig. 2 an
end elevation of same Fig. 3. is a transverse section through the cross slide and

page_text: Figs. 4 and 5 are a sectional elevation and part plan of same. Figs. 6 and 7 are
elevation and plan shewing details of the disc or plate, The same lesser figures of
reference are used for like parts in all these figures.
In Fig. 1 and 2 an under frame or base plate 1 which must be firmly secured
and levelled on suitable masonry, carries rollers mounted on suitable gudgeons
free to revolve in bearings as shewn A table 3 provided with planed channels or
slides 4 on its underside rides on the rollers 2 so as to be capable of a to and fro
motion in direction of its length but be prevented from moving sideways by the
rollers 2 fitting the grooves in the slides as shewn,
The under side of the table 3 is also provided with a toothed rack 5 into which
gears a pinion 6 which is mounted fast on a shaft 7 carried in suitable bearings 8
and provided at its other end with a spur wheel 9 into which gears a pinion 10
carried on a second shaft 11 mounted in suitable bearings 12 and provided with
one fast and two loose pulleys 13. 14. 15 arranged to carry an open and a crossed
belt in the manner commonly adopted in planing machinery to obtain a reversing
motion by shifting the straps which may either be effected by hand or auto-
matically by the well known methods in general use on planing machines. To
avoid complication this motion is not shewn on the drawings. A strong solė
plate 16 carries two vertical standards or brackets 17 arranged one on either side
of the table 3 as shewn and carrying the cross slide 18 which is arranged to
slide up and down the face of the brackets or standards 17 by means of a
V slide 19 (Fig. 5) and a pair of vertical screws 20 taking into suitable nuts 21
secured to the cross slide 18.
The vertical screws 20 are shewn provided with bevel wheels 22 geared into
pinions 23 carried on a cross shaft 24 which is provided with a fast and loose
pulley 25 26 for the application of power by a belt to raise the whole cross slide
when required and this may also be effected by hand by means of the rope
pulley 27 and rope 28 shewn on the other end of cross shaft 24 Riding free on
the shaft 24 is also a two grooved rope pulley 29 and 30 The groove 29 carries
the main driving rope 31 and the groove 30 carries the rope 32 which is led over
three idle pulleys 33 and 34 and round a portion of the driving pulley 35 which is
mounted fast on the shaft 36 carried in suitable bearings 37 in the cross slide 18
The shaft 36 is formed with a feather or key way throughout its length between
the bearings 37 by which feather or key way a rotary motion is transmitted to
the worm 38 gearing into a worm wheel 39 keyed fast to a tubular spindle or
mandrel 40 mounted in suitable bearings 41 formed in a sliding head 42 which fits
in the slide 43 formed in the cross slide 18 The tubular spindle or mandrel 40
mounted in suitable bearings 41 formed in the sliding head 42 aforesaid) allows
the spindle 44 of the Disc or plate or tool holder 45 to be passed through it and
the said spindle 44 is provided with a nut and washer 46 to hold it in place and
draw the Disc or plate or head 45 on to two studs 47 fixed in the flange or collar
of the hollow spindle 40 by which pins the rotary motion of the tubular spindle 40
is transmitted to the Disc or plate or cutter head.
The cross slide 18 is also provided with a screw 48 taking into a nut 49 secured
to the sliding block 42 by which this sliding block 42 and with it the Disc or
cutter head and spindle and the worm 38 can be moved to any position on the
cross slide 18 The screw 48 carries endless rope pulleys 50 in which rides an
endless rope 51 for conveniently actuating the screw 48.
The action of the machine is as follows The table being set in motion in one
direction, and the Disc or cutter head revolving (the speeds of both being determined
by the nature of the stone to be dressed) a cut is taken over a surface all along
the stone of a width determined by the diameter of the circle described by the
tools in the cutter head or Disc, at the end of this first cut the tool is moved
across the cross slide to another position and the Disc or cutter head still
revolving in the same direction the motion of the table is reversed and a cut is
taken to the other end of the stone, when the same process is repeated until the
whole surface is faced.

page_text: The cuts at the edge of the stone should be taken so that the tools commence to
cut when they are riding on to and not away from the edge so as to avoid any
liability to chip the stone out at the edges.
When required a similar tool box and cutter head or disc may be mounted on
either or both sides of the vertical standards or brackets 17 the spindle or mandrel
being horizontal to the Disc or cutter head revolving in a vertical plane so as to
dress the sides of a stone at the same time as the top surface.
I will now describe the tools and the method of fixing same in the Disc or cutter
head.
Fig. 6 is an enlarged elevation and Fig. 7 is a plan of the Disc or cutter head 45
The tools 52 of which there may be any convenient number are formed of steel or
other strong material and set at a convenient angle in holes or sockets or apertures
formed in the Disc 45 and other tools may be secured with wedges or screws or
any convenient device.
For roughing out a sufficiently soft stone these tools may be of hardened steel
but for finishing to a true surface or for cutting hard stones the tools are armed
with a black diamond or such convenient and suitable hard substance secured in
any usual way into the steel.
In all cases where diamonds are used or set in the tools I prefer to arm the
lowest point of the steel with a diamond or diamonds to prevent the steel wearing
away and releasing in time the other diamonds.
In order to take a deeper cut at each revolution than could be accomplished with
one diamond I arrange several diamonds one above another as shewn at 53. 54 in
Fig. 6 where also 55 is the spur or projecting diamond which takes the lowest cut
and prevents the steel from wearing away and releasing the diamond 54 The steel
tools may be of round or square steel and ground off to any shape convenient for
receiving and setting the diamonds.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I would bave it
distinctly understood I make no general claim for the use of the diamond nor
confine myself to the precise details set forth nor do I claim the whole of the
parts of the machine as illustrated the gearing being somewhat similar and in
many cases like that used in machinery for the turning boring and planing of
'iron but in the application to stone and such similar substances and as an
improvement in stone dressing machinery I declare that what I claim is
Firstly. The construction and mode of operation of the rotating Discs or plates
with apertures especially adapted for carrying diamond and steel pointed cutters or
tools substantially in manner and for purposes herein described.
Secondly. I claim the construction of the diamond armed cutters or tools as
shewn in Figs. 6 and 7 substantially in manner and for purposes herein described.
Lastly. The general construction of the machine in conjunction and combination
with a rotating disc armed with steel or diamond pointed tools for the purposes
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, substantially and in
manner herein described.
Dated thie kwonky fifth dor of Santember 1825