IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING OR DRESSING STONE
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Houldsworth Grierson, of Manchester, in
the County of Lancaster, Engineer, and John Macvicar Rigby, of
Manchester, aforesaid, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING OR DRESSING STONE."
Sealed the 10th May 1870, and dated the 13th November 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Houldsworth
Grierson and John Macvicar Rigby at the Office of the Com-
missioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 13th November
1869.
We, HENRY HOULDSWORTH GRIERSON, of Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, Engineer, and JOHN MAOVICAR RIGBY, of Manchester,
aforesaid, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING OR DRESSING STONE," to be as
follows:-
Our Invention refers to improvements upon that machinery for
cutting or dressing stone for which Letters Patent were granted to

page_text: Joseph Ellicot Holmes, dated May 25th 1868, No. 1718. According
to that arrangement two lines of tools were mounted upon one side of
the centre of motion of a vibrating axis, the one to pick or chisel the
rough stone, and the other to dress, but it has been found in practice
that when it was desired to use one the other had to be removed, and the
object of our Invention is mainly to avoid the necessity of this removal.
To accomplish this we provide the vibrating shaft with a line or lines of
tools on one side the centre of motion, and in addition thereto we furnish
it with another line or lines of tools on the other side of the said centre
of motion, so that one may be caused to take the place of another by
turning the said vibrating shaft. By this arrangement we are also
enabled to work the stone during its backward movement with any
desired tool, or to work consecutively or alternately with pickers or
dressers. In order to give motion to the vibrating shaft we propose to
employ an excentric rod with two arms provided with a series of holes,
and through any one of which a pin may be passed extending into a disc
fast upon the vibrating shaft. By turning this disc upon its centre and
altering the position of the locking pin the situation and angle of the
working tool may be altered. The stone may be worked upon its side or
on its top, and may be placed upon a travelling bed, or the tools them-
selves may be caused to travel along its surface.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Houldsworth Grierson and John Macvicar
Rigby in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th May 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, HENRY
HOULDSWORTH GRIERSON, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, and JOHN MACVICAR RIGBY, of Manchester, aforesaid,
Engineer, send greeting..
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Thirteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the
thirty-third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Henry Houldsworth Grierson and John
Macvicar Rigby, Her special licence that we, the said Henry Houlds-

page_text: worth Grierson and John Macvicar Rigby, her executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Henry Houldsworth Grierson
and John Macvicar Rigby, our 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 MACHINERY FOR CUTTING OR
DRESSING STONE," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said
Henry Houldsworth Grierson and John Macvicar Rigby, by an instru-
ment in writing under our hands and seals (or under the hand and seal
of one of us), should particularly describe and ascertain 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.
1
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Houldsworth Grierson, do
hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement and accompanying Drawings, that.
is to say :-
Our Invention refers to improvements upon that machinery for
cutting or dressing stone for which Letters Patent. were granted to
Joseph Ellicot Holmes, dated May Twenty-fifth, One thousand cight.
hundred and sixty-eight, Number 1718. According to that arrangement
two lines of tools were mounted upon one side of the centre of motion of
a vibrating axis, the one to pick or chisel the rough stone, and the other
to dress, but it has been found in practice that when it was desired to,
use one set of tools the other had to be removed, and the object of our
Invention is mainly to avoid the necessity of this removal..
.
In the accompanying Drawings Figure 1 represents in, section and
full size the cutter block and cutters we employ, and we refer to this in
the first instance, as it embodies the principle of our Invention.
At a is the cutter block, formed upon or attached to the shaft b, to
which a rocking motion is imparted. At c, c³, are two rows of pickers
mounted in the said block, and at d, d', are two rows of dressers also
mounted therein, the stone to be dressed being at e, and supposed to be

page_text: travelling in the direction of the arrow. By the successive vibrations of
the shaft b the picks or chisels c are caused to remove portions of the
stone e, and bring it to a comparative level, but before the said stone has
passed the tools (for a space of a few inches) the block a is turned with
its shaft b, so as to remove the picks from their cutting position, and the
stone allowed to pass onward until its end is beyond the second row of
picks c. The block a is now turned in the direction of the arrow, and
the vibrations of the shaft 6 will cause the picks c³ to operate upon the
stone, commencing at the opposite end to that which was previously cut
by the tools c, whereby a fracture of the said end is avoided, and without
a removal and readjustment of tools. The rough cutting having been
accomplished the shaft 6 is turned so as to reverse the block a and bring
the dressers d, d³, into the position previously occupied by the cutters c, c',
and with them the same operation as that above described takes place,
with the exception of the character of the work, and it will be seen that
both cutting and dressing are accomplished without any removal of
tools, and without the liability of splitting off the end of the stone. The
tools are placed side by side in longitudinal chambers formed in the
cutter block, and are bound together by being driven against a solid part
at one end by cotters, set screw, or a similar arrangement, it being
merely necessary to bind them sufficiently to retain them in the block
when they rise, the solid parts a* taking the blow.
Figures 2 and 3 represent in side and end views partial views of a
machine with our improved cutter block adopted, the same letters of
reference as those previously used being marked thereon.
The block a is mounted in bearings f, which are carried by parts g
capable of sliding upward and downward in guides formed upon the side
frames h, and the axis of the said block is provided with a grooved
wheel, within which is situate one end of an arm k, and confined
therein by a pin which passes through one of a series of holes m formed
through the said wheel, and at n, p, q, are three other series of holes, the
use of which will be hereafter explained. The other end of the arm k is
connected to a short crank formed upon tho main shaft r, to which
rotatory motion is communicated through the medium of pullies 8.
stone to be cut is placed upon a table & running upon a bed u, and caused
to travel by screws, racks, or other ordinary means. On commencing
The

page_text: operations the sliding part 9 and consequently cutter block is raised
or lowered in its guides by an ordinary screw arrangement, so as to place
the cutters in their proper position according to the thickness of the
stone, the pin. 1. being placed in one of the. holes m according to the
position which the arm & must assume to suit the level to which
the cutter block has been adjusted. Motion being now communicated
to the driving, shaft the crank thereon will through the arm k cause
the wheel and consequently cutter block a to vibrate, and the tools c
will effect the required dressing. Before, however, the end of the stone.
has arrived close to the said tool the driving strap is thrown on to the
loose pulley and the pin is removed and the block a turned, so as to
allow the stone to pass, as mentioned in reference to the description of
Figure 1, after which the wheel i is turned until the. series of holes n is
in place of that shewn at.m, and the arm k.is.connected with one of them
by the pin . This change of positions will have brought the tools c'
into working position, and the stone being caused to move back will be
operated upon from its end inward until that portion thereof which has
already been dressed is arrived at, it will therefore be seen that by our
Invention the chipping action commences and finishes by tools which
do not chip in an outward direction. When it is desired to use the
dressers d, d¹, the cutter block is turned by the aforesaid means until
the said dressers d, d', occupy the positions in which the picks are
represented, and are made fast with the wheel i by placing the pin
through a hole of the series p or q and arm k, and the operation with
the dressers will be conducted precisely as described in reference to the
pickers.
In the Specification of Joseph Ellicot Holmes aforesaid, the Drawings
represent the cutter block as travelling while the stone is stationary, we
have described the reverse of this arrangement; but our improved cutter
block may be caused to travel if desired, and the stone may be worked
upon its side instead of its top. In reference to the tools employed we
have used the terms picks or chisels and dressers, they being those terms
which are technically employed, but it will be evident that tools of any
suitable description may be adapted. In order to turn the cutter block
for the purpose of changing from pickers to dressers the stone may be
moved clear away, or the said block may be raised sufficiently to admit

page_text: Having thus described and ascertained the nature of our said Inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed, we desire it
to be understood that we claim as secured to us under the above in part
recited Letters Patent, the application to the cutter block of tools
situate on both sides of the centre of motion thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Houldsworth Grierson,
have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of
May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy.
H. HOULDSWORTH GRIERSON. (L.s.)