IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GRINDING, SMOOTHING, AND POLISHING PLATE GLASS
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Nicholas Wood, of Hetton Hall, in the County of
Durham, Coal Owner, and Joseph Stockley, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, in
the County of Northumberland, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
Sealed the 10th July 1863, and dated the 22nd January 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Nicholas Wood and
Joseph Stockley at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 22nd January 1863.
We, NICHOLAS WOOD, of Hetton Hall, in the County of Durham, Coal
Owner, and JOSEPH STOCKLEY, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, in the County of North-
umberland, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR GRINDING, SMOOTHING, AND POLISHING PLATE
GLASS," to be as follows:-
Whereas benches for grinding plate glass have ordinarily been fixed, thereby
necessitating the lifting and relaying of the glass for each of the two sub-
sequent processes of smoothing and polishing, now our Invention consists in
constructing and using moveable grinding benches capable of being trans-
ported to the apparatus for smoothing and polishing, thereby admitting of one
side of the glass being finished in all the processes without the necessity of lifting
and relaying the glass in the manner required when the ordinary fixed grinding
benches are used. The mechanism applied to the grinding and other benches

page_text: for rendering them moveable may be arranged so as to admit of their being
transported as required either throughout the whole series of apparatus, or
from or to any part thereof. For this purpose the benches are constructed of
the usual materials with a smooth upper surface for the glass to rest upon, and
are fitted with wheels or sliding pieces carried upon suitable rails or grooves,
upon which the benches may be moved in the directions required. There are
also combined with the rails or grooves, at suitable intervals turntables,
sidings, or sliding frames, so as to admit of the benches being drawn aside or
changed as required. The required progressive motion is imparted to the
benches by means of racks and pinions or other suitable mechanical means.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Nicholas Wood and Joseph Stockley in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 18th July 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, NICHOLAS
WOOD, of Hetton Hall, in the County of Durham, Coal Owner, and JOSEPH
STOCKLEY, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, in the County of Northumberland, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Nicholas Wood and Joseph Stockley, Her special license that we,
the said Nicholas Wood and Joseph Stockley, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said Nicholas Wood and Joseph Stockley,
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 APPARATUS FOR
GRINDING, SMOOTHING, AND POLISHING PLATE GLASS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Nicholas Wood and Joseph Stockley, 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 Inven-
tion, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Nicholas Wood and Joseph Stockley,
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 (that is to say):-
:-
Our Invention of " Improvements in Apparatus for Grinding, Smoothing,
and Polishing Plate Glass," is intended to obviate the necessity of lifting the
glass from the fixed grinding bench and relaying it for each of the two sub-
sequent processes of smoothing and polishing, and consists in constructing and
using moveable grinding benches, capable of being transported to the apparatus
for smoothing and polishing, thereby admitting of one side of the glass being
finished in all the processes without the necessity of lifting and relaying the
glass in the manner required when the ordinary benches are used. The
mechanism applied to the benches for rendering them moveable may be
arranged so as to admit of their being transported as required either throughout
the whole series of apparatus for grinding, smoothing, and polishing, or from
or to any part thereof. For this purpose the benches are constructed of the
usual materials with a smooth upper surface for the glass to rest upon, and
are fitted into a frame provided with wheels or sliding pieces carried upon or
in suitable rails or grooves supported on the floor of the shed or shop, upon
or in which rails or grooves the benches may be moved in the directions
required. There are also combined with the rails or grooves, at suitable
intervals, turntables, sidings, or sliding frames, so as to admit of the benches
being drawn aside or changed as required. The required progressive motion
is imparted to the benches by means of racks and pinions or other suitable
mechanical means. By thus making the bench on which the glass is first laid
down a travelling bench, when one side of the glass laid thereon has been
ground as required, the bench with the glass thereon may be removed to the
smoothing machines, and subsequently to the polishing machines, without
raising the glass from its first bed. The bench is not confined, as heretofore,
to one portion of the machinery, but is capable of being removed from one to
either or both of the machines for carrying on the other process or processes,
the bench either remaining stationary during the operation on the glass, or
being moved backwards and forwards as required.
of the glass is ground, smoothed, and polished before it is raised from the bed
on which it was originally laid, and the glass is afterwards turned over and
passed through the several processes until its other side is finished.
In this manner one side
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, we hereby declare that what we claim as of our
Invention is, the mode described of grinding, smoothing, and polishing plate

page_text: glass by means of travelling benches admitting of one side of the glass being
operated upon throughout the whole series of processes and finished before it
is required to be turned.
In witness whereof, we, the said Nicholas Wood and Joseph Stockley,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, the Seventeenth day of July,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
NICH. WOOD.
(L.8.)
JOSEPH STOCKLEY. (L.S.)
Witness to the signature of Nicholas Wood,
THEOP". LEE DUC,
of Howlish, Bishop Auckland.
Witness to the signature of Joseph Stockley,
WILLIAM WILLIS,
of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.