G14 



BLOCK MACHINERY. 



Bio.-', 

 ehinery. 



Plats 

 1 .VIII. 

 Tig *. 



Comer 

 saw. 



Plati 

 .LVII. 

 Fig. S. 



block is prevented. When the boy who attends the 

 madliu ; this, he rais.-s the handle P. This 



stops the machine, ;is bt fore stated ; and the boy- 

 takes care to stop it when the chisels are at the 

 ' point, which he effects by a very dextrous 

 rr.t. The finished block is now removed, and 

 a fresh one put in ; the handle ; is screwed back, to 

 bring the block to the proper point, and the machine 

 starts, and proceeds as before. 



The b;\cks of the chisels have a small piece of 

 steel 1 fixed to them, which thrusts out the chips 

 which they cut, otherwise these would accumulate and 

 wedge up the hole, so as to obstruct the chisel most 

 materially, by filling up the space behind it. It has 

 also two small cutters, called scribers, at vv, fixed 

 perpendicular to its edge, so as to project rather be- 

 fore it, being fitted in dovetail notches, formed in the 

 sides of the chisels. These small scribers, in the des- 

 cent of the chisel, cut or scribe two small clefts, 

 which include the width of the chip which will be 

 cut out by the chisel in the succeeding stroke. By 

 this ingenious device, the mortice cut in this machine 

 has its sides as smooth as if they were made by a 

 plane. The back of the chisel is rounded, to con- 

 form to the hole bored in the boring machine. 



To adapt the mortising machine for different sized 

 blocks, the cross bar Y, in the back of the carriage, 

 against which the blocks arc pressed, can be fixed by 

 notches cut in the frame, at one inch asunder, so as 

 to hold all blocks of different lengths, having an inch 

 difference in each. The stops, above mentioned, to 

 ascertain the position of the block, can be fixed upon 

 the cross bar at any point, either as to height or po- ' 

 sition sidewise, in the following manner : The piece 

 of iron iv, (see the separate view,) with a groove 

 through it, carries two vertical pieces XX, at the up- 

 per and lower end of which is a knob ; these will 

 place the sides of the blocks applied against them 

 truly vertical. Two small pillars, nn are fixed to the 

 cross bar of the carriage ; they have a piece sliding 

 upon them, which can be fixed at any height by 

 screws, to adapt it for different sized blocks. The 

 two pieces xx, are fixed at the same distance asunder 

 as the screws in the front of the carriage ; so that 

 when one is set in the position for a block, to be 

 held by one screw, the other will be at the proper 

 place for the other screw : by these means the car- 

 riage can be adapted to receive a block of any dimen- 

 tions, and can guide it to its proper position against the 

 prints in the cross bar. The frame E may have any 

 number of chisels fixed to it, corresponding to the 

 number of mortises intended to be cut. 



The corner saw (see Fig. 5. of Plate LVII.) con- 

 sists of a mandrel mounted in a frame A, and carry- 

 ing a circular saw L, upon the extreme end of it. 

 This mandrel and its frame being exactly similar to 

 those at G and H, Fig. 4. Plate LVII. does not 

 require a separate view, although it is hid behind 

 the saw, except the end of the screw marked A. 

 This frame is screwed down upon the frame BB of 

 the machine, which is supported upon four columns. 

 CC, DD is an inclined bench, or a kind of trough, in 

 which a block is laid, as at E, being supported on its 

 *dgc by the plane CC of this bench, and its end kept 

 -up" to its position by the other part of the bench DD. 



By sliding the block along this beiich, it is applied 

 to the saw, which cuts off its angles, as is evident from 

 the Figure, and prepares it for the shaping engine. 

 All the four angles are cut off in succession, by ap- 

 plying its different sides to the trough or bench. In 

 the figure, two of them are drawn as being cut, and 

 the third is just marked by the saw. This machine 

 is readily adapted to different sizes of blocks, by the 

 simple expedient of laying pieces of wood of different 

 thickness against the plane DD, so as to fill it up, 

 and keep the block nearer to or farther from the saw ; 

 for all the blocks are required to be cut at the same 

 angle, though, of course, a larger piece is to be cut 

 from large than from small blocks. The block re- 

 duced to the state of E is now taken to 



The shaping machine, represented in Plate LIX. 

 as it is seen from one side. -A great deal of the ap- 

 parent complication of this figure arises from the 

 iron cage which is pfovided to defend the workman, 

 lest the blocks, which are revolving in the circles, 

 or chuck, with an immense velocity, should be loosen- 

 ed by the action of the tool, and fly out by their 

 centrifugal force. Without this provision, the-con- 

 sequences of such an accident would be dreadful, 

 as the blocks would be projected in all directions 

 with an inconceivable force. The principal part of 

 this machine is its chuck, which holds the blocks. 

 This consists of two equal wheels AA and BB, 

 placed upon the same axis, the former of which is 

 firmly fixed to the axis, while the latter slides upon 

 it, in order to render the space between them greater 

 or less, as is required, to contain blocks of different 

 lengths. This is effected by five bolts, fixed into the 

 rim of one wheel, and passing through the rim of the 

 other. Each bolt has a nut upon it, on the outside of 

 the wheel B. By means of these nuts the wheel B is 

 held fast at any required distance from the other. 

 The head of some of these bolts are marked or. Both 

 wheels of the chuck are divided into ten equal parts. 

 At each of these joints, on the wheel A, a short 

 axis, or mandrel, is fitted through a projecting part 

 of the rim of the wheel. On the outside of the 

 wheel, each of these mandrels has a small wheel a 

 fixed upon its end. On the ends, in the inside of the 

 wheel, the mandrels have each a short cross bar fixed, 

 just sufficiently long to contain two steel rings ; which 

 are exactly the same size and distance apart as those 

 in the mortising machine, which support the block. 

 The wheel B has, at each point opposite the man- 

 drels a, a screw centre similar to the back centre of 

 a lathe, but furnished at its point with a steel ring, 

 of the same dimensions as that at the end of the 

 screw of the boring machine. The ring is fitted 

 upon the point of the screw, to turn freely upon the 

 end of it. The blocks are held in between the 

 wheels, by putting the double print at one end of 

 each block against the double rings at the end of one 

 of the mandrels, and then screwing the screw in the 

 other wheel tight up, the block is confined be- 

 tween them. In this manner, the chuck being filled 

 with ten blocks, if they are turned round rapidly, 

 and a chisel or gouge fixed for them to cut against, 

 each will be formed to a segment of the circle in 

 which they move. This gouge is supported in a 

 frame, moving on a fixed rest D, which is curved to 



Block. Ma- 

 chinery. 



Shaping 

 m tthine. 

 Plate 

 LIX. 



