BLOCK MACHINERY. 



615 



Block Ma- a circle, whose centre is in the centre of the chuck, 

 chmery. j t j s CO i, fined to move on this arch by a curved radial 

 *""""* bar E, fitted to c 'ntre on the floor beneath the ma- 

 chine at one end ; and having the utherattached to the 

 frame FF, which supports the tool. This frame con- 

 tains a slideryj moving in a groove, and at the end 

 carrying the tool g in a holder, where it is fixed by a 

 screw. The slider ha8 an axis or spindle, fitted per- 

 pendicularly in it at h. On the lower end of this is 

 a roller, which applies itself against a curved piece of 

 metal i, called a shape. It is fixed fast upon the 

 framing of the machine by a pillar at each end. 

 The roller is kept in contact with the shape by a 

 lever, centered at k on the frame F, and connected by 

 a short coupling iron with the slidery"; so that, when 

 its handle / is pressed towards the machine, the roller 

 is -kept up to the shape. G is a handle jointed to the 

 frame F ; aud, by means of this, the frame F, carry- 

 ing the tool and all its apparatus, can be moved along 

 the rest D, being guided by the radial bar E in its 

 motion. It is evident, that if the other handle I is 

 at the same time pushed forward, the roller applies 

 itself to the shape, and, consequently, the gouge de- 

 scribes the same curvature that the shape has. This 

 curvature can readily be altered by the following 

 means : There is a second shape m fixed below the 

 former, and, by a simple movement, the roller can be 

 depressed, by slipping its axis downwards in its 

 socket, so as to roll along the lower shape, and give 

 the curvature of it to the tool, instead of the upper 

 one. 

 Method of The mode of using this machine is as follows : 

 using the The ten blocks being all fixed in, as before descri- 

 thaping j )e( j ) an j as s hewn in the Figure, the frame F of the 

 gouge is turned to one end of the rest D, and the 

 chuck put in rapid motion by a band round a pulley 

 H, fixed on its axis. The workman, with the handle 

 G in his right hand, and / in his left, sweeps the frame 

 along its rest by the handle G, while he keeps the 

 roller in contact with the shape, by pressing the lever 

 / towardsthe machine. In this movement the gouge 

 cuts all the ten blocks at once to their proper curva- 

 ture, at least that face of each which is farthest from 

 the centre. When the frame has slowly traversed 

 the whole length of its sweep, the outside face of all , 

 the blocks are finished, and the machine is stopped by 

 casting its movement off from the mill: But, as it 

 preserves a considerable momentum, this is checked 

 by a steel spring at I, which is fixed at one end to 

 the frame, and then extends round a wheel fixed on 

 the pulley H, or rather cast in the same piece. The 

 other end of this spring has a handle upon it ; and 

 when this is pressed down, the curved part of the 

 spring incloses the wheel, and operates as a gripe, 

 to check the velocity of the chuck. When the mo- 

 tion ceases, the blocks are all turned one quarter 

 round on the small mandrels a by this means. The. 

 wheels a have each an endles screw, which turns them 

 round. These screws are cut in the ends of as many 

 spindles d, pointing towards the centre of the chuck. 

 At the ends of these, nearest the centre, each spindle 

 has a small bevelled wheel e fixed upon it. There is al- 

 so a large bevelled wheel K, which is fitted upon the 

 axis between the wheel A and the pulley H, so as to 

 slip freely round upon the axis, and when it is turned 

 6 



round, it is evident it will turn all the wheels, spindles, Block Ma- 

 screws, and mandrels, at once, and by that mean3 chmery. 

 turn all the blocks, so as to bring another face out- "" v 

 wards. This is not effected by turning the wheel ; 

 but, what has the same effect, the wheel is held fast 

 while the chucks are turned round. To stop the 

 wheel K, a catch L is employed. It moves on a 

 joint fixed on the ground ; and when pushed to- 

 wards the wheel, a stub, or knob, projecting from 

 its rim, is caught in a fork, or notch, at the up- 

 per end of the catch. The wheel is now detained, 

 and the attendant to the machine takes hold of the 

 chuck by its rim, and turns it round four times, 

 which he determines by a mark on the wheel A. 

 The bevelled and other wheels are so proportioned, 

 that these four times will make the blocks revolve- 

 exactly one quarter on their individual axes, so as 

 to bring another side of each outside. This being 

 done, the catch L is removed, the roller at h is shift- 

 ed by depressing its axis ; so that its roller acts 

 against the lower shape, which has a curvature suit- 

 ing the other side of the blocks. The machine is 

 now put in motion, and the tool moved along its rest, . 

 in the same manner as before described ; forming, 

 in this manner, the second side of each block. The 

 machine is now stopped, the blocks turned round an- 

 other quarter, and the upper shape is employed to 

 cut the third side, in the same manner as the first ; 

 which being, done,, the fourth side is cut in the same 

 manner as the second, and with the same shape. The 

 blocks are now completely shaped, and the ten are 

 removed to make way for another set, which are 

 treated in the same manner. 



The roller h, or rather the socket supporting its 

 axis, is not fixed to the slider f, but is fitted to the 

 same in a groove ; so that, by means of a screw n, 

 it can be moved along the slider. The effect of this 

 is, that the tool g projects more or less beyond the 

 shape, as is requii'ed, to cut larger or smaller blocks. 

 The mode of adapting the chuck to take in larger 

 blocks has been before mentioned. The same shapes 

 will serve several different sizes ; and if not, they can 

 easily be removed, and others substituted of the 

 proper curvature. 



The scoring engine receives two blocks, as they Scaring 

 come from the shaping engine, and forms the groove rnichine. 

 round their longest diameters, for the reception of Plate 

 their ropes or straps. A, B, (Fig. I.Plate LX.) repre- i-X> 

 sent these two blocks, each held between two small pil- l ''S- ' 

 lars a, (the other pillar is hid behind the block,) fixed 

 in a strong plate D, and pressed against the pillars 

 by a screw b, which acts on a clamp d. Over the 

 blocks a pair of circular planes or cutters EE are 

 situated, both being fixed on the same spindle* which 

 is turned by a pulley in the middle of it. The spindle 

 is fitted in a frame FF, moving in centres at ee, so as 

 to rise and fall, when moved, by a handle^ This 

 brings the cutters down upon the blocks ; and the 

 depth to which they can cut, is regulated by a cur- 

 ved shape g, fixed by screws upon the plate D, be- 

 tween the blocks. Upon this rests a curved piece of 

 metal li, fixed to the frame F, and inclosing, but not 

 touching the pulley. To admit the cutters to tra- 

 verse the whole length of the blocks, the plate d, 

 (or rather a frame beneath it,) is sustained between 



