From the London Mechanics' Magazine. is formed of planks, four inches thick, frame L L in such manner as to make the HUNTER'S STONE-PLANING MACHINE, laid across three longitudinal beams DD, clutch operate on each tool alternately. T and securely bolted thereto. The two paral- is a pinion fixed to the end of the axis of Among the few exceptions to the universality of steam-power as a first mover, forin are about an inch thick, and faced which the pinion T works, V the axis of lel bars bb nailed to the surface of this plat-the pulleys PP. U, a spur-wheel, into which existed a year or two ago, by far with plate-iron; they serve as ledges with this spur-wheel, on which axis there is fixthe most important was its very limited in which to secure and steady the stones ed a pinion (not seen in the engravings), applicability to the cutting, dressing, and fashioning of stone. Many attempts had, by means of loose chocks of wood of which works into a sliding-rack W W, the different sizes. Where the longitudinal teeth of which point downwards. X X X X beams DDD of the platform rest or bear are the bearings on which the rack W W on the traverse-rollers aaa, they are strength-slides. Y Y is a strong beam fixed across ened to meet the extra pressure by under- the back of the rack W W, the ends of plates of iron e e e. To the bottom of the which project through the sides of the slidcentral beam a toothed rack fis fixed, which ing-tool frame LL. ZZ are two connectextends from end to end. ing-rods, which pass from the ends of the beain Y Y to the blocks in which the planing-tools are fixed, as before explained. E is a pinion, which works in the toothed rack fon the under side of the central longitudinal beam of the platform B. F is a shaft, to one end of which the pinion E is fixed. G is a ratchet-wheel, near to the opposite end of the shaft E. HH is a pall and crank attached to a cross shaft, supported by the standards 11, which acts on the ratchet-wheel G. I is a pin, fixed in the side of the traversing-frame L L, and which, as that frame moves towards the side Gz, catches the upright arm of the crank H, and presses it forward in that direction. K is a wheel, which, operating through the intervention of the shaft F, pinion E, and rack on the platform B, throws it entirely back when all the stones upon it have been planed, or returns it under the planing tools if any part of the work requires to be gone twice over. a been made some of them by machinists The merit of overcoming this serious objection, and of adding thus one more to the triumphs of the steam-engine, belongs to Mr. James Hunter, the Superintendent of the Leysinill Quarries, near Arbroath. After several years of thinking and contriving, and experiments without number, he has invented a power stone-planing machine, which is so ingeniously and judiciously contrived, that it cuts and dresses the largest blocks of stone not only with as much exactness as can be done by hand, but with so little injury to the tools, and with so much rapidity, as to leave all hand labor, in point of economy and despatch, at an immeasurable distance. We have before presented our readers with some samples of the wonderful capabilities of this machine, (see the Report of Messrs. Carmichael and Kerr, C. E., published in our 612th Number,) and we are glad to have it now in our power to lay before them the first description which has appeared of the machine itself, to which we shall add some additional information of great interest which we have been favored with by the patentee respecting its perform The machine, of which AA is the sole or foundation plate, consists of three principal parts; first, a platform, which carries the stones to be planed; second, two tilt or cant blocks, which hold the planing tools; and, third, a traversing-frame, in which these tilt or cant blocks are fixed, and by means of which the tools are brought into action against the surface of the stone. 1. The platform for the stones. On the sole or foundation plate AA, three rows of traverse-rollers a a a are fixed. B B is the platform on which the stones C C are laid; it moves to and fro on the rollers a a, and ed a s short lever q is keyed on, the upper end of which is slightly curved and toothed, and above it there is a horizontal screwr, which additional explanation. The platform beThe mode of operation requires but little works into the teeth of this lever q, so that ing filled with blocks of stone, the vertical by applying a spanner to the square head blocks m m are so adjusted that the roughof the screw r, the finishing tool may, ing tools shall strike each block of stone through the medium of the screw, the lever, as it passes under them, at such a depth and the tube, be adapted with the greatest below the top surface, as to sever and throw nicety to the surface of the stone to be planed off before them large portions of the stone and dressed. No such nice adaptation is at a time, taking care always that the depth necessary in the case of the roughing tools, shall be within such limits as that the line and to them, therefore, no such adapting of least resistance shall terminate in the top lever is applied. G, fig. 3, is the cover for surface of the stone, so that the fractures the pivots of the screw r. Two brackets shall all tend in that direction. When this are affixed to the face of the vertical sliding-adjustment has been made, the slidingblocks m m, in the manner represented in fig; frame LL is to be moved towards Hz, and 1, and two screws, t and u, are inserted as it traverses in that direction the slidingtherein, which screws serve to limit the are rack W W carries the cross-beam Y Y in described by the cant-blocks B K, BK, in the same direction, until the connectingturning on the studs hh, as afterwards rods Z Z have drawn the cant-blocks over more particularly explained. as far as the screw t, when the roughing 3. The traversing-tool frame. LL is a tools i and k' will be brought into operalarge sliding-frame, in the centre of which tion against the stone, and so continue till the working or planing tools are fixed, and the projecting stud or catch S comes in which has a space of about six feet to tra- contact with the crank R, and throws the verse in, three on each side of the position clutch off the pulley then in operation on to in which it is represented in the engravings. the other pulley, which will make the frame This frame rests on four wheels or friction-return in the opposite direction Gz. The rollers M M M M, affixed to the shafts N N, which revolve in brackets 0000. PP are two pulleys, which revolve on an axis fixed in the standards G G, one of which is worked by an open strap, and the other by are brought into play, and so continue a cross strap, so that they may revolve in till the catch S3 comes in contact with the opposite directions, and thus give a recipro- crank, and again reverses the motion. At cating motion to the frame LL. Q is a the moment of this last reversal of the moclutch between the pulleys PP, connected tion taking place, the projecting pin I also with the handle and crank R R, which are throws over the upright arm of the pall and acted upon by studs or catches S' and S2, crank HH (in a manner similar to the projecting from the sides of the sliding tool-yard-beam of a power-loom), and brings sliding-rack W W carries back at the same time the cross beam Y Y, till the connecting-rods Z Z push the cant-blocks over against the screw u, when the tools i1 and The stones, to the cutting and dressing Coals 61. 15 6 4,400 feet, at 9 10 6 forward the platform B with the stones for the chisel is applied, and this dazed portion ||ed for coals 158. (our local situation enthe next operation of the planing tools. has all to be rubbed off by the polisher be- hances this item considerably), and for inThe pall and crank H H falls back of its fore a sound face can be obtained. But interest of fixed capital, and wear and tear own weight into its former position, as soon the case of the machine-planed stones, the about 21. The calculation will then stand as the pin I recedes from it. When the surface is left in so nearly sound a state, thus :roughing tools are first brought into action, that the labor and expense of after-polishWages through the traversing of the frame L L to-ing is reduced more than one half. wards Hz, they commonly leave the surface of the stones in ridges, but the finish-of which this machine is advantageously ing tools being farther back, take off these applicable, must not, of course, be any of ridges when returning, and so on till the an exceedingly precious description-none planing of the blocks is completed. of the rarer marbles for examples; but about four-tenths of a penny per foot. It No time is lost in clearing the platform such as exist in so great abundance, that is more difficult to state what the exact of the finished blocks, as the men in attend- an inch more or less cut away from a sur-cost of dressing the same stones by hand ance on the machine are removing the face is of no consequence, and such too as would amount to. I may say, however, blocks at one end while the machine is at acquire their chief value from the labor with perfect safety of being wi hin the mark, work at the other, and a minute or two bestowed on extracting them from the quar-that the stones in question could not have suffices to return the platform. The frame ry, and dressing them for use. The sorts been dressed by hand at less than four LL generally traverses at the rate of 30 of stone to which the patentee considers it times the cost by the machine, and that feet per minute, and a set of stones filling to be most applicable, are sandstones, lime-his is rather below than above the ordinathe platform from end to end, can be planed stones and freestones, in all their varieties.*ry rate of difference. in about 45 minutes. As each tool wears The power and velocity requisite vary conit can be readily removed for the purpose of siderably, according as the stone is soft or being repaired, or replaced by new tools by hard. Thus, for example, the Arbrca h, loosening the adjustings-crews p p. which is a sandstone of very close and firm The master feature of the invention apgrain, admits of a degree of speed many pears to us to consist in the means provi- times greater than some of the softer sandded for so adjusting the roughing tool stones; and requires a power just so many (which have the roughest part of the work times less. Again, stone harder than the to perform), that they shall strike the Arbroath would require both the strength blocks of stone as they pass under them, of the machine and the power of the steainnot upon the surface, as usual, but at such engine to be proportionally increased. a depth below it, that the surface is driven off in large portions at a time. No only are two or three tools thus able to do the work of a great many, but the tools have time given them between each stroke to cool; or, to speak more properly, 'he strok are made at such intervals that the tool never get sufficiently heated and softened to lose their original temp ring. And hence this somewhat paradoxical consequence, that the greater the thickness of su face which the tools have to cut away, the greater will be their efficiency, and the less they will be injure for the lengths of stone driven off at each stroke will always be proportional to the depth of the cutting, and the rest given to the tools in exactly the same ratio. We are informed that, in point of fact, the wear of iron is less by one-half in taking off two inches at a time than in taking off half an inch. Another valuable though subordinate feature of the apparatus, is the ingenious manner of securing the tools in their places -the union of absolute fixedness while in operation, with the greatest facility for removing them as they are worn out and required to be repaired or replaced. The shaking or recoil after each stroke of th tools is stated to be so small, as to be hard ly perceptible to the eye. During the last summer there were six of these machines at work in the Leysmill Quarries, which planed upwards of 170,000 feet of pavement. They are worked by One steam engine of 6 horse power, which has to work besides two inclined planes, up one of which the stones are dragged from the quarry to the machines. "It was purposely left to the engineers to take their choice of any of the machines as they found thern in the ordinary course of working, no notice having been given to the men, nor any preparation made.— As it happened, the stones in hand came from one of the most indifferent strata of the quarry, and the results shown came proportionately below the usual average. "Had it been thought desirable to show off the machine to the greatest advantage, it might easily have been done, and without the slightest deception, very different results might have been brought out.Thus, on account of their great weight, large stones, such as landings, grave-stones, &c. are previously squared in the quarry; when laid on the level, therefore, they fill accurately all the space the machine traverses. We have before spoken of the Report of Messrs. C. rmichael and Kerr, C. E., on "Suppose such a stone, 12 feet long by the performances of these engines, and 6 broad, and 8 1-2 inches thick, and that it must here con ent ourselves with referring were required (an ordinary case) to be reour readers to it for some very important duced to 7 inches in thickness. I am quite and satisfactory details on this head. The safe in saying, that the machine will do attention of the Highland and Agricultural this in forty minutes, leaving the surface Society of Scotland having been drawn by so smooth, that 9d. in hand-labor would one of its members to this Report, their bring the 72 feet to a perfect polish. Secretary was directed to request W. F. Estimating as above the cost of workLindsay Carnegie, Esq., the Proprietor of ing four machines for sixty hours at 97. 10s. the Leysmill Quarries, to favor them 6d., forty minutes of one machine would with a statement showing the amount to 6d., but say an hour or 9d. as tive expense of machine-dressed stone and the cost of hewing 72 feet by the machine, hat dressed by hand." The following is that is about one-eighth of a penny per foot. an extract from Mr. Carnegie's answer to this application: compara wages "To bring the stone to the same state by hand, the mason would require to go "In the first place, looking at the Re- over it with four operations. He would, port of the engineers (Messrs. Carmichael to speak technically, 1st, ' dab it over rough and Kerr), it will be seen that the with a puncheon;' 2d, broach it close of the people employed in dressing 4,400 with a puncheon; 3d, 'scabble it with a feet, amounts to 67. 158. 6d. ; this includes chisel;' 4th, 'angle drove it for polishing.' the wages of all employed in laying on, In this state, in consequence of the bruisAn important consequence of the equa-dressing, turning, and taking off the stones, ing operation of his chisel on the face bebility of the force applied to the tools is. and also the wages of a person employed ing greater than that by the machine, it that the facing given to the stones by this in repairs and the construction of addition would cost twice as much to polish it.— machine is much smoother and sounder al machinery. To the above may be add-The cost of the above four operations, at than any facing which can be given by the the lowest estimate, would be 2 1-2d. per mallet and chisel. The surface of hand- *We are authorised by the patentee to state, that if foot. Thus the cost of hewing by hand wrought stones is always so bruised, or, irous of trying the applicability of the machine to any proprietor or lessee of a quarry, who may be de- and by machinery, would, in this case, be what is technically called dazed, to a cer- any particular species of stone, will forward a block as 20 to 1. tain depth through the unavoidable varie-of it in a rough state (carriage free) to Mr. Hunt r ties of strength and direction with which "In estimating the outlay by the maymar Arbroath.) it will be returned to him chine, ample allowance is made for the blaned and polished, along with an accurate report of he time occupied in the work, power applied, wear of handling of the stones, the chief expense in tools, &c. Or, parties sending to Mr. Hunter two the wages of the extra people attached to blocks capable of being turned into vases, according the mill, while nothing is charged for the to patterns or drawings sent therewith, will receive in return one vase along with a report, &c. free of charge. assistance the mason would undoubtedly "Leysmill, June 29, 1835." equire in setting up and moving this stone.ed as an experiment to a turning machine, rection is desired." We suspect that this If this were taken into account, it would go from which they are satisfied that it may is but an Italian resuscitation of some of far to double the comparative difference.' be applied with economy and advantage the many schemes of the same kind which After receiving the above information, to the turning of stone vases, and other oi-have le n broached in England-two or the Society thought the matter one of so namental work." thee of them in our own pages. If Signor much public importance, that they appointBrusce ti will consul: our 16th vol., p. 65, ed a Special Committee of their number to he will see what he has to expect, should repair to Leysmill, to "examine the mahe ever attempt to carry his ideas into chine in operation," and report the result of practice on a large scale.-[London Metheir personal examination. The Commitchanics' Magazine. tee consisted of the following gentlemen: Lord Panmure. Mr. Carnegie, of Craigo. quar The concluding passage of the preceding Report recalls to mind that we have yet one of the most valuable properties of this machine to notice-namely, that besides facing and dressing blocks of stone, it can be made (with the help of a lathe coupled to it) to turn, bore, and hollow them as well. Columns, ballisters, vases, drilled chairs and sleepers for railways, &c., may all, by this machine, be produced with a degree of accuracy, despatch and economy, wholly unattainable by hand labor. We mentioned in our notice of the last Meeting of the Institute of British Architects, "With reference to the statements con- (vol. xxiii., p. 349), one remarkable proof tained in a letter of date the 10th day of of this, which Mr. Carnegie presented to June current, from Mr. Lindsay Carnegie to that Society, namely, a handsome vase the Secretary of your Society, your Com-turned out of the solid block, in the course mittee are convinced that these statements of a single day's work, twen'y inches high, are fully borne out, and beg to submit the and eighteen across the mouth. But this result of their own observations-the fol- is nothing, we find, to what Mr. Hunter is lowing facts: Mr. Proctor, of Halkeston. This Committee paid a visit to the ries, accordingly, on the 29th of June last, and the following is their report to the Society: BRUSSELS RAILWAY.-The projectors of this Railway took credit for 100,000 passengers only, as the number that would avail themselves of it in travelling between this city and Antwerp; but although it has not been opened more than five months, the number already exceeds 200,000.[Brussels Paper.] From the London Mechanics' Magazine. SOWERBY'S PATENT IMPROVEMENTS FOR As the SECURING SHIPS' WINDLASSES. Sir, Many nautical men having complained of the want of publicity of many patent windlass in some of the distant ports, whilst it is being so generally adopted and making preparations to accomplish in the appreciated in those where it is known, I "There were put upon the bed of the course of next winter's leisure. He talks will feel obliged by your inserting the acmachine at the same time, three pavement-with great confidence of being able to piocompanying description of its construction, stones, in a rough state, and of unequal duce vases four feet high!—exact copies of action, and advantages, in your widly-cir thicknesses, the first of which contained 12 our finest antiques, in all but the orna-culated and valuable Magazine. superficial feet, requiring to be reduced two mental tracery, which must still remain to safety of both life and property, as well as inches in thickness; the second, contain- be done by hand. Of the ease with which the quick performance of the voyage, so ing 16 superficial feet, requiring to be re- holes might be drilled in stones by such often depends upon the security and efficaduced three quarters of an inch; and the combined machinery, the following extract cy of a ship's windlass, improvements in its third, containing 18 superficial feet, and from a letter, which we have seen from an construction are of great importance to all requiring to be reduced one inch and a eye-witness, furnishes equally striking evi- connected with shipping, and, consequentquarter; the whole of which stone, amount- dence. He is describing a first trial in bor- ly, to a numerous class of your readers; ing in all to 47 superficial feet, were reduced ing made by Mr. Hunter. "The stone," he to such the following may be found interand polished in thirty minutes, including says, "was old quarried and of the hardest esting, and for them it is more particularly in this the time occupied in shifting the yolk, and 5 inches thick, the bore 1 inch written, by diameter, and the time in going through the stone was exactly 2 minutes; it ran through it like wood" irons. "Your Committee beg further to state, that with a view of comparing the working of the machine and hand labor, they The Arbroath stone on which Mr. Huninterrogated Mr. Donald Mackay, master ter's machines have been hitherto chiefly mason and builder, in Arbroath, who stat- employed has been long in great request ed that to have accomplished the same for foot-pavements, market-places, kichen work in the ordinary way by the hand, floors, &c.; and now that it can be produced would have occupied a good mason five by means of machinery in any quantities, days and a half, at a cost of 15s. 9d., ac- will probably become still more and more cording to the present rate of wages in this So. It possesses this great advan age over part of the country; whereas, according to the Yorkshire flag, that it resists the damp calculations submitted by Mr. Lindsay Car-much better and dries more quickly; while Yours respectfully, THOMAS SOWERBY. Patent Winglass Works, near Shadwell Dock Basin, Fig. 1 is a section of the windlass body and side-view of the iron cylinder, which is firmly wedged thereon, with part of the flange broken off, to show the position of the patent iron pall and riding chock when riding at anchor. The pall and ridingchock are each made on the s gment of a circle, with teeth on their concave sides, negie, and which your Committee have ev-it is, at the same time, equally cheap. In corresponding with the teeth on the cylin ery reason to believe correct, the expense this point of view it has but one rival, the would amount to about 1s. 7d. der. Fig. 2 is a front view of the same, and Caithness flag, to which however it is, in part of the windlass body; also of the "In addition to the trial above noticed, uniformity and homogeneousness of tex- wedge bolt, which is inserted above the pall your Committee saw stones, of the hardest ture, vastly superior. In Scotland this to lock it when riding. The pall plate is quality, from different quarries in the coun- species of stone, painted and varnished, is bolted to the pall-bit, and has a bolt passtry, dressed by the machine with a corres- now getting into extensive use as a substi-ing through its flanges, by which the pall ponding advantage; and your Committee tute for marble; it is a great deal more du- is guided when working. The shoe or cannot close this report without expressing rable than Scagliola, and not half so ex-leck plat is also bolted to the pall-bit, and, their conviction of the great advantages to pensive. through a timber, to the deck, and has a be derived from the extended operation bol: through its flanges for guiding the ridof Mr. Hunter's machine, as being the WINDMILL SHIP-The Biblioteca Italing-chock, also a slit parallel with the deck means of preparing for the market as pave- iana mentions, that one Guiseppe Bruscetti, or guiding the bolt passing through the ment, a quality of stone, which, without an engineer, has constructed a ship which wood or riding-chock wedge. its assistance, could never be turned to ac- is propelled in the manner of a windmill. count, as also the great saving to be obtain-"The vessel has two paddles like a steamed by its application to this hewing and boat, and the mechanism of the windmill i dressing of all sorts of freestone. so contrived, that if there is any wind at Action and Advantages of the Patent Pall. Before getting the anchor, the ridingchock is ungeared from the cylinder by "Your Committee beg leave also to re-all, from whatever quarter it may blow, thriving out the wood-wedge by a short port, that by the same steam-power they vessel is propelled by the action of th saw in operation the same principle appli- sails, and may be steered in whatever di row or lever, and the lock-bot is withtrawn from above the pall. When the windlass is hove round, the pall rises and|ing-chock is raised by a lever, and the The whole apparatus can be applied to any ship windlass, and at a less expense than the common palls and the wood riding-chocks. It is more easily fitted, and not liable to get out of repair; and is peculiarly adapted to the use of chain cables. It has already been adopted on board of vessels from 30 to 960 tons register, including East and West Indiamen, English and foreign traders, steam-packets, cutters, &c.; and the reports of the many intelligent and experienced commanders who have it in use, and who have put it to the most severe and complete trial, are at once gratifying and conclusive as to the many great and important advantages it possesses. In short, all agree in allowing it to combine com'pactness, cheapness and security. Fig. 2. Fig. 3. We are indebted to N. SARGEANT, Esq., Editor of the Philadelphia "Herald," for the following cut and description of the "first steamboat." It opens anew the question as to whom belongs the credit of first applying, or attempting to apply, steam to navigation. thought favorably of it-a committee was appointed to exain:ne the papers and report and there the matter was allowed to drop. Foiled in this attempt, he applied for assistance to individuals; but at first, with no better success. Those who had intelligence to comprehend and means to aid his scheme, were cautious of embarking in a new enterprise which it was eviTHE FIRST STEAMBOAT.-The honor of dent must involve heavy expense, and the having originated the application of steam result of which appeared so uncertain. In power to propelling vessels has been so gen- 1786 he communicated his ideas to Voight, erally awarded to FULTON, that any at- an ingenious mechanic, who cordially aptempt at this day to transfer his laurels to proved his plan, and promised every assistanother may seem equally unseasonable and ance. Between June and August of this hopeless. Yet it is a fact known to many year he constructed a model, which worked of our citizens, that twenty years before to his entire satisfaction. By unwearied the great experiment of Fulton and Living- exertion he at length succeeded in interestston on the Hudson, a steamboat had been ing about twenty persons in his plan, and constructed in this city, under the sole inducing them to take shares of 50 dollars direction of a then obscure and still al- each. Even this was paid very reluctantly, most unknown individual. This individual and he found himself obliged to make apwas JOHN FITCH, by trade a watchmaker, plication to the State Legislature for furwho, in the year 1785, conceived the pro-ther aid. A letter which he wrote on this ject of making a vessel to be propelled by subject to Gen. Mifflin, shows how sanguine the force of condensed vapor. When the were his anticipations of the results he idea occurred to him, as he himself tells us, should obtain. He reckons confidently on he did not know there was such a thing as a speed of seven or eight miles an hour, a steam engine in existence; and his hav- and on being able to navigate the sea as ing entertained so vast a scheme, as that of well as rivers with his new invention. His constructing a steamboat, seemed to him application however failed, and he found afterward so extraordinary, that he attri- himself greatly embarrassed by want of the buted it to insanity. At all events, the requisite funds, at the same time that he eagerness and perseverance with which he was regarded by the company as pledged pursued the idea thus presented, evince no to persevere in his enterprise. The works ordinary degree of enthusiasm. Being ut- were commenced in May, 1787, and com. terly unequal to embarking in the enter-pleted during the summer. It was found, of his friends, made application to Con- parts, that the power of the engine was inprise on his own resources, he, through one however, in addition to failures in smaller gress for aid, stating as an inducement to adequate to propel the boat, and that it was the furtherance of the plan by that body, necessary to construct a larger cylinder. A the great increase of value which would be second application was made to Congress given to the lands at the west by this im- for aid, but failed. The cylinder, when proved method of river navigation. The made, proved imperfect, and it was conclusubject attracted much attention-many ded to try the old one in a boat of smaller For riding, the pall being locked, the rid-persons of high standing in Congress size. In 1788, the boat made a trip from ed; on which account it has proved particularly valuable to ships carrying wool, hemp, and other screwed cargoes, from many of which the common palls had been taken out. If the cable ride, or a handspike foul, the windlass may be immediately run backward by lifting the pall. It si always in full pall, and to meet a sea, or for riding or veering the cable, it may be instantly converted into an efficient riding-chock by inserting the lock-bolt, which effectually prevents the windlass from being moved either way. Of the Riding-Chock. |