Improved Sawing Machine


On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.


This is a machine for sawing laths, fence pickets and similar stuff direct from the log, and the improvements are such that its feeding and setting motions are perfectly automatic. In our engravings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the machine, Fig. 2 is a plan view, and Fig. 3 will be explained in the course of the description. A is the frame, having crosspieces, a, and carrying on one side a V-shaped way, b. and on the other a series of rollers, c. B is a rectangular carriage placed on the frame and provided with rollers to run on b, and arack, l, having a groove in it, runs on the wheels, c. At each end of the carriage a screw, C, is placed, fitted into bearings, e, and each is provided with a toothed wheel, ', around which there passes an endless chain, f, or they may also be connected by miter gear and a shaft. Each of these screws passes through a nut, g, formed at the lower ends of curved bars, It, which are connected to the uprights, i i, placed on horizontal bars, j, that can slide freely along the end pieces, k, of the carriage, B. The upper ends of i are connected by a crosspiece, I, which is slotted horizontally and has plates, m, placed in it, these plates being also slotted vertically, and having rods, n n o, passing through them on one side. Through the opposite ends of m pass rods p, provided with eccentrics. A block, r, is placed on each end of the plates to tighten up against. In Fig. 2 this upper work is removed, as it would obstruct the view of the other parts. By turning the rods, p, the upper ends of rods, n n o, will be tightly clamped against the crosspiece, /. The lower end of the rod, o, has a screw on it, which enters into the top surface of the log, D. The lower ends of n n, are bent and forked, and they are driven into the ends of the log where they are secured by hooks, s, entering into the top of tlio log. E is a vertical circular saw placed on an arbor parallel to a. G is a horizontal saw, also on an arbor, and the edge just touches the piano in which the vertical saw, E, is placed, Both these saws are driven by belts, v v. J are small shafts placed underneath A, and driven by a belt from the saw arbor. One of these shafts, J, has a pulley on it, and a belt passes over its outer end, this belt also passing around b', which has its axis attached to a vibrating plate that is pivoted to the side of the machine. A pulley, d', is attached to the opposite end of this plate, the bolt passing underneath it, and rotating it. To the outer sides of these pulleys, pinions, e' /', and to each end of the vibrating plate a bent rod, g', are attached. The upper end of these bars, g', is attached to a bar, L, which is placed loosely on a small shaft projecting from A, and on which it can swing loosely. The pinion of M gears into the rack, d. In 5 the side of the carriage, B, which adjoins the bar, L, vortical guides, j, are secured (seen in vertical section in Fig. 3) and between these guides a slide, lc', is placed, this slide having a roller, I', at its lower end. A pin, is also attached to the lower end of h', which fits into a slot in L. To the upper end of slide, If, is attached a stud, g", which projects out through a spring catch, h", the lower end being attached to slide, 7c', and is inclined to spring out against a key-pin, i'', which works through the outer end of the projecting stud, g"'. The upper end of the spring catch, h", forms Vl)owra'/;pro-jectingout, the inner end is made to catch on a plate, j", when the lever handle of key-pin, i", is turned down ; when turned up, it catches on a pawl, h", if the handle of the lever, a", is raised. The lower end of pawl, lc", is hinged to carriage, B, the upper end is thrown out by a small spring in the back of it, and is drawn in by a short arm, I", working in a staple or hook, m", attached to pawl, lc", said arm, I", is attached to a small rock-shaft, n, in the side of carriage, B, which shaft leads to the lever, a", and is connected to it. N is a shaft which is placed at one end of the .frame, A. The shaft is driven by belts, o' p', ona of which is a cross belt. N has a pulley, q', at one end around which a belt, 0, passes, and also round a pulley, T', on the frame and through loops on B, and also under a pulley, t'', on one of the screws, C. The outer end of the lever, /', has a pendant bar, c', placed loosely on it, this bar carrying a forked lever, ti", pivoted to the carriage, B. The inner end of the lever, a", works under a pawl, placed below a circular rod, P, attached to j, and provided with rack teeth different distances apart. To the outer side f of the frame, A, are two plates, Q (one being behind M), provided with a series of teeth. Two spring catches, S, are attached to A, one to meet each end of L. The operation of the machine is as follows: The log, D, is secured to the lower ends of the rods, n n o, and motion is given to the shaft, I. The two saws, E G, are rotated by tlie belts, v v, in opposite directiens, so that the log will not be affected by their motion. The feed is given to the log by the wheels, 6' and d', moving M, and its pinion operating the rack, d. The carriage has a reciprocating motion produced by wheels, d' V', being alternately in contact with M, these wheels being operated by the bar, L, which is moved in its inclination so that V has always to travel up it, and according to the length of the log, pins in holes, a'", push back the springs, S, and throw it in the opposite direction, thus reversing the motion of the carriage. The log is set to the saws, at each movement of the carriage by the screws, C C. This is done by means of the small forked levers, d", which strike against the projections on Q Q, at the end of each stroke. These levers, d", actuate a", and cause the belt 0 to operate /' on one of the screws, C, and the rack, P, is released so that the frame, i, can slide the exact width of the lath to be Cut. When one row or course of stuff is sawed off the log, D, it is moved to its original position, by shifting the belt, o', by means of the belt shipper, p'", from the idle pulley to the working pulley, the belt, p', by the same movement being also thrown from the idle into the working pulley. It will be seen from the above description that the machine works automatically, the log being fed to the saws in both directions, and also set to the saws at each stroke. It is the invention of J. H. Bachelder, of Rome, Mich., and was patented by him Sept. 29, 1857. He will be happy to furnish any further particulars

Scientific American Magazine Vol 13 Issue 29This article was published with the title “Improved Sawing Machine” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 13 No. 29 (), p. 225
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican03281858-225

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American

Subscribe