Brick veneer cutting machine

An apparatus for cutting bricks comprising

• a frame,
• a turntable rotatably mounted to the frame,
• at least two brick saws having blades mounted at spaced positions around the turntable,
• motors to drive the brick saws and the turntable,
• a hood pivotally mounted to the frame above each of the at least two bricks saws and bounding the at least two brick saws to contain debris generated by sawing,
• water nozzles mounted to the frame to send water at the at least two brick saws to entrain debris generated by the sawing and a sloped surface below the at least two brick saws connected to a drain, to allow water and entrained debris to flush to the drain,
• at least two brick loading/unloading stations, the at least two loading/unloading stations spaced from the at least two brick saws with a retractable shielding bounding at least one of the at least two loading/unloading stations, and
• a plurality of brick gripping jigs mounted on the turntable,
• whereby a brick may be loaded in one of the plurality of brick gripping jigs at one of the at least two loading/unloading stations, rotate on the turntable past one of the at least two brick saws for brick cutting and rotate to another of the at least two brick loading/unloading stations to be unloaded from the one of the plurality of brick gripping jigs,
• each of the plurality of brick gripping jigs including a jig base having a side plate, the side plate having a lower portion positioned so it will pass under the blades of the at least two brick saws, and an upper portion positioned so it will pass above the blades of the at least two brick saws, and a plurality of clamping arms supported above the jig base spaced from the side plate, so that each of the plurality of clamping arms are configured to clamp different parts of the brick against the side plate independently of other of the plurality of clamping arms and at least one of the plurality of clamping arms is positioned so it will pass under the blades of the at least two brick saws, and at least another of the plurality of clamping arms is positioned so it will pass above the blades of the at least two brick saws, the each of the plurality of clamping arms having a gripper block, a roller bearing spaced from the gripper block, a pivot mount at a point between the gripper block and the roller bearing, and a spring to urge the each of the plurality of clamping arms to pivot toward the side plate,
• the frame having a camming surface positioned to act on the roller bearing of the each of the plurality of clamping arms positioned at the least two loading/unloading stations in opposition to the spring and cause the each of the plurality of clamping arms to pivot away from the side plate to permit the brick loading and unloading, and
• each of the plurality of brick gripping jigs also having a back plate adjustably mounted to the jig base perpendicular to the side plate by bolts that can be turned to adjust a radial position of the back plate on the turntable.

A gripping jig for holding a brick as the brick is moved relative to a brick saw for brick cutting comprising:

• a jig base having
• a side plate that has a lower portion that passes under a brick saw blade and an upper portion that passes above the brick saw blade,
• a back plate that is adjustably mounted to the jig base perpendicular to the side plate by bolts that can be turned to adjust a radial position of the back plate, and
• a plurality of clamp arms supported above the jig base spaced from the side plate, so that each of the plurality of clamp arms clamps different parts of the brick against the side plate independently of other of the plurality of clamp arms with at least one of the plurality of clamp arms positioned on the gripping jig so it will pass under the brick saw blade, and at least another of the plurality of clamp arms positioned on the gripping jig so it will pass above the brick saw blade, the plurality of clamp arms each having a gripper block, a roller bearing spaced from the gripper block, a pivot mount at a point between the gripper block and the roller bearing, and a spring to urge the plurality of clamp arms to pivot toward the side plate,
• wherein the gripping jig can be mounted to a frame that has a camming surface positioned to act on the roller bearing of each of the plurality of clamp arms positioned at a loading/unloading station to act in opposition to the spring and cause the each of the plurality of clamp arms to pivot away from the side plate.

A method of cutting bricks comprising:

• loading a first brick into a first jig located on a turntable in a first side station and loading a second brick into a second jig on the turntable in a second side station,
• rotating the turntable while operating at least two brick saws positioned adjacent the turntable so that a first of the at least two brick saws can cut the first brick that was loaded into the first jig on the turntable, and a second of the at least two brick saws can cut the second brick that was loaded into the second jig,
• wherein the first brick is cut as the turntable rotates the first jig from the first side station to the second side station,
• wherein the second brick is cut as the turntable rotates the second jig from the second side station to the first side station,
• unloading the first brick that was cut from the first jig in the second side station and unloading the second brick that was cut from the second jig in the first side station.

A method of cutting bricks comprising:

• providing a first loading/unloading side station and a second loading/unloading side station,
• rotating a turntable having at least two jigs located thereon, to position a first jig in the first loading/unloading side station and a second jig in the second loading/unloading side station, rotating a turntable causing roller bearings on clamp arms of the first jig to be urged against a first cam surface to open the clamp arms of the first jig to permit loading and unloading of a first brick, rotating a turntable additionally causing roller bearings on clamp arms of the second jig to be urged against a second cam surface, to open the clamp arms of the second jig to permit loading and unloading of a second brick,
• loading the first brick into the open clamp arms of the first jig against a first side plate portion of the first jig on the turntable in the first loading/unloading side station and loading the second brick into the open clamp arms of the second jig against a second side plate portion of the second jig on the turntable in the second loading/unloading side station,
• continuing to rotate the turntable causing the roller bearings on the clamp arms of the first jig to be released by the first cam surface to secure the first brick against the first side plate of the first jig, the continuing to rotate the turntable additionally causing the roller bearings on the clamp arms of the second jig to be released by the second cam surface to secure the second brick against the second side plate of the second jig,
• operating at least two brick saws positioned adjacent the turntable,
• cutting the first brick with a first brick saw as the first brick rotates from the first loading/unloading side station to the second loading/unloading side station,
• cutting the second brick with a second brick saw as the second brick rotates from the second loading/unloading side station to the first loading/unloading side station,
• wherein cutting the first brick with a first brick saw and cutting the second brick with a second brick saw are not simultaneously performed, and
• unloading the first brick after cutting from the first jig from the second loading/unloading side station,
• unloading the second brick after cutting from the second jig from the first loading/unloading side station.