Contour sawing machine

Claim 1

IN A MACHINE TOOL FOR PERFORMING WORK ALONG ANY PRESCRIBED PATH ON A WORKPIECE, THE COMBINATION OF: (A) CARRIAGE MEANS CONSTRAINED TO TRANSLATORY MOTION ALONG A FIRST PATH LYING IN A PLANE (B) MEANS ON THE CARRIAGE MEANS TO SUPPORT A WORKPIECE FOR BODILY MOVEMENT WITH THE CARRIAGE MEANS ALONG SAID FIRST PATH, WHILE ENABLING FREE MOVEMENT OF THE WORKPIECE WITH RESPECT TO THE CARRIAGE MEANS ALONG A SECOND PATH TRANSVERSELY INTERSECTING THE FIRST PATH AND LYING IN THE SAME PLANE, AS WELL AS ROTATION OF THE WORKPIECE WITH RESPECT TO THE CARRIAGE MEANS AND ABOUT AN AXIS PERPENDICULAR TO SAID PLANE; (C) A TOOL OPERATING ON A FIXED AXIS PARALLEL TO THE AXIS ABOUT WHICH THE WORKPIECE MAY TURN AND SO LOCATED WITH RESPECT TO THE CARRIAGE MEANS MAY BE BROUGHT WORKPIECE ON THE CARRIAGE MEANS MAY BE BROUGHT INTO ENGAGMENT WITH THE TOOL BY MOTION OF THE CARRIAGE MEANS ALONG THE FIRST PATH, MOTION OF THE WORKPIECE WITH RESPECT TO THE CARRIAGE MEANS ALONG THE SECOND PATH, AND ROTATION OF THE WORKPIECE; (D) CONTROLLABLE VARIABLE SPEED REVERSIBLE POWER MEANS CONNECTED WITH THE CARRIAGE MEANS TO EFFECT MOTION THEREOF ALONG THE FIRST PATH IN THE DIRECTION TO ENGAGE THE WORKPIECE WITH THE TOOL AND PRODUCE A KNOWN FORCE BETWEEN THE TOOL AND THE WORKPIECE AND IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION;