IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING HAY, STRAW, OR OTHER SIMILAR SUBSTANCES
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edwin Palmer, of Thetford, in the County of
Suffolk, Engineer, and Edward Palmer, of Thetford, aforesaid, Iron-
founder, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR CUTTING HAY, STRAW, OR OTHER SIMILAR SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 19th April 1859, and dated the 23rd October 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edwin Palmer and
Edward Palmer at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 23rd October 1858.
We, EDWIN PALMER, of Thetford, in the County of Suffolk, Engineer, and
EDWARD PALMER, of Thetford, aforesaid, Ironfounder, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR CUTTING HAY, STRAW, OR OTHER SIMILAR SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
For the purposes of this Invention we make use of a shaft or axis,
supported and capable of being caused to revolve in suitable bearings, and
carrying, by means of arms or otherwise, two or any other convenient number
of blades or cutters, having their length running in a direction parallel to that
of the axis, and their width more or less approaching the direction of their
circle of revolution. These blades or cutters are tapered off so as to form.
cutting edges in the direction of their length, and are adjustable (by means
of suitable screws provided for the purpose), so that as they are carried round
by the revolution of the axis, they successively pass and may to some extent
rub against a blade or "ledger plate" placed in an inclined position with

page_text: regard to the axis and revolving blades before named, and serving as a fixed
cutter, between which and the revolving blades the hay or other substance to
be operated upon is cut. It will thus be seen that the moveable blades
successively act with the "ledger plate" in the manner of shears, of which
one blade (the "ledger plate ") is fixed, and the other is attached, its edge
forming a suitable cutting angle with that of the fixed blade, by arms or
otherwise, to an axis, whereby it is carried downward past the fixed blade.
The ledger plate" or fixed blade is situated at the end of a suitable trough
or guide casing, into which the material to be cut is fed, and along which it
is drawn gradually forward, by means of toothed or other suitable rollers, to
the ledger plate, to be cut as described.
In order to give motion to the parts above mentioned, we mako use of a
toothed wheel revolving horizontally upon or with a vertical shaft or spindle,
and of sufficient size to allow one or more horses or other draught animals to
be yoked thereto between the shaft or spindle and the rim or periphery of
the wheel, and thus (by travelling in a circular path) to carry it round, and
thereby, through the intervention of a suitable pinion, and such other gecring
as may be necessary, to attain the velocity required to give motion to the parts
as desired. Or otherwise, the wheel, &c., above named may be dispensed
with, and the machine actuated by steam, hand, or other power. In working
the machine, the hay or other substance to be cut is fed into the trough or
casing, and is thence drawn forward to the fixed inclined blade or "ledger
plate," over which it passes, and is cut by the blades or cutters attached to the
revolving axis, as described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edwin Palmer and Edward Palmer in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 23rd April 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, EDWIN
PALMER, of Thetford, in the County of Suffolk, Engineer, and EDWARD
PALMER, of Thetford, aforesaid, Ironfounder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-third day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said Edwin Palmer and Edward Palmer, Her special licence that
we, the said Edwin Palmer and Edward Palmer, our executors, adminis-

page_text: trators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Edwin Palmer and
Edward Palmer, our executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING HAY, STRAW, OR OTHER SIMILAR SUB-
STANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Edwin Palmer
and Edward Palmer, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should par-
ticularly describo and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in
what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to bo
filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Edwin Palmer and Edward Palmer,
do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
For the purposes of this Invention we make use of a shaft or axis,
supported and capable of being caused to revolve in suitable bearings, and
carrying, by means of arms or otherwise, two or any other convenient number
of blades or cutters, having their length running in a direction parallel to that
of the axis, and their width more or less approaching the direction of their
circle of revolution. These blades or cutters are tapered off so as to form
cutting edges in the direction of their length, and are adjustable (by means
of suitable screws provided for the purpose), so that, as they are carried round
by the revolution of the axis, they successively pass and may to some extent
rub against a blade or "ledger plate" placed in an inclined position with
regard to the axis and revolving blades before named, and serving as a fixed
cutter, between which and the revolving blades the hay or other substance to
be operated upon is cut. It will thus be seen, that the moveable blades
successively act with the "ledger plate" in the manner of shears, of which
one blade (the "ledger plate ") is fixed, and the other is attached, its edge
forming a suitable cutting angle with that of the fixed blade, by arms or
otherwise, to an axis, whereby it is carried downward past the fixed blade.
The "ledger plate" or fixed blade is situated at the end of a suitable trough
or guide casing, into which the material to be cut is fed, and along which it
is drawn gradually forward by means of toothed or other suitable rollers to
the ledger plate," to be cut as described.

page_text: be hung a weight 1, for the purpose of causing the roller n to press upon the
material to be cut, as herein-after explained. Upon the opposite end of the
axis of the roller n is fixed a wheel 8, having very deep teeth or cogs, and
working into a corresponding wheel fixed upon the axis of a toothed roller t,
supported in bearings formed in the framing of the machine.
Figs. 4 and 5 (Sheet 1,) shew a modified form of the cutting parts of our
Invention, Fig. 4 being a view of the main shaft or axis and cutters alone,
and Fig. 5 a similar view, shewing also a transverse section of the feeding
trough or guide casing, and the position of the inclined blade (h) with relation
to the revolving cutters. In this modification the cutting blades f, instead of
being exactly straight and placed as in the preceding Figures, are slightly
curved, and placed at an angle with the axis c, thus forming an increased
angle with the fixed blade h.
The apparatus we use when the power of horses or other draught animals
is to be employed to actuate the foregoing is represented on Sheet 2 of the
accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 being a plan, and Fig. 2 an elevation partly
in section of the same.
A represents a vertical shaft, formed of wood or other material, and sup-
ported, so as to be capable of revolving freely in bearings B. The shaft A
is connected by suitable arms and braces to a rim C, constructed in this
instance of wood, put together in segments in such manner as to admit of
being easily taken to pieces, and having attached to its under side a toothed
wheel, consisting of a series of segments D, made of thin bars of wrought
iron, corrugated transversely, so as to form teeth or cogs, in the manner
shewn on an enlarged scale at Fig. 3, which represents also a portion of the
wood rim C, and the manner of attaching the segments D. This constitutes
a wheel, the teeth of which are not liable to the continual breakage to which
the teeth of cast-iron wheels when employed for such purposes, unless made
excessively heavy, are subject.
In addition to the support afforded by the vertical shaft A, the rim C is
farther steadied by rollers E, working on studs carried by stands F, G. The
number and position of these rollers may of course be modified as found
necessary, to ensure the steadiness of the rim according to its size, the
number of animals employed, &c. The teeth of the wheel formed by the
segments D, take into a pinion H, keyed upon a shaft I, working in bearings
carried by the stand F, and having a pulley J keyed upon its opposite end.
The teeth of the pinion H, instead of being solid as usual, are formed of
cylindrical pieces of wrought iron, the ends of which are supported and free to
revolve in suitable bearings formed in the two discs K, L, as shewn on an

page_text: enlarged scale at Figs. 3 and 4, the latter of which is a section taken trans-
versely through the rim C and pinion H. The horses or other draught
animals by which the wheel is to be worked are yoked within it, so as to
draw in the direction indicated in Fig. 1. It will of course be understood
that the size of the wheel, position of the arms, &c., must be made to suit the
number of animals required to be employed. It is obvious, that on the rim C
being drawn round by animals yoked within it, as described, a rapid rotary
movement will be imparted to the pulley J, from which, by means of a suitable
strap or belt, motion may be conveyed to the pulley a (of that part of our
Invention described with reference to Sheet 1,) thereby carrying round the
blades attached to the shaft c, and giving motion to the rollers n and t, thus
drawing forward and causing the bay or other material to be cut, as explained.
It is evident, that by removing the strap, and attaching a winch handle to
the fly wheel b, the cutting apparatus may be driven by hand, or that other
power than that of animals may be employed for driving it by means of the
pulley a, as also that the apparatus described for giving motion thereto by
means of draught animals is equally applicable for giving motion to machines
for various other purposes.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of our said Invention
we would remark that we do not confine ourselves to the precise forms or
details represented, but that we claim,-
Firstly, the arrangement of straight or slightly curved blades around a
revolving axle, so as to act with a fixed blade or bar in the manner of shears,
as and for the purposes described.
Secondly, the construction of wrought-iron toothed segments, as described.
And, thirdly, the general arrangement of apparatus for employing the power
of draught animals, as described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Edwin Palmer and Edward Palmer,
have hereto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-first day of April,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
TOWIN
DAIMED