Improvements in Apparatus for Clipping Horses and other Animals, Applicable also to Reaping Machines and the like.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Mar., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 19th Dec., 1889-Accepted, .1st Feb., 1890
Improvements in Apparatus for Clipping Horses and other
Animals, Applicable also to Reaping Machines and the like.
I, ANDREW MUIR, of 18. Waterloo Street, Glasgow, in the County of Lanark,
North, Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to apparatus for clipping Horses, sheep, and other animals,
but is applicable also to reaping machines and the like. According to my. Invention
I make the cutters which clip or sever the hair, or the straw, or the like, act by the
one cutter passing over the other by a rotary movement continuously, in the same
direction. As applied to the purpose of clipping horses, I provide attached to, a handle
a dise of steel or a piece having a portion in the form, of the are of a circle which is
serrated or toothed into a series of cutters. On the centre of this disc or piece is a
stud on which is mounted another disc or piece capable of a revolving motion and
carrying knives or cutters forming the counter parts of the cutters on the aforesaid
dise or piece. Motion is given to the revolving cutters by any suitable means, such
as. by mounting a mitre wheel on the revolving disc or piece with which
mitre wheel another mitre wheel, gears. it being fixed to a shaft, mounted in
a support or bearing fixed, to the handle.or the bottom disc or both. This.
shaft may be operated by any suitable motor, such as by handle fixed on its.
outer end or by means of a flexible shaft. which allows, of the movement of the
apparatus over the animal, the said flexible shaft deriving its motion from any suitable
motor. In order to give a firm but yielding contact of the cutters I may use anti-
friction rollers bearing on the rotating, disc or series of cutters and caused to be
pressed thereon by springs which allow of yielding when necessary. The said rollers and
springs may be carried by a cover which protects the working parts. When my
invention is applied to Reaping machines or the like I employ the arrangement
substantially as herein before-described, the discs and series of revolving cutters of
any convenient size and number secured or fixed to a bed plate motion being imparted
to the revolving cutters by any suitable means, such for instance as by a shaft having
thereon mitre wheels to gear with wheels operating the cutters. This shaft can be
rotated by a toothed wheel,fixed to the driving wheel of the Reaping machine or the
like, which gears with a pinion on the shaft operating the discs..
It will be seen that by the foregoing arrangement the cutters operate by a con-
tinuously revolving movement and that the cutters in operation act after the manner
of shears.
of March, 1889.
JOHNSONS.
115, St. Vincent Street. Glasgow, Applicant's Agents.
Improvements in Apparatus for Clipping Horses and other
Animals, Applicable also to Reaping Machines and the like.
I, ANDREW. MGIR, formerly of 18, Waterloo Street, now of 17, Hill Street,
Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This Invention relates to improvements in apparatus for clipping horses and
other animals, but it is also applicable to reaping machines and the like, and consists
in the employment of circular disc cutters which are caused to revolve continuously
[Price 6d1

page_text: over the lower cutter or bed, the same being serrated along its front edge so as to
form a series of teeth.
In order that my Invention may be more readily understood and easily carried
into effect, I will proceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying Drawings-
Figures 1 and 2, sheet 1, of which are plan and part sectional elevation of my
apparatus as adapted to clipping horses, sheep, human hair, and such like;
Figures 3 and 4 sheet 1, being part sectional plan and elevation of some details of
the same; and Figures 5 and 6, sheet 2, are part plan and section of my apparatus
as applied to reaping, grass-cutting, and machines of a like nature.
In carrying out my Invention as adapted to the clipping of horses, sheep, human
hair and such like, I employ a steel or other metal bed plate A, Figures 1 and 2,
sheet 1, preferably shaped as a disc and serrated or formed with a series or number
of teeth, around a portion of its circumference, which forms the lower cutter, this
disc A, being attached by suitable means to a handle B, made of wood, brass, iron,
bone or other material. At the centre of this disc A, I mount a suitable stud or pin C,
which carries the top disc or cutter D, which is made of steel or other suitable metal,
and formed with a number of teeth or cutters, around its circumference, the shape
and size of which, as well as of those on the lower cutter, being regulated according
to the particular use of the apparatus, and if desired the teeth, of the top cutter
may be made with curved edges instead of angular as shown so as to give a greater
facility in feeding. This disc or top cutter D, is caused to revolve continuously
around the stud C, and over the lower cutter A, by mounting or attaching to it a
suitable mitre or bevel wheel E, which gears into another mitre or bevel wheel or
pinion F, keyed on the one end of a horizontal shaft G, which is carried in suitable
bearings g, provided in the handle B; motion being given to this shaft by any suitable
means, such as by attaching a flexible shaft to its free end g, thus allowing the
apparatus to be operated over the animal, the said flexible shaft deriving its motion
from any suitable motor; or I may operate the shaft G, by hand power, in which
case I mount a suitable handle or lever at its free end g¹.
In order to give a firm but yielding contact of the two cutters A and D, I provide
one or more anti-friction rollers H, which are caused to bear upon the top surface of
the top cutter D. by means of them being mounted in suitable arbors h, (shown more
particularly in Figures 3 and 4), which are pressed down by means of spiral, or
india-rubber springs h', and washers 2, the whole being carried in tubes J, provided
in the hinged metal cover K, which protects the working parts, this cover being
hinged to the handle B, at 6, and provided with a suitable holding down spring or
bracket L. which is capable of being easily removed when desired. The regulating
of the pressure on the said springs being effected by mounting suitable covers j,
on the top ends of the tubes J, and having a screwed hole formed in them so as to
allow a screwed pin or thumb screw 18. to pass through and lower or raise the
washer, as desired. To lessen or diminish the friction of the cutters A, and D, I
provide bearing surfaces d³, a², on them as shown in Figure 2. In cases where the
hair is desired to be cut at special lengths, as for instance, human hair, I mount a
depth regulating comb M. figures 1, and 2, made of brass, bone, ivory, or other
suitable material and provided with two pins or studs m. which pass up through
eyelets m. formed on or attached to the bed or lower cutter A, these eyelets having
suitable thumb adjusting screws m², for holding the comb M, at the desired distance
from the cutters; the teeth of this comb are formed in accordance with those of the
lower cutter A.
In carrying out my Invention as applied to reaping and grass cutting machines
and machines of a like nature, I form the lower cutters P, figures 5 and 6, sheet 2,
on the front edge of a bed plate Q. either by casting or otherwise, and made of iron,
steel, or other suitable metal; this bed plate extends across the machine and has
mounted on its top side a series of studs or pins R. which act as centres for a series
of steel disc top cutters S, and their driving wheels T, which are shown as bevel
wheels, working into bevel pinions , mounted on a horizontal shaft V, which is
geared in any convenient manner to the driving wheel or wheels of the machine

page_text: suitable means being provided in such gearing for reversing the direction
of the said shaft's motion. In lieu of the bevel wheels and pinions for driving the
top cutters, I may drive them by mitre, spur or toothed wheels, or by chain and chain
wheels, mounted either above or below the cutters as desired, in which case the
horizontal shaft V, is not required. The teeth of the lower cutters being preferably
of a shape such as is shown, and provided with suitable feeders or points p, which
guide or feed the articles being cut, into position for the top cutter's teeth, to cut
them. (the said teeth of the lower and top cutters being arranged in number and
size according to the size of the machine), the said teeth s, being preferably formed
with double cutting edges of a curved shape as shown at st, so as to enable them
to operate in either direction. In lieu of forming the said teeth on a disc as shown,
I may form each tooth separately and affix them on a disc, or to the underside of the
driving wheels' boss, by pins, studs, or their equivalents. Suitable bearing strips p³, s³,
are formed so as to diminish the friction of the cutters, and anti-friction rollers will
be mounted on the cover as herein before mentioned with reference to figures 3 and 4.
It will be seen that by the foregoing arrangements the top cutters operate by a con-
tinuously revolving motion, which causes them to act as it were after the manner of
shears, and as the said top cutters may be driven in any direction, they are thereby
always kept sharp, as when they are driven in the direction of the arrows,
figures 1, sheet 1, and 5, sheet 2, they are sharpening the edges a, or those edges
which are not cutting, and vice versa.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is.
First. In my improvements in apparatus for clipping horses, sheep and other
animals and which are also applicable to reaping machines and the like, the employ-
ment of circular discs having teeth formed on or fixed to them, and which are caused
to revolve over the bed plates or lower cutters which are also formed with suitable
teeth arranged as an are of a circle, substantially as described and shown in the
accompanying drawings.
Second. The general arrangement combination and construction of the various
parts constituting my improvements as applied to clipping horses, sheep, human hair
and such like, all substantially as and for the purposes herein before described and
shown in figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, sheet 1 of the accompanying drawings.
Third. The general arrangement, combination and construction of the various parts
constituting my improvements as applied to reaping and grass-cutting machines and
machines of a like nature, all substantially as and for the purposes herein before
described and shown in Figures 5 and 6, sheet 2 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 18th day of December 1889
JOHNSONS,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicant's Agents.