IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR THE SPLITTING OF CANE AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCE. PROAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Barnes Wilson, of Queen's Ferry, in the
County of Flint, and William Wilson, of Preston, in the County of
Lancaster, both Managers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS
OR APPARATUS FOR THE SPLITTING OF CANE AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCE.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Barnes Wilson and
William Wilson at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition on the 11th March 1862.
We, THOMAS BARNES WILSON, of Queen's Ferry, in the County of Flint, and
WILLIAM WILSON, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster, both Managers,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR THE SPLITTING OF CANE AND OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCE," to be as follows:-
The object of the improvements is to separate or divide cane and other
fibrous substance by splitting it in the direction of its length. For this,
purpose we employ rollers in pairs, with grooves around them, and in front of
these rollers opposite such grooves thereof we place knives or cutters in posi-
tions and of forms adapted to the number and form of the divisions desired to.
be produced. By causing the rollers to revolve and passing the cane or other
fibrous matter to be cut in the grooved. channels in them the rollers will
conduct the cane or other matter to the cutters, and the desired separation
will be effected..

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Barnes Wilson and William Wilson in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 10th September 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
BARNES WILSON, of Queen's Ferry, in the County of Flint, and WILLIAM
WILSON, of Preston, in the County of Lancaster, both Managers, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
Thomas Barnes Wilson and William Wilson, Her special licence that we, the
said Thomas Barnes Wilson and William Wilson, our executors, administra-
tors, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Thomas Barnes Wilson and
William Wilson, 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
MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR THE SPLITTING OF CANE AND OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCE,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Thomas Barnes Wilson
and William Wilson, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under our, or their hands and seals, or under the hand and. seal of
one of us or them, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be 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 Thomas Barnes Wilson and William
Wilson, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The object of the improvements is to separate or divide cane and other
fibrous substance by splitting it in the direction of its length. For this
purpose
we employ rollers in pairs with grooves around them, and in front of
these rollers, opposite such grooves thereof, we place knives or cutters in posi-
tions and of forms adapted to the number and form of the divisions desired to
be produced. By causing the rollers to revolve and passing the cane or other
fibrous matter to be cut in the grooved channels in them, the rollers will

page_text: Figures 1 and 2 show two side views, and Figure 3 an end view of appa-
ratus constructed according to our improvements; Figures 4, 5, and 6 shew
parts on a larger scale separately.
a, a, is the main framing; b is the main or driving axis, which receives
motion from a strap or band from a steam engine or other power acting on
the fixed drum or pulley 6 affixed on that shaft 6; 62 is a loose pulley on the
shaft, or axis b. Upon this shaft 6 is also affixed the pinion 63, the teeth of
which take into the teeth of the pinion c upon the shaft c', which is carried
by bearings supported in the segmental opening a¹ in the framing a, and is
capable of being set therein by set screws or other suitable means at varying
distances from the axis b, in order that pinions of different diameters may at
different times be applied on the shaft or axis 6 to vary the speed of the
pinion c. Upon the axis c¹ is also affixed a pinion c², the teeth of which take
into the teeth of the wheel d affixed upon the axis d', which is supported so
as to be capable of revolving freely in the bearings carried by the main
framing, and it has affixed upon it the pinion d², the teeth of which take into
the teeth of pinions e and f, the teeth of which take into the teeth of other
similar pinions 9 and h. The pinions e, f, g, and h, are affixed to axes e¹, f¹,
9, h, upon each of which is affixed a roller i, and each of these rollers i is
on its surface grooved to various sizes adapted to hold various sizes of cane or
other matters passed between those surfaces, and to act as conductors of such
matters to the knives or cutting instruments. The cane or other substance
to be split is first passed into one of the grooves or spaces formed upon the
rollers applied to the axes e¹, g¹, and thence into corresponding grooves formed
upon the surfaces of the rollers carried by the axes f¹, h, and by them it is
at once fed into a guide j affixed in front of and serving as a guide to cutters
carried by the adjustable frame k, which also carries the guide j. This frame
is shewn separately by external plan and side views at Figure 4, and by hori-
zontal and side sections at Figure 5; 1, 1, 1, and m, m, m, are cutters or
knives stretched across the opening j₁ of the guide; in two sets, one set being
behind and across those of the other. These two sets of cutters are adapted
to split the piece of cane or other substance lengthwise into sixteen parts, as

page_text: indicated by Figure 7; but the number of parts into which a piece of cane or
other substance may be split by these means may be varied .by varying the
number and position of the cutters. Figure 8 shows the end of a similar
piece of cane or other substance, but split into four flat pieces in one direction
only, as indicated by the lines across it. This variation is obtained by the
removal altogether of the cutters m, m, m. Figure 9 shows another form of
splitting obtained by the omission of the central cutter of each set. It will
be seen that the central cutter of each set is placed forward of the other two
to give clearance in the splitting by allowing more room for the thickness of
that knife, and thereby preventing the cane from getting fast between the
knives. The frame k carrying the knives and m. is supported on the frame o,
which is formed, as shown, to slide in the frame p, so as to be set nearer to or
farther from the rollers i, i, and the frame p is formed to slide on the fixed
bar
9, so that a guide and its cutters may be placed opposite any one of the
grooves of the rollers i, i, and be set close to them.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the means
which we adopt in carrying the same into effect, we would have it understood
that we do not claim the parts separately considered, nor do we confine our-
selves to the precise details given; but what we do claim is the adaptation
and combination of means for the splitting of cane and other fibrous substance,
substantially as explained.
In witness whereof, we, the said Thomas Barnes Wilson and William
Wilson, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eighth day of
·September, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-two.
THOMAS BARNES WILSON: (L.s.)
WILLIAM WILSON.
(L.S.)
THOMAS BARNES WILSON: (L.s.)
WILLIAM WILSON.
(L.S.)