Year: 1886

page_text: I, HENRY BURDETT, 20 West Street Southfields Leicester in the County of
Leicester Warehouseman do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
.
By means of my invention I provide a Machine for the purpose of cutting and
dividing cane, willow, and other similar materials into threads or scanes, and rods
of various shapes, either flat, round, square, or any other shapes as required for
making or working into chairs, baskets, or other articles. The machine has two or
more pairs of rollers made of wood, metal, or other material found most suitable
for the purpose, the said rollers are worked by means of cog wheels or chains. The
Splitter or divider is of a round shape, and contains a number of moveable knives
or cutters, fixed in a corresponding number of slides, the said kuives having a
projection at the front side of the inner end forming a belt mouth to receive the
material, and the said slides are held in position by means of springs, the slides are
dovetailed, and work in a groove also dovetailed to correspond with the slides. The
head or body of the machine is mounted on an iron frame. The Machine can be
adapted either to work by power or by hand.

page_text: I, HENRY BURDETT of N° 20 West Street Southfields, Leicester, in the county
of Leicester, do- hereby declare the nature of my invention for AN IMPROVED
MACHINE FOR SPLITTING CANE, AND OTHER LIKE MATERIALS," 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 an improved machine for splitting cane, and other like
materials, for more effectually producing strands, scanes, strips, or threads of cane,
willow, and the like for making baskets, skips, and working into chairs, and other
plain or fancy articles, by splitting or cutting the rods or lengths into the different
thicknesses and shapes required, whether flat, round, or square, in strips, or reeds
as may be desired and producing them smooth and uprighted by one operation,
and obviating the necessity of splitting or cutting, and further operations for
smoothing and uprighting, by the methods now in use. If it may be so desired I can
take off the outsides or peel of cane, and leave the pith, or inside fibre intact, and
to the shape required, so that both, the enamel or outsides, and the pith; or inside
fibre, can both be utilized in the same or other different ways. In order to effect the
splitting, or cutting of willow into strips, or reeds, one or more knives can be used,
or, in one operation it can be divided into as many equal parts by employing a
number of knives using both double and single knives, in one holder, or slide. For
different widths to be cut or split at the same time, the machine is constructed, and
the process of splitting or cutting is effected in the following manner. The cane, or
willow is placed in the mouth of a guide and passes through grooves exactly
opposite in the receiving rollers, which are made of a suitable material, and are
moved by having small toothed wheels at their ends working in a large one on the
driving wheel. It is then fed on to the cutting edge of the knife, or knives, or
cutters, fitting in their holders, or slides in recesses, in a disc, made to receive them,
and are held in a firm position on the front by a cap or plate secured by pins,
having in its centre a bell month. The knife holders, or slides, are held and followed
up from their outer ends by springs placed in the collars of the disc employed, and
secured by screws. The knife holders, or slides, and their recesses on their inner sides
are dove-tailed, that is, narrower at one end, than the other, that they are perfectly
secure and cannot be moved by any pressure on, or up against the knives. That my
invention may be more clearly understood reference is made to the accompanying
drawings: =
Figure 1. is a side view of the machine partly in section, and constructed in
accordance with this invention, the knives, or cutters a. fitting in their holders a
and in their dove-tailed recesses 6 1. 2. 3. 4. 5 & 6. cast in their respective positions
in the disc c. The cap, or plate d. is secured on the front by screws d³ the strips,
or reeds of cane e. projecting through the bell mouth of the cap-d' shewing that
all the knives are being employed at one time. The driving wheel e² can be propelled
either by hand, or power, the receiving rollers f. working from the cog wheel g. by
the smaller ones g₁ and are regulated by the set screws g² one on each end of
the uppermost roller, working in holes in the frame h, to a spring on the axle. The
springs h² in the collars of the disc c. are removed by taking out the screws h¹

page_text: Figure 2 is a front elevation in section of the disc c. and by preference cast in one
peice but may be in sections, or quarters if so desired, and having in the recess b⁹
a single knife, or cutter a. while in the recess 6 is shewn a double knife, or
cutter a to cut two different widths of material at one time. In recess 60 is a knife
holder or slide a¹ without a knife and shewing the screw a working from the top
to regulate the knives a. to the height required, by this means two thirds of the
circle is completed, and the splitting or cutting is conducted on two sides. The
cane, or other material can be evenly cut from any side, or can be cut in straight
strips, or flat peices commencing at the bottom, that is with the bottom knife, or
the cane, or other material can be divided into as many parts, by all the recesses
being occupied by the knives of as many sizes to fit into their positions to complete
the circle, or square of operation. Figure 3. is a flat view of the knife holder, or
slide a shewing the thick side of the double knife, or cutter a. with the screw a²
regulating the knife to come just above the top of the holder, or slide. Figure 4.
is a side view of the holder, or slide a¹ shewing the position of the knife or
cutter a. For properly splitting, or cutting the cane, without rending the same tho
cutting edge is sloped slightly down, if it was straight it would rend, not cut.
Figure 5. is a front view of the cap, or plate d. with its bell mouth d. Figure 6.
is the top portion of the knife holder, or slide a¹ with a peice of cane e. coming
against the edge of the knife, shewing a joint in the cane, which by my method of
splitting or cutting is not required to be taken off before the cane is put into the
machine. The flat reeds are taken off perfectly clear and even, and of any width or
of any thickness as may be wanted, more than one disc may be in a machine.
may have two or three and have one set of rollers to the whole, and several guides,
or one disc may be placed on the front of another for the purpose, if necessary that
the inside fibre coming straight from the cutting knives can be carried by having
carriers, or rollers, on the front of and between the two discs, that the inside fibre
can be further operated upon, and work different shapes and sizes at one and the
same time, and when two or three of the discs are placed parallel with each other,
the more rods, or lengths are cut simultaneously. Or if by preference it is desired
to construct them running the length of a room, or building, the receiving and
delivering rollers may be fixed on shafts, suitably fixed and a quantity of different
kinds of material worked up, and a number of the machines employed.
It
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
Firstly. An improved machine for splitting or cutting cane, willow, and other
like materials, with one or more discs, and taking off the peel, or enamel of cane
and leaving the pith, or fibre intact and smooth substantially as herein before
described.
Secondly. The construction and shape of the knives, and their holders, or slides,
with their cutting edges sloping down for the purpose of successfully splitting, or
cutting without rending or breaking the fibre.
Thirdly. The method of splitting or cutting reeds, strands, or strips of cane,
willow and other like materials-and uprighting them in one operation, sub-
stantially in the manner and for the purposes herein before described and set forth.
Dated this 2nd day of July 1886
WILLIAM BESTWICK MAXFIELD,
Agent for the Applicant.