An Improved Machine for Clipping Hair or Wool.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 24th June, 1891
Complete Specification Left. 21st Mar.. 1892-Accepted, 18th June. 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Machine for Clipping Hair or Wool.
I JOHN WALKER NEWALL of 42 Range Road, Whalley Range, Manchester
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This machine is of that class in which a cutter is moved to & fro over a comb
by means of externally applied power. The power is communicated as rotary
motion, it is converted into reciprocating motion by an eccentric working between
jaws on a lever or by a drag link or other equivalent device.
The reciprocating lever and pressure fork combined are so formed as to have free
motion vertically, horizontally & round the long axis of lever. This is effected
either by having a gimbal joint at the centre of motion, & the pressure fork to
rotate on the long axis, or all motions can be combined at one point by forming
the centre of motion as a ball & working it in cups or between two rings of anti-
friction balls.
Pressure is applied to the reciprocating cutter bar by means of a hinged forked
lever forced down by a screw or analogous means, and that part of the hinged lever
that gives the pressure may be made to rock in its seat.
Pressure is received on the reciprocating cutter bar either by a friction roller or
else by a small plate free to adjust its position or by a fixed plate. The cutter has
preferably three teeth & is made as light as possible. It may either be hollow or
solid, if the latter, the bearing surface is kept as small as possible with a rib at the
back to strengthen it.
Sometimes I put springs at the sides of the case to cushion the ends of the
strokes of the reciprocating lever.
. +
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Machine for Clipping Hair or Wool.
I, JOHN WALKER NEWALL, of the United University Club, Pall Mall,
London, 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 various improvements in the construction of shears or
machines for clipping hair or wool in which a cutter is caused to move across a
comb by means of a reciprocating lever, such improvements being fully: illustrated
in the accompanying drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is a side section and Fig. 2 a plan section of shears made on my improved
method.
Fig. 3 shows an eccentric pin, Fig. 4 a spherical segment, and Figs. 5, 6 and 7 a
sliding block, used according to my improved méthod of converting the circular
motion of a flexible shaft into the reciprocating motion of a lever.
In the drawings the shear is shown as constructed to be operated from a flexible
shafting, the bottom section 26 of which revolves in a sleeve or socket 32 hinged to
D
037

page_text: a corresponding socket 32× carried by the casing or frame of the shear, the shaft 26
being connected to the driving shaft 38 of the shear by means of variable bevel
gears 33, 33*.
The bush 37 which carries the hinged socket 32* at its outer end, is at its
inner end fixed into the casing 42 which forms the handle of the shear. In this
bush runs the driving spindle 38 having at its inner end an eccentric pin 43 which
by its revolutions causes the lever 44 to vibrate. This eccentric pin may either
carry a roller 45 with a rounded edge which works between the jaws of the lever 44,
or it may work in a similar roller which can rock to a limited extent in a seat in a
block 46 capable of sliding in one direction between the jaws of the lever 44.
This lever is pivotted in the handle of the shear and it is essential that the front
end of the lever which is formed into a fork 54 shall be free to adjust itself to any
variation in thickness in, or to any irregularity of parallelism between the top and
bottom of the cutter 47, without in any way interfering with the free reciprocation
of the lever about the pivot 48. The pivot 48 is formed as a ball on the lever,
which works between two rings of antifriction balls 49 held in seats in the
pieces 50, 51, of which 51 is adjustable by means of a screw cut on its outer edge
and locked by the spring 52.
The cutter may be made of any form for any special purpose, but for shearing
sheep it is advisable to make the lower cutter in the form of a comb of many teeth,
while the upper cutter has 3 or 4 teeth only. The top cutter is driven to and fro
across the bottom one by means of two pins on the underside of the vibrating lever
which fit into two holes in the back of the cutter.
In order to make a clean cut it is necessary for the cutters to be pressed together
with some force. This is applied by means of the hinged lever 56 which is pivotted
to the frame 42 at 58, and can be forced down to any required extent by the
screw 59 which is locked by the spring 52.
The free end of this lever carries a steel race plate 60 which can rock slightly in
a semicircular seat as shown. This plate is coned on its bottom face so as to match
the coned roller 61. It will be seen that owing to the coning and to the power of
rocking in its seat the face of the race plate will always bear fully on the rim of the
roller whether the lever 56 be above or below its normal position.
The antifriction roller 61 is carried on a journal 62 which works in two small
bushes 63 and 64 inserted in the lever as shown.
Now when the lever 56 is forced down by the screw 59, the plate 60 presses on
the roller 61, and pressure is transmitted through the lever 44 to the cutter 47.
It is obvious that the roller 61 and race plate 60 may be placed behind the
pivot 48 instead of in front of same, in which case they will be arranged to exert an
upward pressure upon the underside of the lever 44.
The extreme lower edges of the three fingers that form the front of the lever 44
are so curved as to form part of the same segment of a straight cylinder, or in other
words so as always at their points of contact to be on or form parts of a straight
line in two planes at right angles to each other, so that provided the top of the
cutter 47 is a plane surface each of the fingers will press on it with equal force,
however (within limits) the cutter and lever may be inclined to one another.
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 :-
:-
In apparatus for shearing or clipping hair or wool :-
1. The combination with the eccentric pin on the end of the driving spindle
of the shears, of a roller forming a portion of a sphere and which can rock to
a limited extent in a block which can slide in one direction only between jaws
at the driven point of the reciprocating lever which actuates the movable cutter,
substantially as specified.
2. A reciprocating lever for actuating the movable cutter of the shears,
such lever being provided with a pivot in the form of a ball or sphere which

page_text: is supported by or held between cups or rings of antifriction balls in the frame
of such machine, substantially as specified.
3. A race plate for transmitting pressure to the movable cutter of the shears,
such race plate being fitted so that it can rock in a seat, and the working surface
of which bears on a roller carried by the reciprocating lever which actuates the
movable cutter, substantially as specified.
4. A lever pivotted to the main frame of the shears and suitable means for
exerting pressure thereon, such lever having at its free end a race plate, preferably
with a conical working surface, to bear on a roller (the periphery of which is corre-
spondingly formed) carried by the reciprocating lever which actuates the movable
cutter of the shears, all substantially as specified.
5. A lever pivotted to the main frame of the shears and suitable means for
exerting pressure thereon, such lever having at its free end a race plate fitted in a
semi-circular seat, the working surface of such race plate being preferably conical
and bearing on a roller (the periphery of which is correspondingly formed) carried
by the reciprocating lever which actuates the movable cutter of the shears,
substantially as specified.
6. A pressure fork with more than two pressure points, such points being curved
so that the actual points of contact with the movable cutter of the shears on which
they bear are always on or form part of a straight line in two planes at right angles
to each other, substantially as specified.
Dated this 21st day of March 1892.
JOHN WALKER NEWALL.