Improvements in Apparatus for Shearing or Clipping Sheep or other Animals.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 10th Apr., 1891-Accepted, 16th May, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Shearing or Clipping Sheep or
other Animals.
We, CHARLES BURGON and HARRY BURGON, both of Malin Bridge near
Sheffield in the County of York, Sheep Shear Manufacturers do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention relates to improvements in the instruments for shearing or clipping
sheep or other animals, such as are described in the Specification of a previous
application for Letters Patent dated July 12th 1890, No. 10828 and it has for its
object to enable the crosshead or forked end of the vibrating lever by which the
reciprocating motion is imparted to the upper cutters to adjust itself freely to the
plane of the cutting surface of the lower cutters upon which upper cutters work,
and it has also for object to provide an improved means of adjusting the pressure
of the upper cutters upon the lower cutters so as to maintain a constant steady
pressure without requiring great nicety or care in making the adjustment.
In grinding the cutters for the purpose of sharpening, the original plane of the
cutter faces is liable to be departed from so as to alter its relation to the plane of
oscillation of the vibrating lever by which they are operated, and, in order to
maintain a uniformly-distributed pressure on the cutters, the crosshead or forked
end of the vibrating lever which bears on, and engages with, the upper cutters, and
which has hitherto been an integral part of the vibrating lever and consequently
not able to compensate for the unequal grinding above referred to, is by this
invention made separate from the lever and is pivoted thereto on an axis perpen-
dicular to the axis of oscillation or coinciding in direction with the lever, so that it
is free to adapt itself to the varying surface due to unequal grinding.
The pivoted crosshead or fork bears on the upper cutters at two or more points
and engages therewith by lugs in the usual manner, and, although pivoted as above
mentioned, remains, for the purpose of driving and applying pressure upon the
cutters, virtually a part of the lever.
The lever oscillates on a stud carried by a rocking plate pivoted on the main
frame or base plate and having a tail end or arm acted on by an adjusting screw
whereby the necessary pressure is applied through the vibrating lever to the cutter
faces.
In order to avoid undue friction and to assist the pivoted crosshead or fork of
the vibrating lever in compensating for unequal grinding, a spring is interposed
between the said adjusting screw and the tail end of the rocking frame.
By this means whilst the pivoting of the crosshead or fork enables it to adjust
itself to the angle of the cutting plane, the spring ensures that a uniform pressure
shall be maintained at all parts of the stroke of the reciprocating cutters.
Dated this 25th day of March 1801
CHARLES BURGON.
HARRY BURGON.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
"
Improvements in Apparatus for Shearing or Clipping Sheep or
other Animals.
We CHARLES BURGON and HARRY BURGON, both of Malin Bridge near
Sheffield in the County of York, Sheep Shear Manufacturers 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 the instruments for shearing or clipping
sheep or other animals, such as are described in the Specification of a previous
application for Letters Patent dated the 12th day of July 1890 No. 10828 and it
has for its object to enable the crosshead or forked end of the vibrating lever (by
which the reciprocating motion is imparted to the upper cutters) to adjust itself
freely to the plane of the cutting surface of the lower cutters upon which the
upper cutters work; and it has also for object to provide an improved means of
applying pressure to the upper cutters so as (whilst causing them to bear at all
times uniformly upon the lower cutters with the facility of self-adjustment as above
mentioned) to maintain a constant steady pressure sufficient to ensure efficient
cutting action without requiring great nicety or care in making the adjustment.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, and Figure 2 a part
sectional plan, of the machine. The same letters of reference denote like parts in
both figures.
A is the lower stationary cutter plate having the usual comb teeth a acting as
cutters in conjunction with the upper cutters which are formed on the upper
cutter plate B and reciprocated over the lower cutter plate A in the usual manner
in such machines by the vibrating lever C which as described in the aforesaid
previous application is pivoted on an axis c formed by a screw stud fixed in a
rocking base plate D, pivoted on a transverse axis d in the main frame E, the
lever being driven by a crank engaging with a groove f¹ and rotated by a
longitudinal shaft passing through the handle of the machine.
The necessity for the capability of self adjustment herein referred to is due to
the fact that in grinding the cutting faces of the cutting plates A B for the purpose
of sharpening the cutters the grinding is liable to be unequal at the two ends of
the cutter plates so that the original plane of the cutter faces is departed from, thus
putting it out of parallel with the plane. of oscillation of the vibrating lever by
which the cutters are operated.
In order to maintain a uniformly distributed pressure on the cutters at all points
of their stroke the crosshead or forked end G of the vibrating lever C which bears
on, and engages with, the upper cutter plate B (and which has hitherto been an
integral part of the vibrating lever and consequently not able to compensate for
the unequal grinding above referred to) is by this invention made separate from
the lever C and is pivoted thereto on an axis approximately radial to the axis of
oscillation of the lever or in other words coinciding in direction with the lever C
so that the crosshead or fork G with its three pressing points is free to adapt itself
to the varying surface due to unequal grinding.
For. this purpose the crosshead has a stem which is received in a corresponding
socket in the end of the lever C and is secured from falling out by a screw or
pin g engaging in a notch in the stem so as to permit freedom of adjustment in the
circular direction. We do not however, limit ourselves to this particular form of
connection between the crosshead and lever as it is obvious that the same result
may be obtained with other forms of connection.
The pivoted crosshead or fork G bears on the upper cutter plate B at two or
more points and engages therewith by lugs & on the crosshead entering holes in the
plate B in the usual manner and the crosshead although pivoted as above mentioned

page_text: remains for the purpose of driving and applying pressure upon the cutters, virtually
a part of the lever C.
The rocking plate D has a tail end or arm acted on by an adjusting screw H
screwing into a socket at the underside of the main frame E whereby the necessary
pressure is applied through the vibrating lever C to the cutter faces. In order to
avoid undue friction and to assist the pivoted crosshead or fork G in compensating
for unequal grinding, a spring his interposed between the said adjusting screw H
and the tail end of the rocking base plate D. By this means, whilst the pivoting
of the crosshead or fork G enables it to adjust itself to the angle of the cutting
plane, the spring h ensures that a uniform pressure shall be maintained at all parts
of the stroke of the reciprocating cutters.
It should be understood that we do not limit ourselves to the position of the
spring at the tail end of the rocking base plate, nor to its use in conjunction with
the adjusting screw H although such is its most convenient position in practice.
The invention comprises the application of the spring to the rocking base plate at
any convenient point in conjunction or not with an adjusting screw or its equivalent.
In conclusion we would observe that we lay no claim to the adjustable rocking
base plate D for carrying the pivot of the vibrating lever C as such is comprised
in the aforesaid previous application for Letters Patent.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is.
1. In the herein described shearing or clipping machine, the combination, with
the vibrating lever, of a crosshead or forked end pivoted to the vibrating lever on
an axis approximately radial to the axis of oscillation of the said lever, substantially
as, and for the purpose, specified.
2. In the herein described shearing or clipping machine, the combination, with
the vibrating lever having a crosshead or forked end pivoted to it, as described, and
with the rocking base plate carrying the lever axis, and with the adjusting screw,
or its equivalent, for regulating the pressure of the cutters, of a spring interposed
between the tail end of the rocking base plate and the said screw, substantially as,
and for the purpose, specified.
3. In the herein described shearing or clipping machine, the combination, with
the vibrating lever having a crosshead or forked end pivoted to it, as described, and
with the rocking base plate carrying the lever axis, of a spring so applied to act on
any suitable part of the rocking frame as to cause the vibrating lever to bear on
the upper cutters with the necessary pressure, as described.
Pated this Oth day of April 1881.
GIRLS SOL day o
HARLES BURGON.
HARRY BURGON.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.