Year: 1887

page_text: I, OLIVER DWIGHT WOODRUFF of Southington in the county of Hartford and
State of Connecticut one of the United States of America Mechanic, 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 :-
:-
My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements upon that class of
meat-cutters which have a feed mechanism, a stationary cutter or cutters, and a rotary
cutter or cutters. In general, the objects of my improvements are convenience of
manufacture and of handling when made, efficiency in operation, and compactness
in form.
In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my machine. Fig. 2
is a horizontal section of its standard on line a a of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical
section thereof, partly in elevation. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the main portion
of the case. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the rotary knives and their supporting-
frame. Fig. 6 is an end view of the main shaft; and Fig. 7 is an under side view
of a portion of the case, showing the stop-lugs which prevent one part of the case'
from moving around on the other part.
A designates the main portion of the case, and B the perforated or open shell of
the case, which constitutes a series of stationary knives. At one end of the case A,
at its under side, I form an arm or bracket, C, having vertical ribs a a, and at the
lower corner I form a flange, b. The space between said flange band bracket C is in
the nature of a peripheral groove or socket extending part way around the case.
I also perforate the bracket for the reception of a bolt or screw, c.
The standard D has vertical grooves in one side to fit the ribs a a of the bracket,
as shown in Fig. 2, while its upper end is fitted to the peripheral groove or socket in

page_text: the under side of the case. The standard is also provided with a screw or bolt hole
which registers with that in the bracket C. The lower end of the standard may
be provided with any ordinary means for securing it to a bench or table; but-I prefer
to provide it with a clamp-frame, d, and clamp mechanism or screw e of any ordinary
construction, as shown, for securing it to the edge of a suitable supporting table or
shelf. By this construction of the attachable and detachable standard the case is
properly elevated for convenient use, and after use it can readily be detached from
the standard, so that the case may be less bulky to handle for cleaning and more
compact to store away. When wanted for use, the case can readily be attached to
the standard.
The cone-shell or cone-shaped end of the case may be screwed upon the end of the
other part. I prefer however to make the end of the main portion threadless and
smooth on the periphery, and a little inside the end on the under side, or other
convenient place, I form the stop-lug f, Figs. 1 and 7. The cone-shell is fitted
upon this end and also provided with a stop-lug, g. 1 prefer, also, to notch or
knurl the cone B at its base to assist in turning it around after it is slipped on,
SO as to bring the stop-lugs fg against each other, as shown, and thereby
prevent the cone from turning on the other part of the case. The lugs are
formed to resist that tendency to turn which the part B has when in cutting
action with the internal knives. In order to prevent the cone part from working
endwise of the other part of the case, I provide it with the set screw h, the
point of which takes into a conical recess in the part A, the same being a little to
one side of the central point of the screw, so as to obtain a drawing effect, as shown
in Fig. 3.
Instead of making the inner face of the cone of a taper from end to end, corre-
sponding to the taper of the knife-frame, I enlarge the smaller end, so that it is of a
greater diameter than the smaller end of the knife-frame, as shown in Fig. 3, thereby
preventing the formation of a shoulder on the inside of the cone by wear."
The knives may be permanently secured to the head E at the end of the feed-
screw F; but I prefer to connect them to rings, making them as a whole in the
form of an attachable and detachable knife-frame or composite cutter.
In order to
make this composite cutter or knife-frame rotate with the feed-screw, I form lugs km,
which engage notches in the screw and head, (see Figs. 3 and 5) the knife-frame
being fitted somewhat loosely thereon, so that it may move a little to or from the
centre of the shaft and adjust itself. to the inside of the cone. The smaller ring
of the knife-frame bears against a shoulder on the shaft at the outer end of the
head E, so as to hold the knives against an endwise movement away from the inner
face of the cone part B, as shown in Fig. 3. The larger ring of the knife-frame
I chamfer on the inside to a thin edge, so that it does not obstruct the passage of
the meat from the feed-screw groove to the cam-groove in the head E. It is not
necessary to chamfer this ring all the way around for this purpose; but it is just
as well to do so.
The ring at the small end of the knife-frame is made large enough to slip over
the adjusting-collar n on the end of the feed-screw shaft, and is also slotted to pass
the head of the set-screw o, which holds said collar on the shaft (see Fig. 3). Said
screw and slot also serve as an index to indicate the proper position of the knife-
frame in putting it in place. The set-screw o has its end bearing against a flat seat
on the shaft, and by setting the collar in proper position the outer end of the cone
part will bear against said collar, so that the set-screw h, which secures part B, will
not draw the cone shell too closely against the knives i. By this means the proper
cutting contact may be regulated. This is quite important, as it prevents undue
pressure of the knives and cone, so that they will not heat, even when the machine is
run rapidly by power. Furthermore, it removes, in a great measure, the wear of the
knives on the inner face of the cone.
I make two improvements in the feed, whereby I am enabled to better cut the meat
preparatory to the action of the knives within the cone shell, and also to feed
efficiently with a much shorter case than heretofore. The first of these improvements

page_text: resides in making that section or portion of the several spiral ribs q which is acted on
by the feed-screw immediately before the screw reaches the fixed longitudinal knife r
at the bottom of the case of a much less inclination or pitch than the pitch of the ribs
for the remainder of their length. The meat as it passes through the hopper is
caught upon the feed-screw and pressed against the ribs on the inside of the case.
In the main it is first pressed against the portion of the ribs having the lesser
pitch, and at practically the same time it is carried against the longitudinal knife
for cutting it into shorter pieces. By making this portion of the ribs with only a
slight pitch the meat is not crowded along very fast until plenty of time has been
given for the feed-screw and knife r to act; but so soon as they have acted to cut off
pieces of meat the meat thus freed is forced against the more inclined portion of the
ribs and fed faster through the case.
The second of the improvements in the feed consists in making the case (wherein
are fitted the ribs in any suitable way) parallel, which has hitherto not been
usual, the said ribs having been formed by cutting a circular spiral groove in the
caseing thus making the inside surface of the case non-parallel between the said
ribs 9. The ribs are set rather more than at right angles to the case, and incline
slightly towards the discharge end of the machine as indicated at q', Fig. 4. This
arrangement of the ribs causes them to take a better hold upon the meat, whilst
making the case with a parallel inside surface tends to assist the feed of the
meat to the discharge of the machine, thus rendering a short case as effective as a
longer one.
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 :-
1. In a meat-cutter, the combination of the case having the bracket and socket,
said bracket being provided with the ribs aa, the standard D, fitted to said bracket
and socket and having grooves or recesses for said ribs, and the fastening-screw for
securing said standard and bracket together, substantially as described, and for the
purpose specified.
2. In a meat-cutter, the combination of the driving-shaft, the two parts A B of
the case, each having a bearing for one end of said shaft, said parts being adapted to
shut one over the other on a smooth surface and having the stop-lugs to prevent
rotation, and means to prevent one part from moving longitudinally off from the other,
substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.
3. In a meat-cutter, the combination of the two-part case A B, adapted to shut one
over the other, the feed-screw shaft carrying the peripheral knives, and the
adjusting-collar n on the end of the shaft inside of the part B, to regulate the
distance that part B shall be slipped upon part A, substantially as described, and
for the purpose specified.
4. In a meat-cutter, in combination, a feed-screw, a knife-frame or composite
cutter consisting of peripheral knives mounted upon or connected by rings, said
cutter being detachably mounted on and fitted somewhat loosely upon said screw-
shaft at or near its end, and adapted in the revolution of the screw to be revolved
therewith, and a shell provided with a perforated wall, the inner surface of said
perforated wall being in close contact with the cutting-edges of the knives, as
specified.
5. The combination of the two-part case A B, the feed-screw F, having the
head E, provided with a shoulder on the outer end thereof, and the attachable and
detachable knife-frame consisting of the larger and smaller rings and interposed
knives, the smaller ring of the knife-frame acting against the shoulder on the head
of the screw-shaft to hold said frame in position within the part B, substantially as
described, and for the purpose specified.
6. In a meat-cutter, the combination of the feed-screw shaft, the peripheral knives
mounted on and moving with said shaft, a collar, n, also mounted on and moving
with said shaft, the two parts of the case each having a bearing for one end of said
shaft, the part B, bearing against the side of said shoulder, and the set-screw h, for

page_text: holding the part B up against said shoulder, whereby the interior of the cone part B
is held in proper relation to the peripheral knives, substantially as described.
7. The combination of the two-part case A B, the driving-shaft having the feed-
screw F and the head E, and the knife-frame consisting of the larger and smaller
rings, and intervening cutters fitted to said head at the end of said screw, and having
the ring at the larger end chamfered on the inside of the point where the groove of
the feed-screw joins the head E, substantially as described, and for the purpose
specified.
8. In a meat-cutter, the combination of the feed-screw shaft, the set of peripheral
knives arranged in cone form, and the perforated cone-shell having its inner face
tapered to fit said knives for their operating length and then enlarged at the smaller
end, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 17th day of September 1887
HORN & SON,
Agents on behalf of Applicant.