Improvements in Shearing Machines and Driving Mechanism for the same.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Apr., 1889
Complete Specification Left, Sth Jan., 1890-Accepted, 1st Mar., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Shearing Machines and Driving Mechanism for
the same.
I, JOSEF STEIDL, of the town of Hernals, near Vienna, in the Austro-Hungarian
Empire, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as follows
My invention relates to improvements in shearing machines and driving mechanism
for driving the same, and specially to such shears and shearing machines for men
and animals which consist of two steel combs arranged one above the other, being
operated by hand by means of a flexible shaft, the object of the same being to
produce a substitute for the noisy toothed wheel gear of the driving mechanism
hitherto used and which makes the horses, oxen sheep and the like shy, consisting of
a driving device operated by means of straps, cords or the like, through which the
application of an eccentric pivot for moving the one comb on the other is so arranged
that the penetration of wool or hair is prevented, the ploughshare like piece of metal
serving to divert the wool or hair from the shear; specially for sheep I employ an
important alteration of the shears hitherto used by applying a rib like strengthening
of the teeth of the lower shearing comb and leaving larger spaces between the
teeth of the said lower shearing comb and also a substitution of the flexible spiral
shaft by a corresponding flexible shaft consisting of short stiff links connected by
joints and arranged in the hollow space of a spiral shaft.
The driving device through which the shearing machine is operated by means of
a flexible shaft arranged in a protected tube, rests on a frame with rotary feet and
consists of a hand wheel and a strap drum keyed to a shaft on which a strap, cord
or the like from a tension roller runs, which latter transfers the rotary movement of
the aforesaid hand wheel to the strap drum.
In order to be able to increase the tension of the strap the bearing of the shaft is
arranged on the adjustable spindle in such manner that the distance between the
shaft of the hand wheel and the driving shaft may be increased as desired and be
fixed by a suitable screw.
The flexible shaft consists of a corresponding number of short cylindrical pieces
of metal connected by appropriate joints to each other in such manner that the one
joint stands at a right angle to the next following joint. The entire flexible shaft
is enclosed in an india rubber tube, said tube being stiffened and carrying fixed
rings in various positions, which, when rotated, will glide readily on the walls of the
elastic tube so that the said tube may be bent in any direction during the operation
of shearing.
The connection of the flexible shaft with the driving shaft is effected by the end of
the latter being provided with or given the form of a slotted casing with exterior
screw threads into, which the end of the shaft is inserted and then securely coupled
to the driving shaft by a coupling ring or nut. The same kind of coupling is also
employed for coupling the flexible shaft to the shaft of the shearing apparatus with
the exception that a slotted case which is compressed by a threaded ring or nut is not
made of one piece with the last mentioned shaft but is, as customary, connected to
the casing or shell by means of a set screw.
In order to reduce the friction of the shaft in the handle of the shearing apparatus
to a minimum, the same has only two bearings in the interior of the handle.
The end of the shaft which protrudes from the handle carries a disc which is
provided with a stud or pivot arranged eccentrically to the said shaft and gears
into a guide, so that when the shaft rotates the upper shearing comb will reciprocate
on the surface of the lower shearing comb attached to the handle. For reducing the
friction of the eccentric stud or pivot in the guide the same is provided with an
anti-friction ring. The construction of this shearing apparatus is admirably adapted

page_text: for use with all of the known toothed shearing plates for cutting and shearing all
kinds of hair and wool. In special sheep shearing machines or apparatus the lower
side of the teeth of the lower shearing comb is provided with rib-like projections;
the spaces between the teeth of both combs are somewhat wider and the teeth shorter
than those of ordinary horse and other shears. A plough-share-like piece of sheet
metal or other suitable material serves to lead off the cut hair or wool to the one
side and prevents the crank mechanism and the other parts of the apparatus from
becoming clogged by hair, wool or dirt.
Dated this 9th day of Al 1000
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
A conis.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Shearing Machines and Driving Mechanism for
the same.
I, JOSEF STEIDL, of Hernals, near Vienna, in the Empire of Austria, Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of my said 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 improvements in shearing machines and driving mechanism
for the same, and specially to such shears and shearing machines for men and
animals, which consist of two steel combs arranged one above the other, being
operated by hand by means of a flexible shaft, the object of the same being to
produce a substitute for the noisy toothed wheel gear of the driving mechanism
hitherto used and which makes the horses, oxen sheep and the like shy, consisting
of a driving device operated by means of straps, cords or the like, through which the
application of an eccentric pivot for moving the one comb on the other is so arranged
that the penetration of wool or hair is prevented, the ploughshare like piece of
metal serving to divert the wool or hair from the shear when specially required
for sheep employ an important alteration of the shears hitherto used by applying a
rib-like strengthening of the teeth of the lower shearing comb and leaving larger
spaces between the teeth of the said lower shearing comb, and also a substitution of
the flexible spiral shaft by a corresponding flexible shaft consisting of short, stiff
links connected by joints arranged in the hollow space of a spiral shaft.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is an elevation of the driving device,
Figure 2 represents the upper part of the driving device in side view and
section,
Figure 3 is a top view of the shearing machine,
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of Figure 3, and
Figure a transverse section of Figure 3.
6.
Figure 6 represents the foremost portion of the shearing machine with the plough-;
share-like piece of metal for the cut wool screwed to the same,
Figure 7 is a perspective view of the eccentric pivot,
Figure 8 is a perspective view of the teeth of the lower shearing comb specially
constructed for sheep shearing.
Figure 9 represents the method of connecting the links of the flexible shaft.
The driving device through which the shearing machine is operated by means of
a flexible shaft arranged in a protected tube, rests on a frame A with rotary feet a
and consists of a hand wheel and a strap drum keyed to the shaft c, on which
the strap, cord or the like 3 runs from the tension roller &, which latter transfers the
rotary movement of the aforesaid handwheel to the strap drum b¹.
In order to be able to increase the tension of the strap 63, the bearing 2 of the
shaft c is arranged on the adjustable spindle c³ in such manner that the distance between
the shaft to the hand wheel and the shaft c may be increased as desired and be fixed
by a suitable screw c'.

page_text: The flexible shaft & consists of a corresponding number of short cylindrical pieces
of metal connected by appropriate joints to each other, in such manner that the one
joint stands at a right angle to the next following joint. The entire flexible shaft is
enclosed in an india-rubber tube, said tube being stiffened and carrying rings of
rigid material d¹ in various positions, which, when rotated, will glide readily along
the elastic tube so that the said tube can be bent in any direction without hindrance
during the operation of shearing.
The connection of the flexible shaft d with the solid shaft c is effected by the end
of the latter being provided with or given the form of a slotted casing c¹ with exterior
screw threads, into which the end of the shaft d is inserted and then securely coupled
to the solid shafte by the coupling ring or nut es. The same kind of coupling is also
employed for coupling the flexible shaft d to the shaft of the shearing apparatus,
(Fig. 4) with the exception that the slotted case ", which is compressed by the
threaded ring or nut is not made of one piece with the last mentioned shaft but
is, as customary, connected to the casing or shell by means of a set screw s.
In order to reduce the friction of the shaft in the handle B of the shearing
apparatus to a minimum, the same has only two bearings at 3 in the interior of the
handle. The end of the shaft, which protrudes from the handle B carries a disc y
Fig. 4 which is provided with a stud or pivot g¹ Fig. 3 & 4 arranged eccentrically to
the said shaft and gears into a guide casing g so that when the shaft frotates, the upper
shearing comb will reciprocate on the surface of the lower shearing comb Dattached
to the handle B. For reducing the friction of the eccentric stud or pivot in the
guides g² the same is provided with an antifriction ring g³, Figure 7. The construction
of this shearing apparatus is admirably suited for use with all of the known toothed
shearing plates for cutting and shearing hair.
In machines or apparatus specially constructed for sheep shearing the lower side of
the teeth of the lower shearing comb is provided with rib-like projections, as shown
in Figure 8 the spaces between the teeth of both combs are somewhat wider and
the teeth shorter than those of ordinary horse and other shears.
A ploughshare-like piece of sheet inetal or other suitable material / represented
in elevation in Figure 6, in dotted lines in Figure 3, serves to lead off the cut hair
to the one side and prevents the crank mechanism and the other parts of the apparatus
from becoming clogged.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
In shearing machines consisting of two steel combs arranged one above the other
and driven by a flexible shaft,
1. Transmitting the motion of the hand wheel to the shaft c coupled to the
flexible shaft d by a strap, cord or the like, which is led over one or more tension
rollers, substantially as described and shown.
2. The arrangement of rib like projections on the underside of the shearing teeth of
the lower shearing comb, so as to suit the same for shearing sheep, substantially as
set forth and shown.
3. Enclosing the eccentrical driving device of the upper part of the comb by a
suitable casing g², so as to prevent the parts from becoming clogged, substantially as
described and shown.
4. Flexible shafts for shearing machines, consisting of short limbs or members
jointed to each other, said joints being arranged alternately at right angles to each
other and carrying fixed rings d', which said rings, when rotated, will glide on the
inner hose-like surface of a shaft composed of helical coils, as set forth and
shown.
Dated this 8th day of January 1890.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.