IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING TURNIPS AND OTHER ROOTS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Perowne, of Great Snoring, in the
County of Norfolk, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR CUTTING TURNIPS AND OTHER ROOTS."
Scaled the 12th July 1870, and dated the 21st May 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Perowne at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 21st May 1870.
I, BENJAMIN PEROWNE, of Great Snoring, in the County of Norfolk,
3 do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING TURNIPS AND OTHER RooTs," to be as
follows:-
The object of my Invention is to ensure the cutting of the last
piece or slice of a root in process of being cut by a root cutter, and
my improvements are particularly applicable to root cutters such as
described in the Specification of a Patent granted to James Gardner, on
the 25th September 1834. In this class of root cutter a revolving barrel
is employed, having ranged around its periphery a number of knives,

page_text: each knife or cutter being of a much less width than the length of the
barrel; with this construction of root cutter the last slice or piece of each
root as soon as it is thinner than the space between the barrel and the
side of the hopper or casing which carries the fixed straight knife
drops down between them, and is not reduced by the cutters to the
proper size. To prevent these last slices from dropping down between
the barrel and this side of the hopper or casing I employ a row of
sliding plates passed through a slot in the side of the hopper, each plate
being pressed forward against the barrel by means of a spring or
otherwise. As each knife or cutter is by the revolving of the barrel
brought round towards the row of sliding, plates the sliding plate
opposite to the cutter is drawn back to allow the cutter to pass, and
when the cutter has passed the sliding plate is again allowed to move
forward and come up to the side of the barrel. The sliding plates may
if desired be provided at. their ends with friction rollers to bear against
the periphery of the barrel, and various arrangements of mechanism may
be employed to move back the sliding plates away from the barrel at
the proper times; but I prefer to effect this by means of pegs carried
on a roller which is driven by, gearing from the axis of-the-barrel, such
pegs being caused to act. upon. the sliding plates themselves, or on rods
suitably connected with them. Other like constructions of root cutters
may similarly have sliding plates applied to them, as above described, to
prevent the last slices or pieces of root from escaping without being cut
to the proper size.
1
SPECIFICATION-in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters., Patent, 25
filed by the said Benjamin Perowne in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 21st November 1870..
"
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN..
PEROWNE; of Great Snoring, in the County of Norfolk, send greeting,
r
WHEREAS Her most, Excellent Majesty, Queen,, Victoria,, by Her 30
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred, and seventy, in the thirty-third.
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs, and successors, give and..
grant unto me, the said Benjamin Perowne,, Her special licence, that I,
the said Benjamin Perowne, my executors, administrators, and, assigns, 38

page_text: or such others 'as I, the said Benjamin Perowne, my executors;.
administrators, and assigns, should 'at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and'
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR CUTTING TURNIPS AND OTHER ROOTS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Benjamin Perowne, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and inmediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Benjamin Perowne, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
The object of my Invention is to ensure the cutting and suitably
dividing the last piece or slice of a root in process of being cut by a root
cutter, and my improvements are particularly applicable to root cutters,
such as described in the Specification of a Patent granted to James
Gardner, on the Twenty-fifth September One thousand eight hundred
and thirty-four. In this class of root cutter a revolving barrel is employed,
having ranged around its periphery a number of knives, each knife or
cutter being of a much less width than the length of the barrel. With
this construction of root cutter the last slice or piece of each root as soon
as it is thinner than the space between the barrel and the side of the
hopper or casing (which usually as these machines are now made carries
a fixed straight knife or bar) drops down between them as a board slice,
and is not reduced by the cutters to the proper size. To prevent these last
slices from dropping down between the barrel and this side of the hopper
or casing, I employ a row of sliding plates or bars passed through a slot
in the side of the hopper, each plate or bar being pressed forward against
the barrel by means of a spring or otherwise. As each knife or cutter
is by the revolving of the barrel brought round towards the row of
sliding plates, the sliding plate opposite to the cutter is drawn back to
allow the cutter to pass, and when the cutter has passed the sliding

page_text: plate is again allowed to move forward and come up to the side of the
barrel. The sliding plates may if desired be provided at their ends with
friction rollers to bear against the periphery of the barrel, and various
arrangements of mechanism may be employed to move back the sliding
plates away from the barrel at the proper times, but I prefer to effect
this by means of pegs carried on a roller which is driven by gearing from
the axis of the barrel, such pegs being caused to act upon the sliding
plates themselves or on rods suitably connected with them. Other like
constructions of root cutters may similarly have sliding plates applied to
them, as above described, to prevent the last slices or pieces of root from
escaping without being cut to the proper size.
In ondon that
T
11

page_text: every piece of the root passing under the knives into the interior of the
drum from whence at one end the cut root is discharged.
What I claim is the combination with root-cutting machines of plates
on bars d standing in the path of the knives, but withdrawn to allow
them to pass, such bars serving to prevent parts of the roots escaping the
cutters, substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Perowne, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
BENJAMIN PEROWNE. (L.S.)