Year: 1886

page_text: I WILLIAM HOLMES WHITEAR of 102 Sandringham Road Dalston in the County
of Middlesex Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention consists of a mechanical contrivance for cutting or splitting wood,
whalebone, leather, cane, cork, and other substances into pieces of any required
thickness, and such mechanical contrivance can be worked by hand or any other
motive power and such contrivance I designate by the term or name "Gauge Knife."
The dimensions of the said Gage Knife may vary according to the size of the
material to be cut and method of working the same whether by hand or steam
power.
The said Gauge Knife is constructed as follows:-A block of hard wood iron or
steel of variable length is to be made of the required size and thickness of an
oblong shape in the middle part of it but reduced at each end' to form the handles
with which to apply it to the wood or other substance to be operated upon, or for
fixing to a machine.
Two holes are drilled through the oblong portion either in a diagonal position in
the oblong portion, or in line with the handles, to allow the pins forming the ends
of the knife to pass through.
The knife which may have a cutting edge at the back and front so that it may be
turned round and each edge used in turn alternately with the other edge is made of
a length coincident with the space between the two holes before mentioned having
the ends turned up to form pins. These pins are to be placed in or through the said
holes and are topped so that fly nuts may be attached to them for the purpose of
raising or depressing the knife according to the thickness the material to be operated
on is required to be cut.
To fix the knife at the required distance washers are supplied.

page_text: The knife is fixed on the lower face of the block either diagonally or horizontally
with the edge or one of the edges towards the operator and is set back from the
edge of the block so as to permit of the edge of the block to rest upon the substance
before coming into contact with the knife thereby securing the same thickness in all
the pieces to be cut. The substance to be cut is to be firmly fixed in a vice or bench
screw. On drawing the block by the handles towards the operator the substance is
easily and correctly separated by the knife.
The back of the block may be fitted with a diagonal knife to act as a planer to finish
the substance to be cut after the same has passed over the Guage Knife.
For the purpose of causing the diagonal knife or planer to work correctly a piece of
iron may be fitted over it to act as a guard to prevent the substance which is being
operated upon from curling or bending upwards.
The Gauge Knife and its setting or fixing upon the block may be modified in
various ways as may from time to time be required for the purpose of increasing its
efficient action and according to the hardness or density of the substance to be cut
or split.
Dated this Twentieth day of December One thousand Eight hundred and

page_text: Gauge Knife for Cutting or Splitting Wood, Whalebone, Leather,
Cane, Cork, and other Substances.
I WILLIAM HOLMES WHITEAR late of 102 Sandringham Road Dalston in the
County of Middlesex but now of No. 18 Abersham Road Dalston aforesaid Gentleman
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 consists of a mechanical contrivance, figures 3 and 8, of the
accompanying drawings, for cutting, or splitting, wood, whalebone, leather, cane,
cork, and other substances, into pieces of any required thickness, and such mechanical
contrivance can be worked by hand, or any other motive power, and such contrivance
I designate by the term, or name, Gauge Knife.
The dimensions of the said Guage Knife may vary according to the size of the
material to be cut, and the method of working the same, whether by hand or steam
or other motive power.
The said Gauge Knife is constructed as follows:-A block of hard wood, iron, or
steel, of variable length is to be made of the required size and thickness, of an oblong
shape in the middle part of it, but reduced at each end to form the handles with which
to apply it to the substance to be operated upon, or for fixing to a machine, as shewn
in figures 1, 2, 6, and 7, of the accompanying drawings; the oblong or middle portion
of such block is shewn by the letters a, a, a, a in figures 1, and 2, and the handles by
the letters b, b, on the same figures. Two holes are drilled through the oblong portion,
either in a diagonal position in the oblong portion, as at c, c, on figure 7, or in line
with the handles as at c, c, fig. 1, to allow the pins d, d, fig. 3, 4, 8, and 9, forming the
ends of the knife, to pass through.
The knife, which may have a cutting edge at the back and front, so that it may be
turned round, and each edge used in turn alternately with the other edge, is made of
a length co-incident with the space between the two holes before mentioned, e, e, fig. 3
and 8, having the ends turned up to form pins, e, d, fig. 3 and 8. These pins are to
be placed in or through the said holes, and are topped, so that fly-nuts, f, f, fig. 8,
may be attached to them for the purpose of raising or depressing the knife, according
as the thickness the material to be operated on is required to be cut.
Instead of fly-nuts being used the pins may be extended a sufficient length on which
may be fitted a cross bar, as shewn g, y, fig. 3 through which a screw h, fig. 3, fitted
and fixed to the upper surface of the block, n, fig. 3, 4, and 5, may be applied, for
the purpose of raising and depressing the knife. The cross bar may be fastened to.
the pins by nuts j, j, fig. 3.
To fix the Knife at the required distance washers are supplied as shewn at k, k,

page_text: The knife is fixed on the lower surface of the block, either diagonally, c, c, fig. 7, or
horizontally, c, c, fig. 2, with the edge towards the operator, and is set back from the
edge of the block, 1, 1, fig. 5, and 10, so as to permit the edge of the block, m, fig. 5
and 10, to rest upon the substance before coming into contact with the knife, thereby
securing the same thickness in all the pieces to be cut.
The substance to be cut is to be firmly fixed in a vice or bench screw.
On drawing
the block by the handles towards the operator the substance is easily and correctly
separated by the knife.
The back of the block may be fitted with a diagonal knife to act as a planer to finish
the substance to be cut, after the same has passed over the guage knife.
For the purpose of causing the diagonal knife or planer to work correctly, a piece
of iron may be fitted over it to act as a guard, to prevent the substance which is being
operated upon from curling or bending upwards.
The gauge knife and its setting or fixing upon the block may be modified in
various ways, as may from time to time be required, for the purpose of increasing
its efficient action, and according to the hardness, or density, of the substance to be
cut or split..
the
same,
Having described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of performing
I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected is ;-
1st. A mechanical contrivance or guage knife, for cutting or splitting wood, whale-
bone, leather, cane, cork, and other substances, substantially as and for the purposes
herein before described.
2nd. A mechanical contrivance or knife constructed of the materials and in such a
manner as that the knife may be raised towards or depressed from a given surface at
definite and measureable distances for the purpose of cutting or splitting wood,
whalebone, leather, cane, cork, and other substances of definite and measureable
thickness substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this Fifteenth day of July One thousand eight hundred and Eighty seven.