IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLIPPING OR SHEARING HORSES AND OTHER ANIMALS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of Baker Street, Portman Square,
in the County of Middlesex, Blacking Manufacturer, for the In-
vention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLIPPING OR SHEARING
HORSES AND OTHER ANIMALS."
Scaled the 30th April 1869, and dated the 3rd March 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd March 1869.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of Baker Street, Portman Square, in the County
of Middlesex, Blacking Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLIPPING OR
SHEARING HORSES AND OTHER ANIMALS," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to improvements in apparatus for clipping or
shearing horses and other animals, in which a set of reciprocating
cutters is employed working on a fixed comb toothed plate, and is
intended to facilitate and accelerate the clipping or shearing operation.

page_text: According to my Invention I impart the reciprocating motion to the
upper plate by means of a lever pivoted on the lower plate and con-
nected with the upper plate by a pin fixed on the latter, working in
a slot in the end of the lever. The other end of this lever works in
a zig-zag cam groove formed on the periphery of a cylinder mounted
in bearings at the rear of the comb plate. On the axis of this cam
cylinder I key a pinion with which gears a spur wheel mounted in
suitable bearings, or I may use endless chain or band gearing operated
in each case by a winch handle or otherwise, by which means the cam
is rotated, thus imparting to the cutter plate the reciprocating motion
required. Instead of making the cam groove on the periphery of a
cylinder it may be formed on the face of a disc having a vertical axis,
in which case bevil gearing would be employed for transmitting the
motion to the cutters.
I further provide one or more reservoirs or cups to contain oil for
lubricating the apparatus. These oil cups I fix on the cutter plate
which is perforated to allow the oil to pass from the cups between
the plates in order to keep the cutters perfectly lubricated in a self-
acting manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 31st August 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARK, of Baker Street, Portman Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Blacking Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Third day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Clark, Her special licence
that I, the said William Clark, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Clark, 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

page_text: 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
APPARATUS FOR CLIPPING OR SHEARING HORSES AND OTHER ANIMALS," upon the
conditiou (amongst others) that I, the said William Clark, my executors
er 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 immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent..
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Clark, 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, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings
hereunto annexed, and to the letters. and figures. marked. thereon
(that is to say):
My Invention relates to improvements. in. apparatus for clipping or
shearing horses or other animals in which a set of reciprocating cutters
is, employed working on a fixed.comb toothed. plate and is intended. to.
facilitate and accelerate the clipping, or shearing operation..
According to my Invention I. impart reciprocating. motion to the
upper cutter plate by means of a lever pivoted on the lower plate and
connected with the upper plate by a pin fixed on the latter.. The other
end of this lever works in a zig-zag cam groove formed on the periphery.
of a cylinder mounted in bearings at the rear of the comb plate; or
the cam may be formed of a disc or plate bent of the zig-zag form
desired. On the axis of this cylinder or cam I key a pinion and gear
it with a spur wheel mounted in suitable bearings,, or I may use endless.
chain band or friction gearing, operated in each case by a winch handle.
or otherwise, by which means the cam is rotated, thus imparting to the
cutter plate the reciprocating motion required; or I may dispense with
the cog wheels, applying a winch handle or other means for driving
the cam direct. Instead of making the cam groove in the periphery
of a cylinder it may be formed on the face of a disc having a vertical
axis, in which case bevil gearing would be employed for imparting
motion to the cam grooved disc. I may also mount a cam on the

page_text: vertical axis above mentioned, working in a fork or slot in the end
of the lever before referred to, for producing the reciprocating motion.
of the cutters..
In some cases I may employ more than one cam for imparting the
reciprocating motion to the cutter plate mounted on the same or
separate spindles and each operating a lever connected with the cutter.
plate as before described.
"
In order to facilitate the motion of the upper plate on the lower.
one I may make use of one or more small spheres of any suitable
material, working in a groove formed in the lower plate, the top plate
resting on the said spheres.
I further provide one or more reservoirs or cups to contain oil for
lubricating the apparatus. These oil cups I fix on the cutter plate
which is preferably perforated to allow the oil to pass from the cups
between the plates in order to keep the cutters perfectly lubricated in
a self-acting manner, or instead of the reservoir (or reservoirs) of oil
being fixed on the upper plate it may be placed in any other convenient
position, and preferably in the handle and connected by a tube or tubes
with the cutter plate as aforesaid.
Instead of the cam being made to act continuously on the lever as
above described I may fix a projection at each angle of said cam,
which projections alternately strike the lever to the right or to the left.
Further, the lever if desired may be acted on by one side of the cam and
in one direction only, a spring being provided to keep it up against
said cam and effect the return stroke of the cutters. When employing
band gearing I may mount one band pulley so as to run loose, upon
its axis unless pressed into gear by the operator.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
In the accompanying Drawings Figure 1 shows a side elevation, and
Figure 2 a plan of my improved clipping or shearing apparatus.
a is the upper plate provided with a set of cutters as usual, working
over the comb teeth of the lower or fixed plate b, to which plate it is.
connected by means of pins or screws working in slots in the usual

page_text: plate. The other end f of lever c is forked, as seen, and operated on
by a zig-zag cam g keyed on an axis h, mounted in bearings on the
bent plate 6¹ carrying the various parts and attached to the handle m,
as seen. Instead of the cam g being a disc. bent to the required. form
it may be a cylinder or disc 'having a cam groove on its periphery, as
seen separately in Figure 2, in which the end of lever c would work.
In either case the end may be provided with a friction roller or
rollers, which may be faced with india-rubber if required to deaden
the noise produced by the contact with the zig-zag cam.. On axis h
I key a wheel or pinion i to gear with a spur wheel j, also mounted in
bearings at the rear of the comb plate b, as seen. Instead of using
gear wheels i and
endless chain, band, or frictional gearing may be
employed for imparting motion to the cam operating the cutters. k
is a winch handle for operating the gearing, or other means may be
employed to rotate the cam g, and thereby oscillate the lever c for
imparting the reciprocating motion to the cutter plate a.
Figure 3 is a side elevation and Figure 4 a plan of a modification of
the above arrangement in which the spur or other gearing above
mentioned is dispensed with. This I effect by enlarging the cam g,
as shown, and keying the winch handle k directly to the axis h of the
cam g, the edge of which is bent to a zig-zag form and acts on the
end of lever c as before. In order to lubricate the apparatus I either.
provide oil cups / fixed on the cutter plate a, as shown in red lines,
which plate is perforated to allow the oil to pass through between the
plates, or preferably I make the handle m hollow, as shown in section
in Figure 2, so as to form a reservoir for the oil. A bent tube n leading
from this handle conducts the oil to pin e which connects the end of
lever c with the upper or cutting plate a, as before described. This
pin e has a central passage leading downwards through plate a through
which the oil passes, and thence between the plates a and b for the
purpose of keeping the cutters perfectly lubricated in a self-acting
manner. The reservoir or handle m is provided with a suitable cap
screwed or otherwise fixed thereon, which is removed for the purpose
of filling the handle with oil, an air hole being also provided to allow
the oil to flow therefrom for the supply of the cutters.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would observe that I do not limit myself to the

page_text: precise details of construction herein-before described and shown, but
what I claim as my Invention to be protected by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. Operating the cutters of apparatus for clipping or shearing horses
and other animals by means of cams, substantially as shown and i
described.
• 2ndly. I claim the mode of lubricating the cutters by means of oil
cups I or reservoirs and tubes, arranged and applied substantially in the.
manner shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set 1
my hand and seal, this Twelfth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
WILLIAM CLARK. (L.S.),