AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CUTTING EDIBLE ROOTS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the "International
Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer, for the Invention
of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CUTTING EDIBLE ROOTS."-A communi-
cation from abroad by Solomon Van Ransalear Hakes, William
Barker McCrury, and William Samuel Patrick, all of Flint,
Michigan, United States of America.
Sealed the 9th February 1869, and dated the 4th December 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 4th December 1868.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office,"
No. 8, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CUTTING EDIBLE ROOTS," a com-
munication, to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object to furnish an improved machine
for cutting roots for cattle and sheep, which machine shall be simple

page_text: and durable in construction, not liable to get out of order, which will
cut the pieces of uniform size, and may be adjusted to cut the pieces
large or small, and which will feed itself equally as well under a rapid
as under a slow motion, and the said Invention consists in the con-
struction, combination, and arrangement of the various parts of the
said machine as herein-after more fully described.
strips or slices
The machine is provided with a suitable frame or stand, the upper part
of which is encased or covered. A shaft revolves in bearings in the said
frame and has a balance wheel attached to one end, the other end being
provided with a crank or other means for communicating power to the
machine. A hollow cylinder open at one end is rigidly attached at the
other end to the said shaft so as to revolve with the same. The case or
shell of the said cylinder is formed with three inclined slots extending
from end to end of the cylinder, the said slots also inclining or curving
towards the centre of the cylinder as they pass through the case or shell.
Knives are securely attached to the face of the cylinder in such a
manner that their forward parts or edges may project over the curved
or inclined slots, the inclination of the knives and of the spaces
between them having a tendency to draw or feed the roots towards
the said knives while the machine is being operated, so that it will
feed itself equally well whether working fast or slow. The knives are
preferably arranged to project in such a way as to cut
from the roots about half an inch thick, more or less, as may be desired.
The cylinder is also provided with two rows of knives so arranged as
to make cuts in the roots about half an inch apart and of a depth equal
to the thickness of the slice cut by the first knives, so that the cut
away parts of the roots may pass through the inclined or curved slots
in the form of strips about half an inch in breadth and thickness.
These last mentioned knives project upward and should incline forward
or from the other knives so that their tendency may be to draw the
roots down close to the surface of the cylinder in the proper position
to be operated upon by the first mentioned knives. The machine is
also provided with a third series of knives, the same being inclined and
attached to or formed upon a frame which is supported in position by
being secured at the open end of the cylinder to a cross bar of the
main frame. The said knife frame and knives are so arranged that
as the strips pass from the two series of knives first mentioned through
the inclined or curved slots the said strips may be met by the third

page_text: series of knives and cut into pieces of uniform size, such pieces being
preferably about half an inch square and about one and a quarter inch
long. The knives may however be adjusted to cut larger or smaller
pieces as desired. The cut pieces of root fall from the knives into a
spout the outer end of which is attached to the main frame of the
machine or other suitable support at the open end of the cylinder.
The inner or upper end of the said spout if desired may be suspended
from the inner end of the knife frame. From this spout the cut pieces
pass out of the machine through a discharging spout. The top of the
machine is furnished with a hopper against the forward side of which
the roots are pressed while being operated upon by the two first series
of knives. A loose board is pivotted at its upper end to the sides of
the hopper and the lower end of this board may be adjusted more or
less forward according as it is desired to feed the roots to the cylinder
more or less forward. This board or adjustable side is supported in
the desired position by a pin passing through the side of the hopper
and against the forward or inner part of which the said board rests.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 3rd June 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the "International Patent Office," No. 8, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Consulting
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her
special licence that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert
Lake, 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,
xercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and

page_text: The
to end, said slots also inclining or curving towards the centre of the
cylinder as they pass through the case or drum; F are knives which
are securely attached to the face of the cylinder so that their forward
parts or edges may project over the curved or inclined slots e as shewn
in Figure 1, the inclination of the knives F and of the spaces between
them having a tendency to draw or feed the roots towards the said
knives while the machine is being operated so that it will feed itself
equally well whether revolved fast or slow. The knives F project in
such a way as to cut strips or slices from the roots about half an inch
thick more or less as may be desired. To the convex surface of the
cylinder E are attached two rows of knives G in such a way as to make
cuts in the roots about half an inch apart and of a depth equal to the
thickness of the slice cut by the knives F so that the cut away parts
of the roots may pass through the inclined or curved slots e¹ in the
form of strips about half an inch in breadth and thickness.
knives G project upwards and at the same time should incline forward
or from the knives F so that their tendency may be to draw the roots
down close to the surface of the cylinder E in the proper position to
be operated upon by the knives F. H is a series of inclined knives
attached to or formed upon a frame I which is supported in position
by being attached at the open end of the cylinder E to the cross bar
of the frame A as shewn in dotted lines in Figure 2. The frame I and
knives H are so arranged that as the strips pass from the knives G
and F, through the inclined or curved slots e¹, they may be met by
the knives H and cut into pieces of uniform size, such pieces being
preferably about half an inch square and about one and a quarter
inch long. The knives G, F, and H may however be adjusted to cut
larger or smaller pieces as may be desired. The cut pieces fall from
the knives H into the spout J, the outer end of which is attached
to the frame of the machine or some other suitable support at the
open end of the cylinder E. The inner or upper end of the spout
if desired or thought necessary may be suspended from the inner end
of the frame I. From the spout J the pieces pass out of the machine
through the discharging spout K. L is the hopper against the forward
side of which the roots are pressed while being operated upon by
the knives G and F. M is a loose board pivotted at its upper end
to the sides of the hopper L, and the lower end of which may be
adjusted more or less forward according as it is desired to feed roots
to the cylinder more or less forward. The board or adjustable side M

page_text: is supported in the desired position by a pin N passing through the
side of the hopper L and against the forward or inner part of which
the sideboard rests.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondents, and shewn how the same may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, I claim,―
First. The knives H or their equivalent, substantially as described and
for the purpose set forth.
Second. The oblique curved slots et having an offset directly beneath
the forward part of the knives F, substantially as and for the purposes 1
set forth.
Third. The projecting cutters G or their equivalent, for the purpose
specified.
Fourth. The combination of the projecting cutters G, knives F,
curved slots e¹, and knives H, as shewn and for the purpose specified.
Fifth. A regular inclination of the surface of the knives and the
periphery of the cylinder from the edge of each knife to the one next
in its rear so as to bring the said surface within the edge of it a sufficient
distance, for the purpose set forth.
1
Sixth. The hollow metallic cylinder E having rimmed ends (one of 2
which is open), inclined periphery, and oblique curved slots e¹, substan-
tially as shewn and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Third day of June, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty- 2
nine.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE,
(L.S.)
Witness,
THO. N. PALMER,
Clerk to Messrs. Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
8, Southampton Buildings,
London.