AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SHEARING ANIMALS AND SKINS
Year: 1869

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 APPARATUS FOR SHEARING ANIMALS AND SKINS." - A
communication from abroad by Edwards Henry Rawlings, of Paris,
in the Empire of France.
Sealed the 16th July 1869, and dated the 21st January 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 21st January 1869.
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 APPARATUS FOR SHEARING ANIMALS AND SKINS,"
a communication, to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to a shearing apparatus wherein the knife may
have either a reciprocating rectilinear motion, a reciprocating circular
motion, or a continuous circular motion.

page_text: Each modification of my shearing apparatus has three distinct parts,
namely, the comb, the knife, and the counter-knife or plate for the knife
to act against. These three parts may vary in form and the knife may
receive its motion by different means of transmission. In one method
of arrangement I give it motion by means of a handle mounted upon a
rack, which gears into a toothed wheel mounted upon an axis fixed in
the frame of the apparatus. The said wheel controls a second rack
carrying the knife, it also gives to the knife a reciprocating rectilinear
motion above the counter-knife, whereby the hair or wool engaged
between the teeth of the comb will be cut. Instead of using a handle
mounted on the rack for operating the toothed wheel and knife I can
use a bow, the cord of the said bow being passed around the axis of the
toothed wheel. This bow will give with great facility the reciprocating
motion to the knife.
In another arrangement of the shearing apparatus the shears receive
motion from a crank fixed on the axis of the knives. This crank will
give to the said knives a continuous rotary motion, and they will pass
successively over the comb. In this latter case the comb itself forms
the counter-knife, but the teeth of the comb must not have their edges
sharpened near their points, otherwise the animal being sheared may be
injured. In this arrangement of parts the bow may be used instead of
the crank to impart motion to the knives, but as the said knives will
then have a reciprocating circular movement it will be necessary to use
knives with two cutting edges. To increase the rapidity of the knife, so
that no hair can escape shearing, I place on the fixed part of the
apparatus a circular rack gearing into a rotating pinion which carries
the knives; by this means it will be easily understood that the rotation
of the said knives may be increased to any desired extent. The rack
which gears into the pinion need only be a segment of a circle, its
length being equal to that of the comb. One of the arms carrying
the knives may be provided with a brush, which will clear the teeth of
the comb at each revolution.
In another arrangement of parts the shears though identical with the
other modifications of my Invention with regard to the knife, counter-
knife, and comb are provided with two handles, the frame being held by
one, and the knife being operated by means of a toothed segment and
pinion. The knife then passes over the counter-knife, and will cut the

page_text: wool or hair presented to it by the comb. In this case, as in the two
previous modifications, I can always employ a bow to give motion to the
knife. I have only to remove the toothed wheel and the two handles,
and to replace the said wheel by a grooved pulley, over which is passed
the cord or strap of the bow. I modify this arrangement by a different
method of giving a reciprocating circular motion to the knife. For this
purpose upon its axis of rotation is mounted a screw with a quick
thread, which receives motion from a screw nut provided with a handle.
This screw nut carries a pin which works in the threads of the screw;
by moving the nut endwise on the screw a reciprocating movement
will be given to the knife.
In another arrangement I give motion to the comb by means of a
piston and rod. When the piston and with it the knife have arrived at
the end of the stroke a spring acts upon the piston and pushes it back to
the other end. If the spring is strong enough the speed of the knife
will be sufficient to cut the hair engaged in the comb.
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 20th July 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 Twenty-first day of January, 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 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 there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great

page_text: Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR SHEARING ANIMALS AND SKINS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Robert Lake, 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 immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 accom-
panying Drawings forming a part of this Specification :-
My Invention relates to a shearing apparatus wherein a lancet is
employed, which may have a reciprocating rectilinear motion, a con-
tinuous circular motion, or a reciprocating circular motion.
Each modification of my shearing apparatus has three distinct parts,
namely, the comb, the lancet, and the counter-knife. These three parts
may vary in form, and the lancet may receive its motion by different
means of transmission.
In order that my Invention may be clearly understood I have shown
in the Drawings hereunto annexed several forms of shearing apparatus
arranged according to my system, but which I have only shown here by
way of example. In the various Figures of the said Drawings the same
letters refer to the same parts.
Figure 1 is a plan of a shearing apparatus which is operated by means
of a handle M mounted upon a rack c which engages with the toothed
wheel A giving motion to the rack c¹, and consequently to the lancet B,
which is a double-edged or spear-shaped blade similar to the blade of a
scraping tool. The lancet B thus receives a rectilinear reciprocating
movement above the counter-knife, and thereby cuts the hair or wool
held in the teeth of the comb. Instead of using the handle M mounted
upon the rack for operating the lancet a bow may be employed, the cord
of which should be wound around the neck of a pulley mounted upon the
axis of the wheel A. This bow gives with great facility the alternate

page_text: to-and-fro movement to the spear-shaped lancet. This arrangement is
shown in red lines in Figure 1.
Figure 2 is a plan of a shearing apparatus receiving its movement
from a crank handle fixed upon the axis of the lancet. There are in this
case four lancets which have a rotary motion and which are caused to
pass successively above the comb; in this case the comb itself forms the
counter-knife. For this purpose it is only necessary to allow a certain
distance a, b, from the extremity of the teeth to the point where the
cutting part begins before forming the counter-knife, otherwise the
animal being sheared might be injured. A counter-knife may also be
placed above the comb if it is considered desirable. In this arrangement
of shearing apparatus I may also give motion to the lancet by means of
a bow, but as this has a circular reciprocating movement it is necessary
to alter the form of the cutting edges and give them the form indicated
by the dotted lines.
Figure 3 shows the plan of a shearing apparatus receiving motion by
means of two hand levers or handles N which communicate a circular
movement to the lancet B. In place of these two handles a spring may
be employed, as shewn in red lines. The lancet is then caused to pass
above the counter-knife and cut the wool or hair, which is presented to it
by the comb in this case as in the two preceding ones. I can also make
use of the bow to give motion to the lancet; for this purpose I have
only to mount a grooved pulley upon the axis of rotation of the
lancet.
I have modified this arrangement (as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5)
by imparting the reciprocating circular movement to the lancet in a
different manner. For this purpose a screw d is mounted on its axis of
rotation, such screw receiving its motion from a hand nut which is fitted
thereon. This nut carries a pin which engages in the groove of the screw
so that in its ascent the nut causes the rotation of the screw and con-
sequently of the lancet from left to right, while in its descent the same
will be caused to turn from right to left. It will thus be understood that.
by a to-and-fro movement of the hand nut, and by the aid of bevilled
wheels (indicated in red lines) a reciprocating circular motion of the
3 lancet will be obtained.
Figure 6 shows another arrangement where the comb a itself serves as

page_text: the counter-knife. In this case I impart motion to the lancet 6 by
means of a piston e operated by hand through the medium of a rod d.
When the piston e and consequently the lancet 6 have arrived at the end
of their course a spring f is caused to act on the piston and push it
again to the starting point. The said spring is strong enough to
give sufficient speed to the lancet to cut the hair held in the comb.
Figure 7 shows in plan another arrangement of my shearing apparatus
in which the initial continuous rotary motion given to the handle r, and
to the partly toothed wheel 8, communicates a reciprocating rectilinear
movement to a frame t¹, which by means of a connecting rod t
connected to a crank shaft u gives through the bevelled wheels van x
a continuous rotary motion to the lancets y acting over the comb z.
Lastly, Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating the conversion of a con-
tinuous circular motion into a reciprocating circular motion for operating
the lancet. The continuous circular motion is imparted to the crank or
handle 1 and to the toothed wheel 2 which transmits the movement to
the wheel 3. The latter communicates motion to a pinion keyed upon
an axis 4; at the end of the said axis 4 is a pinion 5 which engages
with the pins or teeth 6 in such manner that the toothed wheel 7. has
a reciprocating circular motion, as indicated by the arrows, which motion
it transmits to the toothed wheel 8 carrying the lancet 9.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, and show how the same may be con-
veniently and advantageously carried into practice, I claim,-
First. The apparatus above described for shearing animals and skins.
Second. The several arrangements of mechanical parts suitable for
communicating either a reciprocating rectilinear motion or a con-
tinuous or reciprocating circular motion to the lancets for the purpose
set forth.
Third. The several particular arrangements of my shearing apparatus,
substantially as herein described and shown.
Fourth. The employment of a double-edged spear-shaped lancet when
the same has a to-and-fro motion.
Fifth. The several methods of converting an initial continuous or
reciprocating circular motion into a continuous or reciprocating circular

page_text: or reciprocating rectilinear movement to give to the lancet its desired
and necessary action.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of July,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
nine.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE. (L.S.)