IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING MACHINES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS. PATENT to Thomas Wardlaw, of Toughmill, Dunfermline, North
Britain, for the Invention of." IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING MACHINES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Wardlaw at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition; on the
19th November 1866.
I, THOMAS WARDLAW, of Toughmill, Dunfermline, North Britain, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING
MACHINES," to be as follows:
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction, arrangement, and mode
of operating self-acting side delivery rakes for reaping machines, and consists
of an upright fixed standard secured to the main framing at the inner end of
the cutting edge of the platform, such standard supporting a vertical rocking
shaft which works in a footstep at the lower end, and in a bearing near the
upper end of the standard. A rocking or partial rotatory motion to and fro
is imparted to the vertical shaft by means of a horizontal arm secured to the
lower end thereof, and jointed to the end of a connecting rod working from.a
crank shaft. The upper end of the vertical rocking shaft carries a horizontal
cross shaft, to the longer overhanging portion of which the arm or arms of the
rake is or are attached, whilst to the opposite end of such cross shaft which
also projects or overhangs slightly beyond the vertical rocking shaft there is
fitted a pinion which bears against the under side of and gears with
horizontal toothed quadrant fixed by suitable brackets to the top of the
upright standard; this pinion is connected to the cross shaft through the

page_text: intervention of a ratchet wheel and detent, which will allow it to revolve
loosely on the shaft when travelling along the quadrant in one direction, but
will couple it with the same shaft when travelling in the opposite direction.
The rake may be balanced on the cross shaft by securing a weighted balance
lever to the opposite side of such shaft, or a second rake may be applied so as
to balance the first, in which case no balance weight would be required, and
the rakes would only have to travel at half the speed they would require if
only one rake were employed.. On imparting, say, a quarter of a revolution
to the vertical rocking shaft (supposing the rake to be at the cutting edge of
the platform) the cross shaft with the rake attached will be caused to sweep
_ round horizontally over a quarter of a circle, thereby causing the rake with
the cut corn to travel along the platform from the cutting edge thereof to the
delivery edge at right angles thereto; whilst it is making this sweep the pinion
turns loosely on the cross shaft, which latter consequently does not revolve on
its axis, but on the return of the crank the cross shaft will move back again,
so as to return to its former position over the cutting edge of the platform,
and will whilst so returning revolve on its axis, as the pinion by the action of
the ratchet and detent will then be coupled with the shaft. The rake will
consequently turn over or make one revolution so as to be clear of the
platform during the return sweep of the cross shaft, and be brought parallel
to the knives in readiness for the next sheaf which is delivered, as before
described, and so on. The rake is kept stationary by a stop or keeper at the
top of the vertical rocking shaft until its next movement is required: If
preferred the quadrant rack may be fastened to the foot of the upright
standard, in which case the motion of the pinion may be transmitted by a
pitch chain to the rake shaft. In some cases an upright spring may be fixed
on the vertical standard, and a short lever arm carried by the top of the rake,
such lever arm coming in contact with the spring and preventing the rake
from revolving too far before it takes its horizontal sweep.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed 30
by the said Thomas Wardlaw in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th May 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
WARDLAW, of Toughmill, Dunfermline, North Britain, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters $5
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of November, in the year of our

page_text: Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself,. Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Thomas Wardlaw, Her special license that I, the said Thomas
Wardlaw, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Thomas Wardlaw, my executors, administrators, or 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 Britain and Ireland;
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
REAPING MACHINES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Thomas Wardlaw, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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.
e
"
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Wardlaw, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to bo
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
.t
My said Invention relates to a peculiar construction, arrangement, and‣
mode of operating self-acting side delivery rakes for reaping machines.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall
refer to the two Figures on the annexed Sheet of Drawings; the same letters
of reference indicating corresponding parts in both the Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings represents a front elevation, partly in section,
of my self-acting side delivery rake for reaping machines, and Figure 2 is a
plan of the same.
A is an upright fixed standard secured to the main framing B of the
machine at the inner end of the cutting edge of the platform C; this standard
may be situate either on the outside of the framing of the machine so that
the mechanism for actuating the rake will work across the top of the driving
wheels, or it may be situate inside the framing if preferred. This standard
supports a vertical rocking shaft D, which works on a footstep at the lower
end and in a bearing near the upper end of the standard, or if preferred in
two bearings E, E, attached to the standard, as shown in the Drawing; F is
an adjustable collar and set screw for varying the height of the rocking

page_text: shaft D; a rocking or partial rotatory reciprocating motion on its longitudinal
axis is imparted to the vertical shaft D by means of a horizontal arm or
lever G secured to the lower end thereof and jointed to the end of a con-
necting rod worked from the crank shaft of the machine. The upper end of
the vertical rocking shaft carries a horizontal cross shaft H working in the
two bearings I, I, in the cross head J, to one of the overhanging portions or
ends of this shaft the arm or arms K of the rake L is or are attached, whilst to
the opposite end of such cross shaft H, which also projects or overhangs beyond
the vertical rocking shaft D, there is fitted a slightly bevelled pinion M which,
bears against the under side of and gears with a horizontal toothed quadrant
N fixed by arms O, O, to the top of the upright standard; or the pinion M
may work in rack teeth on the upper surface of the quadrant, rack if it be
situate on the opposite end of the shaft H next to the rake. This pinion is,
connected to the cross shaft through the intervention of a ratchet-wheel a and,
detent 6 carried by the cup c, which will allow it to revolve loosely on the
cross shaft when travelling along the quadrant in one direction, but will.
couple it with the same shaft when travelling in the opposite direction, the
cup c-being at all times fast on the cross shaft H. The rake may be balanced,
on the cross shaft by securing a weight or a balance lever P to the opposite
side of such shaft, or a second rake may be applied so as to balance the first;
in which case no balance weight would be required, and the rakes would only
have to travel at half the speed they would require if only one rake were
employed. On imparting, say, a quarter of a revolution to the vertical
rocking shaft D, supposing the rake to be at the cutting edge of the platform,
the cross shaft H with the rake L attached will be caused to sweep round hori-
zontally over a quarter of a circle, thereby causing the rake with the cut corn
to travel along the platform from the cutting edge thereof to the delivery edge
at right angles thereto, as shown by the red lines in Figure 2. Whilst it is
making this sweep the pinion M turns loosely on the cross shaft, which latter
consequently does not revolve on its axis, but on the return of the crank the
cross shaft will move back again, so as to return to its former position over
the cutting edge of the platform, as shown in black lines in Figure 2, and
will whilst so returning revolve on its axis, as the pinion by the action of the
ratchet and detent will then be coupled with the shaft. The rake will con-
sequently turn, over or make one revolution in a vertical plane, so as to be
clear of the platform during the return sweep of the cross shaft, and be
brought parallel to the knives in readiness for the next sheaf which is
delivered as before described, and so on. The rake is kept in position during
the delivery of the corn by suitable stops or keepers, which I prefer to

page_text: the
arrange in the following manner:-A small round collar d is fitted on
cross shaft H close to the bearing I of the cross head J next the rake, and
this collar has one or two notches made therein (according as one or two
rakes may be employed). To the cross head there is fitted a catch e which
engages into the notch when the rake is in the position for sweeping hori-
zontally over the platform, and consequently the rake is maintained steady in
its proper position during such movement. A finger or arm is attached to
the catch and slides along a light guide f fixed to the uper end of the fixed
standard A, such guide being inclined so that as the finger slides over it the
catch will be elevated, and by the time the rake has completed its horizontal
course the catch will be released from the notch in the collar, and will allow
the shaft H and rake to turn over when the upright shaft makes its reverse
movement, thus bringing the rake back to the cutting edge, where it is again
locked, as before, and makes its horizontal sweep over the platform. If
preferred the quadrant rack may be fastened to the foot of the upright
standard, in which case the motion of the pinion may be transmitted by a
pitch chain to the shaft carrying the rake.
In some cases an upright spring may be fixed on the vertical standard and
a short lever arm carried by the top of the rake, such lever coming in contact
with the spring and preventing the rake from revolving too far before it takes
its horizontal sweep.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the combination of the vertical
rocking shaft D, cross shaft H, fixed quadrant N, pinion M, ratchet wheel a,
and detent b, with the rake L, the whole being arranged and operating
substantially as and for the purpose herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Wardlaw, have to this my
Specification set my hand and seal, the Fifteenth day of May, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
THOMAS WARDLAW. (L.s.)