IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING CORKS, BUNGS, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Carl Johann Lawrence Leffler, of Westbourne Terrace,
in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
MACHINERY FOR CUTTING CORKS, BUNGS, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES."—
A communication.
Scaled the 1st January 1858, and dated the 1st July 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Carl Johann Lawrence
Leffler at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 1st July 1857.
I, CARL JOHANN LAWRENCE LEFFLER, of Westbourne Terrace, in tho County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING CORKS, BUNGS, AND OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention of "Improved Machinery for Cutting Corks, Bungs, and
other similar Articles" relates principally to the employment of a knife
or cutting instrument of peculiar construction for forming or cutting these
articles from blocks of cork. The knife or cutting instrument is made of
a long blade of thin steel with an inclined cutting edge. This blade is turned
or rolled up longitudinally into the form of a cylinder of the dimensions
internally of the cork, bung, or other article intended to be produced. The
cutting edge of the knife, when the blade is turned up into the furn of

page_text: a cylinder, extends from one end to the other of the cylinder in a helical
direction. The knife or cutting instrument is held firmly in a fixed position,
while the block of cork to be operated upon is propelled forward against the
cutting edge, which, as the block advances, will cut off the corners thereof,
leaving a cylindrical block, which is discharged from the inside of the cutting
instrument. If preferred, the internal bore of the cutting instrument may be
made slightly conical, and instead of pressing the block of cork forward
against the cutting tool, the block may be held stationary and the cutting tool
drawn or pressed forward against the block. For some purposes it may be
desirable to give a slight axial motion to the cutting tool, or to the block to be
operated upon.
The pressing forward of the block of cork against the cutting tool, or the
motion of the latter, may be effected either by hand or by mechanical means;
and, if desired, several cutting tools may be placed side by side in one machine,
so as to cut or produce several corks or other articles simultaneously. A very
simple, cheap, and effective machine may, however, be made, in which only
onc cutting tool is used at one time. The bed or holder for the cutting tool
should, however, be so constructed and arranged that tools of various sizes may
be adapted to the same machine.
The cutting tools may bo secured in the machine in any convenient
manner; but this object should be effected in such a way that they may
be taken out and replaced with facility. The tools may be sharpened either
by hand when removed from the machine, or by causing them to work against
a sharoning surface.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Carl Johann Lawrence Leffler in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 1st January 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CARL
JOHANN LAWRENCE LEFFLER, of Westbourne Terrace, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Carl Johann Lawrence Leffler, Her special license that I, the said Carl
Johann Lawrence Leffler, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Carl Johann Lawrence Leffler, my executors, adminis-

page_text: trators, 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, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING CORKS, BUNGS, AND
OTHER SIMILAR ARTICLES," being a communication from abroad, upon the
condition (amongst others) that 1, the said Carl Johann Lawrence Leffler,
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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Carl Johann Lawrence Leffler, 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 Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention of "Improved Machinery for Cutting Corks, Bungs, and
other similar Articles," relates principally to the employment of a knife or
cutting instrument of peculiar construction for forming or cutting these articles
from blocks of cork. The knife or cutting instrument is made of a long blado
of thin steel with an inclined cutting edge. This blade is turned or rolled up
longitudinally into the form of a cylinder of the dimensions internally of the
cork, bung, or other article intended to be produced. The cutting edge of the
knife, when the blade is turned up into the form of a cylinder, extends from
one end to the other of the cylinder in a helical direction. The knife or
cutting instrument is held firmly in a fixed position, while the block of cork to
be operated upon is propelled forward against the cutting edge, which, as the
block advances, will cut off the corners, leaving a cylindrical block, which is
discharged from the inside of the cutting instrument at the opposite end. If
preferred, the internal bore of the cutting instrument may be made slightly
conical, and instead of pressing the block of cork forward against the cutting
tool, the block may be held stationary and the cutting tool drawn or pressed
forward against the block. For some purposes it may be desirable to give a
slight axial motion to the cutting tool or to the block to be operated upon.
The pressing forward of the block of cork against the cutting tool, or the
motion of the latter, may be effected either by hand or by mechanical means;
and, if desired, several cutting tools may be placed side by side in one machine,
so as to cut or produce several corks or other articles simultaneously. A very

page_text: simple, cheap, and effective machine may, however, be made, in which only one
cutting tool is used at one time. The bed or holder for the cutting tool
should, however, be so constructed and arranged that tools of various sizes may
be adapted to the same machine.
The cutting tools may be secured in the machine in any convenient
manner; but this object should be effected in such a way that they may
be taken out and replaced with facility. The tools may be sharpened either by
hand when removed from the machine, or by causing them to work against a
sharpening surface while cutting the blocks of cork.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn various views of one mode of
carrying out the Invention.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the
same; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, taken in the line 1, 2, of the
preceding Figures; and Fig. 4 is an end view of the knife or cutting instru-
ment, and showing the manner of securing it in the machine; Fig. 5 is a
side view of the knife; Fig. 6 is a plan view, shewing the form or shape of
the piece of metal of which the knife or cutting tool or instrument is made.
a is the bed or foundation plate of the machine, in which, in order to avoid
confusion, only one knife or cutting instrument is shewn, but two, three,
or more knives or cutting instruments may be adapted, and worked in a similar
manner to that shewn, and hereafter more particularly described. The knife
or cutting instrument b is attached to an adjustable block piece c by a kind of
bayonet fastening, as seen at c, c, c, in the Figures, so as to admit of its
being removed with facility from the machine. The block c is set and secured
in its proper position by means of the adjusting screws d, d. A side plate e, e, is
also attached by screws or otherwise to the side of the block picce c, for
the purpose of enabling the attendant to place the piece of cork f in a proper
position on the block c, and immediately in front of the piston or plunger 9 at
the end of the reciprocating horizontal rod h, which works in guides i, i, fixed
on the foundation or bed plate a. The head block j of the reciprocating rod h
is jointed to a cross head k, which is worked by means of cords or bands 1, 1*,
that pass round and are wound on the pullies m, m. These pullies are
mounted on a common shaft n, and are driven either by hand or by mechanical
means, the requisite power being applied to the shaft n. One end of one
of the cords is fastened to a fixed pin or stud o, and upon communicating
motion to the pullies m, mt, the cords 7, *, will be wound thereon, and will
thereby pull forward the cross head &, and thus, by means of the plunger 9 and
rod h, the piece of cork f will be pushed against the inclined cutting edge *
of the knife 6 until all the corners thereof are cut off and a perfect cork

page_text: may,
is pushed out at the further end of the cutting tool. A slight axial motion
if required, be given to the piece of cork during its passage through the
cutting tool, by providing the plunger 9 with points which will enter the
end of the piece of cork, and making a helical groove along the rod h,
and causing a nib or pin in one of the bearings i to work therein, as will
be well understood. When one piece of cork has been pushed through tho
cutting tool the rod h and plunger 9 must be drawn back, by causing the
pullies m, m, to turn in the opposite direction; and when the plunger 9 has
reached the position shewn in Figures 1 and 2, a fresh piece of cork must be
placed in front thereof, and so on, from time to time, whenever the plunger
has been drawn back.
Having now described the Invention of "Improved Machinery for Cutting
Corks, Bungs, and other similar Articles, and having explained the manner
of carrying the same into effect, as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondent, I would observe that, although I have only shewn one arrange-
ment of mechanism to which the improved knife, cutting tool, or instrument
has been applied, I do not mean or intend to confine myself thereto, as
the improved knife, cutting tool, or instrument may be adapted to various
constructions or arrangements of machinery for pushing the piece or picces of
cork up to the knife or cutting tool or instrument, or the latter up to and
against the piece or pieces of cork, nor do I intend to claim the arrangement
of machinery herein shewn and described, unless the same be used in com-
bination with the peculiar form of knife or cutting tool or instrument herein
shewn and described; but that which I consider to be new in the above-
described improved machinery, and therefore desire to claim as the Invention
secured to me by Letters Patent, as aforesaid, is the peculiar form of knife
or cutting tool or instrument above shewn and described, or any modification
thereof consisting of a cylindrical or conical tool, the cutting edge of which
extends helically or spirally round the tool.
In witness whereof, I, the said Carl Johann Lawrence Leffler, have
hereunto set my hand and scal, the Seventh day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
C. J. L. LEFFLER. (LS.)
Edske Blast Furnace in Sweden.