An Improved Sheep Shearing Machine.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Nov., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 17th Aug., 1895-Accepted, 2nd Nov., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Sheep Shearing Machine.
I, CHARLES WILLIAM PITMAN, of 22 Regent Street, Ascot Vale near
Melbourne in the Colony of Victoria, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has been devised for the purpose of providing a sheep-shearing
machine which can be conveniently and effectively operated by means of com-
pressed air or other fluid pressure, and which will be simple in construction have
but few working parts, and not be liable to get out of order; and one, moreover,
that can be readily taken to pieces for cleaning or repairing purposes and be replaced
by unskilled labour.
This improved sheep-shearing machine may, for convenience of description, be
divided into three main parts, viz., the motor, intermediate gearing, and cutting
mechanism, with their respective casings and other appurtenant parts.
The motor consists essentially of a disc or wheel having two deep radial flanges
with inclined vaues extending between them at intervals so as to form a number of
shallow chambers or buckets. This said disc or wheel is secured upon a spindle,
which is nounted in bearings in a casing surrounding the motor on all sides and
provided with an air inlet passage adapted to direct the compressed air or other
motive fluid into the buckets of the wheel or disc approximately at a tangent
thereto. Said motor casing is also provided with one or more parts or openings
for the escape of the exhaust air or motive fluid from the casing. The spindle
of the motor is made of comparatively large diameter, and is formed with a
worm near its forward end adapted to gear into a horizontally mounted worm
wheel, also enclosed in a suitable casing, the lower part of which forms the
butt end of the base plate of the comb, which is preferably according to this
invention made integral therewith instead of being separate and secured to it by
screws or otherwise as is usually the case with sheep-shearing machines as at present
constructed.
The vertical spindle of this worm wheel is formed with an eccentric or cam
immediately underneath said wheel, said eccentric or cam being arranged to work
in a sliding block adapted to reciprocate in a slot formed for the purpose in the rear
end of the pivoted cutter lever or arm. The lower end of this worm wheel spindle
is arranged to work in a steel bushed boss on the rear end of the comb plate, whilst
its upper end works in a correspondingly steel-bushed boss on the cover or upper
part of the casing of the apparatus.
The cutter lever or arm is fulcrummed at about its centre upon a tubular vertical
stud, which springs from about the centre of the comb plate. An adjusting screw
passes down through the cover of the cutting mechanism and is screwed into this
tubular vertical stud, which is tapped for the purpose. The front end of this
said upper part or cover is arranged to bear upon the upper surface of the cutter
(which is made perfectly flat or straight from one side to the other), there being
sufficient "give" or elasticity in said upper part or cover to hold the cutter down
upon the comb with an even and elastic pressure. The amount of this pressure can
readily be adjusted as required by turning the adjusting screw in the tubular stud
upon which the cutter arm or lever is centred, a number of holes or notches being
formed in a flange on the upper end thereof, so that only one of said holes at a
time will coincide with one or other of a series of holes formed in the upper part or

page_text: casing, when a pin can be filled in the two holes which come into apposition with
each other in order to retain said adjusting screw in position and thus ensure the
desired pressure being retained on the cutter.
The comb plate or base piece of the cutter casing is made channel shaped in cross
section for the major part of its length, and terminates in a flat part near its forward
end where the comb is formed on it, the object of the channel section being to retain
the lubricant for effectively lubricating the comb plate. To still further ensure
this result, a small web or partition is formed across said channel near its forward
end, the underside of the cutter lever being preferably arranged to work to and fro
along its upper surface.
An oil cup or lubricator is screwed into the casing of the rotary motor in line
with the spindle thereof, and another oil cup or lubricator is provided on the casing
of the intermediate gearing leading to the worm spindle above referred to, whilst
another one is arranged to supply lubricant to the worm itself; and yet another
one is fitted immediately over the end of the worm wheel spindle. Holes are
bored through the worm wheel in order to feed the surplus oil to underside
thereof, so as to lubricate the lower spindle bearing thereof as well as the
eccentric or cam thereon and the sliding block in which said eccentric or cam
works.
Dated this Fifth day of October One thousand eight hundred and ninety-four.
An Improved Sheep Shearing Machine.
1, CHARLES WILLIAM PITMAN, of No. 22 Regent Street, Ascot Vale, near
Melbourne, in the Colony of Victoria, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particu-
larly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has been devised for the purpose of providing a sheep shearing
machine which can be conveniently and effectively operated by means of compressed
air or other fluid pressure; which has but few working parts; is not liable to get
out of order; and can be readily taken to pieces for claning or repairing purposes,
and afterwards put together again by unskilled labour.
For the sake of convenience I will at once proceed to describe this invention by
reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein,
Figure 1 is a plan, aud, Figure 2 a horizontal section (partly in plan) of this
improved sheep shearing machine.
Figure 3 is a vertical central section on line 3-3 Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a side elevation of the machine.
Figures 5 to 9 are vertical transverse sections on the lines 5-5, 6-6, 7-7,8-8
and 9-9 respectively of Figure 2, whilst,
Figures 10 to 16 are different views of various details shown separately.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
A is a motor or driving wheel having a series of chambers, pockets or buckets in
its periphery made or produced by deep flanges a between which extend transverse
vanes or partitions a' at intervals.
This driving wheel is mounted or secured upon a spindle a² working at one end
in bearings a in the casing a surrounding said driving wheel on all sides, and
working at the other end in bearings in a casing surrounding the intermediate
gearing.
The casing a is formed with an air inlet passage or port b (see Figure 5) adapted
to direct the compressed air or other fluid into the pockets or buckets of the driving
wheel A approximately at a tangent thereto, and said port is provided with a

page_text: regulating valve is as shown in order to regulate the speed at which said driving
wheel is to be driven.
The casing a' is also provided with an escape port or opening c¹ which communi-
cates with channels c² leading along each side of the main casing or cover D to the
front of the machine.
The spindle a² of the driving wheel A is made of comparatively large diameter
and is formed with a worm e adapted to gear into the horizontally mounted worm
wheel E, which is enclosed in the casing D and whose vertical spindle is provided
with an eccentric or cam e¹ working in a sliding block e² Figures 2, 3, and 14 adapted
to reciprocate in a slot f formed for the purpose in the rear end of the pivotted
cutter lever F.
The ends of the spindle e³ of the worm wheel E are mounted in steel bushed
bosses in the upper and lower parts of the main casing D of the machine as shown
in Figures 3 and 6.
The cutter lever or arm F is fulcrummed at about the centre upon a stud f¹
which serves to connect the casing D and the comb plate G, its upper part being
rigidly fixed to the casing D by means of a nut f2 whilst its lower part is fitted with
a sleeve see Figures 3 and 15, capable of being adjusted up or down as required
said sleeve being provided with a shoulder f against which the upper surface of the
comb plate G is clamped by the nut f³, when said sleeve is in position. The stud f¹
is made hollow as shown in said Figures 3 and 15 and is provided with lubricating
passages to facilitate the oiling of the cutter lever F.
The forward end of the comb plate G is held against the underside of the
reciprocating cutter blade by a set screw H (Figures 1 to 4 and 16) screwed into
said plate and passing through a screw-threaded sleeve h secured in a longitudinal
slot in the upper casing D of the machine and adapted to be clamped in any
desired position in said slot by the nut 2 so as to determine the distance that the
teeth of the comb project, beyond the cutter, in order that the shearers may regulate
it according to their own particular fancy or to compensate for the shortening of the
cutter blades when they have been worn or ground away a few times thereby
enabling the same lap of cutter blade over the comb to be maintained.
This sleeve also enables the forward end of the comb plate to be adjusted
vertically to and from the cutter with a positive motion as will be readily under-
stood, and thus in conjunction with the sleeve f³ on the stud f' enables the comb plate
to be accurately adjusted according to requirements.
A strip or plate 3 of hardened steel is let into the forward end of the casing D
for the upper surface of the cutter to work against.
To provide for the above described adjustment of the comb plate a slot f is
formed near its rear end for the adjusting sleeve f³ to pass through and said rear
end is in engagement with a boss or projection (see Figure 11) on the underside
of the casing D and is thus rigidly secured against lateral motion at that end.
An oil cup I or lubricator is formed in the casing at of the driving wheel
opposite the end of its spindle a² a cap or cover being provided upon said
cup and lubricating holes and passages being formed in the steel boss in which
said spindle works so as to enable the lubricant to be fed to such spindle.
Other similarly constructed oil cups or lubricators are formed upon the casing D
opposite each end of the worm wheel spindle e³, whilst another oil cup or lubricator ¿¹
serves to supply lubricant to the worm e and the opposite end of the driving wheel
spindle a through holes or passages provided for the purpose.
A small recess or oil cup is formed in the worm wheel E in order to lubri-
cate the eccentric or cam e' as well as the sliding block in which said eccentric
works.
The operation of this invention will be readily understood, the action of the
current of air passing through the port 6 when the tap B is opened being to cause
the driving wheel A to revolve at a more or less rapid rate according to the degree
to which said valve is opened.
The worm e upon the spindle of said driving wheel being in gear with the worm

page_text: wheel E will cause that also to rotate together with the eccentric el upon its upper
surface and said eccentric working in the end of the cutter lever F will cause the
said lever to reciprocate upon its fulcrum f1 and will cause the sharp cutting blades
upon its forward end to travel to and fro at a rapid rate over and across the surface
of the comb G.
The larger portion of the exhaust air will escape directly into the atmosphere but
some of it will pass along the passages and will escape at the forward end of the
machine immediately over the reciprocating cutter, the effect being to assist in
keeping such cutter free from dust and grit and at the same time blowing out any
small wool or second clips on to the board and thus acting as a searcher of inferior
work.
The lubrication of the different parts of my machine will be accomplished in a
very satisfactory and efficient manner, the casing D surrounding the intermediate
driving mechanism being so constructed as to form practically one large oil cup
or reservoir in which the working parts are contained. Special facilities are also
afforded for effectually lubricating the other parts of my machine so as to reduce
the friction to a minimum and prevent their getting heated or out of order.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
First. The herein described sheep shearing machine consisting of a rotary air or
fluid pressure motor or driving wheel (such as A) having a worm (such as e) on its
spindle in gear with a worm wheel carrying a cam which engages with and works
within the end of a cutter lever (such as F) fulcrumnied in the casing of the
machine aud adapted to reciprocate the cutters at the forward end of said cutter
lever over a suitable comb substantially as and for the purposes specified and as
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Second. In combination with a sheep shearing machine driven by compressed air
as claimed in Claim 1 a passage or passages leading from the exhaust of an air
motor to the forward end of the machine and discharging immediately over the
reciprocating cutter substantially as and for the purposes specified and as illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
Third. In combination with a sheep shearing machine as claimed in Claim 1 a
comb (such as G) capable of being adjusted vertically to and from the reciprocating
cutter substantially as and for the purposes herein described and explained and as
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Fourth. In combination with a sheep shearing machine as claimed in Claim 1 a
stud such as fixed to the main casing of the machine and fitted with a vertically
adjustable sleeve (such as f³) substan ially as and for the purposes specified and as
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Sixteenth day of August One thousand eight hundred and
ninety-five.
| JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.