A MACHINE FOR CUTTING THE TEETH IN SICKLES OR REAPING HOOKS APPLICABLE ALSO FOR CUTTING THE TEETH IN REAPING MACHINE KNIVES."
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Havenhand, Manager for Messrs. W. A.
Tyzack and Co., Stella Works, Sheffield, in the County of York, for
the Invention of "A MACHINE FOR CUTTING THE TEETH IN SICKLES OR
REAPING HOOKS APPLICABLE ALSO FOR CUTTING THE TEETH IN REAPING
MACHINE KNIVES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Havenhand at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 28th March 1873.
I, JAMES HAVENHAND, Manager for Messrs. W. A. Tyzack and Co.,
5 Stella Works, Sheffield, in the County of York, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "A MACHINE FOR CUTTING THE TEETH IN
SICKLES OR REAPING HOOKS APPLICABLE ALSO FOR CUTTING THE TEETH IN REAPING
MACHINE KNIVES," to be as follows:-
Heretofore the operation of cutting the teeth in sickles and reaping
O machine knives has been performed by hand, which process has necessarily

page_text: been slow and the teeth not as fine or equal as can be accomplished by a
uniform blow and traverse.
Now the object of my Invention is to obviate this irregularity, and to
produce or cut a greater amount of teeth in a given time. And my
Invention consists in mounting upon a table or feet a suitable body or
"headstock" which is bored out in its top part for a shaft to fit in, and
on the end of this shaft is either turned or fitted an eccentric; one end
of the body I form so that it has a surface for a slide to work vertically
upon, which slide is adjustable by dies and set screws and which is
operated by the eccentric on the end of the shaft; the bottom part of this
slide I form so that a chuck which carries the chisel or tool for cutting
the teeth can be easily fixed or adjusted. At the other end of the body
and on the eccentric or main shaft I mount a spur wheel which gears
with a spur pinion which communicates motion to a connecting rod, and
catch operating a 66 change wheel" mounted upon a shaft below; on this
change wheel shaft which is carried in suitable pedestals or bearings I
mount at the other end and immediately under the chisel or tool a bush
of convenient diameter, or the shaft itself may be of such; but I prefer
to mount or adjust a bush so that it can be taken off and renewed if
damaged or knocked by the chisel striking against it as it is operated
without the necessity of renewing the whole shaft. The top of this bush
or enlarged portion of the shaft I arrange so that it is level or nearly so
with the surface on which the sickle or article to be cut is placed, and
on each side of it I have two loose dies or pieces of metal in suitable
frame, and which when pressed by set screws against the said bush or
shaft act as friction blocks and prevents the shaft moving back whilst
the catch is changing from one tooth to another of the change wheel.
Sufficient distance above this bush I mount in a loose or hinged bearing
two smaller rollers, upon each of which at the back side of the bearing I
mount a small spur wheel, both of which gear with another spur wheel
on the change wheel shaft, whereby the two small rollers are made to
travel in a contrary direction to the bottom roll or shaft, thus effecting a
continuous drawing or traverse motion to the sickle or article placed
between them during its operation of being cut; between the top of this
loose or hinged bearing and the body I insert a spiral spring whereby it
adjusts itself to the difference in the thickness of the sickle or article
being cut as it travels along, and I also adjust a lever to this bearing

page_text: whereby the attendant by pressing upon it with his foot can at any time
lift the two rolls and draw the sickle out.
I also arrange on the top of the slide which acts as the striker another
spiral spring which is adjusted by hand wheel and screw so that the
whole of the weight or force of the blow does not rest upon the eccentric
shaft. On this shaft and at the same end as the spur wheel is mounted
the driving pulley, the boss of which I form so that it serves as one part
of a clutch, so that the attendant can by suitable arrangement of lever
throw the machine in and out of gear at pleasure.
I also employ another spur pinion on the opposite side of the spur
wheel, on the main or eccentric shaft to the one which gives motion to
the lever for working the catch before-named, and which pinion is not in
gear with the wheel when the machine is working, but is put into gear
by the attendant and operated by a hand wheel when he requires to raise
or lower the slide to set or adjust the chisel or tool to its proper place
and position, before starting the machine or when required; I also have
a movable guide operated by a spring so as to allow for the curvature
and different widths of the sickle.
By means of this Invention I am enabled to cut a greater quantity of
teeth in a given time, and produce a more uniform or even surface of
them, and consequently save expense and labour.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Havenhand in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 26th September 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HAVENHAND, Manager for Messrs. W. A. Tyzack and Co., Stella Works,
Sheffield, in the County of York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James Havenhand, Her special license

page_text: that I, the said James Havenhand, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said James Havenhand, 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, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "A MACHINE FOR
CUTTING THE TEETH IN SICKLES OR REAPING Hooks APPLICABLE ALSO FOR CUTTING
THE TEETH IN REAPING MACHINE KNIVES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Havenhand, my executors or admini-
strators, 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 per-
formed, 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 James Havenhand, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, and accompanying Sheet of Drawings (that is
to say):-
Heretofore the operation of cutting the teeth in sickles and reaping
machine knives has been performed by hand, which process has neces-
sarily been slow, and the teeth not as fine or equal as can be accom-
plished by a uniform blow and traverse.
Now the object of my Invention is to obviate this irregularity, and to
produce or cut a greater amount of teeth in a given time, and my
Invention consists in mounting upon a table or feet a suitable body or
headstock which is bored out in its top part for a shaft to fit in, and on
the end of this shaft is either turned or fitted an eccentric. One
end of the body I form so that it has a surface for a slide to work upon,
which slide is adjustable by dies and set screws, and is operated by the
eccentric on the end of the shaft. The bottom part of this slide I form
Bo that a chuck which carries the chisel or tool for cutting the teeth can
be easily fixed or adjusted. On the other end of the body and on the
eccentric or main shaft I mount a spur wheel which gears with a spur

page_text: r
pinion which communicates motion to a connecting rod and catch
operating a 'change wheel" mounted upon a shaft below. On this
change wheel shaft, which is carried in suitable pedestals or bearings I
mount at the other end, and immediately under the chisel or tool, a
bush of convenient diameter, or the shaft itself may be of such; but I
prefer to mount or adjust a bush so that it can be taken off and renewed
if damaged or knocked by the chisel striking against it as it is operated,
without the necessity of renewing the whole shaft. The top of this
bush or enlarged portion of the shaft I arrange so that it is level, or
nearly so, with the surface on which the sickle or article to be cut is
placed, and on each side of it I have two loose dies or pieces of metal
in suitable frames, which, when pressed by set screws against the said
bush or shaft act as friction blocks and prevent the shaft moving back
whilst the catch is changing from one tooth to the other of the change
wheel. Sufficient distance above I mount in a loose or hinged bearing
two smaller rollers, upon each of which, at the back side of the bearings,
I mount a small spur wheel, both of which gear with another spur
wheel on the change wheel shaft, whereby the two small rollers are
made to travel in a contrary direction to the bottom roll or shaft, thus
effecting a continuous drawing motion to the sickle or article placed
between them during its operation of being cut. Between the top of
this loosed or hinged bearing and the body I insert a spiral spring,
whereby it adjusts itself to the difference in the thickness of the sickle or
article being cut as it travels along, and I also adjust a lever to this
bearing, whereby the attendant by pressing upon it with his foot can at
any time lift the rolls, and draw the sickle out.
I also arrange on the top of the slide which acts as the striker another
spiral spring, which is adjusted by hand wheel and screw, so that the
whole of the weight or force of the blow does not rest upon the eccentric
shaft. On this shaft, and at the same end as the spur wheel, is mounted
the driving pulley, the boss of which I form so that it serves as one part
of a clutch, so that the attendant can by suitable arrangement of lever
throw the machine in and out of gear at pleasure.
I also employ another spur pinion on the opposite side of the spur
wheel on the main or eccentric shaft to the one which gives motion to
the lever for working the catch before named, and which pinion is not
in gear when the machine is working, but is put into gear by the

page_text: attendant, and operated by hand wheel when require to move the slide
up or down to set or, adjust the chisel to its proper place and posi-
tion before starting, or when required; I also have a moveable guide
operated by a spiral spring, so as to allow for the curvature and different
widths of the sickle.
By means of this Invention I am enabled to cut a greater quantity of
teeth in a given time, and produce a more uniform or even surface of
them, and consequently save expense and labour.
In order that this my said Invention may be more clearly understood,
I have hereunto annexed one Sheet of Drawings illustrative of the
same, and have marked the same with figures and letters of reference,
each letter referring to the same part in the various various views
or Figures.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a machine constructed according to my
Invention, and Fig. 2 is a front view of the same. At A is shewn the
body mounted upon suitable bearings A¹, and which is bored out in its
top part for the shaft B to fit in, and on one end of this shaft is the
eccentric shaft C, which may either be turned on the shaft or fitted;
D is the slide which works upon the surface of the body A, and which is
adjusted by dies E and set screws e. This slide D may be made com-
pound, and operated by a screw or other suitable means, so that it can
be raised or lowered according to the thickness of the article to be cut ;
it is made to slide up and down by means of the eccentric C. The bottom
portion of the slide D I form so that a chuck or bush F, which carries
the chisel or tool for cutting the teeth, can be easily fixed or adjusted.
On the other end of the shaft B I mount a spur wheel G, which gears
with a spur pinion H, which communicates motion to a connecting rod J
and catch %, which operates a change wheel L, which is mounted upon a
shaft M. And on this shaft, which is carried in suitable bearings, I mount
immediately under the chisel or tool a bush N of suitable diameter, or
the shaft itself may be such; but I prefer to use a bush, so that it can
be renewed if damaged by the chisel or tool striking against as it is
operated, and so avoid the necessity of renewing the whole shaft. On
each side of this bush N I arrange two loose dies or pieces of metal O in
a suitable frame P, which when pressed by the set screws p against the
bush N act as friction blocks, and prevent the shaft moving back when
the catch is changing from one tooth to the other of the change wheel.

page_text: At a sufficient distance above I mount in a loose or hinged bearing Q
two small rollers o upon each, and at the back of the bearing I mount
a small spur wheel S, both of which gear with another spur wheel T on
the shaft M, whereby they are made to travel in an opposite direction
to the bottom roll or shaft M, thus effecting a continuous drawing
motion to the sickle or article to be cut, which is placed between the
rollers o and the bush N. Between the top of the bearing G and the
body AI insert a spiral spring U, whereby the bearing is always
adjusted to the difference in the thickness of the sickle or article while
being cut as it travels along; and I also attach by any suitable means
a lever V to this bearing, whereby the attendant by pressing upon it
with his foot can at any time lift the bearing and release the rolls o, and
draw the sickle out. I also arrange on the top of the slide D another
spiral spring W, which is adjusted by hand wheel and screw, or other
suitable means by the aid of this spring. The whole of the weight or
force of the blow does not rest upon the eccentric shaft B; X is the
driving pulley, the boss of which I form so that it serves as one part of
a clutch, so that the attendant can by suitable arrangement of lever,
such as shewn at Y, throw the machine in and out of gear as required.
I also employ a spur pinion Z on the opposite side of the spur wheel G
to the pinion H, and which is put into gear with the wheel G by the
attendant, and operated by the hand wheel Z' when he requires to move
the slide D up or down to set or adjust the chisel or tool to its proper
place and position before starting or when required. At a is shewn the
moveable guide operated by a spiral spring c, whereby the sickle is
regulated and kept in its proper place or position whilst being cut.
It will have been observed that by my various arrangement of
mechanism that I am enabled to cut sickles of any suitable thickness,
widths, and curvature without the changing of any of the parts, and to
cut a greater amount of teeth in a given time, at the same time pro-
ducing a uniform even surface of the teeth, the machine being also
applicable for cutting the teeth in reaping machine knives.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and shewn by
Drawings how the same may be performed or carried into practise, I would
have it distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the preciso
details of construction, as herein shewn & described, as various modifi-
cations may be made; but what I claim as of my Invention and believe

page_text: to be new is, the application and use of a machine for cutting the teeth
in sickles and reaping machine knives, substantially as constructed,
combined, and arranged in its mechanism, and set forth as my Invention
in the above description and shewn in the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Havenhand, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of September,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
three.