An Improved Combination Knife for Cutting, Skiving, and Up-righting Cane and similar Materials into, Round Reeds, Square, Octagon, and Flat Strips, Strands, or Skeins.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 6th July, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 5th Apr., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 18th May, 1889
0.2.
;"
1"
An Improved Combination Knife for Cutting, Skiving, and
Up-righting Cane and similar Materials into, Round Reeds,
Square, Octagon, and Flat Strips, Strands, or Skeins.
"
We EDWARD MARSTON and THOMAS WHYSALL Cane Manufacturers South Wigston
in the County of Leicester do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:-
A combination of cutters or knives made in solid cast steel about one and a half.
inches square and perfectly flat on the surface with all edges sharp for cutting
purposes and with chambers around or adjoining each knife for, separating cutting
skiving and uprighting cane and other like materials into different shaped and, sized
round reeds flat strands strips skeins and threads ready for manufacturing into baskets
hampers skeps and similar materials the knife or knives are securely fixed in a recess..
cut into a bracket which is easily fixed by means of four screws on the front of...
machine. This combination cutter will do in one process what previously had to be,
done by means of four separate processes whereby the work is performed by still
greater accuracy ease and economy.
EDWARD MARSTON and
THOMAS WHYSALL.

page_text: An Improved Combination Knife for Cutting, Skiving, and
Up-righting Cane and similar Materials into Round Reeds,
Square, Octagon, and Flat Strips, Strands, or Skeins.
We, EDWARD MARSTON, and THOMAS WHYSALL, of South Wigston, in the county
of Leicester, Cane Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to a special formation of cutters or knives made in a cast
steel block of about one and a half inches square and perfectly flat on the surface with
all edges sharp on one face for cutting purposes, for separating cutting skiving and
uprighting cane and other like materials into different shapes and sizes such as round
reeds, flat strands, strips, skeins, and threads ready for manufacturing into baskets
hampers, skeps chair seatings and similar articles, or purposes also as stiffeners for
corsets and other articles of dress. The knife is securely fixed in a recess cut into a
bracket and easily fixed by means of four screws, or suspended on pins on the front of
a machine.
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the annexed drawings show samples of knives of
various shapes. These knives are cast with apertures through them and then they are
faced up or filed with sharp cutting edges on one face and all to about the same level,
see Figure 7, and with the backs rather broad to retain the necessary strength to
resist the cutting action of the cane and like fibrous body into strips the forms or
shapes corresponding to the cutters.
As an example, we have shown at Figure 8 a piece of cane A passed through the
knives according to the pattern shown at Figure 5, where the cane is formed into
eight strips.
The knives or cutters are provided with two holes at their upper part through the
solid metal to enable them to be screwed into a bracket, or they may be suspended on
pins and abut against two cheeks B, B, as seen at Figure 9, the cheeks forming the
front part of an apparatus having a couple of rollers C, C, grooved centrally so that
when the two rollers are turned by the winch handle D and spur gearing E, E, the
cane or other material to be operated upon is forced by the rollers C, C, through
the cutter plate or knife F where it is cut into strips, as indicated.
The rollers C, C, and knife F are mounted in a frame G secured upon a table or
bench H.
Figure 9 is only given as an example of an apparatus, in which any of our cutting
knives can be placed, they being easily removable when another shape of cutter has to
be put in.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
The construction and employment of multiple cutters formed within and from a
cast stoel block, all the cutting edges being from the same face of the block for
simultaneously severing or cutting cane or like material. into the required shapes
corresponding to the shapes of the cavities formed between the several cutting edges,
as and for the
purposes described.
The 5th day of April 1889.
H. GARDNER,
166, Fleet Street, London,
Agent for the said. Edward Marston and
Thomas Whysall.