IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR THRASHING AND WINNOWING GRAIN AND SEEDS
Year: 1846

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, 1, JOHN
BOYES, of Mincing Lane, in the City of London, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Twenty-third day of July, in the tenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Boyes, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said John Boyes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, and such
others as , the said John Boyes, my executors, administrators, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, and in
the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, an Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR THRASHING AND WINNOWING GRAIN AND SEEDS,"
being a communication from a foreigner residing abroad; in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said John Boyes, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar mouths next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Boyes, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say):
The machine which forms the subject of the Invention, which has been
communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, as aforesaid, consists of three
principal parts, viz., the thrasher, the, winuower, and the sifter, all of which
operate at the sanie time, and are enclosed in a sort of case or close framing.
The grain or seed is separated from the stalk, ear, chaff, or other extraneous
matters by the simultaneous action of three powers, viz., percussion, friction,
and a strong current of air, which powers are obtained by a simple rotary
motion produced by manual labour.
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the machine complete; Figure 2 is a
plan or top view of the same, as seen from above; Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
represent various portions of the machine detached; and Figure 8, a plan
view of an arrangement of apparatus for driving. two of the machines by
horse power.
The thrashing part of the apparatus consists of a cylinder E, E, which is
mounted horizontally in bearings, and turns on its axis with an average speed
of about one hundred and twenty revolutions per minute. This cylinder is
made of oak, and its ends and curved surface are closed, without leaving any
interstices; but the cylindrical part is furnished with a series of horizontal bars,
composed of strong iron wire, placed about one-third of an inch apart. There
are three series or rows of these bars, as will be seen in the plan view, Figure 2,
and they are fastened to the cylinder by their ends being pointed and bent back,
as seen in Figure 3, and driven into the wood, as will be well understood upon
inspecting the Drawings. The cylinder is also furnished at each side with a
fly wheel, as seen at e, Figure 1, whereby its power is augmented, and its
motion is rendered more regular. These fly wheels are fastened by bolts, or in
any other convenient manner, to the ends of the cylinder, and weigh about
twenty-five pounds each. The part I, K, is the adjustable or nioveable bed of
the thrashing apparatus, or what the Inventor denominates the "counter
thrasher." It is of a concavo-convex form, and is mounted on the adjustable
bearings H, H. The lower portion of the bed is made concave, so as to
correspond to and cover or enclose a part of the cylinder, and the upper part
is made convex, or curved back in the opposite direction to the curve of the
lower part, so as to present a convenient, opening at which the machine may

page_text: be fed. This thrashing bed or counter thrasher
is made of oak, and
and its concave inner surface, or that part which is opposite to the cylinder,
is covered with rows of round-headed nails placed in diagonal lines across
the concave surface, and between every three rows of nails there is a plain
bar, composed of iron wire, as seen best in the detached view, Figure 4.
Another description of "counter thrasher" is shewn at Figure 4, in which
the stationary bed is represented as furnished with a grating of trellis work,
composed of iron wire, the meshes or interstices being from one-fourth to
one-third of an inch square. This grating or trellice is firmly fixed to the
wooden part of the bed, and is found to act exceedingly well, but is not
so durable as that shewn at Figure 4. The bed I, K, being mounted on
the horizontal supports H, which are furnished with adjustable screws D, D',
may be placed at any suitable distance from the cylinder, according to the
nature of the grain to be operated upon and its state of dryness, and this
distance may be altered and regulated with the greatest nicety by merely
turning the screws D, D', before mentioned.
The winnowing part of the apparatus consists of a fan, mounted on
the axle V, and driven at about two hundred and forty revolutions per
minute, and is surrounded by a sheet-iron case, in order to confine the
air and force it out of a suitable aperture in the direction of the sifting
apparatus. The fan or winnower and the thrashing cylinder are actuated
by the large driving wheel R, the pinions V and E, and the intermediate
wheel R'; and if the machine is to be actuated by manual labour, the
large wheel R may be driven round by means of the two cranks or winch
handles M, M, one on each side of the machine, at the rate of from
thirty-five to forty revolutions per minute. By the above arrangement of
gearing the thrashing cylinder will be made to revolve in the direction of the
arrow marked thereon, and by catching hold of the ears of corn when they
are presented in the opening G, will tear the grains away from the straw by
rubbing the ear against the roughened surface of the bed or counter thrasher
I, K, but the fan or winnower will revolve in the opposite direction, as is also
indicated by arrows marked thereon. When the grains or seeds and chaff
are detached from the stalk or straw, by means of the thrashing cylinder and
"counter thrasher," above described, it falls from the latter, as shewn in
Figure 1, into and inclined plaue P, P¹, fixed inside the machine, and from
the inclined plane P, P¹, the grain slides down towards the fan V and falls
on to a second inclined plane X, Y, and while falling from one inclined plane
to the other it is acted upon by a strong current of air, that is made by the
rapid rotation of the fan to rush out from the mouth of the winnowing box,

page_text: and blow away the light parts, such as the chaff, allowing the grain to drop
on to and slide down the second incline X, Y, as already mentioned. C, C, is
a sieve, made of iron wire, with meshes about one-third of an inch square, and
is placed immediately below the thrashing cylinder, for the purpose of catching
any ears that may be torn away from the straw, and preventing them from
falling down among the grain. Each side of this sieve is furnished with a
wooden ledge, which prevents the grain from being drawn away with the ears
when they are removed. C', C', is another sieve, placed lower down at the
lower extremity of the inclined plane X, Y. The meshes of this sievo are
much finer than the other, not being more than about the sixth of an inch
square, and is intended to prevent the grains which are still in the husk from
mixing with the perfectly shelled grain, which is allowed to pass through the
sieve, while those grains which still retain the husk will be deposited at Z.
The incline X, Y, is plain and flat at its upper end, but is furnished at its lower
end with straight iron wires, as in ordinary winnowing machines. The upper
sieve receives a slight but continual shaking motion by means of the lever L, L,
one end of which is attached thereto, and the other end of this lever is
connected to an excentric on the axle V, as seen in Figure 1, and by this
continual shaking motion the grain is gradually made to slide down the incline,
as has been already explained.
In order to prevent the necessity of making an additional side elevation of
the machine, the little apparatus above described for agitating the sieve C is
shewn in Figure 1 as being placed on the same side of the machine as the
wheels, but in practice it will be found more convenient to place it on the
opposite side. The excentric on the axle V of the winnowing fan gives a
similar shaking motion to the other sieve also as well as to the inclined plane
X, Y, on to which the grain falls from the upper inclined plane P, the motion
being communicated to those parts, as shewn in Figure 1, by means of two
straps, which raise them up about two hundred and forty times in a minute.
There is also another inclined plano N, N', which is made moveable in
grooves, so that it may be raised or lowered more or less for the purpose of
stopping any light grains, or grains with the husk on, which might otherwise
be blown away among the chaff. These light grains by striking against the
inclined plane N will be stopped in their progress, and will fall down under
the inclined plane P, where they will collect in a heap. When the machine is
required for use, it should be placed near the stack or rick of corn which is
to be operated upon, and a man can, by means of one of the cranks or winch
handles M, M, put it in motion in the proper direction. As the resistance of
the machine, is trifling,. the work being very slight, women or boys may be

page_text: employed to actuate it in place of men, if thought desirable. When the
machine is properly placed, and ready for operation, two children, placed one
on each side of the machine, and near the sheaves of corn, take from the
latter small bunches or hands full of the corn, and hand them to women, who
stand opposite the opening G, and present the ears of corn to the thrashing
cylinder, as shewn at G, Figure 1. When the cylinder catches hold of the
ears, the hand should follow up the motion rapidly, and by the bars on the
surface of the cylinder rubbing the ears against the roughened surface of
the bed plate the grain becomes effectually beaten or rubbed out; but in
order to be certain that all the seeds are removed, the stalks or straw should
be passed into the machine two or three times. When the corn is beaten
out of the handsful or bunches of straw, the latter is drawn away from the
cylinder, and deposited by women on one side, and fresh bunches are handed
to them by the children. The grain and chaff that is beaten out of or dis-
engaged from the ears of corn then falls down upon the inclined plane P, P¹,
which, by its inclination, allows or rather obliges the corn and chaff to
gradually slide down towards the long inclined plane X, Y, and in falling
from the incline P, P, on to X, Y, the corn comes under the action of a
strong current of air, which blows away all the chaff and light grains,
whilst the good seed, after having passed through the lower sieve C¹, C²,
issues from the machine perfectly cleansed and separated from all foreign
bodies. All the operations connected with the machine are performed with
great facility, therefore with two men to actuate the machine, four women
to feed, and two children to supply them, fifteen sacks of barley may be
thrashed, winnowed, and cleansed in one day of ten working hours. By
increasing the number of labourers a greater quantity of grain may be
thrashed out in the same time, and the expence of working the machine
will be more than covered by the higher price which the grain will fetch
in the market, owing to its greater cleanness when thrashed or beaten out by
this machine than when beaten out in the ordinary thrashing floor. A still
greater and more important advantage is, that no grain (or at any rate hardly
any) can possibly remain in the ear when thrashed in the machine, which may
also, if required, be actuated by horse power; and by adopting the arrangement
shewn in Figure 8, two machines may be actuated by one horse, whereby two
or three times the quantity of grain may be thrashed out in one day, which will
be a great advantage on large properties, and will diminish the quantity of
manual labour that would otherwise be required. An apparatus, somewhat
similar to the stationary "counter thrasher," or bed of the thrashing machine,
above described, may be employed to break or crush straw. When the machine

page_text: is to be used for crushing or breaking straw, the bed or counter thrasher
I, K, Figure 1, must be removed, and that shewn at Figure (which is pre-
cisely the same size) must be secured in its place on the same supports H, H.
The face of the straw crusher is furnished with round or diamond-headed mails
(as shewn in the Drawing), and its distance from the cylinder is regulated by
the adjusting screws D', D', of the bearings or supports H, E', as in the former
instance. The distance of the bed from the cylinder ought to be from
the twentieth to the eighth of an inch, but this must depend upon whether
the straw is to be more or less crushed. In making use of this apparatus, the
bunches or handsful of the straw are presented to the cylinder and operated
upon in the same manner as when the thrashing operation is performed;
but in order that the straw may be broken or crushed throughout its whole
length, both ends must successively be passed into the machine. The
hopper shewn at T, T, Figures 1 and 2, is intended to receive the grain which
by falling outside the machine becomes mixed with the chaff, and which it
therefore becomes necessary to pass again through the machine. The grain
when mixed with foreign matters when placed in the hopper passes from
thence on to the inclined plane P, P, from whence it falls on to the other
inclined plane X, Y, as already explained, and in doing so the grain becomes
separated from the chaff by means of the current of wind from the winnower,
as already described. By means of this hopper the machine may be made of
the same service as the best winnowing machines, and may be employed for
cleaning grain at any time of the year when not required for thrashing purposes,
as it is only necessary to remove the intermediate wheel R¹ and the machines
become at once a simple winnowing machine, and when the thrashing part is
also required, this wheel has only to be replaced, and the whole acts together.
The toothed wheels are covered up in order to prevent accidents, and the total
weight of the machine not being more than six hundredweight, it can be
easily put up or taken down and removed by two men from place to place by
means of two hand barrows, or it may with very little trouble be placed in a
cart ready for operation, and carried to some distance.
Having now described the Invention that has been communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, as aforesaid, and the manner of carrying the same
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I am aware that corn, grain,
or seeds has, before the date of my said Patent, been removed from the husk
or stalk by means of a beating cylinder, and that the grain or seeds have also
been separated from the chaff by means of a strong current of air produced by
the rapid revolution of a fan wheel in a case; I do not therefore mean or intend
to lay any exclusive claim to either of these points except when constructed

page_text: and arranged in the manner herein set forth; but what I claim as the Inven-
tion secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is, the
construction or arrangement of machinery or apparatus as above shewn or
described, any modification thereof for the purpose of beating out or removing
and separating corn, grain, or seeds from the stalk, husks, or chaff of the
plant.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Boyes, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty-third day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.