IMPROVEMENTS IN CROPPING OR CLIPPING MACHINES FOR THE TREATMENT OF WOVEN FABRICS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Walton Urquhart and Joseph Lindsay, both of
Dundee, in the County of Forfar, North Britain, Engineers, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CROPPING OR CLIPPING MACHINES FOR THE TREATMENT
OF WOVEN FABRICS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Walton Urquhart
and Joseph Lindsay at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
14th May 1881.
WILLIAM WALTON URQUHART and JOSEPH LINDSAY, both of Dundee, in the
County of Forfar, North Britain, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN CROPPING OR
CLIPPING MACHINES FOR THE TREATMENT OF WOVEN FABRICS."
This Invention has for its object to improve the construction and action of
machines used for cropping the projecting fibres off the surfaces of woven fabrics,
or for clipping the loose or flushed threads off leno curtains and similar fabrics.
In machines of the kind to which the present Invention relates, both sides of the
fabric are operated on, the action on each side being effected by means of a
stationary knife edge and a revolving roller having spiral or helical cutting blades
fixed on it, and the fabric being subjected to the action by being drawn over a
concave or double-edged distance guide, so as to pass close to the knife edge and
spiral roller about midway between the two edges of the guide. One of the spiral
rollers with its knife, and the distance guide for the other spiral roller, are
adjustably fixed upon the main framing, whilst the other spiral roller with its
knife and the other distance guide are adjustably fixed on a movable frame. One
improvement consists in arranging the movable frame and in placing the parts
relatively to each other in such a manner that any movement of this frame shifts
the spiral roller carried by it to precisely the same extent to or from the distance
guide on the main framing as that to which it shifts the movable distance guide
from the spiral roller on the main framing. For this purpose the two straight
knives are placed parallel to each other, and the movable frame is fitted to slide on
straight guides at right angles, or nearly so, to the planes of the knives.
The

page_text: movable frame is at what is regarded as the back of the machine, and it is con-
nected by rods to eccentrics, or cranks, or short levers on a shaft near the front of
the machine, this shaft having hand levers on its ends, by moving which the
movable frame can be moved back to allow of ends or other parts of the woven
fabrics passing through the machine without being acted on. The position taken
by the inovable frame when moved forward is determined by two adjustable screws
fitted to the movable frame and to the connecting rods, which are thereby
lengthened or shortened. It is by these adjustable screws that the parts are set
for different thicknesses of the woven fabrics or for cropping or cliping more or
less closely to the surfaces, the adjustment of the one pair of screws acting equally
as regards both spiral rollers. The adjustable screws are formed with notched
rims with which spring catches engage, and the notches may be numbered so that
when the adjustment suitable for a particular fabric has been noted it can be easily
made whenever again required.
The journals of the spiral rollers are carried in adjustable bearings of an
improved kind. Each bearing has formed on its under part a short stout screw
spindle, which is passed through an eye formed in an intermediate piece, and is
.firmly held in any position therein by screw nuts screwed on it against each face
of the eye.
Each intermediate bearing piece has formed on it at right angles to
its eye a stout screw spindle, which is passed through a bored boss or eye formed
on the movable frame in the case of the bearings of one spiral roller, and on the
main framing in the case of the bearings of the other spiral roller, and each spindle
is firmly fixed in any required position in its boss or eye by nuts screwed on it at
opposite ends or faces thereof. These arrangements admit of the bearings being
adjusted with great facility and accuracy in whatever direction may be required.
A further improvement comprised in the present Invention consists in drawing
the fabric through the machine by means of three rollers, two of which have their
axes in the same horizontal plane, whilst the third rests upon them.
The fabric
passes first to the underside of one of the two lower rollers, then up and round the
top roller, and finally down between the top roller and the outer lower roller.
One advantage of this arrangement is, that the rollers can be conveniently placed,
so as to deliver the fabric at a considerable height.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Walton Urquhart & Joseph Lindsay in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 12th November 1881.
WILLIAM WALTON URQUHART and JOSEPH LINDSAY, both of Dundee, in the
County of Forfar, North Britain, Engineers. " IMPROVEMENTS IN CROPPING OR
CLIPPING MACHINES FOR THE TREATMENT OF WOVEN FABRICS."
Our said Invention has for its object to improve the construction and action of
machines used for cropping the projecting fibres off the surfaces of woven fabrics, or
for clipping the loose or flushed threads off leno curtains and similar fabrics.
In machines of the kind to which our present Invention relates, both sides of the
fabric are operated upon, the action on each side being effected by means of a
stationary knife edge and a revolving roller having spiral or helical cutting blades
fixed on it, and the fabric being subjected to the action by being drawn over a
concave or double-edged distance guide so as to pass close to the knife edge and
spiral roller about midway between the two edges of the guide. One of the spiral
rollers with its knife edge and the distance guide for the other spiral roller are
adjustably fixed on the main framing, whilst the other spiral roller with its knife
and the other distance guide arc adjustably fixed on a movable frame. One
improvement consists in arranging the movable frame and in placing the parts
relatively to each other in such a manner that any movement of this frame shifts
the spiral roller carried by it to precisely the same extent to or from the distance
guide on the main framing as that to which it shifts the movable distance guide to
or from the spiral roller on the main framing. The journals of the spiral rollers are
carried in adjustable bearings of an improved kind, hereinafter particularly described,
and which admit of being adjusted with great facility and accuracy in whatever
direction the adjustment is required. A further improvement consists in drawing
the fabric through the machine by means three rollers arranged as hereinafter
explained, and so as to deliver the fabric at a considerable height.
And in order that our said Invention and the manner of performing the same
may be properly understood, we have hereunto appended two Sheets of explanatory
Drawings to be hereinafter referred to, and representing a cropping or clipping
machine as constructed with our improvements.
Figure 1 on Sheet 1 of the accompanying Drawings is a side elevation of the
machine, and Figure 2 is a corresponding vertical section; Figure 3 on Sheet 2 is
a front elevation, and Figures 4 and 5 are enlarged views of parts of the machine.
In these Drawings the same reference numerals are used to mark the same or like
parts wherever they are repeated.
The framing of the machine consists of a pair of side frames 6 connected
principally by a transverse horizontal bar 7 and a branched frame piece 8. At the
front or entering side there are a number of transverse horizontal breadthening or
smoothing bars 9 of the ordinary kind, through the spaces between which bars the
fabric shown by a peculiarly dotted line is drawn. From the smoothing bars 9 the
fabric passes up to and over the front of a roller 10, and thence to the upper
edge of the fixed distance guide 11, and from this point it passes down between
the fixed distance guide 11 and the upper and movable spiral roller 12 and
movable knife 13. The fabric next passes down between the movable distance
guide 14 and the lower or fixed spiral roller 15 and fixed knife 16, and thence to
the three rollers 17, 18, 19, by means of which it is drawn through the machine.
The fabric passes over the inner roller 17, under the middle roller 18 (which has a
downward pressure applied by means of adjustable springs acting on its journals)
and over the outer roller 19, and the power is applied to the inner roller 17, which
bas fast on its shaft a handle 20 for turning by hand, and also a clutch and lever 21

page_text: for engaging it with a loose spur wheel 22. The spur wheel 22 is geared by means
of spur wheels 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, to the first-motion shaft 28 of the machine, and
this shaft has on it fast and loose pulleys 29 for a driving belt, and also
pulleys 30, 31, belts from which drive the spiral rollers 12, 15, by means of
pulleys 32, 33, on their spindles. The belt for driving the upper spiral roller 12 is
guided by pulleys indicated by dotted lines 34 in Figure 2, so as to pass to and
from the pulley 33 of that roller in directions at right angles to the direction in
which the roller and parts connected to it are moved when being adjusted in
position. The lower knife 16 is held by a plate 35 permanently fixed to the
framing of the machine; this plate being formed with a jaw, between which and
a movable jaw 36 the knife 16 is held. The upper distance guide 11 is fitted
on guide surfaces formed for it on the framing, and when adjusted by screws 37
At its
is fixed by screws 38 (Figure 3) entered through elongated holes.
acting part this distance guide 11 presents two parallel projecting edges with a
recessed space between them, and it is when passing about the middle of this
recessed space that the loose fibres or threads on the outer side of the fabric are
operated on by the spiral roller 12 and knife 13. The knife 13 is held by a plate
or frame 39, and between a jaw formed on this plate and a movable jaw 40, and
this plate 39 has also formed on it the lower distance guide 14, which consists like
the upper one of two parallel projecting edges with a recessed space between them.
The lower distance guide 14 causes the inner surface of the fabric to be presented
to the action of the lower spiral roller 15 and knife 16.
Both spiral rollers 12, 15, are held by similar improved universally adjustable
bearings 41 connected to the movable and fixed plates 39 and 35 respectively.
For each end bearing 41 of each spiral roller there is formed on the plate (39 or 35)
a double boss 42, through which there is placed a screw-spindle 43 having formed
on it at right angles a boss 44, through which there is passed a screw spindle 45
formed on or fixed to the bearing piece 41. Screw nuts 46 are placed on the screw
spindles 43, 45, at both ends of each of the bosses 42, 44, and by means of these
With these
nuts the screw spindles can be adjusted and fixed in the bosses.
arrangements the positions of the spiral rollers can be adjusted with the greatest
nicety and with great facility. Projections on the upper sides of the bosses 44
have fitted to them the rods 47, to which the leathers 48 which lie on the spiral
rollers are attached; and in the case of the upper movable parts, an upper rod 49
is added to give increased rigidity.
The plate or frame 39 is movable on guide surfaces formed for it on the side
frames 6, and for this purpose it is formed with lugs or eyes 50 in which are
entered studs 51 formed on the inner sides of blocks or bosses 52 attached by screw
spindles 53 to connecting rods 54. The connecting rods 54 are made in the same
pieces with straps which encircle eccentrics 55 on a shaft 56, having a hand lever 57
fixed on each end of it. The screw spindles 53 are screwed into the ends of the
connecting rods 54 and can be turned in the blocks or bosses 52, and each has on
it a notched collar 58 with which a spring catch 59 fixed to the connecting rod can
engage. The notches can be numbered so that when the adjustment suitable for a
particular fabric has been noted it can be easily made whenever again required. It
is by means of the adjustable screws 53 that the parts are set for different
thicknesses of the woven fabrics or for cropping or clipping more or less closely to
the surfaces, the adjusting of the one pair of screws 53 acting equally as regards
both spiral rollers. The eccentrics 55 are made with projections 60 which come to
rest against stops G1 when moved to bring the movable frame 39 forward, the
position of which therefore depends on the effective length of the connecting rods 54,
and this is determined by the adjustable screws 53 as described.
A cylindrical grooved cam 62, represented as fixed on the shaft or boss of the
spur wheels 23, 24, is for giving to the spiral rollers 12, 15, slow reciprocating
movements in the direction of their length with the view of improving the cutting
action between the spiral blades of the rollers and the stationary knives 13, 16.
The cam 62 acts on one end of a lever 63 centered on an adjustable bracket 64,

page_text: and the other end of the lever 63 is fitted with an adjustable rod 65, which
engages with grooved bosses 66 on the spindles of the spiral rollers, and
communicates the reciprocating motion thereto.
It will be observed that in the arrangement or construction of parts hereinbefore
described, the two knives 13, 16, which are stationary during the working of the
machine, are placed parallel to each other, and that the frame 39 carrying one
spiral roller 12 and its knife 13, and the distance guide 14 for the other spiral
roller 15, is movable or adjustable in a direction at right angles to the planes of the
knives 13, 16; in consequence of which such movement or adjustment shifts the
upper roller 12 and knife 13 to precisely the same extent to or from the fixed
distance guide 11 as that to which it shifts the movable distance guide 14 to or
from the fixed knife 16 and its roller 15, so that one adjustment acts with perfect
equality on the parts which operate on opposite sides of the fabric.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention and the manner of
performing the same, we have to state that we do not restrict ourselves to the
precise details herein described or delineated, but what we believe to be novel
and original, and claim as the Invention secured to us by and in terms of the
herein before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1. The arranging or combining together of the parts of cropping or clipping
machines, substantially in the improved manner herein before described.
2. The placing of the knives (13, 16,) parallel to each other, combined with the
making of the frame (39) movable at right angles or nearly so to the planes of the
knives, such frame carrying one spiral roller with its knife, and the distance guide
for the other spiral roller, as herein before described.
3. The hereinbefore described combination of parts for adjusting the effective
length of the connecting rods by which the movable frame (39) is shifted.
4. The combination of parts forming the universally adjustable bearings for the
journals of the spiral rollers as hereinbefore described.
5. The combination of three rollers (17, 18, 19) for drawing the fabric through
the machine, such rollers being arranged and operating substantially as herein before
described.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Walton Urquhart and Joseph
Lindsay, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Ninth day of November,
1
1
1