IMPROVEMENTS IN CUTTING HAY, STRAW, AND OTHER VEGETABLE MATTER FOR THE FOOD OF HORSES
Year: 1843

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
GARDNER, of BANBURY, in the County of Oxford, Ironmonger, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Seventeenth day of December, in the sixth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
James Gardner,. Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said James Gardner, my exors, adñors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said James Gardner, my exors, admors, 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 expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CUTTING HAY, STRAW, AND OTHER
VEGETABLE MATTER FOR THE FOOD OF HORSES;" in which said Letters Patent
is contained a proviso that I, the said James Gardner, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Gardner, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described
and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being

page_text: My Invention relates to Improvements in Constructing Knives or Cutters
used in Chaff-cutting Machines. And in order that the Invention may
be fully described and readily understood, I will proceed to explain the
Drawing hereunto annexed.
.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 shews a plan of a chaff-cutting machine similar to what is
described in the Specification of my former Patent granted to me on the
Twenty-seventh day of October, One thousand eight hundred and forty-two,
such machine having two mouthpieces, the knives or cutters cutting on both
sides of their axis of motion, as was fully described in my said Specification;
and although the description of knives or cutters according to my present
improvements are particularly applicable to such description of machines, yet
they also may be applied to other machines having each only one mouthpiece.
It is well known that in affixing knives as at present practised there is
much difficulty in adjusting and fitting them in a machine, and they are so
constructed as to spring against the surface of the mouthpiece of the machine.
Now, according to my Invention, the knives are of a bended form, by which
stiffness is obtained, and at the same time the knives are capable of being
affixed with accuracy, and with less trouble than heretofore.
Figure 2 represents a circular plate, which is turned or planed true on the
face on which the knives are affixed. a, a, a, are there knives affixed thereto
by means of screws and nuts b, b; and there are additional holes at d, d,
where a knife may be affixed in order to use the plate A with only two knives,
one on each side of the axis B. I would state, that although I have shewn
the plate A to be solid throughout, yet the same may have openings through it,
leaving only spokes or arms for the knives; but such spokes or arms are to be
faced accurately to receive the knives.
Figure 3 shews a section of Figure 2, the parts Figures 2 and 3 being on
an enlarged scale compared with Figure 1. The knives a, a, are so formed
that the surfaces which are affixed to the plate A are parallel to the upper
surfaces of the cutting edges, the knives being. bended, and consequently stiff
knives, and they do not spring to the mouth of the machine.
Figure 4 shews an edge view of one of the knives; Figure 5 shews a plan
of the outer surface of one of the knives; and Figure 6 shews a plan of that
side of one of the knives which goes next the material to be cut. And I shape
these knives between dies or stamps. (1), (1), shews the surface which goes

page_text: next the plate A, and (2), (2), shews the outer surface of the cutting edge,
which, it will be seen, stands off from the surface (1), and consequently from
the plate or surface A; but the outer surface of the cutting edge (2), (2), is
parallel to the plane of the surface (1), (1), and the sharpening takes place
on the outer surface (that is, the surface 3) of the cutting edge (2), (2). It
will, therefore, be evident that, by having several knives, one knife may be
removed, and another applied quickly; and owing to the truth of the surface
(1) in respect to the cutting edge (2) and the surface of the plate A, the
parts having been once properly made or prepared, it will not require a good
workman to apply and remove the knives from time to time. It will thus be
understood that the peculiarity of these knives, and the mode of applying
them, consists in forming the surface (1), (1), true with the plate or surface
A, to which it is to be affixed, and forming the cutting edge (2), (2), which is
at a distance from the surface (1), (1), parallel to that surface (1), (1).
I would remark, that I do not confine myself to the precise form of knives,
provided the plane of the surface (1), (1), and the plane of the cutting edge
are parallel, as herein shewn and described; and although I have shewn the
improvements applied to machines such as are described in my said former
Specification, I do not confine myself to such application. But what I
claim is, the mode of constructing knives of chaff-cutting machines are herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Gardner, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand night hundred and forty three