IMPROVEMENTS IN SHEARS FOR SHEARING SHEEP AND IN SHEARS FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Thomas Brown at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 4th March 1882.
THOMAS BROWN of Sheffield in the County of York.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
SHEARS FOR SHEARING SHEEP AND IN SHEARS FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
This invention relates to shears for shearing sheep and to shears for other
purposes and consists essentially in the ineans of and appliances for adjusting or
regulating the springing action or strength of the spring of the bow.
In carrying into effect this invention according to one of my present improve-
ments I construct a blade, shank and part of a bow of one side of a pair of shears
in a manner resembling that described in my specification of Patent number two
thousand two hundred and forty seven dated the fifth day of June one thousand
eight hundred and seventy eight.
U³
To the bows of the right and left parts of a pair of shears I attach a spring of
shape; this spring is or can be of about the width of the bow and is slotted or
grooved to admit a bolt or set screw with nut and washer so constructed and fitted to
the said
spring as desired; the bolt can be moved from end to end of the slot and tightened
up at any point in the length thereof. When the bolt is at that end (the front
end) nearest to the blades of the shears the pressure required to close the blades of
the shears will be comparatively small and when the bolt is removed to the back
end (the end nearest to the bow) of the spring the pressure required to close the
blades of the shears will be comparatively great. By these means and appliances
the shears can be adjusted for use by persons with weak or strong wrists and for light
and heavy cuts.
Ushaped spring as that it will draw together the opposite sides of the
As a modification the ends of the half bows are prolonged and turned inwards
-instead of a separate spring being employed-a packing piece is inserted at the
extreme ends thereof through which the two half bows are rivetted or otherwise
secured the ends turned in are slotted or grooved and a bolt and nut or equivalent
appliance is employed as firstly described by which the spring of the bow can be
adjusted.

page_text: As a further modification the extreme ends of the half bows which are turned
in as above described-are bent inwards to meet together leaving a space between
the turned in ends of the half bows these ends being slotted or grooved are fitted
with a bolt and nut or set screw as firstly and secondly described and for the same
purpose.
In adapting my present improvements to shears as illustrated and described in
my specification of Patent number two thousand two hundred and forty seven
dated the fifth day of June one thousand eight hundred and seventy eight I fix to
each side of the bow or spring of the bow a curved plate the ends of which lap
over each other, these plates are slotted or grooved and a bolt and nut or equivalent
appliance is used therewith to secure the one to the other by which the shears are
made adjustable as above firstly described. By loosening the bolt and compressing
the bow of the shears and then tightening up the bolt the "spring" of the shears
is adjusted and regulated and stiffened.
According to my present improvements a pair of shears with a solid bow (or a
bow in parts) can be constructed in which the regulating spring projects outwards
from the bow instead of inwards as firstly described.
This invention of a regulating screw fitted to slotted plates can be applied to
shears otherwise than as herein-before specified without departing from the essential
features of the said invention, for instance the slotted plates can be formed with
the bow instead of the bow being jointed; or the slotted plates may be formed
with the bow and project beyond the bow instead of being turned inside the
bow as above described.