A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE FOR GATHERING AND BINDING THE SHEAVES OR GAVELS OF CORN OR OTHER HARVEST PRODUCE
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Tolhausen, Civil Engineer and Patent
Agent, of 35, Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, Paris, in the Empire of France,
for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE FOR GATHERING AND
BINDING THE SHEAVES OR GAVELS OF CORN OR OTHER HARVEST PRODUCE."
A communication from Philippe Durand, Esquire, a person resident at
35, Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, Paris, aforesaid.
Sealed the 30th August 1861, and dated the 1st March 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Tolhausen
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 1st March 1861.
I, FREDERICK TOLHAUSEN, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, of 35,
Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, Paris, in the Empire of France, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE FOR
GATHERING AND BINDING THE SHEAVES OR GAVELS OF CORN OR OTHER HARVEST
PRODUCE, APPLICABLE TO HARVESTING MACHINES," (a communication from Philippe
Durand, Esquire, of Paris, in the Empire of France, to be as follows:-
This application refers to a new or improved apparatus for. binding into
sheaves the gavels of corn delivered by that class of reaping or harvesting
machines which are styled self-delivering, and are provided with an automatic
apparatus, such as a rake or other equivalent device.

page_text: This corn binder is placed at the back part of the table or platform of the
reaping machine. It is composed of a pair of compasses shaped like callipers,
having two curved legs, but which are articulated or joined in the middle of
their length so as to be able to straddle flat down upon the platform. These
callipers are provided at each of their extremities with a pair of pliers forming
a kind of hands, or fingers which open and close by means of a spring.
When the callipers straddle on the platform and their extremities touch it,
the said springs meet the platform and causes said hands or fingers to open so
as to receive the tie which is presented to them by an operator seated on a
suitable, which tie is for binding the gavel as it is furnished by the reaping
machine and placed on the said tie,
then set the legs of the callipers in
motion and bring them together by means of an endless rack developed in the
shape of a screw on a spindle, the upper and under sides of the screw thread
being furnished with a succession of teeth into which a proper bevel pinion is
set to gear. By this motion the said hands which are closed are brought
together and open by pressing against each other. Thus the ends of the tie are
brought together and taken hold of immediately by a pair of nippers which
occupy a perpendicular position to the platform, and are set in motion by the
said screw rack, which also stands perpendicular to the platform. The screw
rack thus causes the nippers to perform two revolutions in. one direction, after
which the nippers are opened by a lever, which lever then works a hook by
which the ends of the tie which has been relinquished by the nippers are drawn
in betwixt the sheaf and the tie in the same manner as is done by hand, so as
to prevent the tie untwisting. Another hook being called into action causes
the end of the tie to describe one half turn horizontally by which it is further
secured. This operation having been accomplished the legs of the callipers
aforesaid open out and the sheaf drops on the ground. The operator on his
seat then feeds another tie into the hands or fingers, which take hold of the
same, the twisting nippers with their jaws open perform two revolutions in an
opposite direction to the preceding one, the rake or equivalent device then
supplies another gavel and the driving bevel pinion passing round to and gearing
into the opposite rows of teeth on the screw rack, a lever unites the two legs of
the callipers, the nippers take hold of and close upon the two ends of the tie,
which they twist, and which are then passed under the said tie as before
described by the vertical hook.
:
For facilitating the understanding of my plan for operating the. binding
apparatus by means of an endless screw rack as above stated, I would observe
that said screw rack works into a stationary nut placed above it and having a
pitch corresponding with that described by the threads on which the screw

page_text: rack is formed, so that the driving pinion always remains in place whilst in
gear with the rack teeth of one side of the thread. However, sufficient vertical
displacement is allowed to the said pinion so that it may pass from one side to
the other of the endless rack by means of a short slot in which its spindle passes;
the latter being connected with the prime mover by a universal joint or
equivalent device.
The said stationary nut into which a screw works which is cut on the same
spindle as the endless screw rack cannot be dispensed with for obtaining the
necessary up and down motion to effect the operations of the binder. But I
sometimes use instead of the endless screw rack a plain screw which is
worked by a nut having an intermittant reciprocating motion, which is easily
obtained by a lever from the working machinism, of the reaping machine or
otherwise.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Frederick Tolhausen in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 30th August 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
TOLHAUSEN, Civil Engineer and Patent Agent, of 35, Boulevard Bonne
Nouvelle, Paris, in the Empire of France, send greeting.
WHEREAS 'Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Frederick Tolhausen, Her special licence that I, the said Frederick
Tolhausen, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Frederick Tolhausen, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom.
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an.
Invention for "A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE FOR GATHERING AND BINDING THE
SHEAVES OR GAVELS OF CORN OR OTHER HARVEST PRODUCE," (a communication
from Philippe Durand, Esquire, a person resident at 35, Boulevard Bonne;
Nouvelle, Paris, aforesaid, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the-said,
Frederick Tolhausen, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in,
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly

page_text: describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after.
the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederick Tolhausen, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
On the annexed Sheet of Drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my machine
for gathering and binding the sheaves or gavels of corn or other harvest
produce as applied to the harvesting machine patented by William Stettinius
Clark, A.D., 5th April 1858, No. 720, this view being taken from the driving.
side of said machine; Fig. 1ª is a similar and corresponding elevation of the
worm & screw driving the binding machine from. the main shaft of the
harvesting machine. Fig. 2 is a sectional front elevation of the screw, and
worm, and rack, and lever gears for actuating the binding machine. Fig. 3 is a
sectional back elevation of the cams and their followers for actuating the
binding machine; Fig. 3ª is a similar and corresponding elevation of the cam
shaft for the disengaging clutch of the twisting claws; Fig. 3b is a similar and
corresponding view of the resisting finger rod and revolving hook or band-
fastener. Fig. 4 is a plan of the gathering arms or compasses complete with
the hands for holding the tie band or ligament; Fig. 4 is a plan of the
extremities of said gathering arms; Fig. 4b is a plan of the frame actuating
said arms.
Fig. 5 is a side view shewing a different way in which the working
parts may be actuated by means of two moveable endless racks similar to
those employed in W. S. 'Clark's machine aforesaid. Fig. 6 is an elevation of
the endless helical or screw rack mentioned in my Provisional Specification..
The same letters or signs of reference indicate like parts in the different
Figures; also the same letters of reference are used as in William Stettinius:
Clark's Specification for those parts which recur in this Specification.
In order to more clearly define the object of this Invention I would state.
that my binding machine fully imitates, and is intended to go through the
operations for binding harvest produce, such as performed by manual labour..
For this purpose I have contrived the following working parts, viz. :-
First, a pair of compasses having the shape of callipers, which open so as
to lie down flat and receive the sheaf as it is delivered by the reaping machine
or otherwise, and then close so as to give it the round bundle form. These
compasses I would call the gathering arms.
Second, the gathering arms carry at their upper extremities, a pair of spring

page_text: tongs into which a suitable length of tie band or ligament of any suitable
material is put previous to the arms receiving the sheaf and closing. These
tongs I denominate holding hands.
.
'
Third, the arms being closed and the projecting ends of the band being.
brought together, they are taken hold of by a pair of revolving. nippers or
claws by which the proper twist is given to the band. These I denominate
twisting claws.
Fourth, a rod or resisting finger advances close to the sheaf and band on the
side opposite to,'.
Fifth, a partly revolving hook or band fastener, which takes the twisted
band ends from the nippers and passes them round the resisting, finger between
the sheaf and band, after which the resisting finger is withdrawn again. The
sheaf is thus bound fast in the same manner as by hand, and ready for delivery.
from the machine.
These working parts may be driven or set in motion by any suitable
mechanical means, but I would prefer using those shewn at Figs. 1, 2, and 3.
They may also be used in connexion with or independent of any reaping
machine, but I prefer applying them to a self-delivering reaping machine,
such as that of W. S. Clark, aforesaid.
The following parts shewn on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings will be
found to correspond with similar parts in W. S. Clark's machine aforesaid, and
therefore need no further explanation, due reference being had to the Drawings
and descriptions. These parts are marked a, a, c, f, h, l, m, g, x;
D, F, H, N, Q. .
The working or essential parts of the binding machine are as follows:-
b, b, gathering arms which swivel on a fixed circular bottom piece b¹, and
are worked by the sliding frame d and levers e, 9, the latter being worked by
a connecting rod i (Fig. 2) from the rack pinion q. These gathering arms
are either flat or concave, and recessed at j, j, (Fig. 4) so as to receive the
band which they are to wrap round the sheaf. k, platform; n, stay pieces
which carry the binding apparatus, and may be supported at the rear by a light
wheel; o, o, Fig. 4, spring tongs or holding hands for receiving the band and
holding it until upon the arms b, b, being brought together the hands open by.
mutual contact, and allow the ends of the band to be seized by the twisting
claws. The hands o may be clothed with india-rubber at the surfaces of mutual
contact; p, p, twisting claws, consisting of a pair of hollow wings lined with
india-rubber, and swinging on a boss r, which is free to rotate, but not to rise
or fall on the turning shaft s; t, t, are knee levers attached to the clutchi
piece u, which are made so as to move and turn freely on the shaft s. The

page_text: piece is lowered and raised (i.e., thrown in and out of gear with the clutch v,
fast on the shaft s) in such manner that at due intervals the claws p, p, are
closed (as shewn in Fig. 1) and set to rotate, and then made to open out and
stand still in order that the band fastener may take the twisted band end from
said claws and force it between the band & sheaf. The clutch piece u is
thrown in or out of gear by the action of a rocking shaft w (Figs. 1, 3, and 3")
which is forked at y, and carries an arm z.
This arm is worked through
part of a revolution by the groove of a cam a' (Fig. 3) turning in the direction
of the arrow.
(Figs. 1 and 3b) shews the resisting finger which is made
to advance and recede at due intervals by the cylindrical cam groove d¹;
e¹ (Fig. 3b), is the band fastener, made of flat iron of such width and recessed
shape as to seize the twisted band end and secure or fasten it under the band
as shewn in dotted lines. This operation is performed at due intervals by the
action of the rocking shaft f' which is worked in a similar manner to that
described in relation to the rocking shaft w, by the cam g¹; said cam is mounted
inside the cam d on the same shaft.
Motion is obtained and distributed for the different parts in the following
manner-On the shaft of the pinion H, between the clutch f and universal
joint l, (see W. S. Clark's Patent aforesaid) I fix an endless screw or worm h²,
driving a wheel at the rate of eight to one. The shaft of said wheel
carries a chain and wheel ¹, by which motion is imparted to the upper cam
shaft, and from this latter shaft speed is suitably got up for the twisting
shafts, by means of the wheel and bevel gears m³, n¹; o¹ is the frame carrying
the whole mechanism, being suitably bolted to the timber of the reaping
machine, and carrying the necessary bearings.
Fig. 5 shews a different arrangement for actuating the working parts,
viz., by means of two endless racks p³, p', similar to the fixed rack N, (Fig. 2).
These racks are set to slide by means of pinions q', q', by which the necessary
motions for the twisting claws p, p, and gathering arms b, b, are obtained, as
may be seen by comparison of the firm and dotted lines; r¹, r¹, are radius rods
for bringing the arms b, b, close together. In this arrangement motion is
represented as being obtained from the driving axle of the reaping machine by
means of bevel gear & universal joints.
Fig. 6 represents the upper end of an endless helical rack which may be
substituted for the racks p', p¹, last mentioned. The endless groove s¹, pro-
vided at the bottom of the toothed thread, is intended during the revolution of
the screw to guide the end of the shaft carrying the bevel pinion which gears
into the toothed thread.
Lalaim first the rat
Z Z 71

page_text: Fifth, the hook or band fastener el, or any equivalents of these parts,, either
separately or in combination, and also the mode of actuating these parts from
the motion of a reaping machine, in the manner herein-before set forth.