AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CUTTING MILLBOARDS, CARD, AND SIMILAR MATERIALS TO A REQUIRED BREADTH AND LENGTH
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry James Williams, of No. 7, Wellington
Terrace, Wellington Street, Blackfriars Road, in the County of
Surrey, Carpenter, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR
CUTTING MILLBOARDS, CARD, AND SIMILAR MATERIALS TO A REQUIRED BREADTH
AND LENGTH."
Sealed the 29th November 1870, and dated the 16th September 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry James Williams
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 16th September 1870.
I, HENRY JAMES WILLIAMS, of No. 7, Wellington Terrace, Wellington
Street, Blackfriars Road, in the County of Surrey, Carpenter, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR
CUTTING MILLBOARDS, CARD, AND SIMILAR MATERIALS TO A REQUIRED BREADTH AND
LENGTH," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to an improved machine for cutting millboards,
card, and other similar materials, to a required breadth and length. I use.

page_text: circular knives or cutters working on two shafts, one shaft placed above
the other, so that the cutting edges of the knives may meet. Each
cutter is moveable along the shaft right or left. The top shaft has a
groove or slot running along the surface. A screw passes through the
boss of the cutter, the point entering the slot, and when the position of
the cutter is ascertained it can be fixed by driving the screw home. The
lower shaft has a similar slot or groove, and a key is fixed at the side of
the boss, which while it will enable the cutter to revolve with the shaft,
it will not be fixed in that position. At the back of the cutter on that
side of it which has not got the cutting edge, is a spring and washer;
on pressing the washer against the spring the latter will keep the cutter
in its place with its cutting edge meeting the cutting edge of the
corresponding cutter on the upper shaft. The washer will be then fixed
in its place by a screw passing through one side of the washer into the
slot or groove, and the two cutters will be kept together. On the journal
of each shaft is a cog wheel, which gear into two shall false pinion.cogs,
and which run loosely on two spindles locked into the frame of the
machine. Above these are again two other small pinion cogs keyed to
the lower of the roollers next described. In front of the cutters are two
feeding rollers, and behind two delivery rollers, parellel with the shafts.
It is to the lower of these rollers that the last-named small pinion cogs
are keyed; the upper roller of the feeding and delivery rollers work in a
slot in the frame. The handle or means of communicating motive power
to the cutters is attached to the centre of the lower shaft cog wheel.
When the machine is put in motion, the cogs cause the bottom rollers
to revolve; the top rollers will revolve from their own weight, and will
rise or fall and adjust themselves according to the thickness of the
material to be operated on passing between the rollers.
The gauge to regulate the position of the upper cutters runs across
the machine just above these cutters; this is a square iron bar with
rounded journals or spindles turned on each end, and which work on
bearings on the frame. On this bar is placed a series of moveable pieces
with a screw at the top of each to fix it to the bar when in proper
position. The bottom edge of this moveable piece will meet the face of
the knife of the circular cutter, which latter will be brought up to it and
fixed in its position; these pieces have regular and alternate projections
on the side, back, and front. When the first or No. 1 moveable piece is

page_text: fixed, the distance of No. 2 or next piece is measured off by the pattern
size card being placed between the two projections, and No. 2 is brought
up to the card and fixed; No. 3 is then fixed, the distance being
measured off from the opposite side, and so on, and the cutters are
brought up in succession against the moveable pieces and screwed up to
their places. These moveable picces may be made of wood. When the
gauge is not in use, the bar is to be turned round, which will free the
cutters. On the table is a sliding piece in metal worked by the hand to
drive the millboard or other material to be cut between the feeding.
rollers; its passage being guided by a projection underneath it passing
along a groove in the table, so that the sliding piece may move freely
but steadily backwards and forwards. A side gauge is also used,
working in like manner, but which is set in the required position by a
screw. This should be so adjusted as to bring the material to be
operated upon into the centre of the machine, and so pass evenly
between the rollers.
The apparatus can also be applied to cutting sheet iron, tin,. or any
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry James Williams in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th March 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
JAMES WILLIAMS, of No. 7, Wellington Terrace, Wellington Street,
Blackfriars Road, in the County of Surrey, Carpenter, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Henry James Williams, Her special licence
that I, the said Henry James Williams, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry James Williams, 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,

page_text: and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
MACHINE FOR CUTTING MILLBOARDS, CARD, AND OTHER SIMILAR MATERIALS TO A
REQUIRED BREADth and Length,” upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Henry James Williams, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly 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 Henry James Williams, 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 thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say :-
My Invention relates to an improved machine for cutting mill boards,
card, and similar materials to a required breadth and length. I use
circular knives or cutters working on two shafts, one shaft placed above
the other so that the cutting edges of the knives may meet. Each
cutter is moveable along the shaft right or left. The top shaft has a
groove or slot running along the surface. A screw passes through the
boss of the cutter, the point entering the slot and when the position of
the cutter is ascertained it can be fixed by driving the screw home.
The lower shaft has a similar slot or groove and a key is fixed at the
side of the cutter boss which while it will enable the cutter to turn with
the shaft it will not be fixed in that position. At the back of the cutter
on that side of it which has not got the cutting edge is a spring and
washer, on pressing the washer against the spring the latter will keep
the cutter in its place with its cutting edge meeting the cutting edge of
the corresponding cutter on the upper shaft. The washer will then be
fixed in its place by a screw passing through one side of the washer,
into the slot or groove, and the two cutters will be kept together. On
the journal end of each shaft is a cog wheel which gears into two small
false pinions, which run loosely on two spindles fixed to the frame of a
the machine, above these are again two other small pinions keyed to
the lower of the rollers next to be described. In front of the cutters are

page_text: two feeding rollers, and behind two delivery rollers, parallel with the
shafts. It is to the lower of these rollers that the last named small
pinions are keyed. The upper rollers of the feeding and delivery rollers
work in a slot in the frame. The handle or means of communicating
motive power to the cutters is attached to the centre of the lower shaft
cog wheel.
When the machine is put in motion the cogs cause the bottom rollers
to revolve, the top rollers will revolve from their own weight, and will
rise or fall and adjust themselves according to the thickness of the
material to be operated on passing between the rollers.
The guage to regulate the position of the upper cutters runs across
the machine just above these cutters. This is a square iron bar with
rounded journals or spindles turned on each end which work on bearings
on the frame. On this bar is placed a series of moveable pieces with
a screw at the top of each to fix it to the bar when in proper position.
The bottom edge of this moveable piece will meet the face of the knife
of the circular cutter, which latter will be brought up to it and fixed
in its position. These pieces have regular and alternate projections on
the side, back, and front. When the first or No. 1 moveable piece is
fixed the distance of No. 2 or next piece is measured off by the pattern
size card being placed between the two projections, and No. 2 is brought
up to the card and fixed; No. 3 is then fixed; the distance being mea-
sured off from the opposite side and so on, and the cutters are brought
up in succession against the moveable pieces and screwed up to their
places. These moveable pieces may be made of wood. When the guage
is not in use, the bar is to be turned round and will free the cutters.
On the table is a sliding piece in metal worked by the hand, to drive
the millboard or other material to be cut between the feeding rollers,
its passage being guided by a projection underneath it passing along a
groove on the table so that the sliding piece may move freely but steadily
backwards and forwards. A side guage is also used working in the
same manner but which is set in the required position by a screw.
This should be so adjusted as to bring the material to be operated upon
into the centre of the machine and so pass evenly between the rollers.
The apparatus can also be applied to cutting sheet iron, tin, or any
other thin metallic substance.
Figure 1 is a plan of the machine; Figure 2, an elevation of the
same scen from the back; and Figure 3 is an end elevation; A is the

page_text: upper cutter shaft with a groove in it as shewn at Figure 2; B, B, are
the cutter bosses which may be of cast iron or brass and have circular
steel cutters & fixed to them by means of screws. Each boss has also
a set screw c which when screwed home in the slot serves to fix the boss
in the place required; C is the lower cutter shaft which is also made
with a groove. The bosses d of the cutters e have a corresponding
feather fitting in the groove, a ring or washer at the back of each
cutter boss with an intervening spiral spring for the sake of giving the
required amount of elasticity serves for keeping the lower cutters up
against the upper cutters by means of set screws g screwed down into
the groove.
The cog wheels and other driving gear are by preference
arranged at one end of the machine outside the frame. The upper and
lower cutter shaft have each a tooth wheel D and E, gearing into each
other. The lower cutter shaft also gears with a loose pinion F and G.
on each side which again transmit motion to a lower feeding and delivery
roller H and J. The upper feeding and delivery rollers K and L, are
not driven by any gear and their journals work in slots as shewn in
Figure 3 so as to accommodate themselves to various thicknesses of
material. M is the gauge for adjusting the position of the upper cutters.
It may be made square with ends turned down for journals but I prefer
to make it round all along and with a groove or feather in for fixing the
adjusting pieces 1, 1, in any required. position as shewn. These pieces.
have corresponding projections as shewn on Figure 2 for gauging the
distances between the cutters. N, Figures 1 and 3, is a slide which can
be moved along guides m, m, on the table or bed of the machine for
pushing up the material to be cut against the cutters passing between the
feeding rollers first; P is a side gauge constructed in a similar manner as
the foregoing but capable of being fixed in any suitable position by means
of a set screw u as shewn. The machine here shewn is worked by means
of strap and is fitted with the usual fast and loose pulley and striking
gçar as shewn.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I claim, with my improved
machine for cutting millboard, card, and other similar materials to a
required breadth and length,—
Firstly. The application of upper and lower circular revolving cutters
and the means for fixing and adjusting the same, substantially as and
for the nurnose described

page_text: Secondly. The arrangement of feed and delivery rollers substantially
as and for the purpose described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry James Williams, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.
HENRY JAMES WILLIAM. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered
by the said Henry James
Williams, in the presence of
RICHARD HATT,
Clerk to Messrs. Collette & Collette,
23, Lincoln's Inn Fields, Solrs.