IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMMUNICATING MOTION TO FOOT LATHES, AND OTHER MACHINES TO BE WORKED BY TREADLES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Muir, of the Britannia Works, in the City
of Manchester, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR COMMUNICATING MOTION TO FOOT LATHES, AND OTHER
MACHINES TO BE WORKED BY TREADLES."
Sealed the 20th January 1860, and dated the 10th August 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Muir at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 10th August,
1859.
I, WILLIAM MUIR, of the Britannia Works, in the City of Manchester,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMMUNICATING MOTION TO FOOT LATHES, AND OTHER
MACHINES TO BE WORKED BY TREADLES," to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is to equalise the motion of machines driven
by treadles, and to afford facility in applying the power when two treadles are
required to work the machine. The crank shaft of the lathe, or other shaft
to be driven, is made with two cranks placed opposite to each other, and each
crank is connected to a treadle by a link or chain. By this means, when one
treadle is rising the other is descending, thus counterbalancing each other, and
as the power is applied to each crank of the crank shaft to be driven, the
motion is equalised.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Muir in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st February 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MUIR, of the Brittannia Works, in the City of Manchester, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Muir, Her special licence that I, the said William Muir,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Muir, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
COMMUNICATING MOTION TO FOOT LATHES AND OTHER MACHINES TO BE WORKED
BY TREADLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Muir, 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 William Muir, 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 (that is to say):-
:-
The object of my Invention is to equalise the motion of machines driven
by treadles, and to afford facility in applying the power when two treadles are
required to work the machines. The crank shaft of the lathe, or other shaft
to be driven, is made with two eranks placed opposite to each other, and each
crank is connected to a treadle by a link or chain. By this means, when one
treadle is rising the other is descending, thus counterbalaneing each other, and
as the power is applied to each crank of the crank shaft to be driven, the
motion is equalised.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily

page_text: carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me,
reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, and to the
figures and letters marked thereon.
Figure 1 is an end elevation, and Figure 2 a front view, of a foot lathe, to
which my improvements are applied. a is the crank shaft, which is furnished
with two cranks marked b and c respectively. These cranks are placed
opposite each other, one at each end of the shaft a; the treadles d and e are
fixed to the shafts f and g, the inner ends of which are supported in a
bearing in the centre standard ht. To the outer extremity of the shaft f is
fixed the lever h, and a similar lever i is fixed to the extremity of the shaft g;
these levers support the pulleys h' and ', around which pass the chains *
and for communicating motion to the cranks b and c. Links may be sub-
stituted for the chains, if preferred. By this means, when the treadle d is
being pressed down by the foot of the attendant, the other treadle e is rising,
and vice versa, thus one treadle counterbalances the other, and as the power
is applied to each side of the crank shaft a, the motion is equalized. It is
evident that a similar arrangement of treadles and cranks may be applied to
any other machine to be worked by treadles.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the manner
of performing the same, I would have it understood that I do not claim any
of the parts shewn and described taken separately; but that what I do claim is,
the improved combination of treadles and cranks, as shewn and described, or
any modification thereof, whereby the parts counterbalance each other, and
the power is equalized.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Muir, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
WILLIAM MUIR. (L.S.)