IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING THE SURFACES OF KNIVES OR BLADES, WHICH IS ALSO APPLICABLE FOR GRINDING THE SAME
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Lacey Davies, of Norwood, in the County of Surrey,
Gentleman, for the Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING THE SURFACES OF KNIVES OR BLADES, WHICH
IS ALSO APPLICABLE FOR GRINDING THE SAME."
Sealed the 7th June 1878, and dated the 11th December 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Lacey Davies at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th December 1877
"IM-
JOHN LACEY DAVIES, of Norwood, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman.
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING THE
SURFACES OF KNIVES OR BLADES, WHICH IS ALSO APPLICABLE FOR GRINDING the
SAME."
My Invention relates to apparatus for cleaning and polishing or grinding the
surfaces of knives or blades, and is designed to effect such objects more rapidly than
hitherto by a pecular action and combination of movements; and the Invention is
also designed to maintain and preserve the usual taper form of knives (from back to
edge), and to keep only the edge sharp and cutting instead of wearing away and
sharpening the back of the knife as hitherto.
The improvements consist, firstly, in the application of revolving surfaces (such
as polishing or grinding rollers) to the surfaces of knives or blades simultaneously
with and during the reciprocating traverse of such blades between them in a
direction from "heel to point," and vice versa, so as to produce a combined or double
action.
The surfaces of such rollers may be either parallel to each other or subdivided
in their length, each subdivision or section being wider at one end than the other,
so as to form a taper or wedge-shaped aperture between the roller surfaces, and
within which the knife traverses without undue friction being exerted upon the
back.
The apparatus consists of a fraine or knife carrier in which the knives are secured
with their points directed towards the rollers; this frame is traversed (by hand or

page_text: otherwise) to and fro upon bowls or wheels travelling upon rails on the base or
foundation plate, and also actuates a driving pulley, which by means of cords or
bands causes the polishing or grinding rollers to revolve rapidly. A guide plate is
provided to ensure the points of the knives entering properly between the rollers,
and by moving the sliding knife frame towards and froin the said rollers the knives
are passed between the rollers during their rapid revolution, and the desired double
action is simultaneously effected. By arranging a knife frame at each side of the
rollers a double number of blades may be operated upon, one set advancing between
the rollers as the other retires.
The improvements consist, secondly, in the application of a revolving polishing
cylinder, or a rotary brush inside a cylindrical box or drum which is stationary.
The diameter of the revolving cylinder or brush and of its enclosing box or drum
may be of any convenient size, according to the number of knives to be cleaned or
polished, and the breadth thereof should rather exceed the length of the blades to
be operated upon. The blades are inserted into the machine through openings or
slits formed in the end of the box or drum in such a way that the blades lie between
the inner circumference of the said box and the periphery of the polishing cylinder
or rotary brush, tapered recesses being formed on the inner circumference of the
box to receive the back of the blades, so that when the knives lie in the recesses
their inner sides are flush with and form (as it were) a portion of the inner circum-
ference of the box or drum.
The polishing cylinder or rotary brush revolves from back to edge of the blades,
but cannot wear away or sharpen the backs of the same, as they are recessed into
the inner suface of the box or drum which protects them.
Suitable devices are employed to keep the knives always in a position parallel to
the axis of the cylinder, and also to prevent their ends falling towards the said
axis.
The knives are first inserted at one end of the drum, and one side of the blades
cleaned and polished; they are then taken out, and inserted at the other end, so as
to clean the other side without reversing the direction of revolution of the polishing
cylinder or brush; or, if preferred, the blades may be inserted into reversed openings
or slits formed in the same end of the box or drum, and the polishing cylinder or
brush then be turned in the reverse direction.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Lacey Davies in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th
June 1878.
JOHN LACEY DAVIES, of Norwood, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman. "Ix-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING The
SURFACES OF KNIVES OR BLADES, WHICH IS ALSO APPLICABLE FOR GRINDING THE
SAME"
My Invention relates to apparatus for cleaning and polishing or grinding the
surfaces of knives or blades, and is designed to effect such objects more rapidly than
hitherto by a peculiar action and combination of movements; and the Invention is
also designed to maintain and preserve the usual taper form of knives (from back to
edge), and to keep only the edge sharp and cutting instead of wearing away and
sharpening the back of the knife as hitherto.
The improvements consist, firstly, in the application of revolving surfaces (such
as polishing or grinding rollers) to the surfaces of knives or blades simultaneously
with and during the reciprocating traverse of such blades between in a direction
from "heel to point," and vice versa, so as to produce a combined or double action.
The surfaces of such rollers may be either parallel to each other or subdivided
in their length, each subdivision or section being wider at one end than the other,
so as to form a taper or wedge-shaped aperture between the roller surfaces, and
within which the knife traverses without undue friction being exerted upon the
back.
The apparatus consists of a fram or knife carrier in which the knives are
secured with their points directed towards the rollers. This frame is traversed (by
hand or other wise) to and fro upon bowls or wheels travelling upon rails on
the base or foundation plate, and also actuates a driving pulley, which by means
of cords or bands causes the polishing or grinding rollers to revolve rapidly.
A guide plate may be provided to ensure the points of the knives entering
properly between the rollers, and by moving the sliding knife frame towards and
from the said rollers, the knives are passed between the rollers during their rapid
revolution, and the desired double action is simultaneously effected. By arranging
a knife frame at each side of the rollers a double number of blades may be operated
upon, one set advancing between the rollers as the other retires.
The improvements consist, secondly, in the application of a revolving polishing
cylinder, or a rotary brush inside a cylindrical box or drum which is stationary.
The diameter of the revolving cylinder or brush and of its enclosing box or drum
may be of any convenient size, according to the number of knives to be cleaned or
polished, and the breadth thereof should rather exceed the length of the blades to
be operated upon. The blades are inserted into the machine through openings or
slits formed in the end of the box or drum in such a way that the blades lie
between the inner circumference of the said box and the periphery of the polishing
cylinder or rotary brush, tapered recesses being formed on the inner circuinference
of the box to receive the back of the blades, so that when the knives lie in the
recesses, their inner sides are flush with and form (as it were) a portion of the inner
circumference of the box or drum.
The polishing cylinder or rotary brush revolves from back to edge of the blades,
but cannot wear away or sharpen the backs of the same as they pro recessed into
the inner surface of the box or drum which protects them.
Suitable devices are employed to keep the knives always in a position parallel
to the axis of the cylinder, and also to prevent their ends falling towards the said
axis.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention, I will now proceed to
lescribe more in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed
or carried into practical effect, and in order that the same may be clearly understood

page_text: I have hereunto annexed a Sheet of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have marked
the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in the
following explanation thereof.
In the annexed Drawing, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, and Figure 2 is a
transverse section illustrating the first part of my Invention.
a, a, is a bed plate provided with two parallel rails b, b, and having affixed two
standards c, c; d, d, is the knife carriage in which the knife handles are secured by
means of clamps c, e, in such a position that the blades f, f, are in a line with the
point of contact of the grinding or polishing rollers g, g, which are mounted in the
standards c, c. The frame or knife carriage d, d, is also provided with rails b', b',
and is capable of being moved backwards and forwards by hand running upon the
grooved rollers h, h, on the rails b, b.
As the knife carriage is moved to and fro it gives rotary motion in alternato
directions to the roller i, i, mounted also in the standards c, c, the roller i, i, (or the
bed of the carriage, or both) being covered with india-rubber or felt for the purpose
of creating the friction requisite for driving the roller. On one end of the axis of
the said roller is keyed a grooved pulley h, k, which by means of bands or cords
and smaller pulleys, ¹, gives a rapid revolving motion to the grinding or polishing
rollers g, g, as the blades f. f, of the knives pass to and fio between their surfaces.
Figure 3 is a longitudinal section; Figure 4, a transverse section; and, Figure
5, plan view illustrating the second part of my Invention.
a, a, is a rotary polishing cylinder or brush, mounted so as to revolve inside a
stationary cylindrical box or drum b, b. I prefer to make this box or drum with
two cast metal ends, and about eight wooden lags, as shown in the Drawing.
The length of the inside of the box should be sufficient to expose the whole
length of the blade of a carving knife to the action of the rotary polishing cylinder
or brush. The knife blades are placed in the machine through openings made in
the metal ends, one half of the knives being placed in at one end of the machine,
and the others at the other end, the blades lying between the inner circumference
of the box and the periphery of the polishing cylinder or rotary brush, tapered
recesses being formed on the inner surface of the lags to receive the back of the
blades, so that when the blades lie in the recesses their inner sides are flush with
and form part of the inner circumference of the brush or drum, as shown at
Figure 4.
The knives are first inserted at one end of the drum, and one side of the blades
cleaned and polished. They are then taken out and inserted at the outer end so as
to clean the other side without reversing the direction of revolution of the polishing
cylinder or brush. Or, if preferred, the blades may be inserted into reversed
openings or slits formed in the same end of the box or drum, and the polishing
cylinder or brush then be turned in the reverse direction.
In order to keep the knives always in a position parallel to the axis of the
cylinder, and to prevent their ends from falling towards the said axis, I provide
the cylinder ends with inclined planes I, I, and on these I mount "knife holders "
m, m, so as to be capable of sliding thereon.
When the knives are being introduced into or being removed from the machine
these "
knife holders" are pushed back into the position shown by dotted lines in
Figure 3, so as to be quite out of the way, but before putting the machine in action
they are drawn forwards until they wedge the handles and hold the knives firm in
the required position. n, n, Figure 3, is a door for the introduction of emery
or knife powder into the machine, and o, o, is a similar door for the removal of
the same.
In consequence of the length of the handles of the "carvers" it is found more
convenient always to insert them from the end where the handle is not, and for
that reason the tapered recesses in the top lag are so made that the edges of the
blades face each other (see Figure 4), and thus by changing places without reversing
ends, both sides of the blades can be cleaned and polished.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention, together with

page_text: the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical
effect, I wish it to be understood that I claim as my Invention,-
Firstly. The combination in such machines of a reciprocating knife holder (or
holders) with tapered revolving grinding or polishing rollers, such rollers revolving
in the direction opposite to the movement of the knives, all constructed and
arranged substantially as herein-before described, and illustrated by Figures 1 and
2 of the annexed Drawings
And, Secondly. I claim the combination in such machines of a rotary polishing
cylinder or brush (or both combined) with a stationary cylindrical box or drum, the
internal circumference of such cylindrical box being provided with tapered recesses
in which the blades of the knives and the rotary brush or polishing cylinder, acting
in a direction from the back towards the sharpened edge, and combined with sliding
holders or mechanical equivalents for holding the knives firmly in the recesses.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Lacey Davies, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-eight
JOHN LACEY DAVIES (LS)