IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING PILE FABRICS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, THOMAS MILLWARD, of 40 Parker Street, Ardwick, Manchester in the County
of Lancaster, Foreman in Timber Yard, do hereby declare the nature of my said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING PILE
FABRICS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists of Improvements in Machinery or apparatus employed
for cutting Pile Fabrics.
In this my Invention I provide posts and rails securely fitted together, having
two rollers made of wood or metal, or wood and metal combined, in bearings
thereon, which rollers may be bracketed on the front of the rails, or let into the
rails, or may be above or below the rails, one roller having a slot or groove the
greater part of length of roller for the Velvet or other Pile Fabric to pass through ;
both ends of roller being solid, in this my Invention, and not as is usually the case
at one end only, the defect of the latter being, that the roller warps and makes the
cloth uneven. To obviate the defect aforesaid, is the object of this my Invention.
The bearings in which the rollers revolve, I prefer to make of metal, instead of
wood which is generally employed for the purpose in this class of Machine.
A means whereby tension may be given to the fabric is obtained in this my
invention by fixing an adjustable lever to the bottom or slotted roller, at the end
of which a weight is placed, the said lever and weight for imparting tension may
be connected to the bottom or slotted roller either directly by means of a fixed
bracket or indirectly by means of a movable bracket, with a series of holes in
which the weighted lever may be inserted, so as to alter the degree of tension.
A handle is also fixed to the said bracket, whereby the tension may be adjusted
and eased with precision to suit the quality of Fabric to be cut; and a spring may
be used to maintain a constant downward pressure on the end of the lever. The
spear wlrich slips in above the bottom roller and under the cloth to be cut is the
whole width of the frame and may be made triangular in section with a rounded
side, and either fixed or to slide.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Cutting Pile
Fabrics.
I, THOMAS MILLWARD, of 40 Parker Street, Ardwick Manchester, in the County
of Lancaster, Foreman in Timber Yard, do hereby declare the nature of my said
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING PILE
FABRICS "and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to the ordinary stretching frames or to any similar frames
on which fustians, velvets, or other pile fabrics are stretched during the process of
raising the pile.
It is customary to stretch the cloth from end to end of the frame between
rollers, which are made of wood and which are provided with a slot sufficiently
wide to allow the cloth to pass through the centre of the roller; this slot extends
from one end of the roller to within a few inches of the other. As the roller is
practically cut in two by the slot, it has but little strength and both bends and
twists under the pull of the cloth. To obviate this disadvantage I make the said
rollers solid at both ends with a slot between the said solid ends long enough to
take the full width of the cloth. One or both of these rollers may be made of
metal and the bearings in which these rollers rest, I prefer also to make of metal
in order to reduce friction.
To keep the cloth at a constant tension, I apply a lever to one of the rollers,
provided with adjustable weights or springs arranged so as to tend to turn the 2
roller in that direction which will tighten the cloth. I find the moveable bracket
with a series of holes, mentioned in my provisional specification unnecessary.
To make my Improvements more clearly and readily understood I have here-
unto annexed a Sheet of Drawings on which letters of reference are marked on
corresponding parts on all the Figs. alike.
2
Fig. 1. is a side elevation. Fig. 2. an end elevation, and Fig. 3. a plan of my
improved cutting frame. Fig. 4. is an enlarged view of the roller.
a and b are the tightening rollers, c the slot through which the cloth passes,
d and e are the solid ends of the roller, in one of which holes f. f. are provided for 3
inserting the lever g which is acted upon by the weight h. The roller b is fixed
during the cutting of each length, by the pin j in the usual manner.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1st The making of the stretching rollers of cutting frames with two solid ends as
herein before described and illustrated.
2nd The use of a lever provided with weights or springs for the purpose of
maintaining the cloth in process of being cut, at a constant tension as hereinbefore
described and illustrated.
3rd The construction and general arrangement of Improvements in machinery or
apparatus for cutting pile fabrics substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore
described, set forth, and illustrated in the drawings annexed.
Dated this 15th day of October 1885.
HORN & SON,
Agents for and on behalf of the Applicant.