AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR SHARPENING THE CUTTERS OF REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR
SHARPENING THE CUTTERS OF REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES."
A com-
munication from abroad by Léonard Valery Guedon-Fois, of Paris, France.
Sealed the 23rd January 1880, and dated the 4th August 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th August 1879.
WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agent. "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR SHARPENING THE CUTTERS OF REAPING
AND MOWING MACHINES." [A communication from abroad by Léonard Valery
Guedon-Fois, of Paris, France.]
This Invention relates to an improved machine for sharpening the cutters of
reaping and mowing machines.
The advantages of this improved machine are, that it can be worked by one man,
and that it operates on two adjacent cutters at once, whereas the machines generally
in use require two men to work them, and act on only one edge of one cutter at a
time.
In order that the Invention may be more readily understood, I will describe it
with reference to the annexed Drawings, which represent one example of the
Invention.
Figures 1 and 2 are two elevations of the machine.
Figure 3 is a detail of the pinion carrying the adjustable crank pin, giving to
and fro motion to the vice or clamp in which the cutter blade is held.
Figure 4 is a detail of the lever by which the cutter blade is raised off the stone.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the Figures. a is the
grind stone, and b its spindle, having at one end a bevel pinion c, that gears with
another pinion d keyed on the spindle of the winch handle f, and at the other end
a pinion g that gears with a larger pinion turning on an axis mounted on a
casting fixed on the side of the trough; i is a plate (see Figure 3) pivoted by one
of its ends upon the face of pinion h, and fixed adjustably by a binding screw in a
[D] 1

page_text: slot at the other end of the plate. This plate carries a crank join ¹³, to which a
connecting rod j is attached.
The connecting rod j is extensible or telescopic at k, and its other end is attached
at a suitable point to the slotted end of a lever 1, pivoted at . to the trough. By
adjusting the plate i as above mentioned, the throw of the crank pin, and con-
sequently the length of the oscillation of lever 7, is increased or diminished. The
lever is double, there being one at each side of the trough, and to the upper ends
of these two levers is pivoted a clamp or vice m, in which the cutter blade n is
held. This clamp is provided with studs or guides furnished with spiral springs
which facilitate the insertion of the cutter blade. p are spiral springs attached to
the clamp or holder m, and to the lower ends of levers 7, whereby the cutter blado
is pressed against the stone.
7 is a sliding arrangement operated by an adjusting screw, to enable the cutters
to project more or less from the jaws of the clamp, according to the depth of the
cutters.
By the oscillation of the levers 7 the clamp m and the blade n are moved back
and forth in the direction of rotation of the stone, this movement being necessary
in order that the stone may operate on the whole length of the cutter from its
point to its base, and the amplitude of the movement necessarily varies with the
depth of the cutters. To shift the blade, the clamp or holder is lifted so as to raise
the blade off the stone by oscillating a lever t (see Figures 2 and 4), whose tail s
comes against the underside of the clamp.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 31st January
1880.
WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agent. "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR SHARPENING THE CUTTERS OF REAPING
AND MOWING MACHINES." A communication from abroad by Léonard Valery
Guedon-Fois, of Paris, France.
This Invention relates to an improved machine for sharpening the cutters of
reaping and mowing machines. The advantages of this improved machine are, that
it can be worked by one man, and that it operates on two adjacent cutters at once,
whereas the machines generally in use require two men to work them, and act on
only one edge of one cutter at a time.
In order that the Invention may be more readily understood, I will describe
it with reference to the annexed Drawings which represent two examples of the
Invention. Figures 1 and 2 are two elevations of the machine. Figure 3 is a
detail of the pinion carrying the adjustable crank pin, giving to and fro motion to
the vice or clamp in which the cutter blade is held. Figure 4 is a detail of the
lever by which the cutter blade is raised off the stone. Figures 5 and 6 are side
and end views of a modified arrangement of the machine. The same letters of
reference indicate the same parts in all the Figures. a is the grind stone, and 6 its
spindle, having at one end a bevel pinion c that gears with another pinion & keyed
on the spindle of the winch handle f, and at the other end a spur pinion g that
gears with a larger pinion h turning on an axis mounted on a casting fixed on the
side of the trough; i is a plate (see Figure 3) pivoted by one of its ends upon the
face of pinion h, and fixed adjustably by a binding screw in a slot 2 at the other
end of the plate. This plate carries a crank pin i¹, to which a connecting rod j is
attached. The connecting rod j is extensible or telescopic at k, and its other end
is attached at a suitable point to the slotted end of a lever 7 pivoted at ¹ to the
trough. By adjusting the plate i as above mentioned, the radius of the crank pin,
and consequently the length of the oscillation of lever 1, is increased or diminished.
The lever is double, there being one at each side of the trough, and to the upper
ends of these two levers is pivoted a clamp or vice m in which the cutter blade n
is held. This clamp is provided with studs or guides furnished with spiral springs
which facilitate the insertion of the cutter blade. p are spiral springs attached to
the clamp or holder m, and to the lower ends of levers 1, whereby the cutter blade
is pressed against the stone. r is a sliding arrangement operated by an adjusting
screw, to enable the cutters to project more or less from the jaws of the clamp,
according to the depth of the cutters.
The action of the machine will be readily understood from the Drawings. By
the oscillation of the levers imparted by plate i, the clamp m and the blade n
are moved back and forth in the direction of rotation of the stone; this movement
being necessary in order that the stone may operate on the whole length of the
cutter from the salient to its re-entering angle, and the amplitude of the movement
necessarily varies with the depth of the cutters. To shift the blade, the clamp or
holder is lifted so as to raise the blade off the stone by oscillating a levert (see
Figures 2 and 4), whose tail 8 comes against the underside of the clamp.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 5 and 6, the same letters of reference
indicate the same parts, so far as the same are represented in the former Figures.
The levers are in this arrangement attached at their lower ends to a plate v
bolted at w to the trough, so as to enable the cutter holder to be lowered as the
stone wears away. The arrangement for adjusting the position of the cutter
bar to suit the depth of the cutters consists of a slide x inserted between the two
jaws of the clamp m. Instead of tightening up the jaws by a wing nut, as repre-
sented in Figures 1 and 2, a cam lever y is made to press on the back of the
clamp.

page_text: Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of performing the
same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. In a machine for sharpening the cutters of reaping and mowing machines,
the combination with a rotary grind stone, of a cutter holder or clamp mounted
upon a system of oscillating levers regulated by slotted connections, as and for the
purpose specified.
2nd. In a machine for sharpening the cutters of reaping and mowing machines,
the arrangement of cutter holder consisting of two jaws between which the cutter
bar is clamped by means of screw nuts, cam levers, or their equivalents, as specified.
3rd. In a machine for sharpening the cutters of reaping and mowing machines,
the combination of the pivoted slotted plates i carrying the crank pins with their
respective extensible connecting rods for varying the extent of the oscillatory
motion of the cutter holder levers as described, whether said levers be pivoted
directly to the trough or to a plate adjustable thereon, for the purpose specified.
4th. In a machine for sharpening the cutters of reaping and mowing machines,
the arrangement of the spiral springs or their equivalents attached at one end to
the clamp, and at the other end to the levers which carry the clamp, as and for the
purpose specified.
5th. In a machine for sharpening the cutters of reaping and mowing machines,
the combination with the cutter holder of a slide for regulating the projection of
the cutters, whether said slide be mounted on the end of the clamp, as at r, Figures
1 and 2, or between the jaws of same, as at x, Figures 5 and 6, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Thirtieth day of January, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty.