IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TOOTHED COVERINGS OF RAG MACHINE CYLINDERS, AND IN THE
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Earnshaw, junior, of Ossett, near Wakefield,
in the County of York, Mechanic, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE TOOTHED COVERINGS OF RAG MACHINE CYLINDERS, AND IN THE
Sealed the 3rd November 1857, and dated the 25th May 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Earnshaw at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 25th
May 1857.
I, JOHN EARNSHAW, jr, of Osset, near Wakefield, in the County of York,
Mechanic, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN THE TOOTHED COVERINGS OF RAG MACHINE CYLINDERS, AND IN
THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING THE SAME," to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to the toothed coverings of the cylinders of machines
known as rag machines, which are machines used for tearing woollen or other
cloths to pieces, such cylinder being studded with teeth standing somewhat
in a radial direction. As these teeth soon wear out, it is necessary to renew
them at intervals, for which purpose a wood covering or part holding the
teeth is fitted upon it, so as to be taken off and renewed when required.
These parts usually consist of pieces of hard wood, about eighteen inches
long by two and a half inches broad, in which a number of holes are bored
to receive the teeth. Heretofore these holes have always been bored at right
angles to the plane of the pieces of wood, being placed in a frame in which
they are slid and moved to bore the several holes as the work progresses.
The consequence of this manner of boring is, that the middle row or rows

page_text: of teeth throughout the length of these covering pieces, when placed on the
drum or cylinder, are alone in a radial position, the others not pointing to the
centre. This position of the side rows of teeth causes a larger space between
the teeth of one piece and the teeth of the next adjoining piece, and an irregu-
larity in the position of the teeth. Now, it is so boring these covering pieces,
and fitting the teeth so that they all stand in a radial position at uniform
distances apart, which constitutes the principal feature of niy Invention.
For this purpose I place the wood segments or pieces in a sliding frame,
which slides with the wood in the direction of its length, to bring the several
parts to be bored opposite to the boring bit or bits. This piece also slides in
a cross direction, for boring the several holes in the breadth; but instead of
moving in a plane at right angles to the line of the boring bit, it moves in a
circular direction in guides, which are segments of a circle of the same diameter
as the cylinder of the machine for which the toothed pieces are intended.
The pieces to be bored are fixed between the segmental guiding pieces, which
are moved by a suitable lever in regular stages, determined by suitable stops,
to regulate the distance of the holes. The longitudinal slide is also similarly
fitted with suitable stops, to regulate the distance of the holes. The boring
bit or bits are fitted in spindles driven by suitable bands, and free to slide in
their bearings in the direction of their lengths, for the purpose of entering &
withdrawing from the wood.
Instead of moving the pieces to be bored in a circular direction, they may be
stationery as regards their breadth, and the boring spindles made to move so
as to bore the hole in the radial position required for the tooth. In this way
of boring the holes take the same direction as the junction of the pieces, by
reason of which there is nearly an equal thickness of wood maintained on the
side of the tooth next the joint; whereas, if bored as in ordinary, there is much
less thickness of wood near the inner surface than the outer, which entails
some little difficulty in making good joints, which is increased if the pieces
of wood are made wide.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Earnshaw in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th November 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
EARNSHAW, junior, of Osset, near Wakefield, in the County of York, Mechanic, 3
send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Earnshaw, junior, Her special licence that I, the said John Earn..
shaw, junior, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Earnshaw, junior, 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 "IMPROVE-.
MENTS IN THE TOOTHED COVERINGS OF RAG MACHINE CYLINDERS, AND IN THE
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PREPARING THE SAME," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Earnshaw, junior, 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 John Earnshaw, junior, 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, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto.
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention relates to the toothed coverings of the cylinders of machines.
known as rag machines, which are machines used for tearing woollen and
other cloths to pieces, such cylinder being studded with teeth standing some-.
what in a radial direction. As these teeth soon wear out, it is necessary to.
renew them at intervals, for which purpose a wood covering or part holding
the teeth is fitted upon it, so as to be taken off and renewed when required.
These parts usually consist of pieces of hard wood, about eighteen inches long
by two and a half inches broad, in which a number of holes are bored to
receive the teeth. Heretofore these holes have always been bored at right.
angles to the plane of the pieces of wood, being placed in a frame in which
they are slid and moved to bore the several holes as the work progresses.
The consequence of this manner of boring is, that the middle row or rows of
teeth throughout the length of these covering pieces, when placed on the drum,
or cylinder, are alone in a radial position, the others not pointing to the centre.
:

page_text: This position of the side rows of teeth causes a larger space between the teeth
of one piece and the teeth of the next adjoining piece, and consequently an
irregularity in the position of the teeth. Now, it is so boring these covering
pieces, and fitting the teeth that they all stand in a radial position, and
at uniform distances apart, which constitutes the principal features of my
Invention.
For this purpose I place the wood segments or pieces in a sliding frame,
which slides with the wood in the direction of its length, to bring the several
parts to be bored opposite the boring bit or bits. This piece also slides in a
cross direction, for boring the several holes in the breadth; but instead of
moving in a plane at right angles to the line of the boring bit, it moves in a
circular direction in guides, which are segments of a circle of the same
diameter as the cylinder of the machine for which the toothed peices are
intended. The pieces to be bored are fixed between the segmental guiding
pieces, which are moved by a suitable lever in regular stages determined by
suitable stops, to regulate the distance of the holes. The longitudinal slide is
also similarly fitted with suitable stops, to regulate the distance of the holes.
The boring bit or bits are fitted in spindles driven by suitable bands, and free
to slide in their bearings in the direction of their length, for the purpose of
entering and withdrawing from the wood.
Instead of moving the pieces to be bored in a circular direction, they may
be stationary as regards their breadth, and the boring spindles made to move
so as to bore the hole in the radial position required for the tooth. In this
way of boring, the holes take the same direction as the junction of the pieces,
by reason of which nearly an equal thickness of wood is maintained on the
sido of the tooth next the joint; whereas, if bored as in ordinary, there is a
much less thickness of wood near the inner than the outer surface, this entails
some little difficulty in making good joints, which is increased if the pieces of
wood are made wide.
Figure 1 represents an elevation of the apparatus I employ in boring the
lags or covers of rag machines; Fig. 2, a plan; and Fig. 3, an end view of
the same.
A is a frame on which the parts of the machine slide which give motion
to and sustain the part of the covering or lag to be bored. This frame A is
about double the length of the lag, and is fitted with a sliding piece B, fitted
against the frame A, and held by rabbets s, s, as seen in the end view and plan.
This frame B is free to slide in the direction of the length of the frame A,

page_text: carrying with it the part C, which carries the lag or part of the covering L to
be bored. The carrier C is fitted to B, parallel with A, in the direction of its
length, but is curved in the vertical direction, the face of B and the back of
C being a segment of a circle of the same radius as the cylinder, the covering
or lags of which is to be bored. Thus, when horizontal motion is given to B,
it moves the lag L in a straight line; but when it is to be moved up or down,
the carrier C is slid in B, and being controlled thereby, is constrained to move
in the curve x, x, x, formed according to the radius of the rag cylinder, moving
with it the lag L in the same direction. D is a rack bar, by which the longi-
tudinal movement is regulated, the teeth taking into a fixed stop R; the
teeth regulating the distance of the motion between each hole bored in L,
the rack D is lifted, and the part B moved by hand. The lag L fits into a
recess in C, C, which is furnished with fixed brackets P and thumb-screws E,
by which the lag or piece of wood L is pinched and held by C in position for
boring.
In order to regulate the rise and sustain the part C while boring the several
rows of holes, two racks m, m, are fixed, one at each end of C, the teeth of
which racks are graduated to the distance between the rows of teeth. Palls or
catches n, n, take into the rack teeth m, and are held therein by springs o, o,
pressing them constantly towards the racks. In order to lift the carrier C, C,
the same at both ends and maintain its parallelism, F is a shaft fitted in two
bearings f, f, and carrying two lever arms g, g, the free ends of which take a
bearing on the under part of C, C, see Fig. 3. G is a hand lever fixed on the
shaft F, by which motion is communicated to it and to the levers g, g, for the
purpose of raising the carrier C, C, when required. The carrier C, C, is
retained in its position against B by rebates at either end, as seen in the plan
Fig. 2, whereby it is restricted in its movement to the circular direction. H, H,
is a headstock, carrying a spindle W, which is free to slide in its bearings in
the direction of its length. This spindle is furnished with a boring bit k, fixed
therein by a screw or other fastening; this bit k is the instrument by which
the holes in the lags are bored, as will be herein-after explained. J is a lever
by which the boring bit and spindle are controlled in boring the holes; it is
mounted on a fixed fulcrum at I, and jointed to the end of the spindle W at r
in such manner that the spindle is free to revolve, but at the same time may
be controlled in its motion in the direction of its length by the lever J.
The action of the apparatus is this:-The lag or piece of wood L (a num-
ber of which is to form the covering of the cylinder) is placed in position, as
seen in Figs. 1 and 2, and fixed by the thumb-screws E, E, at the same time
sliding the parts B and C towards one end of the frame A, so that the lag L

page_text: is opposed to the boring bit k in the position it is desired to bore the first hole
of a row, at the same time lowering the part C in the part B so as to bore
the upper longitudinal row of holes first. At this time the catches n, n, will
be in the lower notches of m, m, and will thereby sustain C firmly in the posi-
tion desired; the rack D is also brought down on the stop R, the teeth of one
end or the other being pressed into that stop retains the sliding part B in a
longitudinal direction. Rapid motion being given to the spindle W by the
strap pulley, and the spindle W at the same time being caused to advance by
the lever J towards the lag L, the first hole is bored. The spindle W is then
drawn back, the rack D lifted, and the carriage B, C, slid longitudinally the
distance of one tooth of the rack D, which is again pressed on R, when
another hole is bored, and so on till the row is finished. The lever G is now
depressed so as to lift both ends of the rising carriage C one tooth of the racks
m, m, which brings the lag L into position for boring another row of holes,
when the reverse horizontal motion is given to the sliding carriage B, when
the second row of holes is bored. Having made the second traverse, the
carriage C is again raised a tooth of racks m by hand lever G and levers F,
when a third row is bored, and so on until all the rows of holes required are
bored. It will be observed, that the holes are not disposed immediately
under each other in the several rows, but are quincuncially arranged; to
effect this the stop R is furnished with a double stop (see Fig. 3), into which
the rack D is alternately changed in making the to and fro movements, which
change of stops serves to effect the arrangement of the holes desired and
shown in Fig. 1.
Now, the feature of Invention in the machine consists in giving to the lag
L, or piece of material to be bored and used as a covering for rag machine
cylinders, the circular motion in the direction of its breadth, so that the holes
in each individual piece or lag L shall all have a radial position from a given
The lags or pieces of wood being thus bored, the steel teeth are
inserted in the ordinary manner.
centre.
Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate the difference of the ordinary coverings and the
coverings produced according to my Invention. It will be seen in Fig. 4 (the
ordinary covering) that the teeth a, a, in each lag or piece are all parallel to
each other, that at the joint b, between two pieces or lags L, L, a space occurs
greater in width than between the other rows of teeth, which creates a great
evil in the working of the machine; on examining Fig. 5, the lags or cover-
ings of which are bored according to my Invention, it will be seen that the
teeth all stand in a radial position from the centre of the cylinder, and that the
space between the teeth at the joint c of two lags L is the same as between

page_text: the other rows, and that the teeth a, a, all stand in the same relative position
to their work.
The irregular position of the teeth next the joint 6 in Fig. 4 is also objec-
tionable in fitting the lags to the cylinders, as the roots of the teeth not
unfrequently project through the side of the wood at the joint; moreover,
the wood is weaker in consequence.
Although I have only shown one boring spindle, two or more might be
introduced to bore simultaneously. Instead of making the lag L to move
sidewise in a circular direction, it may be moved in the same horizontal plane
only, and the boring spindle moved so as to assume the radial position desired
for boring the several rows of holes.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of perform-
ing the same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be secured by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First, boring the holes in the lags or covering pieces of rag machine
cylinders in a radial position for the reception of the teeth, as herein-before
described.
Secondly, the arrangement of parts B and C, herein-before described,
whereby the desired curvature of movement is given to the lags or covering
pieces of rag machine cylinders, in order to bore the holes in such covering
pieces in the radial direction desired, or any mere mechanical equivalent
therefor.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Earnshaw, junior, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of November, in the
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
TATTIT
year
JOHN EARNSHAW, JUNIOR. (L.S.)