AN IMPROVED COMBINED GRINDING MILL AND CHAFF CUTTER
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Clarke, of Truro, Nova Scotia, Dominion of
Canada, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED COMBINED GRINDING MILL
AND CHAFF CUTTER.”
Sealed the 11th November 1879, and dated the 20th May 1879.
Sealed the 11th November 1879, and dated the 29th May 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Clarke at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th May 1879.
THOMAS CLARKE, of Truro, Nova Scotia, Dominion of Canada.
COMBINED GRINDING MILL AND CHAFF CUTTER."
"
"AN IMPROVED
This Invention relates to combined grinding mills and chaff cutters, and to
devices by which any chaff cutter having knives on the fly wheel may with slight
and simple alterations be converted into a combined grinding mill and chaff cutter ;
and it consists in the improvements in the construction of the same hereinafter
described.
The frame of the chaff-cutter supports the usual feed box and also the feeding
rollers, the front of which are protected by a box or shield. The fly wheel which
carries the knives upon its arms is mounted upon a shaft supported in bearings
projecting from the straight side of the feed box. The shaft has on its rear end
nitre gear, which engages with a mitre gear upon the end of a shaft supported in
bearings fixed to the frame. The end of this shaft is provided with a crank to
allow the feeder of the chaff-cutter to assist, or one man alone to use the chaff-
cutter, but mitre gear and crank are not needed except when constructed for hand
power.
The shaft of the lower feeding roller is provided with a sleeve having two crown
wheels, one having a greater number of teeth than the other.
Upon the fly wheel shaft and between the bearings is a worm. The hereinbefore
described crown wheels are cast upon the same sleeve (with sufficient space between
to enable the worm to revolve clear of either), which is moved to the right or left
upon the shaft by a lever having its fulcrum in a bracket pin projecting from the
front journal-bracket, so that by operating the lever the gear will engage with the
worm to operate the feeding rollers to revolve more rapidly, and thus feed the hay
to the knives, so that it will cut longer or shorter, and this too without moving a
screw or stopping the machine. When the lever is placed in the centre both

page_text: crown wheels are thrown out of engagement, and the feed is thus instantly
stopped.
The front face of the rim of the fly-wheel is formed of chilled plates peculiarly
furrowed alike on both sides, and attached to the fly wheel by bolts; this permits
of the plates being reversed when one side is worn smooth by grinding, and when
both sides of the plate are worn smooth new plates can be readily attached at
small cost. One side of the reversible grinding plate is furrowed similar to the
plates on the fly wheel, but with furrows looking in opposite directions, so that in
grinding the furrows are crossed, which ensures the thorough and effective grinding
of the grain, and also removes all crushed grain from the face of the fly wheel and
grinding plates.
Upon the fly wheel shaft is provided a pulley, which is connected with a pulley
outside of the hopper, and between the rear of the hopper and the front face of the
rim of the fly wheel.
The hopper is provided with a slide to regulate the feed. Within the hopper
driven by a pulley is an agitator which keeps the grain in constant motion, and
causes it to flow evenly through the bottom of the hopper into the chute leading to
the grinding plates.
Beneath the hopper and supported in the frame of the grinding mill is a
reversible grinding plate, which is removably set in inclined vertical grooves in a
frame, so that the top of the said reversible plate will be further from the furrowed
face of the grinding fly wheel than the bottom of the said plate is located, which
furnishes a forced-feed for the mill.
The frame works on horizontal ways, and is operated by a screw and hand wheel
to regulate the degree of fineness or coarseness to which the grain shall be reduced
in grinding.
In the rear of the rim of the fly wheel a friction presser or guide roller similar to
the wheel of a railway carriage is provided, which runs on a projection or bead on
the rear of the fly wheel, thus causing the grinding face of the fly wheel to pass in
a true line in front of the grinding plate.
The fly-wheel is provided with a crank in order that two men may work upon
the mill at one time, or that either of the cranks shewn may be employed to drive
the machine; or a pulley on the main shaft is used when the machine is driven by
power.
Suitable spouts are provided to conduct the chaff and meal from the machines
separately. Spices or other kind of grain that needs to be crushed may be ground
in the mill, while two lengths of chaff may be cut in the chaff cutter, and no
adjusting screws are employed to regulate the length of the chaff, a single lever
serving to cause the length to be changed or the feeding gear of chaff cutter
stopped, thus converting the combined machine into a grinding mill separate
without stopping the machine as already explained.
The reversible plate is furrowed on one side similarly to the furrowed rim of the
fly wheel, while the other side of the said reversible grinding plate is serrated like
a rasp for the purpose of regulating this plate to different kinds of grain or spices.
The sleeve carrying the crown wheels slides upon a feather upon the mitre gear
shaft, so that they revolve with it.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Clarke in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th
November 1879.
THOMAS CLARKE, of Truro, Nova Scotia, Dominion of Canada. "AN IMPROVED
COMBINED GRINDING MILL AND CHAFF-CUTTER.'
"
This Invention relates to combined grinding mills and chaff-cutters, and to
devices by which any chaff-cutter having knives on the fly wheel may with slight
and simple alterations be converted into a combined grinding mill and chaff-cutter;
and the Invention consists in the improvements in the construction of the same
hereinafter described.
But to make my Invention better understood, I will proceed to describe the same
by reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation;
Figure 2, a back elevation; and Figure 3, a side elevation of my improved
combined grinding mill and chaff-cutter; Figure 4 is a side elevation of the side
opposite to that shewn in Figure 3; Figure 5 is a plan view; Figure 6 is a
vertical sectional view taken through the grinding mill, shewing the reversible
grinding plate; Figure 7 is a horizontal section taken through the grinding mill,
shewing the reversible grinding plate in plan section; and Figure 8 is a vertical
cross section taken through the feed rollers, shewing the alternating mechanism
for cutting the feed longer or shorter in the chaff-cutter, or for stopping the feed
rollers; Figures 6, 7, and 8 are drawn to a larger scale. Similar letters in all the
Figures represent similar parts.
The frame A of the chaff-cutter supports the usual foed-box B, and also the
feeding rollers C, C, the fronts of which are protected by a box or shield D. The
fly wheel E which carries the knives F upon its arms is mounted upon a shaft C
supported in bearings a, a, projecting from the straight side of the feed box B, as
shewn. The shaft & has on its rear end a mitre or bevil wheel b, which engages
with a mitre or bevil wheel b¹ upon the end of a shaft H, supported in bearings I
fixed to the frame A. The end of this shaft H is provided with a crank J to allow
the person feeding the chaff-cutter to assist, or one man alone to use the chaff-
cutter, but the bevil gear and crank are not needed, except when constructed for
hand power.
The shaft K of the lower feeding roller C is provided with a sleeve having a
crown and a mitre wheel L and L', the wheel L having a greater number of teeth
than the wheel L'.
Upon the fly wheel shaft G, and between the bearings a, a, is a worm M. The
hereinbefore described crown and mitre wheels L and L' are cast upon the same
sleeve (with sufficient space between them to enable the worm M to revolve clear.
of either), which is moved to the right or left upon the shaft K by a lever N
having its fulcrum in the bracket pin P projecting from the side of the feed box B,
so that by moving the lever N to the right or left, the crown or mitre wheel Lor
L', as the case may be, will engage with the worm M to operate the feeding rollers
C, C, more rapidly or slowly, and thus feed the hay to the knives, so that it will
cut longer or shorter, and this too without it being necessary to move a screw or to
stop the machine.
When the lever is placed in the centre, both crown and mitre wheels are thrown
out of engagement, and the feed is thus immediately stopped.
The front face O of the rim of the fly wheel E consists of plates attached in
sections thereto, the said plates being peculiarly furrowed somewhat similarly to
the faces of millstones, and may be furrowed on both sides, thus making the
grinding face reversible, so that when one side is worn too smooth for efficient
grinding, the grinding face may be renewed by simply reversing the plates, which
are attached by bolts to the wheel, and when both sides of the plates are worn
smooth, new plates can be readily attached at small cost. One side of the

page_text: reversible grinding plate R, hereinafter described, is furrowed similarly to the
plates on the fly wheel, but with furrows formed in an opposite direction, so that
in grinding the furrows are crossed, which ensures the thorough and effective
grinding of the grain, and also removes all crushed grain from the face of the fly
wheel and grinding plates.
Upon the fly wheel shaft G is provided a pulley O', which is connected with a
pulley O outside of the front of the hopper.
The hopper P¹ is provided with a slide to regulate the feed. Within the
hopper and driven by the pulley O is an agitator, which keeps the grain in
constant motion, and causes it to flow evenly through the bottom of the hopper
into the chute leading to the grinding plates.
Beneath the hopper, supported in the frame Q of the grinding mill, is the
reversible plate R, similar in construction to the furrowed face of the fly wheel E,
and constructed in one or more sections, which plate is removeably fixed in the
frame S.
The frame S works on horizontal ways T, and is operated by screws and hand
wheels U, so that the said grinding plate may be firmly held at any desired angle,
thus causing a forced feed for the mill, and regulating the degree of fineness or
coarseness to which the grain is to be reduced in grinding, and whereby just so
much of the plate is used as is required to do the work, and no more, thus effecting
a great saving in expenditure of power, which has hitherto been lost by friction.
At the rear of the rim of the fly wheel E a friction presser or guide roller V,
similar to the wheel of a railway carriage, is provided, which runs on a projection
or bead on the rear of the fly wheel E, thus causing the grinding face of the fly
wheel E to pass in a true line in front of the grinding plate R.
This friction roller is rendered self adjusting on the fly wheel by means of an
india rubber or other suitable spring, which tends to always hold the wheel to its
work, and should a nail or stone get in between the grinding surfaces, the said
spring on the friction rollers would allow it to pass through without breaking or
seriously injuring the plates.
The fly wheel E is provided with a crank W, in order that two men may work
upon the mill at one time, or that either of the cranks shewn may be employed to
drive the machine, or a pulley W¹ on the main shaft is used when the machine is
driven by power.
Suitable spouts, X and Y, are provided to conduct the chaff and meal from the
machines separately. Spices or other kinds of grain which need to be crushed may
be ground in the mill, while two lengths of chaff may be cut in the chaff-cutter,
and no adjusting screws are employed to regulate the length of the chaff, the single
lever serving to cause the length to be changed, or the feeding gear of the chaff-
cutter to be stopped, thus converting the combined machine into a grinding mill
alone without stopping the machine as already described.
The reversible plate R is furrowed on one side similarly to the furrowed rim of
the fly wheel E, while the other side of the said reversible grinding plate is serrated
like a rasp for the purpose of regulating this plate to different kinds of grain or
spices.
The sleeve carrying the crown and mitre wheels L and L' slides upon a feather
upon the shaft K, so that they revolve with it.
Having thus described my said Invention and the best means with which I am
acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do
not confine myself to the precise details herein laid down and shewn in the
Drawing, as the same may be varied without departing from the peculiar character
of the Invention, but what I do claim is,
-
Firstly. The general arrangement and combination of a chaff cutter and grinding
mill, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Secondly. In a combined chaff-cutter and grinding mill, the combination of the
fly wheel carrying the cutting knives, and having a grinding face either solid or
attached in sections to any part of the wheel, and provided with suitable hopper

page_text: and discharge chute, substantially as hereinbefore described and represented in the
accompanying Drawing.
Thirdly. The combination of the grinding plato R with the adjusting screws
U, U, U, and horizontal ways T, as hereinbefore described and represented in the
accompanying Drawing.
Fourthly. The application to the friction or guide wheel of an india rubber or
other spring for automatically holding the grinding wheel to its work, and for
easing the same should any hard foreign substance get in between the grinding
surfaces, as hereinbefore described.
Fifthly. In a combined chaff-cutter and grinding mill, the combination of the
crown and mitre wheels L and L', upon the shaft of the lower feeding roller of the
chaff-cutter, with the lever N operating substantially in the manner and for the
purposes herein before described and represented in the accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Clarke, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twelfth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
MITOMS OT ADVE
THOMAS CLAR
NT
ARKE (L.S.)