IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR DIVIDING BRICKS, TILES OR SLABS FROM PLASTIC CLAY OR LIKE MATERIAL, AND
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Otway, of Brixton, in the County of Surrey, for
an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR DIVIDING
BRICKS, TILES OR SLABS FROM PLASTIC CLAY OR LIKE MATERIAL, AND IN
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Otway at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th February 1882.
GEORGE OTWAY, of Brixton, in the County of Surrey, "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR DIVIDING BRICKS, TILES OR SLABS FROM PLASTIC
CLAY OR LIKE MATERIAL, AND IN APPLIANCES FOR RECEIVING AND REMOVING
THE SAME WHEN CUT"
This Invention relates to that class of apparatus known as a "brick-cutting
table," in which a stream of plastic clay or like material is cut by passing through
a series of strained wires or knives, and so divided into bricks or other desired
forms.
On a suitable bed-plate or framing I construct a pair of parallel guides opposite
the cutting frame. In these guides slides a peculiar arrangement of rack furnished
with two sets of horizontal teeth at different levels, and above and on the same
side as the lower set of teeth is a set of upwardly projecting teeth. Attached to
this rack arangement is the moving table. Above the vertical teeth rack is a
small pinion running on a spindle in the guide. Gearing with this pinion is a
double rack or yoke sliding in each side of the guide, and at the extremity of this
is pivoted a rocking arm called the pusher, riding over a vertical bar having a cam
surface by which the pusher is raised on the completion of its stroke, as hereafter
described.
Hitherto, in brick-cutting tables it has been customary to cut the stream of
clay in approximate lengths before being fed to the cutting wires, necessitating its
being after divided to the exact length, causing much waste. Now, I auto-
matically divide the stream of clay to the exact length required to form a number
of bricks or blocks before feeding to the cutting table. I effect this by my rack
TDS71

page_text: arrangement in the manner following. A shaft is placed below the feeding rollers.
Upon the end of this shaft is placed a pulley connected by a chain with a moving
slide carrying a pawl working on the outer face of one of the before-mentioned
guides. A slot is formed in the face of the guide, and a stud attached to the rack
passing through serves to operate this pawl, as hereafter mentioned.
On the said shaft is placed a cam or eccentric, and on its face is a pulley over
which a chain secured by a spring passes. A pivoted spring buffer or abutment
is placed at the last roller, and is raised by the action of the spring shaft and cam,
and depressed when released. At the other end of the feeding roller frame is a
guillotine cutting wire or knife frame, having a slot or yoke therein, in which a
crank pin, carried on the before-named shaft, takes.
The motor shaft of the machine drives by belt, or otherwise, a pulley rising and
falling in its bearings and carrying a vertical pinion at its upper end. By moving
a hand lever this pulley may be raised to gear the pinion carried by it with the
higher teeth of the rack arrangeinent.
The mode of working is as follows:-The stream of clay is fed forward over the
rollers, and by the action of the machine the buffer or abutment rises. By its
further action the buffer is depressed, releasing the spring shaft, when the guillotine-
wire descends and cuts off the stream to the exact length.
The workman turning one of the rollers, as usual, the divided block passes to
the table which is now at the end of its stroke. He now presses the hand lever,
gearing the rising and falling pinion with the rack arrangement, and thus pushes
the block of clay on the table against the cutting wires, dividing it as required.
At the end of the stroke he releases the hand lever, by which the piniou falls
again. The rack now retreating, the stud carried by it catches the pawl of the
'pusher" rack, and advances the pusher to propel the cut bricks on my improved
barrow and receiving boards, which I will now proceed to describe.
Br
The barrow I mount on a central wheel, and its framing is formed by longitu-
dinal open slats braced together at intervals. Upon these slide boards or sections:
furnished with tongues or projections by which they are kept separate from each
other, and which form abutments for the pusher to operate against. One of these
boards is placed in position for each stroke.
I provide a groove or rail for the barrow when before the table and cause one
end to rest on friction pulleys carried on the frame of the table, and its other is
supported by a vertical bar dropping into recesses on pedestals, so that the wheel
is off the ground. When full it is readily removed by drawing backwards when
the wheel comes again on the ground.
It is obvious that the mechanical details of my Invention may be greatly varied
without departing from the principle thereof.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said George Otway in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 29th July
1882.
GEORGE OTWAY of Brixton in the County of Surrey IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR DIVIDING BRICKS, TILES OR SLABS FROM PLASTIC
CLAY OR LIKE MATERIAL, AND IN APPLIANCES FOR RECEIVING AND REMOVING
THE SAME WHEN CUT.
This Invention relates to that class of apparatus known as a "brick cutting
table," in which a stream of plastic clay or like material is cut by passing through
a series of strained wires or knives and so divided into bricks or other desired
forms.
On a suitable bed plate or framing I construct a pair of parallel guides opposito
the cutting fraine. In these guides slides a peculiar arrangement of rack, furnished
with two sets of horizontal teeth at different levels, and above and on the same
side as the lower set of teeth is a set of upwardly projecting teeth.
Attached to this rack arrangement is the moving table or "clay pusher." Abovo
the vertical-teeth-rack is a small pinion running on a spindle in the guide. Gearing
with this pinion is a double rack or yoke sliding in each side of the guide, and at
the extremity of this is pivoted a rocking arm called the "pusher" riding over a
vertical bar having a cam-surface by which the "pusher" is raised on the com-
pletion of its stroke, or the cam or inclined-surface is formed on the pusher which
rides over a horizontal bar as hereafter described.
Hitherto, in brick-cutting-tables it has been customary to cut the stream of clay
in approximate lengths before being fed to the cutting wires, necessitating its being
after divided to the exact length, causing much waste
Now I automatically divide the stream of clay to the exact length required to
form a number of bricks or blocks before feeding to the cutting table.
I effect this by my rack arrangement in the manner following:-
A shaft is placed below the feeding rollers. Upon the end of this shaft is placed
a pulley or toothed wheel connected with a moving slide carrying a pawl, working
on the outer face of one of the before-mentioned guides. A slot is formed in the
face of the guide, and a stud attached to the rack passing through serves to operate
this pawl as hereafter mentioned.
On the said shaft is placed a cam or eccentric and opposite its face is a pulley
over which a chain secured by a spring passes. A pivoted spring buffer or abut-
ment is placed at the last roller and is raised by the action of the spring shaft and
cam and depressed when released or instead of a rising-and-falling, it can have a
to-and-fro or rectilinear movement.
At the other end of the feeding roller frame is a guillotine cutting wire or knife-
frame having a slot or yoke therein, in which a crank pin carried by the before-
mentioned shaft takes. The motor shaft of the machine drives by belt or
otherwise, a pulley rising and falling in the bearings and carrying a vertical
pinion at its upper end. By moving a hand lever this pulley may be raised to
gear the pinion carried by it with the bigher teeth of the rack arrangement. The
mode of working is as follows:-The stream of clay is fed forward over the rollers,
and by the action of the machine the buffer or abutment rises or slides forward.
By its farther action the buffer is depresssed or runs back releasing the spring-
shaft when the guillotine wire descends and cuts off the stream to the exact
length.
The workman turning one of the rollers as usual, the divided block passes to the
table which is now at the end of its stroke. He now presses the hand lever,

page_text: as more particularly described hereafter. G is the pinion mounted on the side of
guide B and gearing into teeth D' of the pushor rack D, and teeth A" of rack
frame A so that as one rack advances the other retreats.
H is the rising and falling pinion on spindle H sliding in bearings H" and
carrying fast-and-loose pulleys H¹¹¹
As shown in Fig. 5. Sheet 4. this pinion has risen up and gears with teeth A' of
rack frame A so that if its spindle now revolve the frame A will run forward and
advance the "clay-pusher" C, while the "board pusher"-yoke D will then run
back.
In Fig 6 on the same Sheet the pinion H is shewn gearing with teeth A¹¹¹ of
rack frame A, that is as it would stand just on the completion of the forward
movement of the "board pusher" E and the backward movement of the "clay
pusher" C. I is the brick table, I¹ a stop or abutment as usual moveable by
screws I¹¹ to prevent the stream of clay overrunning the edge of the table. I™ is
the cutting frame as usual furnished with strained wires or knives. J are tho
standards in which the frame J' of the guillotine wire slides in grooves or
guides e e. J is the slot in this frame in which the crank or wrist pin K of the
shaft K' travels to-and-fro raising or lowering it. J" is the cutting wire or knife
held by thumb screws or otherwise to frame J¹.
As seen in Fig. 13 the shaft K¹ carries a cam L with a double peripheral
surface and g. Referring now more particularly to Figs. 3 and 10 to 13, a larger
shaft K runs loose on the end of shaft K' as clearly seen in Fig. 3. The end of
the large shaft K" carries a crank or wrist L' connected by a pitman or connecting
rod L with a pin L on a sliding block M sliding in a slotted guide or frame M¹
and on which block M is pivoted a lever M" carrying the buffer or abutment M
and which lever has a shorter arm or stop h. carrying a pin i, a pin ; being
carried on block M and a spring / connecting pins i and j together. A notch or
recess is formed in the end of the projecting surface m of the slotted guide M into
which the spring j³, pulls the end of lever M as it arrives at the end of its forward
stroke thus bringing the buffer M opposite the advancing stream of clay to be
cut of the proper length for the main cutting table.
. On the crank L' is a pawl N connected by a spring n to a pin o on its face, and
which pawl when it catches the beak of the cain L connects shafts K' K" as one
piece and when only riding over the surface g of cam L allowing theso shafts
independent movement, shaft K" being then held by pawl N¹ pivoted on the
frame M' acting as an escapement to the cam L.
On the end of shaft K" I place a pulley or wheel N¹ for the chain or band Ni
to pass over. This wheel N is flat on one of its sides p for the purpose of allowing
the chain lying flat thereon to act with reduced leverage to allow the buffer to run
out of the way more quickly and sensitively and so actuating the guillotine cutting
wire.
Behind the wheel N¹¹ I place a pinion O. Now referring to Figs 1 and 7 and 8.
I place a bar O sliding on the outer face of guide B. and carrying a rack q at its
end with which the pinion O of shaft K engages. The other end of bar Oll
carries a pivoted pawl O" and a stop or abutment on the bar O" forms a limit
to its downward play.
On the face of the guide BI form a slot P and within which travels a pin or
stud P attached to the rack frame A as shown in section Fig. 8. As the pin Pu
travels hack ward along the slot it catches the pawl O and drags it along and its
bar O till the pawl O strikes the bevelled stop P¹ on the guide B which lifts
the pawl O clear of the pin P" (which pin can run back when the rack runs
forward) leaving the buffer opposite the advancing stream of clay as shewn in
Figs. 10 and 11.
The chain N on wheel N" is connected to a spring Q which is fastened to a
stud Q on the face of the guide B. Q is the frame carrying the usual rollers
or travelling bed as the front one running in an oil trough connected to a cistern t
as usual on brick cutting tables.
.

page_text: To operate the rising and falling pinion H 1 pivot lever R on an axis R¹
(see Figs. 1 and 4) and a chain or band R" being connected to it and to a
horizontal swinging lever R. As the workman leans his body or presses against
lever R¹ it pulls on a chain R" raising the lever R and the pinion H accordingly
and releasing the lever R permits the pinion to descend. uu are the pulleys on
the main frame on which the ends of the barrow rest. In Figs 1 and 2 S are the
longitudinal open slats of the barrow. S'are the receiving boards whose tongues Su
slide in the space between the two inner slats of the barrow and are actuated by
the pusher E.
The last of the series of boards however has a slot S in its tongue to prevent
the pusher advancing it when receiving its charge and so pushing boards placed
behind it with their charges off the barrow, as seen in Fig. 2, the pusher then
merely traversing the slot without moving the board.
T is the wheel of the barrow. T¹ is a guide rail or plate notched as shewn in
Fig 2 to prevent the wheel T slipping if pushed sideways on to the plate. T" is a
bar on the barrow dropping into a notched pedestal T thus raising the wheel off
the ground and allowing the barrow to rest on the pulleys u u and the
pedestal T
We will now suppose the apparatus to be in the position of Fig. 1. It will be
seen that three sets of bricks have been cut and that the last empty board is in
front of the cutting wires. The stream of clay to be divided into bricks has just
passed the buffer of the guillotine which has descended (and is so shown) and cut
it to the proper length, and the buffer has then run back leaving the stream of
clay on the brick table.
The workman now presses the lever R which raises the pinion H as before
described, thus gearing it with teeth A' of the "clay pusher" C. which runs
forward pushing the clay block through the cutting wires and dividing it into
bricks which are received on the last empty board on the barrow which is now
wheeled away to the kiln. In the meantime the pinion G has run the pusher E
back. A fresh barrow and set of empty boards. are now placed in position, the
slotted board last. The workman now releases the lever R¹ and pinion H
descending gears with teeth A which runs the "clay pusher" C back. As the
pin P runs back along slot P it catches pawl Our pulling it back and thus
causing rack g to revolve pinion O and pull the shafts KK" round which advance
the buffer forward till the shorter arin of its lever drops into the notch of the
guide surface m, thus holding the buffer forward. At the same time the shaft K¹
moving raises the guillotine wire frame J₁ from the position shown in Fig. 1 to
the top of its standards J and the pawl N¹ holding shaft K' keeps it up while the
buffer is getting in position The wheel N winding up chain N has distended
the spring fastened to the stud Q".
Now as a fresh stream of clay leaves the moulding machine or pug mill and
travels over the guide rollers 88 its end will strike the buffer, the lever " of
which will turn on its axis thus causing its end ½ to leave notch 1 of guide
Burface m.
The retractile force of spring having now no opposition offered to it,
will quickly pull on chain N¹ pulling wheel N" round and thus revolving
shafts KK, pulling down the guillotine as the buffer runs out of the way of the
advancing stream of clay, the streain thus being cut to an accurate length and
automatically.
The workman now moves lever R and the action goes on, the board S¹ being
pushed along the barrow and another board being placed in front of the table.
may if desired give the buffer a rising and falling instead of a rectilinear motion
but I find this occupies less room. I may if expense is an important factor, con-
struct my tables without the automatic guillotine or I may adapt it or my rack
'clay pusher" or 'board pusher" either separately or combined to other brick
cutting tables in use at present.
"
Other ineans than those shown may be adapted to operate the rising and falling
pinion (as for instance by a treadle) and I may considerably vary the details of the

page_text: guillotine mechanism, the principle however of making the machine cut the stream
of clay automatically instead of by hand being adhered to. In cutting tiles or
slabs the orifice of the moulding machine is of course adapted to the required shape
as usual.
I do not claim the barrow taken separately without my receiving boards fitted
with tongues, neither do I lay claim to the arrangement of guiding rollers, main
cutting frame or such other parts or combination of parts shown in the Drawings
for the purpose of explaining my Invention and which are already in use and
known to the trade but
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and the best manner
known to me of performing the same I would have it understood that what I
believe to be novel and original and therefore claim in respect of the said
Invention is
Firstly Constructing or fitting brick cutting tables with an arrangement (such
as described) for automatically cutting the stream of clay issuing from the moulding
machine or pug mill into an approximately regulated length to make a given
number of bricks, tiles or slabs.
Secondly The rack frame A furnished with opposite sets of teeth at different
levels and in combination with a pinion H gearing into either at will to move the
pusher for advancing the clay against the cutting wires, to and fro, as described.
Thirdly In combination with the rack frame A, the pinion G for moving the
rack and "board pusher" D E in an opposite direction to the clay pusher C as
described
Fourthly In a brick cutting table, a pusher or arm to automatically push (and
in combination with) boards furnished with tongues capable of sliding on a barrow
to receive the cut bricks tiles or slabs so as to leave a space between cach row as
described
Fifthly The general arrangement and combination of apparatus for (a) auto-
matically cutting the stream of clay to the proper length (b) advancing the same
against and through the cutting wires (c) pushing the boards (d) with the cut
bricks tiles or slabs upon them on to the barrow or truck so as to leave a space
between each row of bricks substantially as described.
In witness whereof I the said George Otway have hereunto set my hand
and seal this Twenty sixth day of July in the year of our Lord, One thousand
eight hundred and eighty two.