IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Bernhard Samuelson and William Manwaring, both
of the Britannia Works, Banbury, in the County of Oxford, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES."
Sealed the 27th March 1860, and dated the 30th November 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Bernhard Samuelson and
William Manwaring at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 30th November 1859.
We, BERNHARD SAMUELSON and WILLIAM MANWARING, of the Britannia
Works, Banbury, in the County of Oxford, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES,"
to be as follows:-
Our improvements relate to the cutting and separating parts of these
machines. In adjusting the speed and travel of the reciprocating knives of
reaping and mowing machines, when those knives have been made of a zig-zag
form on their front or cutting edges (whether smooth or rough edge), it has
been usual hitherto to make the distance travelled by the knife horizontally
but little, if at all, in excess of the distance from point to point of the fingers or

page_text: knife guards. Now, this involves a choice of the following evils, either a
limitation of speed or a destructive number of reciprocations, or else so great a
distance between the fingers or guards as to cause the knife to give an incon-
venient "lay" to the crop before cutting. Now, our Invention in this respect
consists in proportioning the distance between the fingers to the throw of the
knife (the latter being obtained by adjustment of the driving gear, connecting
rod, &c., as is well understood), so that. the extreme forward cutting parts of
the cutters, that is, the parts projecting furthest from the framing (except as
to the end sections), shall travel at least from the right edge of one of the
guards across an intermediate guard to the left edge of the next guard, and
vice versâ, as shown by the dotted lines in the sketch A; the path of the
cutters being between the positions x, x¹, and y, y'. We prefer that the travel
should be in excess of this, as, for instance, from centre to centre of the points,
as in sketch B (that is, twice the distance between the fingers), or even still
greater, but the essence of the first part of our Invention is to bring the
cutting part of each projection into action with respect to at least two fingers
at each stroke, and at the same time to open the space between the fingers or
guards widely to the admission of the crop. In the second place, we make
the back edge of the knife bar rough, as, for instance, after the manner of a file,
in order to clear away or prevent any accumulation of short grass, dirt, &c.,
between that bar and the guards or main beam or framing, as the case may be.
Thirdly, we have found that the cutting, especially of grain crops, is fre-
quently interfered with by their being entangled, which throws more than a
due proportion of the work upon one or more of the cutters. In order to
obviate this, we provide separating apparatus, consisting of a number of inter-
mediate shoes or dividers, with skeleton guards at the sides, which portion out
the crop as it presents itself in front of the machine into sections. The
shoes may be prolongations of and substitutes for an equal number of ordinary
fingers, in which case the after part of them must be so formed as to afford
the proper resistance to the cut, and protection to the knife. The side guards
spring from the foremost point (or near thereto) of the shoe diagonally back-
wards towards one or both sides of the machine, and by preference slightly
upwards, but their backward extremities should be sufficiently in front of the
knife not to prevent the crop from entering freely into each opening between
the fingers. As the surface of the fields is frequently uneven, we prefer to
make these shoes jointed upwards in front of the knife, so as to cause them to
be slightly lifted by any obstacle, thus preventing the points from running into
the ground. If these shoes are substituted for some of the ordinary fingers,
they should be fastened to the finger beams so as to be easily detached, in

page_text: which case they need only be used in crops of the nature specified, and we do
not consider it desirable that they should be closer together than about twelve
inches from point to point.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Bernhard Samuelson and William Manwaring in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 29th May 1860.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, BERNHARD
SAMUELSON and WILLIAM MANWARING, both of the Britannia Works, Banbury,
in the County of Oxford, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us,
the said Bernhard Samuelson and William Manwaring, Her special licence
that we, the said Bernhard Samuelson and William Manwaring, our execu-.
tors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said Bernhard
Samuelson and William Manwaring, our 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that we, the said Bernhard Samuelson and William
Manwaring, our executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
our, 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 we, the said Bernhard Samuelson and William
Manwaring, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement, that is to say :-
Our improvements relate to the cutting and separating parts of these.
machines. In adjusting the speed and travel of the reciprocating knives of
reaping and mowing machines, when those knives have been made of a zig-zag

page_text: form on their front or cutting edges (whether smooth or rough edge), it has
been usual hitherto to make the distance travelled by the knife horizontally but
little, if at all, in excess of the distance from point to point of the fingers or knife
guards. Now, this involves a choice of the following evils, either a limitation
of speed, or a destructive number of reciprocations, or else so great a distance
between the fingers or guards as to cause the knife to give an inconvenient
"lay" to the crop before cutting. Now, our Invention in this respect consists
in proportioning the distance between the fingers to the throw of the knife (the
latter being obtained by adjustment of the driving gear, connecting rod, &c.,
as is well understood), so that the extreme forward cutting parts of the latter
(except as to the end sections) shall travel at least from the right edge of one
of the guards across an intermediate guard to the left edge of the next guard,
and vice versâ, as shown by the dotted lines in the sketch A (on the Sheet of
accompanying Drawings), the path of the cutters being between the positions
x, x', and y, y¹. We prefer the travel should be in excess of this, as, for
instance, from centre to centre of the points, as in sketch B (that is, twice the
distance between the fingers), or even still greater; but the essence of the
first part of our Invention is to bring the cutting part of each projection into
action, with respect to at least two fingers at each stroke, and at the same
time to open the space between the fingers or guards widely to the admission
of the crop.
In the second place, we make the back edge of the knife bar
rough, as, for instance, after the manner of a file, in order to clear away or
prevent any accumulation of short grass, dirt, &c., between that bar and the
guards or main beam or framing, as the case may be; in order that the said
back edge may not become smooth, we prefer to make it of steel, but we do
not consider it necessary to harden it. The roughing is equally applicable to
the front edge; and in the case of broad guards especially equally useful there.
The roughened edge is shown at a, a, & a" in Drawing A (Fig. 1). Thirdly,
we have found that the cutting, especially of grain crops, is frequently
interfered with by their being entangled, which throws more than a due
proportion of the work upon one or more of the knives. In order to obviate
this, we provide separating apparatus, consisting of a number of intermediate
shoes or dividers, with skeleton guards at the sides, which portion out the crop
as it presents itself in front of the machine into sections. The shoes
may be prolongations of and substitutes for an equal number of ordinary
fingers, in which case the after part of them must be so formed as to
afford the proper resistance to the cut, and protection to the knife. The
side guards spring from the foremost point (or near thereto) of the shoe
diagonally backwards towards one or both sides of the machine, and by

page_text: preference slightly upwards, but their backward extremities should be suffi-
ciently in front of the knife not to prevent the crop from entering freely into
each opening between the fingers. In cutting crops which are not much
tangled, these side guards may, if made of soft iron, be bent inwards by the
hand, so as to lie at a greater or less angle sideways with respect to the finger.
or shoe to which they are attached, until they stand vertically (or nearly so)
above the finger; but I consider it most important that these guards should
never extend as far back as the point of the knife, see Drawings, Figures 7 to
12. As the surface of the fields is frequently uneven, we prefer to make
these shoes jointed upwards in front of the knife, so as to cause them to be
slightly lifted by any obstacle, thus preventing the points from running into the.
ground. I have found that in the case of the jointed fingers the side guards
can frequently be dispensed with. If the joints are so constructed as to allow
the shoes or dividers to come near the ground, it is essential that the point
shall stand well up, that is, that the lowest portion of the finger shall not be at.
the point as at b, in Drawing, Fig. 7. These intermediate shoes or dividers
when so jointed should be made of wrought iron or steel, and the joint made
so as not to open sufficiently to allow the divider to reach the ground when it
is level; and as it is desirable both in reaping and mowing machines that the
finger beam of the machine should take the ground rather than any point in
front of the knife, I thicken such beam from below, either by a projection
from the end divider, or otherwise, behind (and in the part within the cutting
reach of the knife), as shown at r, in Drawings 2, 4, 5, 6.
substituted for some of the ordinary fingers, they should
finger beam so as to be easily removed, or the finger itself may serve as a
point, and the shoes may have a socket fitting upon such point, in which case
they need only be used in crops of the nature specified, that is, entangled
crops, and we do not consider it desirable that they should be closer together
than about twelve inches from point to point.
If these shoes are
be, fastened to the.
Figure 1 (Sketch A) in the accompanying Sheet of Drawings is a plan of a
portion of the finger beam of a reaping or mowing machine, Figure 2 being a
transverse section of the same (vertically) through the thickened part; and
Figure 6, a longitudinal vertical section; v, v¹, v, are fingers projecting from
the beam, u, u, being prolonged jointed intermediate shoes or dividers; w and
w¹ are two of the knives, x and x, y and y¹ being their forward cutting parts;
t is a portion of the bar on which the knives are rivetted or otherwise
fastened, but removed at this part of the Drawing for the purpose of showing
the roughened edge of the bar at a, a¹; r is the thickened part of the beam;
2 is the shoe or divider at the off end of the beam. Figures 3, 4, and 5 are
:

page_text: corresponding views to the three preceding Drawings, but showing a longer
stroke of knife, as from a, a, to y, y¹, and being without the intermediate
prolonged shoes, the thickened part of the beam being thinner also; p is the
cutting reach of the knife, the thickened part of the beam (7) being within or
short of it.
Figures 7, 9, and 11 are side elevations of the jointed intermediate shoes
or dividers as detached from the beam, Figures 8, 10, and 12 being plans of
the same respectively; c, c', are the skeleton guards at different elevations
springing out from the foremost point at d; e shows the backward extremity
of such guards, f being the slot in which the knife reciprocates. Figures 9
and 10 show only one of those guards.
Having described the nature of our Invention, we do not confine ourselves
to the exact details of the same; but we claim the improvements in the con-
struction and the general arrangement of the cutting and separating parts of
reaping and mowing machines, as described.
In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Twenty-fifth day of May, One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
WILLIAM MANWARING. (L.S.)
Witness to the signature of Bernhard
Samuelson,
HENRY B. SAMUELSON,
Scholar, Torquay.
Witness to the signature of William
Manwaring,
JOHN SHAW,
Engineer, Banbury.