IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING CORK
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Michael Henry, of 68, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR CUTTING CORK."-A communication from abroad by Louis Sauvan, of
33. Boulevart Saint Martin Paris France
Sealed the 14th September 1866, and dated the 4th April 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Michael Henry at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th April 1866.
I, MICHAEL HENRY, of 68, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING CORK," communicated to me from abroad by Louis
Sauvan, of 33, Boulevart Saint Martin, Paris, France, to be as follows:-
. This Invention relates to a machine in which the cork to be cut has both a
rotary and a rectilinear motion communicated to it while being operated on
by a stationary cutter. A carriage, free to be slidden to and fro on the frame-
work of the machine, carries the corks to be cut, which are held by points on
chucks or face plates, and thus receive rectilinear motion. The carriage in
its travel moves with it a shaft carrying a stud, which is thus caused to work
along a spiral path or slot formed in a tube fixed on the framework; rotary
motion is thus communicated to the shaft, and is transmitted therefrom by
gearing to the spindles of the face plates or chucks, thereby causing these to
revolve with the corks upon them.

page_text: The carriage may be provided with two handles, one being moveable, so
that when pushed towards the other it drives a pusher and impels one of the
spindles towards the other in order to fix the corks in the points more
securely; a spring restores the handle to place. Springs in the spindles may
be employed to throw off the parings or cuttings and also the corks when
Whetstones or sharpeners mounted on the carriage will whet or sharpen
the cutter as the carriage travels.
The position of the cutter, with respect to the chucks or face plates, may
be adjusted by chain and screws or other equivalent contrivance to adapt one
machine for different sizes of corks. Also, by making the bearings of the
slotted tube segmental or adjustable the tube can be inclined so as to adapt
the machine to cut conical corks, or for this purpose the gearing can be
mounted in adjustable bearings.
When the machine is worked by power a pusher may be used to hold the
cork to the cutter, the stud may be moved in the spiral path otherwise than
by the carriage, but the machine can be conveniently worked, especially by
hand, as described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Michael Henry in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th October 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MICHAEL
HENRY, of 68, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the twenty-ninth year of Her.
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Michael Henry, Her special licence, that I, the said Michael.
Henry, my executors, administrators, and assigns,. or. such others as I,
the said Michael Henry, 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.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING CORK," communicated to me from..
abroad by Louis Sauvan, of 33, Boulevart Saint Martin, Paris, France,.

page_text: upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Michael Henry, 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 per-
formed, 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 Michael Henry, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof as communicated to me, reference being had to the accom-
panying Drawings, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to a machine in which the cork to be cut has both
a rotary and a rectilinear motion communicated to it while being operated on
by a stationary cutter. A carriage free to be slidden to and fro on the frame-
work of the machine carries the pieces of cork to be cut, which are held by
points on chucks or face plates, and thus receive rectilinear motion. The
carriage in its travel moves with it a shaft carrying a stud, which is thus
caused to work along a spiral or helical path or slot formed in a tube fixed on
the framework. Rotary motion is thus communicated to the shaft and trans-
mitted therefrom by gearing to the spindles of the face plates or chucks,
thereby causing them to revolve with the cork upon them.
The carriage may be provided with two handles, one being moveable, so
that when it is pushed towards the other it drives a pusher and impels one of
the face plate spindles towards the other, in order to fix the cork in the points
securely, and a spring restores the handle to place. Springs are employed to
throw off the parings or cuttings and also the corks when cut. Whetstones
or sharpeners mounted on the carriage will whet or sharpen the cutter as the
carriage travels.
The position of the cutter, with respect to the chucks or face plates, may
be adjusted by chain and screws or other equivalent contrivances to adapt one
machine for cutting different sizes of corks. Also, by making the bearings of
the slotted tube segmental, sectional, or adjustable the tube can be inclined
so as to adapt the machine for cutting conical corks, or for this purpose the
gearing which drives the face plate spindles may be mounted in adjustable
bearings.
When the machine is worked by power, then instead of the handles a
pusher may be used to hold the cork to the cutter, but the machine cau be
conveniently worked by hand, as described.

page_text: The accompanying Drawings exemplify particularly in what manner the
Invention may be carried into effect.
Figure 1 is an elevation, and Figure 2 a plan of a machine constructed
according to these improvements.
A is a framework or bench, to which are fixed bearings B for supporting
parts of the machinery; C is a tube shewn also in longitudinal section in
Figure 8. A helical or spiral path or groove c is cut in this tube C in such
manner as to wind round its periphery like the thread of a screw. D is a
shaft or axis which is placed within the tube C. The tube C is stationary,
but the shaft D is free to move or work within it, as presently to be described.
d is a stud fixed on the shaft D; this stud engages and works in the slot c.
The shaft D takes at one end into the corresponding end of a shaft or
spindle G supported in a carriage or travelling frame F, to which rectilinear
reciprocating motion is communicated by a handle J; this carriage F is slidden
to and fro in guides E, E, fixed to the framework A (and shown in transverse
section, Figure 4). These guides have a dovetail or V groove cut in them,
as shewn, to form guide ways for the bottom of the carriage to engage and
work in. As the carriage is worked to and fro with a rectilinear reciprocating
motion it moves the shaft D to and fro with it, and thereby the stud d is
caused to travel along the slot c in the tube C from end to end thereof,
and hence rotary motion is communicated to the shaft D, and it is transmitted
therefrom to the shaft G connected with it. The bearing R, which supports
the tube C near its centre, is contrived to leave room for the stud d to pass
freely through it as such stud travels along the slot c. H, H, are toothed
wheels keyed upon the shaft G, and in gear with toothed pinions H', H', keyed
on short axes or spindles i, i; supported in and carried by the carriage F; one
spindle i carries at one end a disc or face plate I, and the other spindle i
carries at the end a similar disc or face plate I. These face plates I, I',
which are opposite to or presented towards each other and somewhat resemble
face plates of a lathe, carry a number of points, pins, or studs for holding
the block or blank of cork to be cut; four such points on each plate is a
suitable number. The face plates are held in sockets P, P, at the ends of
their respective spindles, which sockets contain spiral or box springs, not
shewn. M is a stationary cutter placed vertically and held between two plates
by screws x. B*, B³, are adjusting screws connected by a band chain N,
whereby the cutter is adjusted in position with respect to the piece of cork to
be cut, so as to regulate the size of the cork. J is a handle fixed rigidly to the
carriage F.; J is a moveable handle attached to a pusher F which slides or
works in the carriage F. The handles J, J¹, are connected together by a

page_text: spring Q. The block or blank of cork to be cut is placed on one of the face
plates by hand as near as may be to the cutter M; then the workman moves
the handle J' towards the handle J, thereby pressing up the spring Q, and
moving the pusher F, which lattér pushes one of the axes i, together with its
face plate I, towards the other and opposite face plate I¹, thereby pressing or
jamming the block of cork against it, or, so to speak, driving it home, that is
to say, placing and holding the said cork firmly in position on the face plate
while it is being cut. When the workman removes his hand from the
handle J¹ to release it the spring Q acts on it, and returns it to its previous
position in which it is shewn in the Drawing, the pusher F and the spindle i
and plate I (which it acted on) also receding or moving back with the handle.
Thus the cork while being operated on by the cutter has two motions simul-
taneously imparted to it, namely, a rectilinear reciprocating, or forward and
backward travel, and a rotary motion; the former or rectilineal motion is com-
municated to it by working the carriage F to and fro in its guide ways, and
as this carriage carries the axes i and their face plates I, I, they and the
cork thereon partake of its rectilinear motion. The rotary motion is trans-
mitted by the shaft D caused to revolve by the stud d, as before described;
such shaft D transmits its rotary motion by means of the axis G and gearing
H, H', to the spindles i, i, and hence to the face plates and cork thereon.
The section, Figure 4, is taken on the line a, b, of Figures 1 and 2. The cork
when cut and the cuttings or refuse parings are pushed off the face plates by
the springs in the sockets P, P; these springs working against the plates
11, 1', which, though held in the sockets so as to move with their spindles i, i,
are not exactly fixtures in them, but sufficiently free to be pressed forward in
the sockets by the springs (somewhat like buffer plates), in order that the
cork may be pushed from the points.
K is a block fixed on the carriage F, and supporting two whetstones or
pieces of any ordinary material suitable for sharpening cutters; these sharpeners
of course travel to and fro with the carriage and pass one on each side of
the cutter blade, and in contact therewith, so as to sharpen it while the machine
is at work.
The bearing or pedestal R which supports the tube C is made in sections
held together by screws S, some of such sections R¹, R", being removeable
and adjustable at pleasure by withdrawing the screws, so that the tube C may
be placed in an inclined position when conical corks are to be cut, or the
same object may be attained by constructing and adjusting in like manner
the bearings of the gearing H, H'.
If instead of working the carriage F by hand, steam, or other power is

page_text: employed, the pusher L, shewn in elevation, Figure 5, and in plan, Figure 6,
may be employed for placing and holding the cork in position for and
while being cut.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same may be performed, I declare that I claim, as the improvements in
apparatus for cutting cork,-
First, the employment of a stationary cutter in combination with moveable
face plates or dises carrying points to hold the cork to be cut, such face plates
or discs having both a rectilinear reciprocating motion and a rotary motion,
the latter being communicated by causing a stud to travel in a helical or
spiral path or slot formed in a tube, substantially as described.
Second, the employment of an arrangement of fixed handle and moveable
handle, whereby the cork is placed and held in position for being cut, and
whereby rectilinear reciprocating motion is communicated to a travelling
or sliding carriage which moves the stud in the slot, substantially as
described.
Third, the employment of travelling whetstones or sharpeners arranged and
operating in the manner and for the purpose described.
Fourth, the employment of the arrangements for adjusting the position of
the cutter and the arrangements for varying the inclination or angle of the
cork with respect to the cutter for the purpose of cutting conical corks, as
described.
Fifth, the general arrangement and combination of parts constituting the
machinery or apparatus herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Michael Henry, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of October, in the year One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
M. A. GREEN,
68, Fleet Street,
London.
M. HENRY. (L.S.)