A Machine for Cutting Almonds and the like.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 31st July, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 26th Apr., 1895-Accepted, 22nd June, 1895
UN.
A Machine for Cutting Almonds and the like.
I, JAMES LUKE COLLIER, of Wellington Works, Rochdale, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to a machine for cutting almonds and the like.
In carrying out the invention I provide a shaft or cylinder adapted to be rotated
and having projecting therefrom a series of circular knives, and a feed roller (which
may be roughened) between which roller and the knives the almonds are caused to
pass, the said shaft and roller being advantageously geared together. The shaft is
provided with means such as flanges which bear against the feed roller and prevent
it injuring the knives. The knives are advantageously arranged in groups to which
the almonds or the like are fed from a table through corresponding chutes the said
groups consisting of three knives in each, the centre knife of each being thinner
than the outer ones which have their cutting edges at the sides in proximity to the
centre knife.
Suitable means are provided for scraping off or removing any portions of the
almonds that may adhere to the knives, such means consisting advantageously of
bars two of which are in contact with the outer surface of the outer knives of each
group, while two more are arranged in the spaces between the knives in contact
with the adjacent surfaces of the latter.
Dated the 31st der of July 180.1
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
A Machine for Cutting Almonds and the like.
I, JAMES LUKE COLLIER, of Wellington Works, Rochdale, in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to a machine for cutting almonds and the like.
In carrying out the invention I provide a shaft or cylinder adapted to be rotated
and having projecting therefrom a series of circular knives, and a feed-roller (which
may be roughened) between which roller and the knives the almonds are caused to
pass, the said shaft and roller being advantageously geared together. The shaft is
provided with means such as flanges which bear against the feed-roller and prevent
it injuring the knives. The knives are advantageously arranged in groups to which
the almonds or the like are fed from a table through corresponding chutes, the said
groups consisting of three knives in each, the centre knife of each being thinner
than the outer ones which have their cutting edges at the sides in proximity to the
centre knife.
'
Suitable, means are provided for scraping off or removing any portions of the
Q71

page_text: almonds that may adhere to the knives, such means consisting advantageously of
bars two of which are in contact with the outer surface of the outer knives of each
group, while two more are arranged in the spaces between the knives in contact
with the adjacent surfaces of the latter.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a plan of my machine for cutting almonds; and,
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section:
Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line 3-3, Figure 2:
Figure 4 is a view of a detail.
a is the frame of the machine in which two shafts b, c are carried in fixed and
movable bearings b₁, el respectively, the shaft bas shewn in the drawings being
provided with fast and loose pulleys and serving as the driving shaft while the
shaft is adapted through the medium of the bearings c¹ to be pressed towards the
shaft by screws,; the said two shafts are geared together by the gear
wheels d, d.
e, e are the groups of knives or cutters carried by the upper shaft c, and is the
feed-roller which operates in conjunction with the cutters e, e to cut the almonds,
the edges of the said cutters being arranged so that they shall rotate in close
proximity to the peripheral surface of the feed-roller. The surface of the
said feed-roller is preferably composed of a soft metal which does not injure the
cutters.
In order that there shall be no liability of the cutters entering the metal of the
feed-roller under the pressure due to the screws ², provide the shafts and c
with flanges or collars g, g, h, h respectively, which flanges or collars revolve in
contact with one another and so maintain the said shafts at a uniform distance
apart.
The cutters of each group are in the form of discs having central apertures and
fitting on to the shaft c, the several discs of each group being separated by
distance pieces i, i and the several groups separated and held in their proper
positions upon the said shaft by means of the distance pieces j,j, as shewn clearly
in Figure 3.
To permit of readily removing and replacing the cutting discs and distance pieces,
one of the collars h upon the shaft c is represented as being screw-threaded so as to
be detachable.
kis the table upon which the almonds to be split are placed, the said table
having at one end an incline / formed with a number of grooves or channels m, nu
forming chutes and corresponding with the number of groups of cutters, the said
channels serving to direct the almonds directly beneath the said cutters.
n, o are the scrapers for preventing portions of the almonds from adhering to the
cutters; these scrapers are in the form of bars bifurcated at one end, the scrapers n
serving to scrape the outer faces of the outside discs of each group of cutters,
whilst the scrapers o serve to scrape the inner faces of the said discs and also the
surfaces of the central disc. The said scrapers are held in place by being clipped
between bars p, p attached to the frame a.
q is a plate scraper which is in proximity to the surface of the feed-roller to
remove the almonds or the like adhering thereto after being cut. is a belt
shipper for transferring the belt from the loose pulley to the fast pulley and
vice versa.
Although in the drawings I have represented my machine as being provided with
three groups of cutters, it is to be understood that a greater or less number of
groups may be employed according to requirements.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. A machine for cutting almonds and the like wherein a series of circular cutters

page_text: are arranged in conjunction with a feed-roller, the shaft carrying the said cutters
and the feed-roller being geared together, substantially as described.
2. The manufacture and use of the improved machine for cutting almonds and
the like hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 26th day of April 1895.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.