IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND SHAPING CORK." MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND SHAPING CORK
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John and Anton Bruno Seithen, of Regent's Square,
in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND SHAPING CORK."
MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND SHAPING CORK."
Sealed the 8th January 1856, and dated the 9th July 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John and Anton Bruno
Seithen at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition,
on the 9th July 1855.
We, JOHN and ANTON BRUNO SEITHEN, of Regent's Square, in the County
of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND SHAPING CORK" to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in arranging machinery or apparatus by which
pieces of cork may be cut into cylinders or cones or thin veneers with great
facility. For this purpose I employ rotatory knives or cutters carried by a
vertical axis which receive motion in any convenient manner. The knives or
cutters are affixed to arms fixed upon and at right angles to the vertical axis,
and when cutting cones or cylinders of cork, the knives are fixed, by preference,
to the arms in a vertical position with the cutting edge downwards. The
pieces of cork previously cut into suitable lengths and sizes are placed between
holders, supported on or carried by a circular table fixed in the plane of the
revolution of the knives or cutters, so as to present the surface of the cork to

page_text: the action of the knives or cutters as they rotate. The holders are carried by
axes (supported in suitable bearings), and are capable of moving to and from
each other to receive the pieces of cork, and to release them when cut. There
are several pairs of holders, and there is a bevil pinion on one of the axes of
each pair of holders, the teeth of which take into the teeth of another bevil
pinion fixed on a vertical axis moving in supports affixed to the table, and on
this vertical axis there is a toothed wheel, which receives motion from a toothed
rack carried by the arms to which the knives or cutters are affixed, so that as
the knives in their revolution arrive opposite each holder or pair of holders,
rotatory motion will be communicated thereto and to the pieces of cork held
thereby against the cutting edge of the knife, by which it will be cut into a
cylinder, or (if the holders be placed at an angle to the knife) into a cone.
The supports, which carry the axes of the holders, slide in dovetailed grooves
on the table, in order to regulate the distance of the holders from the knives,
by which arrangement various sized cylinders or cones of cork may be cut.
It is preferred that two knives or cutters should be employed, and that the
cutting edge of one should be slightly in advance of the other, in order to
cut off the angles or rough parts of the pieces of cork as they are presented
to it first. The edges of the knives in their revolution pass between grinding
surfaces or sharpening apparatus placed in a suitable position upon the table,
which receives motion by a band over a pulley or otherwise. In order to cut
veneers, the pieces of cork from which they are to be cut are fixed upon a
carriage on the circular table, which carriage is capable of being moved
towards the edge of the rotating knife or cutter by a screw or otherwise, the
edge of the knife or cutter being in this modification by preference horizontal.
The carriage is also capable of being moved up or down, so as to place the
piece of cork in a position to have successive thickness cut from it. The
number of holders may be varied according to the circumference of the table,
and each holder may be employed to cut a different sized cork to the others.
In order to cut off strips of cork, two circular cutters or knives are employed
and two tables. The tables are moved parallel to the circular cutters or knives.
The cork is held down on the tables, a quantity of cork protruding beyond the
edges of the tables equal in width to that which is to be cut off into a strip as
each table is moved-past-its-knife. The strips of cork are then cut into
squares or lengths by means of a reciprocating knife or cutter, which moves in
a slit in the table on which the strips of cork are placed. The knife or cutter
is mounted at the end of a lever, and receives motion by a handle. The strips
of cork are set up to a guage, and the knife or cutter is put in motion by
hand; or, in place of the reciprocating cutter, a circular cutter may be used.

page_text: In order to finish the ends of corks and to remove imperfections therefrom, I
employ a rotatory surface or surfaces of red sandstone set in a frame on an
axis. The ends or parts of the corks to be finished or ground off are held against
the moving surface or surfaces of stone by hand or otherwise.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John and Anton Bruno Seithen in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 9th January 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JOHN and
ANTON BRUNO SEITHEN, of Regent's Square, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
John and Anton Bruno Seithen, Her special licence that we, the said John
and Anton Bruno Seithen, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as we, the said John and Anton Bruno Seithen, our executors, adminis-
trators, 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 MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND SHAPING CORк,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said John and Anton Bruno
Seithen, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under the
hand and seal of one of us, 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 I, the said John Seithen, on behalf of myself and
the said Anton Bruno Seithen, 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, that is
to say:
This Invention consists in arranging machinery or apparatus by which
pieces of cork may be cut into cylinders or cones or thin veneers with great

page_text: facility. For this purpose we employ rotatory knives or cutters carried by a
vertical axis which receive motion in any convenient manner. The knives or
cutters are affixed to arms fixed upon and at right angles to the vertical axis,
and when cutting cones or cylinders of cork, the knives are fixed, by preference,
to the arms in a vertical position with the cutting edge downwards. The
pieces of cork previously cut into suitable lengths and sizes are placed between
holders, supported on or carried by a circular table fixed in the plane of the
revolution of the knives or cutters, so as to present the surface of the cork to
the action of the knives or cutters as they rotate. The holders are carried by
axes (supported in suitable bearings), and are capable of moving to and from
each other to receive the pieces of cork, and to release then when cut. There
are several pairs of holders, and there is a bevil pinion on one of the axes of
each pair of holders, the teeth of which take into the teeth of another bevil
pinion fixed on a vertical axis moving in supports affixed to the table; and on
this vertical axis there is a toothed wheel, which receives motion from a
toothed rack carried by the arms to which the knives or cutters are affixed, so
that as the knives in their revolution arrive opposite each holder or pair
of holders, rotatory motion will be communicated thereto and to the pieces of
cork held thereby against the cutting edge of the knife, by which it will be
cut into a cylinder, or (if the holders be placed at an angle to the knife) into a
cone. The supports which carry the axes of the holders slide in dovetail
grooves on the table, in order to regulate the distance of the holders from
the knives, by which arrangement various sized cylinders or cones of cork may
be cut. It is preferred that two knives or cutters should be employed, and
that the cutting edge of one should be slightly in advance of the other, in
order to cut off the angles or rough parts of the pieces of cork as they are
presented to it first. The edges of the knives in their revolution pass between
grinding surfaces or sharpening apparatus placed in a suitable position upon
the table, which receives motion by a band over a pulley or otherwise. In
order to cut veneers, the piece of cork from which they are to be cut are fixed
upon a carriage on the circular table, which carriage is capable of being moved
towards the edge of the rotating knife or cutter by a screw or otherwise, the
edge of the knife or cutter in this modification being, by preference, horizontal
The carriage is also capable of being moved up or down, so as to place the
piece of cork in a position to have successive thicknesses cut from it. The
number of holders may be varied according to the circumference of the table,
and each holder may be employed to cut a different sized cork to the others.
In order to cut off strips of cork, two circular cutters or knives are
employed and two tables. The tables are moved parallel to the circular cutters

page_text: or knives. The cork is held down on the tables, a quantity of cork protruding
beyond the edges of the tables equal in width to that which is to be cut off
into a strip as each table is moved past its knife. The strips of cork are then
cut into squares or lengths by means of a reciprocating knife or cutter, which
moves in a slit in the table on which the strips of cork are placed. The knife
or cutter is mounted at the end of a lever, and receives motion by a handle.
The strips of cork are set up to a guage, and the knife or cutter is put in
motion by band; or in place of the reciprocating cutter a circular cutter may
be used. In order to finish the ends of corks and to remove imperfections
therefrom, we employ a rotatory surface or surfaces of red sandstone set in a
frame on an axis. The ends or parts of the corks to be finished or ground
off are held against the moving surface or surfaces of stone by hand or
otherwise.
Having thus stated the nature of our Invention, and the means of perform-
ing the same, we will now proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and refer to the figures and letters marked thereon.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A.
These two Drawings represent two different machines suitable for cutting
cork into strips according to our Invention. The one machine performs this
first operation by means of circular knives or cutters, and which we will first
describe; and the other machine performs the same office by means of a
reciprocating knife, and which we will next describe.
Figure 1 is a plan; Figure 2, a vertical section; Figure 3, an end elevation;
and Figure 4 shows a separate view of some of the parts. a, a¹, are fast and
loose pullies on the axis b, by which the machine is driven by a band from a
steam engine or other prime mover; the knives c, c, are also carried by the
axis b. The cork to be cut into strips is placed upon the brackets d¹, d¹, of the
tables d, d, one on either side of the machine, and are firmly held there while
the cutting takes place by frames e, e, which are capable of sliding freely up
and down in guides e¹, e¹, carried by the tables d, d. e², e², are pins projecting
from the holding down frames e, e, into slots or openings formed to receive
them in the hand levers f. f. These levers f, f, are connected to the tables d, d,
at f, f, and they are at their other ends kept in position by the guides f², f²,
in which they are free to move up and down, when the attendant raises them
by the handles f³, f³, for a fresh feed in of cork after each cut has been made;
when he again presses the hand levers down, and holds them so while fresh
cuts are made, during which time he also pushes forward towards the knives
or cutters the tables d, d, by means of the handles f³, fs. The under sides of

page_text: the tables d, d, are V shaped, and travel in grooved rollers 9, 9, and after each
successive cutting off of strips he draws back the tables d, as before, and
raises the hand levers, and feeds in the cork for a fresh cut, as before. h, h,
are adjustable guides or guages to regulate the feed in, and consequently the
width of the strips cut. On axes i, i, are grinding or sharpening rollers j, j
one on either side of each knive or cutter, by means of which the knives or
cutters are prevented from becoming dull. These sharpening surfaces are
driven by cords or bands k, k, which pass around a pulley 1 on the main driving
axis b, and around the pullies m, m, on the axes i, i.
Figures 6, 7, and 8 represent respectively a right and left hand side view
and an end view of a machine for cutting cork into strips, by means of a
reciprocating knife or cutter arranged in the following manner:-On the same
sheet are three views, showing the means which we employ for cutting the
strips into squares previously to their being placed into the machine to be cut
into cylinders or cones, as herein-after described.
In cutting cork into strips by means of a reciprocating knife or cutter a,
the operation is as follows:-The cork is fed in at the right-hand side of the
machine on to a table c, inclined in an opposite direction to that in which the
knife or cutter a approaches it. The knife or cutter a is suspended by rods or
levers d, d, from a beam e, in such manner that it may be swung to and fro
by the attendant by means of the handle of the lever or link g, to which
the rods or levers d, d, are connected by pin joints or otherwise at h, h, the
knife or cutter a being guided from swerving laterally by means of the bars
i, i, attached to the framing at i, 2. For that purpose, each time the knife
or cutter a is caused to travel towards the inclined table 6, a strip of cork
will be cut off from the piece which is being fed in by another attendant,
who, each time after having fed or pushed forward a suitable quantity of cork
to be cut off by the return of the knife or cutter a, places one of his feet upon
the treadle, which, by turning in its bearing at k', causes the lever * carried
thereby to act against one end of the lever 1, and by causing that lever to
move on its centre, the opposite ends 1, 2, of such lever will be caused to
move towards and press upon the cork during the time the knife or cutter a
is passing through the cork, after which the attendant removes his foot from
the treadle k, so as to relieve the cork from the pressure of the levers 7, l', and
the feeding of the cork in and cutting off the strips takes place again, and so
on continuously.
Figures 9 and 10 shew respectively a plan and front view of a machine or
apparatus whereby I cut the strips produced (as herein-before described) into
squares or forms suitable for being inserted in the machines in order to their

page_text: being converted into cylinders and cones. a is the knife or cutter, which is
circular, and mounted on an axis b, on which is a pulley or rigger c, to receive
a band by which it is driven. The cork s is placed in a rest d, which is pro-
vided with a suitable dovetail d', to allow of its travelling towards the cutter a,
parallel with it a short distance. The rest d is pushed forward by the atten-
dant pressing against the back part d' of the rest d, which part is also provided
with a guard d³. f is an adjustable stop or guage piece, by which the dimen-
sions of the squares or forms are regulated.
Figures 11 and 12 show another arrangement of apparatus which we employ
for the same purpose.
a is the knife or cutter, attached to a bent lever b,
attached by a pin joint to the framing at 6. The knife a works through a
slot formed for it in the table c. The lever bis worked on its centre b¹ by
means of the handle , or it may, if preferred, be worked by means of a
treaddle in lieu thereof, in which case a counterbalance weight with cord and
pulley would be employed to raise the knife or cutter after the cut being
made.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING B.
Figures 1 and 2 show so much of a cork-cutting machine constructed in
accordance with our Invention as will serve to render its construction and
working intelligible; and Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 show some of the parts
separately on a large scale. A is a vertical axis, having arms A', on which
are affixed the knives or cutters a, a, which are segments of a circle. In this
machine the knives or cutters a, a, are fixed in a vertical position, having
their edges downwards, although such need not be the case, as will be here-
after shown. The suitably cut squares or forms of cork are placed between
the holders b, c, each of which is provided with points, which enter the ends
of the cork to a sufficient extent as to insure the cork revolving when the
holders revolve. The holders b, c, are caused to revolve by means of cam
surfaces or projections e, f, formed on or affixed to the arms A', which carry
the cutters a, a, which as soon as the knives or cutters have entered the cork
come against the pulleys g, h, of the levers i, j and press them downwards,
thereby causing them to move downwards on their centres k, l, and carry
down the racks i, j, attached to the lever i, j; and the racks ', ', being held
in gear with the pinions m, m, on the axis of the holder b, c, by the brace
pieces n, n, the holders b, c, and consequently the square of cork, are caused
to revolve on their axes against the cutting edges of the knives or cutters a, a,
and their corners being thereby removed, they become cylinders or cones
accordingly as the holders are set by the screw o, and caused to approach
towards or recede from the segmental knives or cutters a, a, the parts return-

page_text: ing into their former position after the passage of the knives by means of
spring,attached to the levers i, j, and to the under side of the table.
The corks thus formed are to be removed from the holders, by means of the
attendant placing his feet upon the treaddles p, which are connected to the one
end of the bent lever q, thereby causing the holders 6 to slide in their bear-
ings away from the holders c, by which the corks may readily be removed by
the hand of the attendant. In working the cutters a, we find it desirable to
place an apparatus in such manner upon the table that in their passage their
cutting edges shall pass into a suitably formed box containing grease. On the
vertical axis A is a pulley, which, by a band D passing around it on a pulley
gives rotary motion thereto, which by bands E, F, give motion to stones or
sharpening instruments for preventing the cutters from becoming dull.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING C.
In this arrangement, instead of giving motion to the holders b, c, as just
described, we cause them to revolve by the following means:- In Figure 1,
A' is one of the arms to which the cutters a, a, are attached, having attached
thereto at As a rack, which when it comes opposite to them gives rotatory
motion to the shafts or axes by acting on the teeth of the wheel c, fixed thereto,
and having at its lower part a small bevilled pinion d, taking into and driving
another bevilled pinion e on the axis of the holder 6. For some purposes, as
for cutting veneers, &c., we prefer to mount the cutters a, a, on the armis A',
with their edges in an horizontal position, as shewn in Figures 2 and 3;
b is a table, on to which the cork to be cut into veneers is glued or otherwise
attached. Beneath the table is a nut b¹, extending downwards, having a female
screw, through which is passed the male screw 62; at one end of which is fixed
a wheel c, which each time the arms A¹ arrive at that point, their racks d
attached to their under sides give an amount of rotatory motion thereto, by
which the screw 62 will be caused to revolve, and cause the nut b¹ to carry
forward the table 6 and corks towards the cutting edges of the knives a to
be cut into veneers, whereby very thin slices or veneers may be readily cut.
The veneer as it is cut is caused to peel off by means of a slight cord and
weight, as shewn, passed over a pulley carried by the table b.
After a veneer-has-been-cut, the-table-b-has to be brought back-again-to-its
former position, which is performed by means of the winch handle t; and then,
in order that the knives may take a fresh cut or veneer off the blocks, the
table 6 has to be raised to the extent of the thickness of the veneer required,
which may readily be done by pulling round the chain w, which gives a like
amount of motion to the vertical screws a, by which the table 6 is raised.

page_text: 0
For sharpening the kuives or cutters a, when mounted as just described,
we employ the means shewn at Figure 4. Upon the vertical axis A is a
pulley B, which by a band C gives motion to a pulley, which by bands E, F,
give motion to sharpening stones or surfaces G, H, one above and the other
below the knives or cutters a, a.
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we would have it understood that we make no claim to
any of the mechanical parts separately; but what we claim is, the combina-
tions of mechanism herein described for cutting and shaping cork.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Seithen, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
JNO. ALCOCK.
JOHN SEITHEN. (L.B.)