IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING MEAT AND PARING AND CUTTING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING MEAT AND PARING AND CUTTING
FRUIT AND VEGETABLES." A communication from abroad by William Henry
Goodchild, of the City and State of New York, and Samuel Francis Hay, of
Metuchen, New Jersey, United States of America.
Sealed the 9th November 1877, and dated the 24th May 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at tlio
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th May 1877.:
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING MEAT
AND PARING AND CUTTING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES." [A communication- from
abroad by William Henry Goodchild, of the City and State of New York, and
Samuel Francis Hay, of Metuchen, New Jersey, United States of America.]
'
The object of this Invention is the novel construction of meat cutting and fruit
and vegetable cutting and paring machinery.
The said Invention consists in additional improvements in the machinery described
in the Specification of former Letters Patent, dated May 19, A.D., 1876, No. 2123.
The said additional improvements pertain more particularly to an apple-paring
machine for use in combination with the cutter wheel and table or standard of a
vegetable cutter, and to the special arrangement of the table and standard of the
said cutter, to a clamp employed to hold the entire machine in place when in use;
they also pertain to the mode of supporting the gauge plate at its centre, to the
arrangement of the central parts of the entire cutter wheel; to effectually exclude the
substances operated from said central portions, and to means for facilitating the
cleaning of the said machine.
In the apple-paring machine, as combined with the said vegetable cutter, a post
is provided having an arm projecting from its upper end, and a stout pin which

page_text: fits a bearing in the standard. It has a removable back fender, which is held by
means of pins in the bearings; when the machine is used as a cutter or slicer it is
removed from the standard or table to make room for the said pin which holds the
A foot stop
apple parer in its position when it is desired to operate said parer.
upon the aforesaid post acts with a slot on the standard to firmly hold a driving
pinion in gear with the cutter wheel.
A shaft, to which a fork is fastened, is provided with suitable bearings for its
support, and is rigidly connected with the said driving pinion, which imparts motion
through suitable gearing to a worm. The said worm drives a worm wheel and the
paring knife; the latter is rigidly connected to the said worm wheel. The propor-
tionate speed given to the fork and knife by the above gearing ensures the paring
of an apple of any size placed upon the said fork.
The operation of paring the fruit is performed by the said knife as it moves half.
way around the apple from the post. The said knife accomodates itself to the
different sizes and shapes of the fruit by means of a spring. On the completion of a
half revolution the said knife is raised from the pared fruit by the action of the
elongated heel of the knife bar on a cam in the usual manner, and swung around
by the gearing clear of the fruit and over the fork, when the pared apple may be
removed.
In the rotary cutter described in the said former Specification the table or plat-
form on which the material is laid to be fed to the cutter wheel was secured upon
two separate cast supports, each having two feet, and being connected by tie rods.
In the above arrangement the supports at the end of the table farthest from the
cutter wheel for the back removable fender, and the rod on which the sliding feeder
is placed, are formed on one support of the machine. It is obvious that the usefulness
of the entire machine is thus greatly endangered by the liability to breakage of any
part of the said support, which would either prevent the use of the back fender or
feeder, or destroy the base or support for the entire machine, and render repairs
almost impracticable.
The special object in the construction of the stand and table, according to the
present Invention, is to provide strong metallic supports for the fender and the
feeder rod at the end farthest from the cutter wheel, which supports shall be entirely
independent of the supporting foot or base of the machine, and which may be readily
replaced at a slight cost, thus increasing the durability of the machine. This object
is accomplished by the use of a standard which has sufficient base to support the
entire machine, and a supporting end piece secured to the table by screws or nails,
which pass into it through the projecting flanges. In this piece the bearing is
formed to support the outer end of the fender by means of a wire, its other end
being supported by a pin. The feeder is supported by the aforesaid rod. A tongue
formed on the said end piece is grooved into the end of the wooden table top, and
prevents its warping at one end, and the same effect is secured at the other end by
the joint action of a projecting lip and a cross bar or plate. Any side or upward
motion is prevented by the side flanges; any tendency of the table to rise is further
prevented by a screw fastening. Strong bearings may be provided for the fender
and feeder rod, but I prefer to secure the additional advantages gained by the use
of the aforesaid tongue and the easy fastening of a single piece, and therefore connect
said bearings, as above set forth.
A clamp is arranged in combination with the base of the standard to hold the
machine solidly upon a bench or table by means of a thumbscrew. Any ordinary
hinge fastening may connect the said clamp with the standard, but I prefer to arrange
it to świng around on a pin; 'the clamp is thus always connected with the machine,
and can be swung over to permit the machine to stand upon its base on a shelf or
other flat surface.. The head of the clamp, which presses down upon the base of the
standard, is seated in the said base, and has two side bearings therein. This seat for
the clamp is formed in a projection from the base of the machine.
In the rotary cutter described in the said former Specification the laterally
adjustable gauge plate was mounted on a nut which was placed upon the shaft

page_text: The thread upon said adjusting nut, and the corresponding thread in the hub of the
gauge plate, were subject to considerable wear by reason of the side play caused by
the escape of the cut material from the back of the cutter wheel, and also by the
constant one-sided pressure caused by feeding the material to be cut against the
face thereof, thus causing the plate to rock on its threaded central hub, and also
causing the cutters to produce an uneven or slightly wedge-shaped slice.
The above disadvantages are obviated when I employ an adjusting nut by mounting
the gauge plate directly upon a shaft.
The cutter, as described in the said Specification, has an arrangement of cross
cutting or slitting knives at the back, and also a covering over the said knives;
this covering fully protects the opening in the hub made to permit the lateral
movement of the central portion of the gauge plate within the said hub of the knife
plate, and consequently prevents the entrance therein of vegetable substances at the
back of the wheel. When the gauge plate was caused to move back from the face of
the knife plate by turning the threaded nut, the threads thereon were fully exposed
at two points on the face of the wheel to the full extent of the lateral movement of
the gauge plate, the central portions of the wheel being thus liable to be filled up
by the substances fed to the machine, and the nut being liable to rust fast to the
gauge plate. I now avoid the above disadvantages at the face of the wheel, and at
the back thereof, when the slitting knives are not introduced in the machine, by
employing projecting lips cast upon the face of the gauge plate and upon the back
thereof. The lips on the back are of sufficient length to always lap over the
openings in the hub of the knife plate, and the lips on the face always lap over the
body of the adjusting nut, which is loosely. held in a groove cut in the last-named
shaft, thus entirely protecting the openings made and the means employed for
adjusting the said plate.
The adjusting nut extends over the main bearing in which the said shaft revolves,
and is provided with an enlarged rim. The said nut has a screw thread cut upon
it which engages with a corresponding thread cut on the inside of the lips. Any
turning of the said nut. will cause the gauge plate to slide laterally on its shaft, and
thus correctly gauge the thickness of the cut of the knives. A rigid collar on the
said shaft separates the nut from the bearing, and prevents any alteration in the set
position of the said gauge plate.
It is desirable in small machines to secure the longest possible cut from a wheel
of a given diameter; therefore the said lips are employed, as by their use a fastening
can be secured for the cutting knives near the centre of the wheel.
J
Where it is not an object to reduce the size of the cutter wheel the lips may, be
replaced by a full annular lip or hub, and a fastening for the cutters secured outside
thereof.
An important feature of this Invention is a sheet metal tube or guard ring slipped
over the lips before the said nut is connected with the gauge plate, and kept from
lateral movement between the knife plate and knives and the rim, the lips being
free to move laterally therein. This ring covers all the central portion of the face
of the cutter wheel inside of the inner line of the cut of the knives, and also serves
to cover the openings between the ends of the two lips caused by the lateral move-
ment of the gauge plate.
The feeder is arranged to slide upon its supporting rod, and is kept from striking
the cutter wheel by a stop bearing; it is arranged to swing over toward the operator
on the said rod, and beneath the table, to leave the table top unobstructed throughout
its entire length for feeding the machine with rhubarb, celery, or other long vegetable
substances. The stripper bars and the teeth or pins in the lower edge of the face
are permitted to rest upon the table top when in use.

page_text: J
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th
November 1877.
હું
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London... IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING MEAT
AND PARING AND CUTTING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES." A communication from
abroad by William Henry Goodchild, of the City and State of New York, and
Samuel Francis Hay, of Metuchen, New Jersey, United States of America..
This Invention has for its object improvements in meat and vegetable cutting
and apple-paring machinery, which are intended as auxiliary or additional to the
machine described in the Specification of former Letters Patent, dated 19th May,
A.D. 1876, No. 2123.
The said additional improvements pertain more particularly to an apple-paring
machine for use in combination with the cutter wheel and table or standard of
a vegetable cutter, and to the special arrangement of the table and standard of
the cutter, and to a clamp employed to hold the entire machine in place when
in use; also to the mode of supporting the gauge plate at its centre, and to the
arrangement of the central parts of the entire cutter wheel, to effectually exclude the
substances operated upon from the said central portions, and to means for permitting
the easy cleaning of the said machine.
In the accompanying Drawing,
Figure 1 is a front sectional elevation of the said machine on the line x, x, Figure 2.
: Figure 2 is a side or end elevation, showing the face of the cutter wheel.
Figure 3 is a plan or top view of the said table.
-Figure 4 is a plan of the standard or base of the said machine.
Figure 5 is a section through the cutter wheel and shaft, detached from the
standard, and on the line y, y, Figure 2.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the central portions of the cutter wheel and the
guard ring separated from each other.
Figure 7 is a section through the table and adjacent portions of the standard and
outer support, and shows the fender removed from its bearings.
Similar letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the Drawing.
I will first describe the apple-paring machine as combined with the vegetable
cutter, and refer to Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the Drawing, in which the post 2 is shown,
having an arm 3 projecting from its upper end, and a stout pin 4 which snugly fits
the bearing 65 in the standard B. The removable back fender R, which is held by
means of pins and R¹ in the bearings r¹ and 65 when the machine is used as a
cutter or slicer, is removed from the standard or table to make room for the said pin 4,
which holds the apple-parer in position when it is desired to operate the said
parer. The fender R is shown in its relative position to the cutter wheel and table,
but slightly removed from its bearings in Figure 7. The foot stop 5 upon the post
2 acts with the slot 6 on the standard B to firmly hold the driving pinion 10 in
gear with the teeth a² on the cutter wheel A. The shaft 8, to which the fork 9
is fastened, is provided with suitable bearings for its support, and is rigidly
connected with the driving pinion 10; this pinion connects directly with the gear
wheel, and imparts motion on revolving the wheel A to the upper gear wheel 12
through the idle wheel 11. The gear wheel 12 revolves the worm 13 by means of
the shaft 14, which is guided in bearings 15 upon the arm 3. The worm 13 acts to
revolve the worm wheel 16 and the paring-knife 17; the latter is rigidly connected
therewith through the head-piece 18 by the pin 19, which passes through the hub
of the worm wheel; a pin 20 is formed upon the head-piece 18, the said pin being
loosely fitted in the head-piece 3, and free to revolve therein, as shown. The proper
proportionate speed given to the fork 9 and knife 17 by the above gearing ensures
the paring of an apple of any size placed upon the said fork.

page_text: Referring to Figure 1, the operation of paring the fruit is performed by the knife
17 as it moves half way around the apple from the post 2 toward the left on the
further side, the said knife accommodating itself to the different size and shape of the
fruit by means of a spring, as shown. On the completion of said half revolution,
the knife 17 is raised from the pared fruit by the action of the elongated heel 21 of
the knife bar on the cam 22 in the usual manner, and swung around by the gearing
clear of the fruit and over the fork, when the pared apple may be removed.
The improvements in the vegetable cutter are as follows:-In the rotary cutter
described in the said former Specification, the table or platform on which the
material is laid to be fed to the cutter wheel, was secured upon two separate cast
supports, each having two feet and being connected by tie rods.
In the above arrangement the supports at the end of the table farthest from the
cutter wheel for the back removable fender R and the rod L, on which the sliding
feeder M is placed, are formed on one support of the machine. It is obvious that
the usefulness of the entire machine is thus greatly endangered by the liability to
breakage of the said support, which would either prevent the use of the back fender
R or feeder M, or destroy the base or support for the entire machine and render
repairs almost impracticable.
The special object sought in the construction of the aforesaid stand and table is the
provision of strong metallic supports for the fender R and the feeder rod L, and at the
end farthest from the cutter wheel, which support shall be entirely independent
of the supporting foot or base of the machine, and which may be readily replaced
at a slight cost, thus increasing the durability of the machine. This object is
accomplished by the use of the standard B, which has a sufficient base to support
the entire machine, and the use of the supporting end piece L', which is secured to
the table L³ by screws or nails o' that pass through the projecting flanges o² as shown.
In this piece L the bearing ¹ is formed to support the outer end of the fender R
by means of the wire », its other end being supported by the pin R¹ in the bearing
65 in the standard B. The feeder M is supported by the rod L, which has its outer
bearing at in the piece L, and opposite bearing at 66 on the part B2. The tongue
formed on the supporting end piece L is grooved into the end of the wooden table
or table top L³, and prevents its warping at that end, which same effect is secured at
the other end by the joint action of the projecting lip b³ cast upon the standard B,
and the cross bar or plate 64 upon which the top L rests; the parts 68 and 6 thus
sustain the table against downward pressure, while any side or upward motion
is prevented by the action of the side flanges os through which screws or nails o
pass into the top L, and rising tendency of the latter is further prevented by the
screw fastening o, which passes through the flange on the plate b, as shown. The
table top L is thus held firmly against pressure from any direction, and all the
parts kept in proper relative position to each other. Strong bearings may be
provided at and 7 for the fender and feeder rod by employing separate corner pieces
for the same, and fastening them to the said top L5; but I prefer to secure the
additional advantages gained by the use of the tongue and the easy fastening of a
single piece, and therefore connect the said bearings as above set forth.
The clamp F is arranged in combination with the base of the standard B to hold
the machine solidly upon a bench or table X by means of the thumb screw f; any
ordinary hinge fastening may connect this clamp F with the part B, but I prefer to
arrange it to swing around on the pin f¹ which passes through its shank f, which
latter is introduced through the slot f³, the pin f1 projecting through the shank f2
past the sides of the slot f³. The clamp is thus always connected with the machine,
and can be swung over, as shewn in dotted lines, to permit the machine to stand
upon its base on a shelf or other flat surface. The head of the clamp which presses
down the base of the standard is seated in the said base, and has two side bearings
therein, thus greatly increasing the stability of the machine when fastened in
working position. This seat for the clamp is formed in a projection from the base
of the machine to obviate unnecessary enlargement of the said base, and provide for
throwing the cutter. wheel A the greatest distance from the point of fastening

page_text: consistent with a firm holding of the machine, and consequently ensure the discharge
of the cut material well on to the table X, and prevent the parings of the apple
from falling over the edge of the said table X on to the floor when the machine is
used as a parer.
Referring to the rotary cutter, as described in the said former Specification, the
laterally adjustable gauge plate was mounted on a screw nut which was in turn
placed upon the shaft. The thread upon the said adjusting nut and the corresponding
thread in the hub of the gauge plate were subject to considerable wear by reason of
the side play caused by the escape of the cut material from the back of the cutter
wheel, and also by the constant one-sided pressure caused by feeding the material to
be cut against the face thereof, the plate being thus caused to rock on its threaded
central hub, and the cutters being thus caused to produce an uneven or slightly
wedge-shaped slice.
According to the present invention I employ an adjusting nut 6 by mounting the
gauge plate C directly upon the shaft B¹, thus requiring but one accurately fitting
sliding joint between the parts B¹ and C.
Before describing the manner of laterally adjusting the gauge plate when in the
above relation to the shaft, I will describe the means employed to protect the central
portions of the cutter wheel A from clogging with the material being cut, and to
avoid any obstruction to the moving parts thereof.
The cutter, as described in the said former Specification, has an arrangement of
cross cutting or slitting knives at the back, and also a covering over the said knives,
which covering fully protects the opening in the hub made to permit the lateral
movement of the central portion of the gauge plate within the hub of the knife
plate, and consequently the entrance therein of vegetable substances at the back of
the wheel is prevented. When the gauge plate was caused to move back from the
face of the knife plate by turning the threaded nut, the threads thereon were fully
exposed at two points of the face of the wheel, to the full extent of the lateral
movement of the gauge plate, the central portions of the wheel being thus liable to
be filled up by the substances fed to the machine, and the nut being liable to rust
fast to the gauge plate, I avoid the above disadvantages at the face of the wheel and
at the back thereof when the slitting knives are not introduced in the machine by
employing projecting lips C¹ cast upon the face of the gauge plate, and lips C2 cast
upon the back thereof; the lips C² are of sufficient length to always lap over the
openings in the hub D2 of the knife plate, irrespective of the position of the said
gauge plate, and the lips Calways lap over the body of the adjusting nut b, which
is loosely held in a groove cut in the shaft B¹, thus entirely protecting the openings
made and the means employed for adjusting the said plate C.
The adjusting nut 6 extends over the main bearing B2, in which the shaft B¹
revolves, and is provided with an enlarged rim 62 preferably serrated to permit its
easy turning by the operator. The nut 6 has a screw-thread cut upon its back
portion or body which engages with a corresponding thread cut on the inside of the
lips C¹. Any turning of the part 6 within the groove on the shaft will cause the
gauge plate C to slide laterally on the said shaft B¹, and thus correctly gauge the
thickness of the cut of the knives D; the latter are firmly secured to the knife plate
D¹, and always revolve a slight distance from the edge of the upper cross bar of the
standard B, which forms a part of the table top as shown. The rigid collar b¹ on
the shaft B¹ separates the nut b from the bearing B2, and prevents any alteration in
the position of the said gauge plate by the revolution of the cutter. wheel.
As it is desirable in small machines to secure the longest possible cut from a
wheel of a given diameter, the lips C¹ are employed, as by their use a fastening can
be secured for the cutting knives D nearer the centre of the wheel.
Where it is not an object to reduce the size of the cutter wheel, the lips C can be
replaced by a full annular lip or hub, and a fastening for the cutters secured outside
thereof.
An important feature of this invention is the sheet metal tube or guard ring H
which is slipped over the lips C₁ before the screw nut b is connected with the

page_text: gauge plate C, and is held against lateral movement between the knife plate D¹ and
knives D, and the rim 62, the lips C¹ being free to move laterally therein. This ring
H acts to cover all of the central portion of the face of the wheel A inside of the
inner line of the cut of the knives D (thus ensuring the cutting and free passage
through the wheel of any substances which can be pressed against its face). and also
serves to cover the openings between the ends of the two lips C₁ and the openings
between the lips C₁ and 62 caused by the lateral movement of the gauge plate, thus
ensuring cleanliness by entirely protecting the nut b and adjacent parts from being
filled up by the material fed to the cutters.
The feeder M is arranged to slide upon the rod L, and is prevented from striking
the cutter wheel A by the stop bearing 66, and it is arranged to swing over toward
the operator on the rod L, and beneath the table to leave the table top L³ unob-
structed its entire length for feeding up rhubarb, celery, or other long vegetable
substances to the cutter wheel. It is substantially similar in its actions and purposes
in feeding up articles to the cutters D by its face M¹ to the feeder described in the
said former Specification. The stripper bars and the teeth or pins in the lower
edge of the face M₁ are permitted to rest upon the table top when the machine is
in use.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to ne by my
foreign correspondents, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. The combination of the worm, worm wheel, and paring knife, as and for the
purpose herein set forth.
Second. The combination and arrangement in the combined vegetable cutter
and apple parer herein described of the standard 2, 3, supporting a fork and knife,
and their operating mechanism with the standard B and driving gear, all as and
for the purposes herein specified.
Third. In combination with the table L5 and standard B of a rotary cutter, the
flanges holding supports and fastenings, as and for the purposes herein set forth.
Fourth. The supports r¹ and in combination with the table, and independent of
the supporting base of the machine, and in combination with the connecting tongue
and table top, as and for the purposes specified.
Fifth. The swinging clamp F in combination with the base of a rotary cutter, as
and for the purposes set forth.
Sixth. The gauge plate C, in combination with the shaft, adjusting nut, and
cutters, as and for the purpose herein specified.
Seventh. The combination of the lips C, with the gauge plate and nut, and the
combination of the lips C2 with the gauge plate and hub as and for the purposes
herein set forth.
Eighth. The guard ring H, in combination with the central portions of a rotary
cutter wheel, as and for the purposes herein specified.
Ninth. The arrangement and construction of the parts of the aforesaid rotary
cutter, consisting of the standard, the clamp, the table, the fender, the support, the
rod, the feeder, and the cutter wheel, as and for the purposes herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
W. ROD. LAKE.
(L.S.)