IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING MILLBOARD, PAPER, AND TUT
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Daniel Nickols, of the City of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Machine Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING MILLBOARD, PAPER, AND
TUT
"
Sealed the 8th July 1864, and dated the 12th January 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Daniel Nickols at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th January 1864.
I, DANIEL NICKOLS, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Machine Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING MILLBOARD, PAPER,
AND OTHER SIMILAR MATERIALS," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in improved modes of giving the compound vertical
and horizontal or diagonal motion to the cutting knife. The beam which
carries the knife works in slots or guides in the side frames of the machine in
the usual manner, and is provided with the ordinary diagonal slot working on
a stationary bowl, but instead of connecting the beam by rigid connecting rods
to the cranks at the ends of the main shaft, I employ several rods jointed
together in the following manner :-To each end of the beam is jointed one
end of a short connecting rod, having its other end jointed to a sliding block
working in a slot or on a guide in the corresponding side frame of the
machine, and the two slides are held together by a tie rod or cross frame. I
also joint to each slide one end of a double link so formed as to allow the
end of the beam and the short connecting rod to pass between its sides, and
the lower end of the links are jointed by rods to the cranks on the main shaft.

page_text: As the cranks revolve the sliding blocks are moved up and down vertically,
and carry with them the short connecting rods jointed to the knife beam,
which rods vibrate to and fro between the sides of the links, and in connection
with the diagonal slot give the compound vertical and horizontal or diagonal
motion to the cutting knife.
In another arrangement I dispense with the sliding blocks and tie rod or
cross frame, and employ guides fixed to or forming part of the side frame, in
which guides work antifriction bowls revolving on each end of the pin which
connects the short connecting rod to the double link, which gives the vertical
motion from the cranks to the knife beain.
In another arrangement instead of employing cranks for giving motion to
the knife beam I use a cam or eccentric groove formed on the side or disc. of
a spar wheel fixed on each end of the main shaft. In this arrangement the
end of the double link is lengthened sufficiently to reach to the said eccentric
groove, and is so formed as to slide up and down in guides forming part of
each frame side, and having at the extreme end a bowl, which works in the
groove. As the spur wheels are caused to revolve by means of a treddle or
by any other mode of communicating power, the cam or eccentric groove on
each side gives a vertical to-and-fro motion to the double link, and through
the link to the short connecting rod and knife beam, the groove being formed
in such a manner as to give a quick return motion to the knife and a powerful
action on the material to be cut.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Daniel Nickols in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th
July 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DANIEL
NICHOLS, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Machine
Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Daniel Nickols, Her special license that I, the said Daniel
Nickols, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Daniel Nickols, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any
time agree with and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,

page_text: use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING MILLBOARD, PAPER, AND OTHER
SIMILAR MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Daniel Nickols, 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 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 Daniel Nickols, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement (that is to say) :-
This Invention consists in improved modes of giving the compound vertical
and horizontal or diagonal motion to the cutting knife. The beam which
carries the knife works in slots or guides in the side frames of the machine
in the usual manner, and is provided with the ordinary diagonal slot working
on a stationary bowl, but instead of connecting the beam by rigid connecting
rods to the cranks at the ends of the main shaft I employ several rods jointed
together in the following manner:-To each end of the beam is jointed one
end of a short connecting rod, having its other end jointed to a sliding block
working in a slot or on a guide in a corresponding side frame of the machine,
and the two slides are held together by a tie rod or cross frame.
I also joint
or cast to each slide one end of a double link so formed as to allow the end
of the beam and the short connecting rod to pass between its inner sides, and
the lower end of the links in one arrangement carry bowls working in the
grooves of internal cams fixed to the main shaft, and in another arrangement
the links are jointed by rods to cranks on the main shaft. As the cams or
cranks revolve revolve the sliding blocks are moved up and down vertically, and
carry with them the short connecting rods jointed to the knife beam, which
rods vibrate to and fro between the sides of the links, and in connection with
the diagonal slot give the compound vertical and horizontal or diagonal motion
to the cutting knife.
In another arrangement I dispense with the sliding blocks and tie rod or
cross frame, and employ guides fixed to or forming part of the side frames, in
which guides work antifriction bowls revolving on each end of the pin which
connects the short connecting rod to the double link which gives the vertical
motion from the cranks to the knife beam. These improvements will be

page_text: clearly understood by the following particular description thereof, reference
being had to the figures on the accompanying two Sheets of Drawings, and
to the letters marked thereon.
Figs. 1 and 2, Sheet 1, are side and front elevations of a cutting machine
provided with one arrangement of my improvements; and Figs. 3 and 4,
Sheet 2, are side and front elevations of part of another cutting machine
provided with another arrangement of my improvements.
In Figs. 1 and 2, a represents the ordinary side frames of the machine;
b, the cutting knife; c, the beam to which the knife is fixed; d, the diagonal
slot; and the main shaft. To the end of the beam c I joint one end of the
two short connecting rods f, each having its other end jointed to the inside of
a sliding block g, working in a slot or guide in its corresponding side frame
of the machine, the two blocks being held together by a tie rod h, having at
the ends a right and left handed screw, or by a cross frame. I also joint or
cast to the outsides of each block a double link i, so formed as to allow the
ends of the beam c, and the short connecting rods f to pass between their
inner sides; and to the lower end of each double link is attached or cast a
cross piece k, in contact with which there is a screw 7 fitted to a nut in the
block m, carrying the bowl n, which can be raised or lowered by its corres-
ponding screw in order to regulate the cutting edge of the knife. The bowls n
are fitted into internal grooves o of an eccentric or cam shape formed in the
wheels p, fixed to the main shaft e, one of the wheels having teeth in its
periphery, gearing into the pinion q, fixed to the cross shaft r, which shaft
also carries the toothed wheels, gearing into a pinion t fixed to the fly wheel u,
both fixed to the shaft v, working in bearings in the side frames, or
working on a stationary stud, motion being given to the fly wheel either by
a crank and treddles or by power. The lower ends of the double links are
formed so that they can slide up and down on guides x attached to or forming
part of the side frames. Thus when the cams revolve they move the double
links up and down at each side simultaneously, and in connection with the
diagonal slot give the compound vertical and horizontal or diagonal motion
to the cutting knife, and as the links are close to the bearings of the main
shaft there is no undue or prejudicial strain on the working parts of the
machine.
In Figs. 3 and 4, Sheet 2, I represent an arrangement in which the sliding
block 9, and tie rod h are dispensed with. For this purpose I employ
guides a', fixed to or forming part of their corresponding side frame of the
machine, in which guides work antifriction bowls 6¹ each revolving on the
ends of the pin C¹ which connects each short connecting rod f to each double

page_text: link i, and as the sides of the links are in contact with the sides of the guides
the bowls are maintained in a right position sideways. In these Figures
I shew the mode of connecting my improved double-linked connecting rods
to cranks fixed to the main shaft of the machine. The said links are shorter
than those shewn in Figs. 1 and 2, and to their lower ends are connected
the upper ends of the connecting rods d', the lower ends of which are jointed
to the cranks e fixed to the main shaft e, so that as the shaft revolves the
cranks give up and down motion to the links, and by means of the short
connecting rods and diagonal slot give a compound horizontal and vertical or
diagonal motion to the cutting knife.
Having now described the nature and particulars of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I desire it to be
understood that I claim in machinery or apparatus for cutting millboard,
paper, and other similar materials,―
First, the improved system of suspending the knife beam by connecting
rods f, Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, to the double links i working in connection with
a diagonal slot for the purpose of giving a compound vertical and horizontal
or direct diagonal motion to the cutting knife, and for enabling the connecting
rods and links to be close to the bearings of the side frames.
And, secondly, the guides a', Figs. 3 and 4, for maintaining the vertical
action of the double links without the necessity of a tie rod or its equivalent,
as all such improvements are herein described and illustrated in the accom-
panying two Sheets of Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Daniel Nickols have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
within-named Daniel Nickols in the
presence of
E. J. UGHES,
DANIEL NICKOLS. (L.S.)
Patent Agent,
Manchester.