IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING SHEET METAL
Year: 1878

page_text: "
LETTERS PATENT to Matthew Warton Johnson, of 737, Commercial Road East,
Limehouse, County of Middlesex, for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR CUTTING SHEET METAL."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Matthew Warton Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th June 1878.
MATTHEW WARTON JOHNSON, of 737, Commercial Road East, Limehouse, County
of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING SHEET METAL."
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for cutting sheet
metal.
For the purpose of cutting sheet metal, such as tea lead and the like, to the sizes
required, the sheets of metal as they come from the rolls are accumulated upon a
truck fitted with a moveable top until a pile of several inches in thickness is built
up. The truck with the pile upon it is then run away to the cutting machine,
which consists of a pair of standards with guides in which a guillotine knife is
capable of being worked up and down by eccentrics actuated by manual labour, or
in other convenient manner, Immediately beneath the knife there is a strong
cross bar or girder to resist its downward pressure. In front of the knife also a
carriage is arranged; it is able to move to and from the knife along guide rails,
and on the carriage there is a table capable of being turned around a pivot or
centre. The truck bringing the pile of sheets to the cutting machine is stopped
when the moveable top of the truck is passed on to the pivotted table of the
carriage. The moveable top is now supported on moveable rails and these are
caused to descend, leaving the moveable top resting flat upon the pivotted table.
The carriage is now moved forward along its guides so that its fore end enters
beneath the knife, passing just clear of the cross bar or girder already mentioned,
thus carrying the pile of sheets into such a position that the knife will descend on
to it at the place where the cut is desired to be made. When the knife descends

page_text: the cut is made, the fore part of the carriage being sustained by the cross bar or
girder. After each cut the carriage is drawn back, the table is turned round on its
pivot, and then is again placed beneath the knife in position for another cut, and so
on until all the four sides of the pile have been acted upon.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Matthew Warton Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th December 1878.
MATTHEW WARTON JOHNSON, of 737, Commercial Road East, Limehouse, County
of Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING SHEET METAL."
This Invention has for its object improvements in machinery for cutting sheet
metal
The
For the purpose of cutting sheet metal, such as tea lead and the like, to the sizes
required, the sheets of metal as they come from the rolls are accumulated upon a
truck fitted with a moveable top until a pile of several inches in thickness is built
up. The truck with the pile upon it is then run away to the cutting machine,
which consists of a pair of standards with guides in which a guillotine knife is
capable of being worked up and down by eccentrics actuated by manual labour, or
in other convenient manner. Immediately beneath the knife there is a strong cross
bar or girder to resist its downward pressure. In front of the knife also a carriage
is arranged; it is able to move to and from the knife along guide rails, and on the
carriage there is a table capable of being turned around a pivot or centre.
truck bringing the pile of sheets to the cutting machine is stopped, whereupon the
moveable top of the truck is passed on to the pivotted table of the carriage. The
moveable top is now supported on moveable rails, and these are caused to descend,
leaving the moveable top resting flat upon the pivotted table. The carriage is now
moved forward along its guides so that its fore end enters beneath the knife,
passing just clear of the cross bar or girder already mentioned, thus carrying the
pile of sheets into such a position that the knife will descend on to it at the place
where the cut is desired to be made. When the knife descends the cut is made, the
fore part of the carriage being sustained by the cross bar or girder. After each cut
the carriage is drawn back, the table is turned round on its pivot and then is again
placed beneath the knife in position for another cut, and so on until all the four
sides of the pile have been acted upon.
In order that my said Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.

page_text: A, A, are standards in which are guides for the guillotine knife B; the knife B
receives motion in a vertical direction in the following manner :-The knife bar has
at either end a strong arm or projection B' which has a neck turned upon it to
receive a connecting rod C. The length of the connecting rod C may be adjusted
by means of right and left handed screws at C₁, and at their lower ends the rods
embrace crank pins or eccentrics upon the axis D. D¹, D¹, are spur wheels keyed
upon the axis D and they gear with pinions E¹, E¹, upon the axis E, upon which
the fly wheels E", E", are also carried. In the peripheries of the fly wheels
handles are fixed by which they can be turned, and so motion is transmitted to the
guillotine knife. F is a girder beneath the knife; it is fixed at its ends to the
standards A, A, and serves to resist the downward pressure of the knife. G is a
carriage occupying the front of the machine and capable of movement to and from
the knife along the rails H, H. The carriage supports the vertical axis I, and fixed
upon the upper end of this axis there is the table K, which can thus be turned
round whilst still retaining its horizontal position. L is a bolt by means of which
the table can be locked in four positions at right angles the one to the other, if, as
is usually the case, it be required to cut rectangular sheets. M, M, are hand wheels
from which, by a train of gear clearly shown in the Drawings, motion is communi-
cated to the axle of the hinder wheels of the carriage to cause the carriage to
approach to or recede from the knife.
The sheets to be cut are brought to the machine upon a truck with a move-
able top, which with the sheets upon it is transferred to the table K. The
Drawings show the truck top at N; it is furnished with small wheels N', N¹.
There are also upon the sides of the table K moveable rails K¹, K', capable of being
raised or lowered; this may be accomplished conveniently by means of inclined
slots in the rails, and studs passing through the slots and fixed in the edges of the
table. Then when the rails are moved endwise in one direction they rise, and when
moved in the other direction they descend. As represented in the Drawings, this
endway movement of the rails K¹ is obtained by means of eccentrics upon the small
shaft O, which has at its ends handles 01, 0¹. The rails K¹ are raised before
transferring the truck top to the table K, and then as the top with the pile upon it
is run off from the truck the wheels N', N', come to bear upon the rails. The
truck top with the pile upon it is thus readily transferred to the carriage of the
machine, which having been done, the rails K¹ are lowered, allowing the truck top
to take a steady bearing upon the table. The cutting is then proceeded with in
the manner already described.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim the construction of
machinery for cutting sheet metal, substantially as described, by which construction
great facility is given for the movement of the sheets to be cut to and from the
knife, whilst an unyielding support is ensured to them at the time when the knife
operates.
In witness whereof, I, the said Matthew Warton Johnson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
MATTHEW WARTON JOHNSON. (LS.)