IMPROVEMENTS IN CORK CUTTING MACHINERY, PARTS OF SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING APPLICABLE OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Armand Gilbec, of the Firm of L. do
Fontainemorcau and Co., 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County
of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN CORK CUTTING MACHINERY, PARTS OF SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING APPLICABLE
OTHER PURPOSES."-A communication from abroad by Emil
Boëthius, of Stockholm, in the Kingdom of Sweden.
TO
Sealed the 9th July 1874, and dated the 28th January 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Armand
Gilbec at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 28th January 1874.
I, WILLIAM ARMAND GILBEE, of the Firm of L. de Fontainemoreau
and Co., 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agent, do hereby declare the nature of tho said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN CORK CUTTING MACHINERY, PARTS OF SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING
APPLICABLE TO OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows, that is to say :-
Hitherto cork cutting machines have not come into successful
operation chiefly from the fact that no adequate means have been
A

page_text: provided for the efficient sharpening of the cutters, and from the
inapplicability of the machines to operate on all kinds of the raw
material.
The object of the Invention communicated to me is to obviate these
defects, and the improved machinery herein-after described has been
designed and constructed with a view to operate on the same principle
as that followed in cutting corks by hand, and whereby it is rendered
applicable to all kinds of the raw material; an economy of labour is
effected and the machinery is easily worked.
The improved machinery is applicable to cutting various sizes of corks
whether of a cylindrical, conical, or oval form.
The first part of these improvements relates to an improved machine
for cutting or dividing the cork wood or bark into strips.
This improved machine is constructed of two pairs of horizontal feed
rollers which carry the sheet cork to be cut into strips towards a 1
revolving circular knife, having a ground edge which is kept sharp or
whetted by a pair of revolving rollers having leather rings or bands on
their peripheries.
The upper feed rollers, the knife, and the whetting rollers are fixed in
a frame moveable round a shaft turning in bearings fixed to an adjustable
arm. These bearings form centres for the said frame. Motion is com-
municated to the said shaft by means of a band from a main shaft
suitably fixed in the framework supporting the whole of the parts, and
the feed rollers, knife, and wetting rollers are driven by suitably placed
pulleys and bands.
The upper feed rollers have independent centres and serve to press the
cork on to the lower feed rollers; a rule is provided placed parallel to the
revolving knife and connected to a guide worked by a screw and hand
wheel; this rule serves to regulate the width of the strip to be cut.
The second part of these improvements relates to an improved
machine for paring or barking the strips of cork made from thick cork
wood. In this machine I employ two horizontal rollers, the shafts of
which move in adjustable bearings on the framing of the machine.
Above the first of the said horizontal rollers is another roller having its
bearings in a moveable frame turning on centres in a line with a
horizontal shaft driven by a strap from the main shaft; a circular rotary

page_text: knife is employed, the shaft of which moves in bearings in a frame on
one of the side standards of the machine. One end of the knife shaft
carries a moveable pulley for driving the same. The knife is kept
sharpened by two whetting rollers attached to a directing bar running in
guides at the sides of the said moveable frame. The said moveablo
frame, the shaft, and the whetting rollers attached to the director are so
connected together that when the moveable frame is raised or lowered,
the knife and the whetting rollers are moved to the right or to the left
in proportion as the herein-before described upper roller is raised or
lowered according to the thickness of cork required. Two pairs of
rollers are arranged to direct and guide the strips during the paring
operation, the said rollers being so arranged as to regulate the thickness
of cork to be pared off so as to suit the different qualities of cork bark.
A set screw is provided for adjusting the machine for different sizes of
cork, the said set screw changing the position of the herein-before
described upper roller and the knife. The said moveable frame is likewise
adjusted by means of a directing screw, and gauges are provided to mark
the degree of adjustment. Motion is communicated to the various parts
by a suitable arrangement of pulleys and bands.
The third part of these improvements relates to an improved machine
for cutting the strips of cork into pieces or squares suitable to be made
into corks. In this machine a guide is employed fixed to a diagonal
piece placed like the guide at an angle of forty-five degrees to the
machine. A continuous forward and backward motion is communicated
to the guide by means of an eccentric on the main shaft working a
balance connected by links to one side of the guide, the other side being
connected to a spiral spring. The table receiving the strips of cork is
screwed to the said guide and consists of a horizontal plate having a
fillet or raised piece at one side with a returned end. An arm is
screwed at one end of the tablo which follows the direction of the said
fillet. A plate screwed to the framework inclines over the table and has
a fillet or rib similar to that of the table. In cach fillet or rib there is a
cut or slit to allow of the passage of the knife.
A moveable frame pivots at one side on suitably fixed bearings
carrying a shaft driven by a strap from the main shaft. At the other
end of the frame is a shaft provided with a circular knife. The frame
also carries the shafts of the whetting rollers and is connected by means
A 2

page_text: of a rod to a balance lever jointed to the framework of the machine, and
resting on an eccentric keyed on the main shaft so as to communicate an
intermittent up-and-down motion to the knife. The machine is put in
and out of gear by means of a friction coupling worked by a treadle.
In this improved machine the breadth of the piece of cork cut by the
knife is determined by the width of the strip. Two separate channels
divided by a partition are provided for carrying away the pieces of cut
cork according to the thickness of the pieces.
The fourth part of these improvements relates to an improved machine
for cutting or shaping the pieces of cork into corks for bottles. The
piece of cork is placed by hand on a table consisting of two feed plates
each provided with two pivots moving in bearings in double angularly
bent holders; a uniform but opposito motion is communicated to the
feed plates by means of toothed segments; a spring tonds to bring the
free ends of the plates towards one another.
The holders herein-before described are placed between other holders
provided with an arm having a screw and handle and fixed to a balance
frame. The first described bolders are provided with two circular arms.
The said screw serves to keep the holders and feed plates in the required
fixed position and to vary the same. The cork is also held by two thin
vertical plates having semicircular notches to enable the turning lathe
shafts to catch the pieces of cork. These vertical plates are kept against
the feed plates by means of small springs, and have pivots fixed in
bearings on suitably placed arms.
A moveable frame is provided having on one side a plate which in a
certain position covers the space between the free ends of the feed plates,
so as to point out how far the picce of cork may be pushed forward
between them, and by means of a bent arm and a friction wheel the
moveable frame is so acted on during the advance of the table as to raise
a side plate and leave the piece of cork free on this side. A plate for
pushing forward the piece of cork between the feed plates is attached to
an angular balance arm, which passes through one of the said feed plates
and is pivotted to the framework of the machine on a centre, carrying
also the herein-before described balance frame to which the table is
fixed. The said balances are kept against eccentrics on the main shaft
by means of spiral springs fixed to the ground. By the action of these
eccentrics the balance arm and thereby the picce of cork is advanced on
the table, and then the table itself is advanced.

page_text: The cork pieces are so placed that they touch the knife on one side
having their horizontal axial line on a level with it, and the centres of
their ends on lines which viewed horizontally approach the knife and
the axial line of the pieces of cork at an angle of forty-five degrees, and
by means of a suitable device the turning lathe shafts which have a con-
tinuous motion are made to approach each other on the said lines, the
cutting of the cork being effected by a forward and backward motion of
the knife obtained by means of an eccentric driven by bevil wheels, and
working an arm connected to the knife bar. Suitable channels conduct
the corks to a basket placed below.
When manufacturing corks from thin and rough bark it is often
necessary to give the corks an oval form so as to remove the remove the
roughness of the surface without too much diminishing the material. This
object is effected by placing the knife or cutter bar in two guides united
by a centre piece and resting on turning joints on the framework of the
machine, the guide frame being held in a position by a spring regulated
by a set screw. On one of the guides is an arm passing through the
turning joint, and united at an angle to another arm provided with a
friction roller at its lower end; in front of this roller and on the main
shaft is a sheave having two eccentrics on its outer side. This
sheave may be moved along the shaft by the action of a treadle, and is
brought back when the treadle is relieved by the action of a spiral
spring.
The machine is provided with an apparatus for sharpening the knife
which in this machine is a straight one. This apparatus consists of two
moveable frames on bearings screwed to a frame piece, the said bearings
having two shafts provided with sheaves communicating motion by
means of belts to sheaves revolving on pivots between the free ends of
one of the said frames, such pivots also carrying the sharpening rollers.
The said frames are connected by means of joints connected to a shaft
united by an arm and a rod to a balance worked by an eccentric on the
main shaft, the said eccentric being counterbalanced by a spiral spring.
The revolving circular knives with the sharpening rollers described in
the first three parts of these improvements may be employed for other
purposes, such as for cutting paper, pasteboard, and india-rubber.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Armand Gilbee in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th July 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ARMAND GILBEE, of the Firm of L. de Fontainemoreau & Co., 4,
South Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in
the thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said William Armand Gilbee,
Her special licence that I, the said William Armand Gilbee, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Armand Gilbec, my executors, administrators, 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 CORK CUTTING MACHINERY, PARTS
OF SUCH IMPROVEMENTS BEING APPLicable to other PURPOSES," a communication
to me from abroad by Emil Boëthius, of Stockholm, in the Kingdom of
Sweden, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Armand Gilbee, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and scals, 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 William Armand Gilbee, do hereby a
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, reference being had to the Drawings hereto
annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to
say:-
The cork cutting machines hitherto constructed have not come into

page_text: been provided for the efficient sharpening of the. knives or cutters, and
from the inapplicability of the machines to operate on all kinds of the
raw material.
The object of the Invention communicated to me is to obviate these
defects, and the improved machinery herein-after described has been.
contrived and constructed with a view to operate on the same principle
as that followed in cutting corks by hand, and whereby it is rendered
applicable to all kinds of the raw material; an economy of labour is
effected, and the machinery is easily worked.
The improved machinery is applicable to cutting various sizes of corks
either of a cylindrical, conical, or oval form.
To make the Invention communicated to me easily understood I will
proceed to describe the same by reference to the accompanying Drawings,
in which Sheets 1, 2, and 3 shew the first part of the improvements, which
relates to an improved machine for cutting or dividing the cork wood or
bark into strips.
Sheets 4, 5, and 6 shew the second part of these improvements, which
relates to an improved machine for paring the strips of cork made from
thick cork wood.
Sheets 7, 8, and 9 shew the third part of these improvements, which
relates to an improved machine for cutting the strips of cork into pieces
or squares suitable to be made into corks.
Sheets 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 shew the fourth part of these improve-
ments, which relates to an improved machine for cutting or shaping the
pieces or squares of cork into corks for bottles.
In Sheets 1, 2, and 3, which shew a side and front elevation and a
plan respectively of the machine for cutting or dividing the corkwood
or bark into strips, A, A¹, and B, B¹, are feed rollers, which serve to carry
the sheet of corkwood or bark towards the knife C; this knife consists of
a circular disk with sharply ground edge, and fixed on a revolving shaft c
by means of a screw and a nut on the shaft; D, D¹, are revolving
rollers furnished with leather rings or bands d, d', for whetting the
circular knife C. The feed rollers A, A', the knife C, and the whetting
rollers D, D', are fixed in a frame E, which frame is moveable around
the shaft F, supported in the bearings f,f, fixed to an adjustable arm
which projects from the sides of the framework of the machine. These

page_text: bearings f,f¹, are turned and form centres for the frame E, actuated by
means of the treadle H and connecting rod h. Motion is communicated
by means of the straps fg from the main shaft G of the machine to the.
shaft F, and by the straps fc to the cutter shaft c, and by the bands
df, df, from the shaft f to the whetting rollers D, D'. M, M, fast
and loose pulleys of the shaft G.
The lower roller B placed on the shaft 6 is slotted or cut through to
allow of the passage of the cutter, and receives its motion from the
straps bg from the main shaft G.
A roller B placed at the end of the shaft serves to facilitate the intro-
duction of large sheets of corkwood or bark.
The upper rollers A, A¹, each of which is placed on its independent
arbor a, a, only follow the motion of the sheet cork, and press it on the
lower rollers B, B¹.
K is a ruler placed parallel with the knife C to determine the breadth ]
or width of the strip. It is connected with a guide k, which by means
of a screw worked by a hand wheel L may be placed at different distances
from the knife, and this distance is regulated in accordance with the
desired breadth of the strip before the cutting is commenced. The
breadth of the strips of cork cut coincides with the length of the corks to 2
be made, as usual.
Hitherto no definite proportion has been adopted between the length
of a cork and its diameter, but by this machine the length of a cork may
be cut as much longer or shorter than a certain average length of the
cork as with reference to the thickness or other qualities of the sheet of 2
corkwood or bark may be deemed desirable to give the cork a diameter,
that is, as much greater or smaller than the average diameter of the cork
pieces in question. Thus the breadth of the strips is determined by the
suitability of the bark for smaller or larger corks.
Figure 1, Sheet 4, is a side elevation of the machine for paring the 3
strips of cork to a suitable thickness; Figure 1, Sheet 5, front clevation;
and Sheet 6, a plan of same.
In this machine, only used for thick bark, A, A¹, are rollers placed on
shafts which have their bearings ab, ab', on the side frames of the
machine. These bearings are fixed to adjustable guide plates ac, ac¹, to 3

page_text: facilitate their adjustment. B is a roller placed exactly over the roller A,
and moving in bearings in the moveable frame C, which can move on
centres on the turned bearings of the shaft D connected with two
brackets c, c', projecting from the framework of the machine. From
the bracket c a pivot or centre d projects to the left hand side, on which
a double pulley revolves. The crossed strap e, c, d, from the main
shaft E of the machine passes over the double pulley c, d, and the
pulley a, and the strap b, c, d, which is also crossed and passes over the
pulley c, d, and also over the pulley 6 on the feeding roller B. The
rollers A and B thus receive an independent motion, while the roller A,
which has for object to support the strips of cork during the paring
operation, only follows the motion of the said strips. The knife f
screwed on to the shaft F, consists of a circular plate with a sharp edge
similar to the one herein-before described.
G is a frame fastened to the side frames of the machine and carrying
the bearings fa, fb, and fc. One end of the knife shaft F turns in the
bearing fa, and the other end passes through a pulley g fixed to tho
shaft by means of a wedge, so as to be adjustable along the shaft
when required.
The pulley has projecting centres which work in the said bearings fb
and fc, as seen in detached sectional view at Figure 2, Slicet 5..
The pulley g, and consequently also the knife, receive their motion
from the main shaft E by means of a strap c g passing over the pulley g.
The shaft D and pulley d also receive their motion from the shaft E by
means of the strap dg.
H, H', are whetting rollers for the knife, revolving on pivots, attached
to a directing bar I running in guides placed at the sides of the
frame G, as seen at Figure 2, Sheet 4. The whetting rollers H, H³,
receive their motion from the shaft D by means of the bands h, h¹. The
director I is connected to the shaft F by means of an arm or strap i
embracing the knife shaft F; the said arm i is connected by means of a
pivot ik to the bill-crank arm k which is moveable on another pivot, as
seen at Figure 2, Sheets 4 and 5, on an arm kg screwed to the frame G.
The moveable bell-crank arm k is connected to the frame C by means of
an angle arm kc moving on a pivot p. The frame C, the knife shaft ƒ,
and the whetting rollers attached to the director I are thus connected
together, and receive from each other dependent motions, so that when

page_text: lowered.
L, L', are two combined rollers running parallel with cach other and
serving to guide the strip of cork during the paring operation.
M, M, are two other guide rollers which press the strip against the
rollers L, L. By means of these rollers the strip of cork is moved
in a determined direction by the rollers L, L³, during the paring
operation.
When the machine is at work the strips of cork are placed by hand :
between the feeding rollers A, A³, and B, B', and the directing rollers
L, L, M, M'; the former catching the strip of cork and conducting it
towards the knife. In the meantime the rollers B, B¹, are more or less
raised, thus causing, by means of the frame as herein-before described, the
knife to move as much to the right as the rollers are raised. The strip 1
is thereby pared to a thickness proportionate to its breadth. But as
thick cork bark is often split and rough, even on the side by which it is
guided during the paring operation, videlicet, the side which is turned
towards the pair of rollers L, L', and which with respect to the quality
of the bark is always the same, the feeding rollers L, L', and M, M¹,
are so arranged that the strips of thicker cork bark can be pared thicker
than in accordance with the herein-before described circumstances.
The two pairs of rollers are placed on the directing bars and m, which
by means of springs Ll, Mm, are held in a certain position out of
which however they can be slid to a certain limit. The spring Ll
is so much stronger than the spring Mm as not to allow the pair of
rollers L, L', to actuate it until the other pair of rollers M, M³, has slid
to its furthest limit to the right. When this occurs the rollers L, L',
are likewise slid away, whereby the directing side of the strip of cork
moves to the left and further away from the knife and is consequently
pared thicker.
When the machine is to be adjusted for certain medium dimensions of
cork this is effected by changing the position of the screw p, whereby
the respective positions of the roller B and the knife are changed.
The directing screw c forming a support for the frame O in its lowest
position is likewise adjusted (Figure 1, Sheet 4),

page_text: The gauges pa on the frame C, and pl on the directing bar P mark
the degree of the adjustment (Figures I. and II., Sheet 5).
R is a channel for receiving the pared strips of cork; S, another
channel for the shavings.
This machine can be very much simplified if intended only for paring
strips for beer bottle corks. The side movement of the knife or cutter
may then be dispensed with, thereby necessitating no special bearings,
in which case the pulley is fixed to the shaft. The sliding apparatus
for the whetting rollers can also be omitted and the rollers would then
be attached to a fixed centre piece on the frame G. The connection by
means of joints of the frame C with the knife shaft would likewise be
unnecessary as well as the gauge pa on the frame G. The other parts
would remain unaltered.
Sheets 7 and 8 and Figure 1, Sheet 9, shew a side and front eleva-
tion and a plan of the machine for cutting the strips of cork into pieces
or squares suitable to be made into corks.
A is a guide apparatus attached to the diagonal piece B, both being
placed at an angle of forty-five degrees to the other parts of the
machine.
The guide apparatus A is connected by means of links with a spiral
spring C on one side, and on the other side with a balance D worked by
an excentric A c fixed on the main shaft E, whereby the guide receives
a continuous forward and backward motion.
The table G for receiving the cork strip is screwed to the guide A, .
and consists of a horizontal plate, having on one side a vertical ledge or
border. At the right-hand end of the table an arm is screwed, which
first follows the border gb, and in its continuation forms the angle g d.
At ga is a slit or cut to allow the knife to descend below the surface or
plane of the table during the cutting of the strip of cork.
The plate K is screwed to the framework of the machine and inclines
over the table G, and has a border kb (similar to that of the table)
which runs parallel with the border 9 b, and is also provided with a slit
or cut to give room for the passage of the knife.
N is a moveable frame, the centres of which are turned and form
bearings for the shaft P. These bearings project from the arms Q, Q',

page_text: which are screwed to the framework of the machine by means of the
directing plater and of the arm R. At the opposite side of the frame N,
is a shaft S working in suitable bearings, and to which is screwed a
circular knife F.
The frame N also serves by means of the centre piece N¹ to carry the
shafts on which the whetting rollers S¹, S¹, revolve; the knife and
whetting rollers receive their rotatory motion from the straps PS,
Sp¹, Sp", driven by the shaft P, driven direct from the main shaft E by
the strap pc.
The frame N is connected to the balance lever M by means of a
rod n bearing on an eccentric Ne fixed to the main shaft E. By means
of this arrangement the knife F connected to the frame N receives an
intermittent upward and downward movement; Y is a treadle con-
nected to a friction coupling for putting the main shaft E in and out of
gear with the driving wheel M rotating on it.
The operation of the machine is as follows:- The strip of cork is
placed by hand on the table G, and pushed against the border or ledge gd
and the flange Gb. The table G will then be in the position shewn in
Figure II., Sheet 9, and will subsequently move along the directing
bar until the strips of cork become pressed between the borders G 6
and kb, when the movement of the table will cease, and its position
(depending on the breadth of the strip) will more or less approach that
shewn in Sheet 9. The knife will now descend and cut off the part of
the strip lying between the knife and the border gd, and thus forms
the square.
As the border gd (by the motion of the table at an angle of forty-five
degrees) approaches the knife in the same degree as the border gb
approaches the border ka, the breadth of the piece of cork is therefore.
determined by the breadth of the strip. The piece or square of cork
thus cut passes into the turning apparatus of the next machine.
When the cork pieces are cut the knife rises, thereby causing the
table to assume the position shewn in Figure II., Sheet 9. The squares
or pieces of cork fall into the channels W or V, and the strip is again
pushed forward by hand. The channel W conveys the cork pieces,
if of sufficient breadth to a basket placed below; smaller pieces,
(which through splits or other faults in the strips) are cut thinner, fall

page_text: into the channel V. This sorting is effected by placing a partition
between the two channels W and V, so that the centre of gravity of the
thicker cork pieces shall fall over the channel W, and that of smaller
cork pieces over the channel V.
Sheet 10 is a front elevation; Sheet 11, side elevation; Sheet 12,
a section; and Sheet 14 is a plan of the machine for cutting or shaping
the pieces or squares of cork into corks for bottles; Figures 1, 2, 3,
and 4, sheet 13, details.
The square or piece of cork A is placed on the table by hand, this
table is constructed of the following parts, videlicet, Ab and Ac.
Figures 1 and 2, Sheet 13, are two slotted feed plates, holding the piece
or square of cork from above and below, and determining its horizontal
position when caught by the turning lathes. The said plates are each
provided with two pivots working in bearings in double angularly bent
arms A d, Figures 1 and 3, Sheet 13, and Sheet 14. On these pivots are
placed the toothed segments d, d¹, d", d¹¹¹, gearing with each other in
pairs, and giving the feeding plates A. 6 and A c a uniform though opposite
motion. These plates are acted upon by a spring A e, which tends to bring
their free ends towards each other. The shortest distance is determined by
filling in the spaces in one of the toothed segments, or by a screw placed
on one of the plates, its opposite end bearing against the other plate.
The arms Ad are, by means of the pivots ad, a d¹³, fixed between
the other arms B a forming the upper part of the moveable frame B.
From the arm Ad project two cylindrical bowed arms ad, a d¹, and
from the arm B a projects an arm Bb to which a screw with a handle
is fastened. One end of this screw rests on the arm A d", and it is
provided with two nuts which press against the arm ad through which
the screw passes. By means of this screw the arms A d, with the
intermediate plates A 6 and Ac, are kept in a fixed position, which
position however can be changed by turning the screw b.
>
Af and Af¹ are two thin plates placed vertically. They serve to.
hold the cork piece endwise, and their free ends are provided with
semicircular notches to allow of the turning shaft catching the piece
or square of cork. The plates Af and Af¹ are fastened to slotted
pivots fixed in bearings on the arms g, h, i, and k, which project from
the arm Ba. By means of the small springs f, f¹, the plates Aƒ, Aƒ¹,
are kept against the plates A 6 and A c.

page_text: A g is a moveable frame having on its left-hand side a plate A g¹
which in a certain position covers the space between the free ends
of the plates Ab and A c, thus indicating how far the cork piece may
be pushed forward between them. The frame Ag is connected by
means of pivots to the arm Ba, and one of its side arms being lengthened
is provided with a friction roller ag which rests against a bent arm A Ġ,
such arm, during the advance of the table, acts on the frame Ag in such
a manner that the side plate A 9¹ is raised, and the square or piece of
cork is left free on this side.
Ca is a plate against which the square or piece of cork is placed,
by hand, and through which it is afterwards pushed forward between
the plates Ab and 'A c, and the plates Af and Af¹, until it is stopped
by the depressed side plates of the frame Ag. The plate Ca is attached
to an angular balance arm C which passes through the plate Ab, and
has for its centro the pivot E on the framework F, the said pivot also
carrying the before-described balance frame B to which the table is
fixed.
The balance frames B and C are (by means of spiral springs H k
fixed to the ground) kept against one of the eccentrics Bg and Cg
fixed on the main shaft G of the machine. The eccentric bg advances
first the arm C, and at the same time the square or piece of cork
on the table. The eccentric By then acts on the frame B, by which
means the table is advanced until it reaches the position shewn in
Figures I., II., and III., Sheet 13. (These two eccentrics can be united
into one.) The square or piece of cork on the table will then be in
the position shewn in Figures I. and II., Sheet 13 (shewing three
different sizes of squares or pieces of cork in horizontal and side
elevation), in its connection with the knife H and the spindles D, D¹,
of the turning lathe. These cork pieces are so placed that they touch
the knife on one side having their horizontal axial line upon a level
with it, and the centres of their ends on lines which viewed horizontally
approach the knife, and the axial line of the squares of cork at an anglo
of forty-five degrees.
When the cork is to be fixed the turning spindles D, D¹, are made to
approach one another in the direction of these lines by means of the
following contrivance shewn in Sheet 14:-The bearings of the turning
spindles D, D', are fixed to directing bars D 6, D6', moveable at an angle

page_text: of forty-five degrees towards the knife and the axial line of the pieces
or squares. Theso directing bars Db, DU¹, are connected by couplings
Dc, D c¹, with the shaft T, cn which is an angular arm T a worked by a
spiral spring T b, and an eccentric T g fixed to the main shaft G. The
turning spindles receive during the turning operation a continuous
rotating motion from straps passing over the pullies Dc, Dc', E b, EU,
and the stretching rollers Df, D f¹, from the lower shaft Ea, driven by
the bevil wheel Eg, from the bevil toothed segment E, G, fixed to the
main shaft G, as shewn in Sheets 10, 12, and 14.
The cutting is effected by a forward and backward movement of the
knife H. This movement is effected by the eccentric I in such a manner
that the eccentric works on the arm I h, connected with the directing
bar of the knife H a. The eccentric I receives its motion from the
bevil wheels I g¹, and Ig, the latter being fixed on the shaft G, Sheets
10 and 14. K is a channel for conducting the cork into another channel
ka, whence it falls into a basket placed below it.
When manufacturing corks from thin and rough cork bark, it is often
necessary to give the cork an oval form, whereby the roughness of the
surface may be removed without too greatly diminishing the size of the
squares. This is effected in the following manner :-The directing bar
of the cutter H a, moves in two guides H b, and H c, connected together
by the centre piece H bi, Sheets 10 and 12, the said guides moving on
joints attached to the framework of the machine. A spring ƒ (Sheet 12)
working on the guide H 6, and attached to the frame F, holds the guide
frame in the required position, which position is regulated by the set
screw h. From the guide Hc (Sheet 10) projects an arm Hd (Sheet 12)
through the said joint. This arm is united at an angle to another arm
Hc, provided with a friction roller at its lower end. In front of this
roller, and on the main shaft G, is placed a disc Hg, having two
eccentric projections Hg, H g¹, on one of its outer sides. This disc may
be moved along the shaft G by means of a treadle H½, which is brought
to its normal position when released by means of a spiral spring H k.
When the cork is to be cut of an oval form the foot is placed on the
treadle, causing the disc to change its position on the shaft, whereby the
eccentrics are brought in front of the friction roller on the arm Hc,
which thereby receives an intermittent motion repeated for each of the
cccentrics, and communicates this motion through the guide to the
knife, which in the meantime approaches the centre of the piece of cork,

page_text: and gives it in consequence an oval shape. The machine is also provided
with an apparatus for whetting the knife. This apparatus consists of
two moveable frames L A, L B, on turned bearings screwed on to the
angular frame piece L, Sheets 10, 11, and 12, and Figure IV., Sheet 13.
In these bearings work two shafts 1P, receiving their motion from the
shaft M driven direct from the engine. Between the free ends of
the frames LA, and LB, tho whetting rollers la, lb, consisting of
larger and smaller pulleys revolve on pivots. The larger pulleys are
provided with surfaces for whetting the smaller form pullies for the
driving belts from corresponding pullies on the shafts 7, and com-
municating through stretching rollers a revolving motion to the
whetting rollers la, lb.
Each of the frames LA, and L B, is by means of turning joints Ln,
Ln', connected with the shaft N, which through the arm Na,
and the rod N 6, is connected to the balance N c, actuated by the 1
eccentric N 9, on the main shaft G, Sheets 10 and 11. A spiral
spring N h, counteracts the effect of the eccentric Ng, on the
balance N c. When the whetting of the knife is to be effected the
rollers la, lb, are lowered until they touch the knife, one on each side,
and the larger pulleys descend towards the spaces formed by the smaller 2
pulleys on the corresponding roller.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-The cork A is placed by
hand on the plate A 6, and is pushed forward by means of the plate ba,
towards the plate A g², on the frame A g. The table for the introduction
of the cork then advances, and the whetting rollers, which in the mean-
time have whetted the knife, are raised, the frame Ag also being
raised. When the table is so far advanced that the cork piece touches
the knife the turning lathe spindles D, D¹, approach each other and
seize the cork by the centre of its end surfaces. The table moves back
to its former position and the turning of the piece of cork is effected by 8
means of the bevil wheels, and the lathe spindles are withdrawn and the
cork falls into the channel K. The whetting rollers again close on the
knife and a new cork piece is in the meantime placed on the table. The
working of the machine continues without interruption in this manner,
with the exception that the treadle H h (Sheet 10) is used when an oval 3
shape is required, and that the table, by means of the screw h, Sheet 13,
Figures 1 and II., is raised or lowered according as the lathe spindles are
to seize the cork above or below its centre.

page_text: The revolving circular knives with the whetting rollers described in
the first three parts of these improvements may be employed for other
purposes, such as for cutting paper, pasteboard, and india-rubber.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, communicated to
me, and the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the same into
effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the
precise details herein laid down, but what I claim is :-
Firstly. The employment of revolving circular knives in combination
with whetting rollers arranged and acting substantially as and for the
purposes hercin-before described and represented in Sheets 1 to 9 of the
accompanying Drawings.
Secondly. The arrangement and construction of the moveable whetting
apparatus as herein-before described and represented in Sheets 10 to 14
of the accompanying Drawings.
Thirdly. The mechanical arrangements whereby the improved ma-
chinery is adapted for producing corks of different sizes, as herein-before
described and represented in the Drawings.
Fourthly. The improved apparatus for the introduction of the pieces
of cork into the shaping machine, described and represented under the
fourth head of these improvements.
Fifthly. The arrangement and construction of the parts of the said
shaping machine for giving the corks an oval shape, as herein-before
described and represented in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Armand Gilbee, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of July, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four