IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR SHEARING METAL SHEETS OR PLATES
Year: 1884

page_text: We JOSEPH, TINN of Bristol Bank Buildings, City of Bristol, Civil Engineer,
and THOMAS CREW of Chapple St, Saint Phillip's Marsh in the same City, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR SHEARING METAL SHEETS OR PLATES
to be as
follows:-
This invention is designed to effect the cutting or shearing of iron, steel or other
metal plates or sheets in such manner that each side shall be parallel to that
opposite, or in other words, at right angles to those adjoining, and, further, to
ensure the cutting accurately to any given dimensions of any desired number of
sheets or plates.
A sheet to be cut is placed on a table at one end of the machine and secured at
its outer end in a clamp or equivalent device. By an endless chain or analogous
means, brought into operation by an attendant, a forward motion is imparted to the
sheet which is thus advanced to a desired point below a circular knife or cutter
when it is held by clamping mechanism operated from a hand lever. The knife or
cutter, which is free to rotate on a central axis, is then brought to bear upon the
upper face of the sheet and caused, by suitable gearing, to traverse the same
transversely, cutting or shearing off the inner end of the sheet in its progress.
The sheet is then released from the clamping mechanism last mentioned and again
impelled forward to be received between a pair of rolls extending transversely
across the machine. Each roll carries towards both its ends, a circular knife or
cutting disc adjustable, to cut sheets of various widths, in the direction of the
length of the rolls. By the rotation and friction of the rolls and cutters the sheet,
now released from the grasp of the clamp or equivalent device first mentioned, is
drawn forwards between the rolls and in its passage is cut or sheared longitudinally
at each side by the pairs of knives or cutting discs, and is delivered on to a table
placed beyond the rolls.

page_text: The rear end of the sheet is cut by a circular knife at the delivery end of the
machine operating similarly to that herein before mentioned as for cutting the front
end. The sheet is thus mechanically cut with even and square sides and ends
throughout.
An adjustable gauge, fitted at the delivery end of the machine, governs the
length to which sheets or plates may be cut, and the position of the circular knives
or cutting discs on the rolls regulates the width.
Sheets may be cut singly or in packs at a time.

page_text: We, JOSEPH TINN, of Bristol Bank Buildings, City of Bristol, Civil Engineer,
and THOMAS CREW, of Chapple St, St. Phillip's Marsh, in the same city, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR SHEARING METAL, SHEETS OR PLATES,"
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly, described
and ascertained in and by the following statement and the drawings therein
referred to
This invention is designed to effect the cutting or shearing of iron, steel or other
metal plates or sheets in such manner that each side or end shall be parallel to that
opposite or, in other words, at right angles to those adjoining, and, further, to.
ensure the cutting accurately to any given dimensions of any desired number of
sheets or plates.
A sheet to be cut is placed on a table at one end of the machine and secured at
its outer end in a screw clamp or other gripping or pinching device.
By hand or mechanically, the sheet is advanced in the machine to a desired'
point to overlap to the required degree a fixed knife, in which position it is firmly
held by clamping mechanism operated from a hand lever. A circular knife or
cutter, free to rotate on a central axis, is then brought to bear upon the face of
the sheet and caused by worm or other suitable gearing to traverse the same.
transversely, cutting or shearing off the front end of the sheet in its progress.
The sheet is then released from the grasp of the clamping mechanism last
mentioned and again impelled forwards to be received between a pair of rolls'
extending transversely across the machine.
Each roll carries towards each end a circular knife or cutting disc adjustable to
cut sheets of various widths. By the rotation and friction of the rolls and the
cutters thereon the sheet, now released from the grasp of the first mentioned.
clamp, is drawn forwards between the rolls and, in its passage, is cut or sheared
longitudinally at each side by the pairs of knives or cutting discs and is delivered.
on to a table placed at the delivery end of the machine. The rear end of the sheet
is then cut by a circular knife at the delivery end of the machine, which knife is.
operated similarly to that hereinbefore mentioned as for cutting the front end.
Sheets may be cut singly or in packs. The existing practice of marking the
sheets before shearing is rendered unnecessary.
Figs. 1, and 2, on the accompanying sheet of drawings, represent respectively a
side elevation and a plan of a machine constructed to work in accordance with this
invention.
Fig. 3 represents a view as seen from the feeding end of the machine, the
table A being shown in section and the clamp C raised.
The sheet to be cut is placed upon the table A and adjusted to a centre line'
marked thereon.
The front end of the sheet is made to overlap the edge of the fixed knife b to
the extent required to be cut, it being understood that the circular knife or cutting
disc c, which is represented at Figs 1, 2, and 3, in the drawings, at midway in the
machine, is now, by the action of mechanism hereinafter more particularly referred
to, withdrawn to one side of the machine.
The rear end of the sheet is secured in the screw clamp D carried on the movable.
part a of the table A.
The hand lever B is now made to assume a horizontal position and the clamp C'
is thereby caused to descend on and hold the sheet in its position for cutting.

page_text: The circular knife c is then caused by means of the toothed wheels G and
screw g working in the saddle c³, to move transversely across the sheet which is
thus cut by the said circular knife or cutter c and the fixed knife b below it. The
clamp C is then raised from the sheet, and the hand wheel J, situated at the side
of the table A and keyed upon the shaft j, is rotated to impel, by means of the
pinion and rack ja, the moveable part a of the table A forwards so that the sheet
is fed between the. rollers L, and L' fitted with the cutting discs or knives l, L.
Rotary motion is imparted to the rolls from the driving pulley N through the
toothed wheels P.
The pairs of cutting discs or knives are adjustable apart on the rollers, and
by them the sheet is sheared to the desired width longitudinally at each side as it
is drawn through the rollers, it having been released from the screw clamp D.
After passage between the rollers L and L', the sheet is received on the table A¹
on which is the adjustable gauge K.
The front end and one of the sides of the sheet are brought into contact with the
gauge K adjusted to. the desired point. The cross clamp C¹, which is represented
in Fig. 1 as raised, is, by lowering the hand lever B¹, now brought down upon the
sheet and the circular transverse cutter c¹ placed over the fixed knife b¹ is, by
rotation of the screw g' working in the saddle c³, brought into action to traverse
the sheet and shear off the inner end thereof. The sheet is then drawn out at the
delivery end of the machine having its opposite sides and ends cut parallel. The
table A¹ may be made with a movable portion to correspond with the movable
portion a of the table A and be fitted for operation similarly by a handwheel.
It may also, if desired, be provided with a clamp to correspond with the clamp D.
The guides o, and o¹, Fig 1, for conducting the sheets between the cross cutters
and rolls are operated to rise and fall in turn on their pivots for the discharge of
scraps cut from the sheets. They may be conveniently designed for operation by
the hand levers B, B1, simultaneously with the clamps C, C¹.
The fixed guides s serve to prevent the sheets from rising. Any other convenient
form of guides may be employed instead of those shown at Fig. 1. Sheets may be
cut singly or in packs.
The operation of the mechanism which governs the travel of the circular cutters c
and c, which travel simultaneously in the same direction, will be better understood
by reference to Fig. 4, which represents part of an end-view of the delivery end of
the machine."
The saddle cs of the circular knife c¹ situated towards the delivery end of the
machine, is provided with a knob or stud c which in the travel of the circular
knives towards X has been brought into contact with the tappet t, and thereby the
belt H, which before the said contact of 'the knob or stud c and the tappet t was
running on the tight central pulley F, has been shifted to the loose pulley F2, which
is distinct from and of twice the breadth of the pulley F. The motion of the circular
knives towards the sides marked X is thus arrested. Shifting of the belt H from
the pulley F to the pulley F2, after the cutting of one end of the sheet, causes the
belt H', which before was running on the outer half of the loose pulley F" to be
shifted to run on the inner half of the said pulley F¹.
>
The knives are caused to travel back from X to Y, to cut the other end of the
sheet, by turning either of the hand wheels E, E to bring the belt H¹, which is
crossed, on to the pulley F from which it is again moved and the motion of the
knives towards X arrested, when the saddle c³ has arrived at that side of the
machine and the knob c has been brought into contact with the tappet t¹ at that
side.
"
By turning either of the hand wheels E or E' in the proper direction the belt H
is moved back on to the central pulley F and the knives again caused to travel
towards X.
The sheets when cut by the machine. above described have their opposite sides
and opposite ends parallel. As aforesaid, they may be cut singly or in packs and

page_text: of uniform length and breadth. The existing practice of marking the sheets prior
to being sheared is rendered unnecessary.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-.
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-.
1st, Shearing the ends of metal sheets or plates, either singly or in packs, by the
knives c, c' operated by the wheel gearing Ġ or other means, to travel transversely
from one side of the machine to the other and vice versâ over the fixed blades b, b₁,
clamps C, C, or their equivalents, being employed to hold the sheets or plates while
being thus sheared, substantially as herein before described and illustrated on the
accompanying sheet of drawings.
2nd, The combination in one machine of the cross cutting knives c, c¹ and b, b¹ for
shearing the ends of metal sheets or plates or packs of sheets or plates, with the
circular knives l, adjustable on the rolls L, L' for shearing the sides of the sheets
or plates, whereby the opposite sides and opposite ends thereof are cut parallel,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
1000
W. LLOYD WISE,
Per F, J. Brougham,
Applicants' Agent.