AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CUTTING SPLINTS FOR MATCHES
Year: 1839

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANTONIO
JAMES MAYER, of Ashley Crescent, Saint Luke's, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Fourth day of December, in the third year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Antonio James Mayer, Her especial licence, that I, the said Antonio James
Mayer, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Antonio
James Mayer, my exors, adiñiors, or assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention
of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CUTTING SPLINTS FOR MATCHES;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said Antonio James
Mayer, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly
to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in Her said
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Antonio James Mayer, do hereby describe the nature of my said Invention

page_text: the same; Figure 3 is a transverse section taken on the line A, B, and I
would here observe that similar letters are used to denote similar parts in all the
Figures. a, a, a, is the framing of the machine, to which are bolted the two
guides b, b, which have dovetailed grooves for the knife carriage c to slide in.
This carriage is of an oblong form, and is connected at one end by the joint d
to the connecting rod e; to the carriage c is fixed a brass plate f, which has
slots g, g, for the purpose of adjusting its inclined end with reference to the
obliquely placed knife edge of what I call the following blade h, as it wears
away; the blades i, which I call the guage blades, and which divide the splints
horizontally or at right angles with the following blades h, protrude through a
slot in the brass plate f, as far as is required to cut the splints one way. The
blocks of wood K, K, K, out of which the splints are cut, are pressed against
the face of this plate by the workman or attendant during the time the guage
blades are passing through the wood by means of a rack and pinions 1, 1, and
handles m, m, and the blocks are kept from rising out of their position by
spring clamps or levers n, n, n, fixed on a spindle o, which has a weighted
arm p fixed to it, and by this means presses them downwards; and when fresh
blocks of wood are supplied to the machine, the workman presses back the
handle q, as shewn by dots in Figure 3, where it is held in the notch of the
lever q falling onto a stud on the side of the handle q until released by the
workman, and thus raises the weighted spring clamps or levers n, m, n, high
enough to allow the blocks to be placed in the machine; 7, 7, is a metal plate
fixed by screws s, s, to the frame of the machine, which has its front edge
brassed and slightly bevelled upwards for the purpose of receiving the under
side of the wood blocks, and making them lie hollow to allow for any inequality
of surface on the under side of the blocks. In the centre of this plate r is a slot
in which the rack 1, 1, moves to and fro. To the top of the rack is fixed by

page_text: screws the bent arm t, which extends behind the wood blocks and forces them
towards the blades; u, u, are guides screwed to the under side of the plate r,
and in which the rack works; is a trough or tray to receive the splints
after they are cut from the blocks of wood. The connecting rod e is attached
to an arm of a fly wheel w fixed to the shaft a, which is mounted in bearings
on the frame y; the strap pulley is also fixed on the shaft a, and receives
motion by means of a strap from a steam engine or any other first moving
power; and is a loose pulley for throwing the machine out of gear. In
order to set the machine in action, the workman must first place the blocks of
wood, which should have been previously trimmed to the proper size, upon the
plate r, against the face of the bent arm t, as shewn in Figure 2, the weighted
levers n, n, n, at the same time will press the blocks upon the plate; the
handle m being now turned will force the blocks against the brass plate f, and
motion being communicated to the pulley and fly wheel w, the connecting
rod will set the blades in motion, and the points of the the horizontal or guage
blades will first pass through the wood blocks in a direction at right angles
to the knife or following blade h, determining the size one way of the splints,
immediately after which the oblique edge of the following blade or knife h
will cut off from the face of the blocks a thin slab or veneer, determining the
size the other way of the splints, and as the splints are cut they will pass
through the space between the following blade hand brass plate f, into
the trough v, or any other receptacle placed to receive them. Figure 4 is a
section on an enlarged scale shewing the manner in which the guage blades or
knives i are arranged, part being set with the bevilled edges one way, and the
remainder with the bevilled edges in the opposite direction. Figures 5 and 6
are detached views of the horizontal and oblique blades, shewing more clearly
the way in which the blocks are cut, and are supposed to be moving in the
direction of the arrows. The machine is represented in the Drawing as con-
taining three blocks of wood from which the splints are cut, but I do not
confine myself to that number, nor to the number of blades which give the
horizontal cuts, as these will vary according to the size and nature of the
splints required, and the purposes for which they are intended.
Now whereas I claim as my Invention the improved machine herein-before
described; the particular parts which constitute it an improved machine and
which I claim as my Invention, being the oblique position of the following
knife h, the arrangement of the guage knives i part one way and part the
other, the spring clamps, weight, and handle n, n, p, q, and the raised end of
the bed r, r, by which the block lies over a hollow space, and is supported
only at each end.

page_text: And such my Invention being to the best of my knowledge and belief
entirely new and never before used within that part of Her said Majesty's
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her said
Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, I do hereby declare
this to be my Specification of the same, and that I do verily believe this my
said Specification doth comply in all respects fully and without reserve or
disguise with the proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent contained; wherefore I hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and
privilege to my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Antonio James Mayer, have hereunto sct
my hand and seal, this First day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty.