IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR CHOPPING LOAF SUGAR, ROOTS, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES.
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Mountford, of Caledonian Terrace, Leeds, in
the County of York, Surveyor, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS
IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR CHOPPING LOAF SUGAR, ROOTS,
AND OTHER SUBSTANCES.".
Sealed the 11th September 1857, and dated the 11th March 1857..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Mountford at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th March 1857.
I, GEORGE MOUNTFORD, of Caledonian Terrace, Leeds, in the County of
York, Surveyor, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR CHOPPING LOAF
SUGAR, ROOTS, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction, adaptation, and arrange
ment of apparains or machinery for cutting or chopping loaf sugar (usually
termed loaves, tittlers, or lumps), roots, and other substances, whereby great
power and speed of cutting action is attained, and a large amount of cutting
or chopping done. The apparatus consists of a semi-circular hopper, trough,
or of an oblong box, in which the sugar loaf, tittler, or lump, or other
substance to be operated upon, is placed, and propelled to one end thereof by
means of a piston in connexion with studs which run in the grooves of the
Price 8.1

page_text: hopper, trough, or box, with traverse chain and four chain pullies and ratchet
wheel, the last of which is put in motion by a connecting rod with a lever
and weight fixed on the two uprights, herein-after mentioned. To enable the
piston propelling the loaf or lump to return to its original position, it is let
loose by a pin, tappet, or stud in the ratchet wheel, which throws the catchet
on each ratchet wheel out of gear; the catchet is thrown in gear by a pin or
stud on the ratchet. wheels or framework connected with a shaft having studs
and shaft, and horizontal shaft, three chain pullies, and weights. When the
sugar loaf or lump, or other substance operated upon, arrives at the far end
of the hopper, trough, or box in which it is placed, it is sliced by the knife
first herein-after mentioned. Two uprights are fixed with, grooves, in which
a knife block slides, having a suitable knife, either straight or curved in the
cutting edge, fixed thereto. This knife descends in a vertical direction upon
the sugar or other substance operated upon, whereby a slice of the thickness
required is cut or chopped off the bulk. The knife block is worked by con-
necting rods, working on stud pins fastened in it at one end, and the other end
on stud pins fixed into toothed gear wheels. The slice of sugar or other
substance operated upon when cut falls upon a horizontal revolving table,
having numerous holes, apertures, or perforations of suflicient size, through
which the slice of sugar or other substance operated upon passes after being
cut into the required cubes, knobs, or pieces, as herein-after mentioned.
Above the horizontal revolving table is a knife block, wherein knives are fixed
which descend in a vertical direction upon the slice of sugar or other substance
operated upon, whereby it is cut or chopped into such cubes, knobs, or small
pieces as will admit of their passing through the perforations of the revolving
table; to assist this, stationary knives are fixed in a horizontal position. The
revolving table is driven by a ratchet wheel on a horizontal shaft with a
toothed pinion gearing into teeth under it. The knife block is worked up
and down by a crank shaft and connecting rods, the shaft working in bearings
and driven by wheels from the main shaft, and having a connecting rod for
working the ratchet, catchet, and revolving table. The main shaft with fly
wheel or wheels may be driven by hand, treadle, or any other power, and is
connected with wheels to work the whole of the machinery fixed in upright
brackets and rails. The whole of the apparatus or machinery (except the
fly wheel or wheels, or winch handles, pullies, and treadle for driving the
machinery.) is enclosed in a framework of a rectangular shape. I do not
confine myself to any particular shape of knife or knifes in the cutting edge,
nor to their position. Instead of a table havng perforations being employed,
a solid horizontal table with or without a covering of india-rubber or other

page_text: substance may be used, and knives employed having springs between them.
which knives cut the slice into narrow strips; fixed studs or pointers clean
the knives and prevent them clogging. When the strips are cut the table
makes half a revolution, when the knives again descend and cut or chop the
sirips at right angles, and so form them into the required cubes, knobs, or
pieces, when the iable descends and tips up to deliver its contents, and returns
to its original position (by means of a mangle motion or other suitable gear)
to receive the next slice ready to be operated upon. Instead of the table
descending and tipping up, it may slide horizontally until its contents are
swept off by a stationary brush, and then return to its original position to
receive the second slice, and so on; and instead of the table making half
a revolution, the knife block may be so consiructed as to make half a
revolution:
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Mountford in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th September 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
MOUNTFORD, of Caledonian Terrace, Leeds, in the County of York, Surveyor,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself. Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Mountford, Her special licence that I, the said George Mountford,
iny executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said George
Mountford, 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 MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR CHOPPING LOAF SUGAR, ROOTS, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said George Mountford, 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 he
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office

page_text: within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE. that I, the said George Mountford. do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the two Sheets of Drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):--
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction, adaptation, and arrange-
ment of apparatus or machinery for cutting or chopping loaf sugar (usually
termed loaves, tittlers, or lumps), roots, and other substances, whereby great
power and speed of cutting action is attained, and a large amount of cutting
or chopping performed. The apparatus consists of a semi-circular hopper or
trough, or of an oblong box, in which the sugar loaf, tittler, or lump. or other
substance to be operated upon, is placed, and propelled towards one end thereof
by means of a plate or piston in connexion with studs which run in grooves
in the sides of the hopper, trough, or box, with traverse chains, and four chain
pullies and ratchet wheel, the last of which is put in motion by a connecting
rod with a lever and weight fixed on the two uprights herein-after mentioned.
To enable the piston propellng the loaf or lump to return to its original
position it is let loose by a pin. tappet, or stud in the ratchet wheel, which
throws the catchet or pall on each ratchet wheel out of gear; the ratchet is
thrown in gear by a pin or stud on the ratchet wheels or framework. con-
nected with a shaft having studs and shaft, and a horizontal shaft. chain
pullies, and weights. When the sugar loaf or lump, or other substance
operated upon, arrives at the far end of the hopper, trough, or hox in which it
is placed, it is sliced by the knife first hercin-after mentioned. Two uprights
are fixed with grooves, in which a knife block slides, having a suitable knife,
either straight or curved in the cutting edge. fixed thereto. This knife
descends in a vertical direction upon the sugar or other substance to be
operated upon, whereby a slice of the thickness required is cut or chopped off
the bulk. The knife block is worked by connecting rods fitted on stud pins
fastened in it at the upper end, with the other end of connecting rods placed
on crank pins fixed into tootlied gear wheels. The slice of sugar or other
substance operated upon when cut falls upon a horizontal revolving table,
having numerous holes, aperatures, or perforations of sufficient size, through
which the slice of sugar or other substance operated upon passes after being
cut into the required cubes, knobs, or pieces, as herein-after mentioned.
Above the horizontal revolving table is a knife block, wherein a series of
knives are placed, which descend in a vertical direction upon the slice of

page_text: sugar or other substance to be operated upon, whereby it is cut or chopped
into such cubes, knobs, or small pieces as will admit of their passing through
the perforations of the revolving table; to assist. this a stationary knife or
knives is or are fixed in a horizontal position. The revolving table is driven
by a ratchet wheel on a horizontal shaft with a toothed pinion gearing into
teeth under it. The knife block is worked up and down by a crank shafi.
and connecting rods, the shaft working in bearings, and driven by wheels from
the main shaft, and having a connecting rod actuating the ratchet work of
the revolving table. The main shaft with fly wheel or wheels may be driven
by hand, treadle, or any other power, and is connected with wheels to work
the whole of the machinery fixed in upright brackets and rails. The whole
of the apparatus or machinery (except the fly wheel or wheels and winch
handles, pullies, and treadles for driving the machinery) is enclosed in frame-
work of rectangular and suitable form for the purpose.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Figure represents a side elevation of a machine constructed according to
my Invention; Figure 2 represents an elevation of the opposite side of the
same; Figure 3 is an end view of right-hand end as viewed at Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a section through 1, 2, Figure 1, showing the right-hand end of
the machine, while Figure 5 is a section at the same line, showing the left-
hand end of the machine; Figure 6 represents a plan of the whole machine,
while Figures 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. 18, and 19 represent
the several parts detached.
Note. The same letters of reference are used to denote the same parts
where they recur in the several Figures of the Drawings.
Figure 1, A, A, is the framework; B. the fly wheel; C. C, the spur wheels,
communicating motion to some parts of the machine from the spur pinion D
on the shaft D'; E, E', E", are the traversing chain wheels, working, the
chains F, F, which cause the sugar or other matters to advance under the first
knife. Motion is communicated to the chain wheel E by the ratchet wheel G.
separately represented in Figure 17, which is fixed on the shaft of wheels E".
Motion is communicated to the ratchet wheel by the rod G', which is actuated
by the reciprocating motion of the first or slicing knife. H is an inclined
hopper or shoot, in which a piston or pusher I traverses in order to advance
the matters to be cut up to the slicing knife. The piston or pusher I is
furnished with arms i; traversing the slots h, h, and attached to the chains F, F,
on either side, whereby the advance motion is communicated by the ratchet
wheel G, as will be herein-after described, K, K, are two vertical slot frames,

page_text: about midway of the length of the general framing of the machine, which
form guides for the motion of the slicing knife L. This knife is mounted in
a reciprocating frame M. fitted to slide up and down in the guides K. K.
motion being communicated thereto by the connecting rods N. N. fitted on
either end of the cross bar O. The lower end of the rod N, N, are fitted on
crank pins n, n, fixed in the spur wheels C, C. receiving motion from the
pinión D on the main shaft D'. The knife L receives a traverse up and
down equal to the diameter of the circle described by the crank pins n. n. in
wheels C, C. (Figure 8 represents the frame M and knife L separately). The
wheels C. C. are mounted on a shaft e. fitted in bearings 1. f. fixed to slot
frame K. P is a lever, and pivotted at p, the free end of which is connected
with the rod G, which communicates motion thereto by a given amount of
lift at each ascent of the knife frame M. The extent of motion transmitted
to G may be varied by changing the position of G, as attached to lever P.
The chains F are attached at either end, the one end to wheel E, from which
it is unwound, and the other end to wheel Eu, on which it is wound up by the
intermittent motion of the ratchet wheel during the cutting action of the
knife . When the traverse of the piston I from one end of the hopper H
to the other is completed, the reverse motion is effected by means of a weight
Q. suspended from a chain affixed and: wound on a wheel E fixed on the
shaft of wheels E. By throwing the palls or clawkers of ratchet wheels G
out of gear, the chain wheels are free to run back, when the weight Q runs
down and traverses the piston I back to its full extent; it is then ready for
repeating the advance movement.
The palls and clawkers of G are thrown out of gear by the hand lever R,
represented separately in Figure 16 and 16, which lever is connected by rod
R (see Fig. 17) to weighted lever R", connected with pall R, moving on a
fulcrum at r. The hand motion is at the same tinic communicated to pall G
by rod R Pall G" is mounted on a fulcrum at gl. Instead of throwing the
ratchet work of G" out of gear by hand, the machine may be fitted to perform
the same in a self-acting manner after a given number of revolutions. S is a
roller pressing on the sugar or other material being cut to hold it firm; it is
forced down by a weighted lever S¹ acting on the upright frame S", as seen
in Figures 6 and 19. T is the loaf or lump of sugar under operation.
It will be readily understood from the foregoing, that on a loaf or lump of
sugar or other matter being placed in the hopper and advanced in regular
stages, at each time of the descent of the knife L a slice will be cut off the
end of a thickness in proportion to the advance that has taken place between
each descent of the knife L. The slices so cut off from the bulk fall forwards on

page_text: table U in succession, and will then undergo the subsequent operation of
chopping into cubes or small pieces.
The subsequent operation is performed as follows:--U is a revolving table,
mounted on a vertical axis U¹, fitted and sustained in suitable bearings "U"
This table, a plan of which is seen separately in Figure 10, has numerous per-
forations, through which the cubes or small pieces of sugar or other matters
pass when small enough; the rotatory motion transmitted to it is slow, and
communicated by means of a spur wheel U, gearing into teeth on the under
side of the table (see Figure 18). The wheel Ui receives motion from a
ratchet wheel V, which is propelled by the motion of a clawker V; mounted
on the lever V, receiving an up-and-down motion from the rod W, which is
actuated by the crank pin v, fixed in the plate W", greater or less motion.
being given according to the position of crank pia e in the cross slot of
plate W. The disc or plate Wis mounted on the crank shaft X, which
receives quick rotary motion by means of the spur pinion X, fixed' thereon,
and gearing with the stud wheel X", which in its turn is driven by gearing
with the spur wheel X, keyed on the main shaft D'. The crank shaft X,
in addition to driving the table U slowly, as described, gives motion to the
chopping knives Y, which are mounted in a knife block or frame Y', as best
seen in Figures 1, 5, and 6. This knife frame Y' has a boss or centre Ý",
which slides up and down on the central table shaft U', and 'is connected to
the cranked part of the shaft X by rods yy, which communicate a rapid
up-and-down motion to the knives Y, Y, by reason of the quick rotation of
shaft X, before mentioned. The knives Y descend close down to the table U,
but do not actually touch it, (it being of metal.) and rise considerably above
the height presented by the thickness of material to be cut or chopped, inter-
posed between them. and the table. Z is a box or covers placed, over and
fitting close round the table and knives to prevent the pieces of sugar
..
flying about while being chopped; ' is a fly wheel on shaft. X. to regulate
its motion, and is furnished with a counterbalance iveight Z", to counter-
balance the crank rods, knife block, and knives Y.
..
The action of the whole apparatus is this:-The sugar or other matter; in
bulk being placed in the hopper H, is advanced by the traversing chains F
and piston I under the knife L, which slices the materials, as described. The
cut slices fall forward in succession on the revolving table . and are by it.
carried round under the action of the several chopping blades or knives. Y, as.
best seen in the plan, Figure 6. The table U makes a move between the.
cutting of each slice, so that the one slice is moved round to make room.for.
the reception of the next slice, and so that they do not fall on each other.
:

page_text: The action of the knives Y being rapid, and the motion of table U being
comparatively slow, the matters submitted to their action on the table U are
repeatedly struck and cut by the knives Y in passing once round the table,
and by the time that a complete revolution of the table has been performed
they will be sufliciently reduced, so that the whole or nearly the whole will
have passed through the perforations of the table U. The perforations of the
table regulate the size to which the knobs or cubes are to be reduced, and
until they pass through cannot escape the action of the knives Y. The knobs
or cubes passing through the table U are received in an inclined tray or
shoot a, . which conducts them to any suitable receptacle. It will be
observed, that the blow or cut of one knife Y, will take effect on the same
piece of material to be cut at an angle to the several successive cuts or blows
made by the succeeding knives, by reason of the change of its position couse-
quent on the turning round of the table. The plan, Figure 10, represents a
stationary knife b, b, which is held close down on table U, and cuts off any
pieces of sugar or other matter that stand up from the perforations, the lower
part of which pieces then drop through.
Instead of chopping the small pieces with the reciprocating knives, as
herein-before described, I sometimes dispense with that part of the apparatus,
and employ instead a pair of rollers J, J, seen at Figures 1, 2, and 3, and
separately at Figure 7, and again in detached parts at Figures 11 and 12. They
consist of a series of disc surfaces, interlocking each other, and having sharp
teeth, as seen in side view on an enlarged scale at Figure 11. Thesc rollers
are mounted in suitable bearings d, d, and are driven by the spur wheel C, C¹,
the last of which gears with a pinion C", keyed on the shaft of one of the
cutting rollers J, J. The shafts of the cutting rollers are geared with each
other by spur wheels J, J. The sugar or other matters, after being sliced
from the bulk by knife and apparatus, as before described, falls into the
hopper J, and is conducted down upon and between the rollers J, which
carry it through between them, and nip it into small pieces; it is received in
the cut state in a suitable receptacle below.
I do not confine myself to any particular shape of knife or knives in the
cutting edge, nor to their position, and instead of a table having perforations
being employed, a solid horizontal table with or without a covering of india-
rubber or other substance may be used, and knives employed having springs
between them, which knives cut the slice into narrow strips; fixed studs or
pointers clean the knives and prevent them clogging. When the strips arc
cut, the table makes half a revolution, when the knives again descend and cut
or chop the strips at right anglez, and so form them into the required cubes,

page_text: knobs, or pieces, when the table descends and tips up to deliver its contents,
and then returns to its original position (by means of a mangle-wheel motion
or other suitable gear) to receive the next slice ready to be operated upon.
Instead of the table descending and tipping up, it may slide horizontally until
its contents are swept. off by a stationary brush, and then return to its
original position to receive the second slice, and so on; and instead of the
table making half a revolution the knife block may be so constructed as to
make half a revolution.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed. I declare that what I claim as my Invention, to
be protected by the hercin-before in part recited Letters Patent, is, the com-
bination of parts into a machine or apparatus as herein-before described for
the cutting and chopping loaf or lump-sugar, roois, and other substances, as
herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Mountford, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Ninth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
GEORGE MOUNTFORD. (L.S.)