IMPROVEMENTS IN CUTTING AND SEPARATING WOVEN AND FELTED FABRICS, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR."
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Shaw-Brown, of Liverpool, in the County of
Lancashire, Lint Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CUTTING AND SEPARATING WOVEN AND FELTED FABRICS, AND IN APPARATUS
THEREFOR."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Shaw-Brown at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th August 1879.
SAMUEL SHAW-BROWN, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Lint Manu-
facturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN CUTTING AND SEPARATING WOVEN AND FELTED
FABRICS, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR."
Heretofore the cutting and separating of webs, lengths, or pieces of woven, felted,
or textile fabrics into pieces of required or desired size (such as cutting webs of
lint into narrow widths for bandages or other purposes, webs of silk through the
fringe into single handkerchiefs, scarves, neckties, and the like, cutting tubes into
lengths as for sacks, cutting narrow widths from long lengths of calico, and cutting
out for garments), has been a tedious and expensive operation owing to the necessity
in nearly every case of effecting the cutting and separating of each piece singly by
scissors or shears operated by hand, the yielding nature of such fabrics or materials,
and the compressing action of the cutting appliances hitherto used preventing the
severance of more than one thickness without tearing or fraying of the cut edges.
Now my Invention has for its object to provide means whereby a number of
superposed thicknesses of fabric or material may be cut and severed at one opera-
tion expeditiously and neatly; and consists essentially in cutting and separating
such materials or fabrics by means of a series of reciprocating cuts or incisions made
in rapid succession at right angles, or nearly so, to the direction in which it is
desired to cut or sever the said materials or fabrics.
Apparatus for carrying my Invention into practice is constructed essentially as
follows:-
A knife or blade suitably supported or fitted in guides or bearings receives a to
and fro or reciprocating motion in the direction of its cutting edge by means of a
cam, eccentric, lever, or suitable mechanism. The material or fabric to be cut and
severed is supported on a suitable table or platform, and is caused to travel towards
Dis 1

page_text: the knife or blade by motion given to the table or platform, or to rollers; or
the said material or fabric may remain stationary and the knife or blade be caused
to approach with the desired speed. In this latter case suitable bearings, slide
bars, and connections are employed to admit or allow of the movement of the knife
or blade in the desired direction without affecting its to and fro or reciprocating
motion.
When the materials or fabrics are to be cut or severed in any but a straight line,
as for garments, means are provided for giving the fabric, knife, or blade, or both,
angular, curved, or other desired motions.
That apparatus constructed under my Invention may be stopped automatically
after a given length or quantity has been cut; I provide a lock catch which stops
the machine after the knife or blade has made the determined number of strokes, or
the feeding rollers have made the number of revolutions.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Samuel Shaw-Brown in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th:
February 1880.
SAMUEL SHAW-BROWN, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancashire, Lint Manu-
facturer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN CUTTING AND SEPARATING WOVEN AND FELTED
FABRICS, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR."
Heretofore the cutting and separating of webs, lengths, or pieces of woven, felted,
or textile fabrics into pieces of required or desired size (such as cutting webs of
lint into narrow widths for bandages or other purposes, webs of silk through the
fringe into single handkerchiefs, scarves, neckties, and the like, cutting tubes into
lengths as for sacks, cutting narrow widths from long lengths of calico, and cutting
out for garments), has been a tedious and expensive operation owing to the necessity
in nearly every case of effecting the cutting and separating of each piece singly by
'scissors or shears operated by hand, the yielding nature of such fabrics or materials
and the compressing action of the cutting appliances hitherto used preventing the
reverance of more than one thickness without tearing or fraying of the cut edges.
Now my Invention has for its object to provide means whereby a number of
superposed thicknesses of fabric or material may be cut and severed at one opera-
tion expeditiously and neatly; and consists essentially in cutting and separating
such materials or fabrics by means of a series of reciprocating cuts or incisions made
in rapid succession at right angles, or nearly so, to the direction in which it is
desired to cut or sever the said materials or fabrics.
Apparatus for carrying my Invention into practice is constructed essentially as
follows:-
A knife or blade suitably supported or fitted in guides or bearings receives a to
and fro or reciprocating motion in the direction of its cutting edge by means of a
cam, excentric, lever, or suitable mechanism.
i

page_text: The material or fabric to be cut and severed is supported on a suitable table or
platform, and is caused to travel towards the knife or blade by motion given to the
table or platform or to rollers; or the said material or fabric may remain stationary
and the knife or blade be caused to approach with the desired speed. In this latter
case suitable bearings, slide bars, and connections are employed to admit or allow
of the movement of the knife or blade in the desired direction without effecting its
to and fro or reciprocating motion.
When the materials or fabrics are to be cut or severed in any but a straight line,
as for garments, means are provided for giving the fabric, knife, or blade or both,
angular, curved, or other desired motions.
That apparatus constructed under my Invention may be stopped automatically
after a given length or quantity has been cut, I provide a lock catch which stops
the machine after the knife or blade has made the determined number of strokes,
or the feeding rollers have made the number of revolutions.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a plan view, Fig. 2 an end view, and Figs. 3 and 4 elevations of the
opposite sides of apparatus constructed under my Invention, suitable for cutting
and separating webs or lengths of woven, felled, or textile fabrics into pieces of
suitable size, such as rolls of lint into bandages, tubes into lengths for sacks, and
similar purposes. a, framework; b, first motion shaft, operated by suitable power.
The shaft b gives motion to the cutting mechanism through the belt c acting on the
driving pulley d, and to the feed mechanism through the belt e acting on the
driving pulley. gare levers and forks for moving the belts on to one of the loose
pulleys h, i, according as it is desired to arrest the motion of the feed or cutting
mechanism. The said levers and forks are so connected that when the levers are
moved together in the same direction one belt is caused to act on a driving pulley
and the other on a loose pulley. To ensure that both levers shall move together
they are coupled by the yoke j.
The material to be cut is fed forward by the feed rollers and endless tapes
or bands ; l, platform beneath the cutting knife over which the material
passes, and on which it is severed; m, wheel or disc moving in unison with the
feed rollers. The said wheel or disc is fitted or provided with pins n which
act on a catch o so as to cause the levers and forks g to move and throw the
belts on to the fast pulley of the cutting mechanism and loose pulley of the
feed mechanism. The prompt stoppage of the feed rollers is ensured by the levers g
releasing during their motion a detent p, which falls into one of the ratchet
teeth q on the disc or wheel r on the feed roller shaft. A spring pad or other
suitable device is provided to reduce the concussion due to the sudden arresting of
the notion. The starting and stoppage levers, forks, pulleys, and belts may be
arranged in any suitable or well known manner. The wheel or disc m may have
grooves or slots therein so that the pins or their equivalents may be placed at any
suitable distance apart. o, knife, free to slide in guides in the beam t, receiving a
vibrating motion by means of the excentric and rod u, driven by the speed multi-
plying wheels v. The beamt receives motion towards and away from the platform
by means of the excentric and rods w. x, duplex retaining bar at each side of the
knife, raised by the cams y and depressed by the springs z.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-The levers g are moved by hand into
the position shown in Fig. 1 and the feed mechanism started; the fabric then
travels forward until the motion of the feed rollers is arrested by the action of the
pin wheel or disc m on the levers g. The motion of the said levers starts
the cutting mechanism. The presser bar x is pulled down by the springs so as
to hold the cloth firmly in position, and the knife a caused to descend whilst
vibrating, and cut and separate the fabric or fabrics into the desired pieces. When
the knife has risen the levers g are moved by hand and the forward travel of the
fabric or fabrics again commences.

page_text: Fig. 5 is a plan view and Fig. 6 an elevation of apparatus under my Invention
suitable for cutting fabrics or materials into any desired irregular or other shape.
1, framework; 2, driving pulleys; 3, reversing gear; 4, screw with longitudinal
slot 5; 6, wheel with key working in slot 5; 7, multiplying wheels; 8, excentric,
giving motion to the lever arm 9; 10, cutting blade, stretched between the arms
9, 11; 12, slots in arms 9, 11, carrying guides 13, to which the blade 10 is attached;
14, piece coupling the guides 13; the coupling 14 is constructed with a slot 15;
16, guide on the moveable bar 17; 18, springs for keeping the bar 17 against the
template 19; 20, arm for giving radial motion to the lever arms 9, 11, pivoted at
21; 22, template for controlling position of arm 20 by means of the roller 23 and
rod 24, connected to the arm 20.
The action of this machine is as follows:-The fabric to be cut is placed on the
table 25 and the screw 4 is caused to rotate so as to make the blade whilst vibrating
travel along and cut the fabric. The template 19 serves to regulate the position of
the guide coupling 14, and so determine the shape of the line cut by the blade.
The template 22 governs the radial position of the arms 9, 11, and moves the
blade 10 radially so as to cause the cutting edge to face the direcetion in which the
fabric is being cut. The table 25 may be either stationary or moveable.
It will be obvious that the templates may be varied in outline or configuration
to suit the work required. In like manner the slot in the table through which the
blade passes will also be varied. It will also be obvious that pressure should be
applied so as to compress the fabrics during cutting.
Having now described and illustrated the nature of the said Invention in such
manner that others will be enabled, to carry the said improvements into effect I
claim,―
First. Cutting and separating woven or felted fabrics by means of a series of
reciprocating cuts or incisions made in rapid succession, substantially in the manner
and for the purposes set forth.
Second. Giving reciprocating motion to a knife or blade, substantially in the
manner and for the purposes set forth.
Third. Apparatus or appliances acting automatically to arrest the feed mechanism,
constructed, arranged, combined, and operating substantially in the manner set
forth.
Fourth. Apparatus constructed, arranged, combined, and operating substantially
as set forth in connection with Figs. 1, 2, 3, & 4, for the purposes specified.
Fifth. Apparatus constructed, arranged, combined, and operating substantially as
set forth in connection with Figs. 5 and 6.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Shaw-Brown, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.
JAMES JOHNSON,
Patent Office,
4, Clayton Sqr.,
Witness.
Witness.
SAMUEL SHAW-BROWN. (L.S.)