AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR HOLDING, TURNING, AND SHEARING SHEEP, INCLUDING ALSO IMPROVEMENTS IN SHEEP SHEARING T------
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ephraiem Chaquette, of the City and County of
-
San Francisco, State of California, in the United States of America,
for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR HOLDING, TURNING,
AND SHEARING SHEEP, INCLUDING ALSO IMPROVEMENTS IN SHEEP SHEARING
T------
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Ephraiem Chaquette at.
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 4th February 1875, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EPHRAIEM'
CHAQUETTE, of the City and County of San Francisco, State of
California, in the United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
MACHINE FOR HOLDING, TURNING, AND SHEARING SHEEP, INCLUDING ALSO IMPROVE-
MENTS IN SHEEP SHEARING IMPLEMENTS ADAPTED TO THIS AND OTHER SHEEP
SHEARING MACHINES," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me.

page_text: my executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent
for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that I really believe
myself to be first and true Inventor thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Ephraiem Chaquette, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
seal, fully describes the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, that is to say :-
The first part of my Invention consists of a novel device for holding
and turning the sheep while it is being sheared. This I accomplish by
placing the body of the sheep upon an endless belt or bed and securing
the feet of the sheep in rotating clamps or stocks so that the rotation of
the stocks will cause the body of the sheep to turn upon the endless belt
or table. The weight and movement of the body of the sheep causes
the upper surface of the belt to travel towards the front of the machine
and carry the sheared fleece with it.
The second part of my Invention relates to improved sheep shearing
implements and the mechanism for operating them in combination with
my rotating table arrangement, said shear operating mechanism being
adjustable, automatic, and universal in its operation, the shears being
moved and directed by the hand of the person attending the machine.
In the construction of my sheep shearing machine I employ two
frames which can be readily coupled together or disconnected at will.
One single frame might be used, but for convenience in moving the
machine from place to place I prefer to make it in two frames so that it
can be taken apart, packed in a small space, and readily put together
again when required without materially disarranging the various parts.
One of these frames supports the devices for holding, stretching, and.
turning the sheep while it is being sheared, while the other contains the
driving and operating mechanism; and they are connected and operated
in the manner more fully described in the following Specification and
accompanying Drawings, in which,―

page_text: A, A, are two horizontal timbers which are supported at the proper
. distance apart and parallel with each other by connected legs or end
pieces B at each end so as to provide a low frame of the desired length;
inside of these timbers a horizontal frame C is arranged to slide back
and forth either in ways or upon rollers. I prefer to employ rollers, as
represented, as they permit the frame C to move easily and with but
little friction. Upon the middle of this sliding frame C I construct a
table by securing two parallel upright side pieces e, e, transversely across
the frame, and extending rollers f,f, between them, so that the journals
of the rollers will bear in the upper edges of the side pieces; an endless
slat belt D is then secured around these rollers so that it will present an
upper flat surface, as represented, and thus provide a bed for the body
of the sheep to lie upon; at each end of the sliding frame O and upon
each side of the table above described I place a sliding head E; both of
these heads are arranged to slide upon the side rails of the frame C, and
are operated by right and left-hand screws cut on opposite ends of a
rod g which extends longitudinally through the middle of the frame C,
and which is operated by a crank wheel F at one end of the frame, so
that the two heads can be moved towards or from each other by turning
the hand wheel; each head E has an upright standard F' next to the
table, and in the upper end of these standards a box his secured in
which a short journal or shaft turns; on the inner end of this shaft next
to the table a two-armed casting G is secured, one of which has the ends
of its arms bent inward towards the table in the form of a U, as and for
the purpose herein-after described.
The end of the shaft on the opposite side of the standard carries a
spur wheel I which engages with a spur wheel I' below.
This spur
wheel I' has a hollow hub ; which projects upon either side of the wheel,
and one end of this hub bears in the lower end of the standard F,
while its opposite end bears in a cross beam J which extends across the
head E.
The spur wheel I' is driven by a tubular shaft K which is long
enough to extend through the hubs j of both spur wheels near each end
of the frame C, while the screw rod 9 passes through it, as shown.
This tubular shaft K passes through the hollow hub of a bevel gear
wheel L near its middle, which moves on a feather on the shaft so that
it can be thrown in or out of gear by means of a lever w with a bevel
pinion m on the end of a tumbling rod n, which is driven as herein-after

page_text: described. Upon the arms of the casting G at each side of the table or
endless belt, I secure the clamps which hold the legs of the sheep.
Each of these clamps consists of two jaws o, o', which are hinged
- together at one end. The lower or fixed jaw o is fastened by a swivel
bolt to the middle of a plate p, and the plate p has a journal formed on
each end which bears in lugs q formed on each end of a square tube r.
The tuber is just large enough to slip on over the end of the arms of
the casting, where they can be fastened at any point along their length
desired by any suitable fastening. The movable or opening jaw o¹ of
the clamp has a proper handle, which can be readily grasped with the
hand to open and close the clamp. The portion of the hinge which
pertains to the fixed jaw is formed into a ratchet, and a lever pawl 8 is
attached to the opening or movable jaw so as to engage with the
ratohet. A spring keeps this pawl closed down upon the ratchet so that
when it is desired to open the movable jaw, the pawl handle must be
pressed against the handle of the opening jaw, and the moment its handle
is released the spring will force the pawl into engagement with the

page_text: has a smaller bevel toothed rim close to the shaft, is placed loosely upon
the shaft.
A hollow standard Y extends upward from the top of the frame Tito
the desired distance, and a shaft 1 passes vertically through this
standard. The lower end of this shaft carries a bevel pinion 2 which
engages with the outside toothed rim of the bevel wheel X, while its
upper end extends above the standard. A swivel casting 3 rests upon
the upper end of the standard Y, and has two spreading arms 4 and 5
extending upward from it. The vertical shaft 1 extends through this
casting 3 and carries a bevel pinion 6 on its upper end; 7 is a balance
beam which is mounted between the spreading arms 4 and 5 upon
hollow trunnions 8 which rest in recesses in the upper ends of the arms.
The middle of this beam is made in the form of a square, as shown, so
that the sides of the square come inside of the arms, leaving a large
opening between them. A shaft marked 9 extends across this opening,
its ends bearing in the hollow trunnions of the beam 7, and on this.
shaft is a bevel toothed wheel marked 10. 11 is a shaft which extends
along one end of the beam 7, bearing in suitable boxes and carrying a
bevel pinion 12 at one end inside of the opening between the upright:
arms 4 and 5, so as to engage with the bevel wheel 10. The outer end
of this shaft also carries a bevel (wheel 13 which engages with a bevel
wheel 14, and the bevel wheel 14 is fixed to the upper end of a vertical-
shaft which passes through the end of the beam and serves to drive the
shearing apparatus. The opposite end of the beam 7 is simply a rod
upon which a sliding weight 15 is arranged to move, so that the beam.
can be balanced on its trunnions.
It will be seen from the above described mechanical arrangement
that power applied to the driving pulley W on the shaft V will drive
the shaft 1 through the bevel wheels X and 2, while the pinion 6 on the
upper end of the shaft 1 drives the bevel wheel 10 and shaft 9, and this
bevel wheel 10 drives the shaft 11 and its connected gearing. The
balance beam 7 being mounted upon the swivel casting 3 can be turned
horizontally to any point of a circle without disconnecting its gearing,
and can also be moved vertically upon its trunnions, thus providing a
universal movement of the beam. A horizontal shaft marked 16 is
sup-
ported from a hanger 17 opposite to and at right angles with the shaft V,
and this shaft carries a bevel wheel 18 on its inner end so as to engage
with the smaller bevel toothed wheel which is formed on the side of the

page_text: bevel wheel X. The opposite end of this shaft is made square, so that
it can be entered into a socket 19, which is connected with the tumbling
rod n of the first described frame by a universal joint connection 20.
I thus connect the two frames, so that by engaging a sliding clutch 21
which moves on a feather on the shaft V, with the hub of the bevel
wheel X, all of the mechanism of both frames will be driven from
the same shaft V. A lever 22 serves to operate the clutch 21, and
extends out far enough to be within easy reach of a person standing
upon the opposite side of the [frame A, A. The shearing tool which I
use operates in a different manner from any of the sheep shearing imple-
ments heretofore in use. The body of the tool is marked 23, and con-
sists of a flat case having two pointed guards 24 extending out in
front of it, the points of which are turned up in the usual way, while a
handle 25 is secured to the opposite side. This handle is constructed in
a convenient manner to be grasped by the hand of the operator, so that
he can guide and control the movements of the shears. The lower
cutting blade 26 is made with two prongs in the form of a V, the inner
curved edges of which only are sharpened, while the upper blade 27 is
two-edged. These blades are secured by a pivot in the usual way, and
are operated by separate cams inside of the flat case. The blades 26
and 27 have an alternate reciprocating motion, so that the upper blade
meets the cutting edge of each prong of the lower blade just as it
passes inside of the guard over which it reciprocates, and thus givès a
regular shearing cut. A point 28 extends out as far as the ends of
the shear blades between the two guards 24, so as to separate the wool
and give each blade its proportion, thus avoiding any over feeding or
choking of the blades. The guards 24 are wide enough to protect the
movements of the lower blades, so that they cannot get into the wool
outside of the guards.
The shaft which operates the cams inside of the case extends upwards
a short distance above the case where it is connected by means of a
universal joint 29 with a short extension shaft 30, and this short
extension shaft connects at its upper end with a universal joint 31 with
the lower end of the vertical shaft which passes through the outer end
of the balance beam. This shaft is provided with an extensible
section 34 at its middle. Thus the same power which operates the
remaining machinery also drives the shear blades.
To prevent the wool from getting entangled with the universal

page_text: joint 29 I surround it with a coiled wire from the case up to and above
the joint, and then cover the wire with cloth, as at 32, thus providing a
flexible case or cover which will effectually protect the joint. The
machine can be driven by foot power, if desired, and I have applied a
treadle 33 which can be easily detached from the machine when it is to
be moved, or when other power is to be used.
In the operation of this machine the sheep is thrown upon the bed or
table which is formed by the upper flat surface of the belt D, so that
it will lie transversely across it, with its head hanging down between the
ends of the U shaped arms of the casting G.
The movable jaws o' of the clamps being thrown back the legs of the
sheep are placed, one in each clamp, and fastened by closing the jaws,
its body resting on the belt or table. The crank wheel P is then turned
so as to move the sliding heads E towards the ends of the frame O in
opposite directions, and thus stretch the legs of the sheep until it is
rendered incapable of moving voluntarily. The operator by means of
lever 22 moves the clutch 21 into engagement with the wheel X so as
to start the shearing mechanism into motion.
He then grasps the
handle of the shears with his right hand and inserts the point of the
shears into the wool and guides them in the ordinary manner of shearing
sheep. As soon as the shears begin to cut, the operator either with his
left hand or knee moves the lever w so as to throw the gear wheel L into
gear with the pinion m on the end of the tumbling rod n.
This causes
the tubular shaft K and its spur wheels I, I', to rotate, and as the spur
wheel I engages with the spur wheel I' the castings G on both sides of
the bed or table will be rotated simultaneously.
Now as the legs of the sheep are firmly held in the clamps upon the
arms of the castings they will be carried around in a circle, still main-
taining their relative positions, and causing the body of the sheep to
rotate upon the bed or table in the manner of turning a piece of wood
in a turning lathe. The casting G will turn slow enough to permit the
operator to shear the fleece as it turns. The weight of the body of the
sheep upon the endless belt and its rotation will cause the endless belt
to travel towards the front of the machine, and as the fleece is cut and
falls upon the belt it will be carried automatically to the front of the
machine, and deposited, when entirely severed, upon the ground. As
the sheep's head will hang below the level of the table while it is being

page_text: sheared the wrinkles in its neck will be stretched out so that no difficulty
will be encountered in shearing it, and the stretching process to which
the sheep's body is first subjected will accomplish the same result for
the body. I thus provide a machine which will hold and shear sheep
with great facility. The speed with which the work is accomplished
prevents the sheep from becoming fatigued by reason of its peculiar
situation, and as the operation does not hurt or injure the sheep it will
not attempt to struggle while in the stocks.
The great flexibility of the parts of the machine render the work of
shearing simple and easy; the balance beam can be swivelled to any
point, and fixed in place by a set screw when desired. It can also be
used for shearing pelts by employing a table to place the pelt upon, and
swivelling the beam around to the proper position. A full sized shearing.
machine will be comparatively light, and it can be easily taken apart
and put together again when desired.
Besides the shearing implement above described I have also devised
an arrangement which is shown at Figure 3, by means of which I am
able to operate a pair of ordinary sheep shears by power applied to a
shaft. In this arrangement I employ a case similar to case 22 above-
described, and which has a similar handle 25.
The top of the case has a circular opening in it, and over this opening.
is formed or secured an inverted circular cup-shaped box C³, so as to
form a circular cavity or socket in the top of the case.
.
"
The shaft D2, which transmits the power and communicates motion
to the shears, passes through the center of the top of the box, and down
through the case 22, so as to step in the bottom of the case. An inverted
cup-shaped cam E³ is secured to this shaft inside of the cavity formed by
the box C. Inside of the case near its rear end I secure one end of two
levers f³, f, one upon the other by means of a pin or bolt, which will
allow them to move sideways, and over the ends of the levers I secure a
clamp G. These levers extend forward so that their opposite ends are
opposite the middle of the cam E. To the forward end of each of these
levers I secure a friction roller, so that the roller will come inside of
the cam E³, and upon the opposite or lower side of each I secure a
clamp H². I then take any pair of ordinary sheep shears I', such as is 3
used for shearing sheep by hand, and fasten the middle of the bow or
spring J in the clamp G². The shank K³ of each blade of the shears I

page_text: :
then secure in one of the clamps H³ at the end of the lever arms. The
shear blades will then pass out through the slot in the front of the case 22,
and lie directly over or upon the guards L³, which extend forward from
the bottom of the case. It is therefore evident that when the cam
cup E is rotated it will alternately force the rollers i³, outer ends of the
lever arms f³, ƒ³, and the shear blades to and from each other in the
manner of operating shears by hand. The clamp G³, which secures the
rear end or bow of the shears, is secured in the case by bolts or screws,
which pass up through slotted holes in the top of the case, so that the
clamp can be adjusted back and forth, as desired, in order to draw the
shear blades further into the case or project them farther out, as required.
As one shear blade moves back and forth above the other I form a
ledge on the bottom part of the case, and partly across the opening,
through which the shear blades pass, so that the uppermost shear blade
can rest upon it. I then apply a set screw through the top of the case,
so that its lower end will press upon the upper blade and close it down
against the under blade for the purpose of keeping their cutting edges
-sharply together.
Underneath the bottom of the case I form an oil box V, in which the
shaft D² steps, so that the bearing will be lubricated. By this arrange-
ment I provide a device which will operate ordinary hand sheep shears,
and permit of their use in connection with my sheep shearing and holding
machine.
Having thus described my Invention what I claim and desire to secure
by Letters Patent is,―
First. The sliding table C provided with the heads E and the right
and left hand screw 9 in combination with the belt table D and clamps G,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Second. In combination with the belt table D, consisting of an endless
belt fitting around the rollers f, f, I claim the adjustable sliding heads E
with their rotating castings Gand adjustable clamps, substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.
Third. The clamps consisting of the hinged jaws o, o', having the
fixed jaw o attached by a swivel connecting to the plate p, which plate
has its ends journalled in lugs on a sliding tube or box r, substantially as
and for the purpose set forth.

page_text: Fourth. The means herein described for automatically turning the
sheep, consisting essentially of the sliding gear L, the gear m, tubular
-shaft K, gears I, J, and clamps, substantially as above set forth.
5
Fifth. The shearing implement consisting of the guard 24, point 28,
and the vibrating shear blades 26 and 27, enclosed in a proper case, and
provided with a suitable handle and with means for operating the same
in the manner above described.
Sixth. In a sheep shearing machine a pendent for supporting the
..shears, consisting of the joints 29 and 34 and the yielding connection 31,
.substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Seventh. The sheep shear Is in combination with the adjustable bow
clamp G², pivoted lever arms f, f, with their end clamps Hand
rollers *, arranged to be operated by the inner bed cup shaped cam E² on
'the shaft D³, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Ephraiem Chaquette, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of January, in the year of
our Lord, A.D., One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
Witness,
JOHN L. BOONE.
C. M. RICHARDSON.
EPHRAIEM CHAQUETTE. (L.S.)