IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND MACHINERY FOR EDGING GRASS, AND RAPID CUTTING WITH SHEARS OR SCISSORS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Patrick Adie, of 15, Pall Mall, in the County of Middlesex,
for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS AND MACHINERY FOR EDGING
GRASS, AND RAPID CUTTING WITH SHEARS OR SCISSORS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Patrick Adie at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th August 1880.
PATRICK ADIE, of 15, Pall Mall, in the County of Middlesex.
"IMPROVEMENTS
IN MEANS AND MACHINERY FOR EDGING GRASS, AND RAPID CUTTING WITH
SHEARS OR SCISSORS."
I attach to the sloping tang of the lower limb of a pair of ordinary edging or
other shears a roller or wheel on one side, and on the other a three or other
convenient numbered upright or vertical armed cam. These, that is the roller and
cam, are attached to either end of an axle which passes through and works in a
hole in the said tang. To the other tang I attach, or form out of it, a tooth,
against the horizontal face of which the cam arms work, pressing the blades open
with a downward pressure as it revolves, the blades again being shut suddenly on
passing each arm of the cam by means of a spring, preferably spiral, so as to cut all
that comes between. The roller, with or without spikes, runs on the grass, and the
friction turns the cam which opens the shears which the spring shuts again, so that
a man can edge at a fast walking pace. I also add a moveable pan to the lower
shear blade to catch the grass as it is cut. This arrangement needs one handle
only, but a second moveable one can be added if needed for special uses. I also fix
the spring obliquely so as to close the edges of the shears in cutting. This system
may also be applied to shears with more than one pair of blades. Though my
description applies to edging shears the system may also be applied
two rollers to any kind of shears or scissors.
with one or
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Patrick Adie in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd February
1881.
PATRICK ADIE, of 15, Pall Mall, in the County of Middlesex.
"IMPROVEMENTS
IN MEANS AND MACHINERY FOR EDGING GRASS, AND RAPID CUTTING WITH
SHEARS OR SCISSORS."
For the purpose of edging grass and rapid cutting with shears or scissors, I
combine with a pair of shears or scissors a roller which can be run along the
Driss A31

page_text: surface that is to be edged, and, which, by its revolution by means of suitable cam
teeth or wipers gives reciprocating movement to one of the cutting blades. I will
describe the construction of a machine thus arranged for the purpose of edging
grass walks or borders, referring to the accompanying Drawings. Fig. 1 is a side
view; Fig. 2 is a front view, partly in section, and Fig. 3 is a plan. A and B are
the two blades of a pair of scissors or shears, the one A being the stationary blade,
and the other B being the blade which by its up and down movement effects the
cut. On the shank of the blade AI make a boss a which forms a bearing for a
spindle passing through it. On one end of the spindle is fixed a roller C which
rolls along the surface to be edged, and on the other end of the spindle I fix a set
of cam teeth or wipers D, of which there may be three, as shewn, or other suitable
number. A projection E from the blade B bears against these cam teeth D, and a
spring F is connected to the shank of the blade B, this spring being so placed as to
pull in an oblique direction, and so cause the edge of the blade B as it closes to
bear with shearing action against the edge of A. The shank of the blade A is let
into a handle G by which the operator pushes the machine along. As it is so
pushed the roller C revolves, and with it the wipers D, each of which in its turn
raises the blade B by acting on its projection E. When the projection escapes the
point of each wiper the spring F causes the blade B to close rapidly, so that the
grass included between the two blades is shorn. It is of advantage to arrange the
blades A and B so that their shearing plane is somewhat inclined from the vertical,
as this permits the cutting to be effected more closely to the edge.
Although I have described a machine suitable for such a purpose as edging grass
borders, it is obvious that machines of like construction might be employed for
other purposes, such, for instance, as shearing the edges of paper hangings, or
generally for effecting a continuous shearing of material projecting beyond the
Machines such
edge of or lying on a surface along which the roller may be run.
as I have described, instead of having one roller might have two or more according
to the scale on which they might be made, or the character of the work to which
they might be applied. And the roller or rollers instead of having the cam teeth
or wipers fixed on their spindles might be arranged to drive them by suitable
gearing.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I claimı,—
First. Edging grass, or cutting in a continuous manner, by means of spring
shears or scissors worked by the rotation of a roller on which they are mounted,
and with which they are made to travel along the surface to be edged, substantially
as herein described.
Second. The construction of continuous shearing machine herein described with
reference to the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Patrick Adie, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twenty sixth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
DATPIOR ATTE
PATRICK
TRICK ADIE
ADIE (LS)