IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLIPPING OR SHEARING ANIMALS
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Albert Martin, of Old Charlton, in the County
of Kent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
CLIPPING OR SHEARING ANIMALS."
Sealed the 9th October 1874, and dated the 20th July 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Albert Martin at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th July 1874.
I, ALBERT MARTIN, of Old Charlton, in the County of Kent, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR CLIPPING OR SHEARING ANIMALS," to be as follows:―
.
In the Provisional Specification lodged by me on the 27th June last
(No. 2236) was described the employment of a cover plate to press
against the teeth of the upper cutter plate of apparatus used for clipping
or shearing animals.
According to my present improvements in place of such cover plate
being a simple straight edge bearing upon all of the teeth of he upper

page_text: "
(
cutter plate the cover plate may have numerous slots cut into it from its
front edge so as to divide it into numerous springs which may each bear
upon one, two, three, or more of the teeth of the cutter, as desired, or in
place of the cover plate bearing directly upon the upper cutter it may
bear upon a strip of leather, vulcanized india-rubber, or other elastic
material, and a strip of metal be interposed between the elastic material
and the cutter. The cover plate I form to cover the upper cutter
plate, and at its rear end it is bent downwards just in rear of the cutter
plate so that it may bear upon the lower toothed cutter plate.
In order also to draw downwards the front edge of the cover plate on
to the upper cutter I employ screws, by preference four or five, passed
through the lower.cutter. through slots in the upper cutter, and screwed
into the cover plate or into a supporting bar above it. The heads of the
screws may be countersunk or received into the bottom plate. In place
of all of the teeth of the upper cutter being deeply cut deep cuts may
be formed between every second, third, or other number of teeth.
In order also that the apparatus may readily be worked with one hand
I form the lever handles in such manner that they may both readily be
grasped with one hand and apply a spring between them to force them
apart from one another in the following manner: To the inner side of
one handle is fixed one end of a spring, which at its other end is con-
nected to a link jointed to the other handle.
When the handles are pressed together and the spring is thereby
straightened the link turns on its joint and permits of the free move-
ment of the spring with but little friction, and the spring is enabled to
act with greater advantage to affect the backward cut than if no link
were used.
:
The upper lever handle may turn upon a pin screwed into the upper
side of the lower lever handle near its end, whilst the bottom plate is
screwed to its under side; or the upper lever handle may work direct
upon the bottom plate, a screw pin being passed up through the bottom
plate and screwed into the lever handle; whilst the lower handle may.
forked and fastened to the bottom plate at its two sides, or it might.bc
fixed to the plate on one side only and be curved to bring it centrally
below the other handle just in rear of the plate.
be
At the present time the upper cutter plate has slots formed in it to
receive square studs which serve as guides for it in its to-and-fro motion.

page_text: In place of this I employ small square blocks of metal, each having a
hole formed through it for screws to be passed through for holding down
the cover plate.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,.
filed by the said Albert Martin in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 20th January 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALBERT
MARTIN, of Old Charlton, in the County of Kent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the
thirty-eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Albert Martin, Her special
license that I, the said Albert Martin, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Albert Martin, my executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 APPARàtus
FOR CLIPPING OR SHEARING ANIMALS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Albert Martin, 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 be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
.
°
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Albert Martin, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to
say :—
This Invention has for its, object improvements in apparatus for
clipping or shearing animals, and the improvements relate, firstly, to a

page_text: cover plate employed to press upon the upper cutter plate to keep all
the teeth of this plate in contact with the teeth of the bottom plate."
For this purpose I either form a number of slots in the front edge of
the cover plate so as to divide it into numerous springs which may each
bear upon one, two, three, or more of the teeth of the cutter, as desired,
or in place of the cover plate bearing directly upon the upper cutter it
may bear upon a strip of leather, vulcanized india-rubber, or other
elastic material, and a strip of metal be interposed between the elastic
material and the cutter. The cover plate I in some cases form to cover
over the upper cutter plate and at its rear end bend it downwards just 1
in rear of the cutter plate so that it may bear upon the lower toothed
cutter plate.
In order also to draw downwards the front edge of the cover plate on
to the upper cutter I employ screws, by preference four or five, passed
through the lower cutter through slots in the upper cutter and screwed 1
into the cover plate or into a supporting bar above it. The heads of the
screws may be countersunk or received into the bottom plate.".
In order also that the apparatus may readily be worked with one hand
I form the lever handles in such manner that they may both readily be
grasped with one hand and apply a spring between them to force them.
apart from one another in the following manner:-To the inner side of
one handle is fixed one end of a spring which at its other end is con-
nected to a link jointed to the other handle.
a
When the handles are pressed together and the spring is thereby
straightened the link turns on its joint and permits of the free move-
ment of the spring with but little friction, and the spring is enabled to
act with greater advantage to effect the backward cut than if no link
were used.
:
In order also to enable the apparatus to be worked with one hand, and
also to render it suitable for shearing sheep, I reduce the amount of
movement required to be given to the upper cutter as herein-after
explained, and at the same time so shape the teeth of the bottom cutter
plate that they shall readily keep down close to the skin and that the
wool shall not clog in them. The upper lever handle may turn upon a
pin screwed into the upper side of the lower lever handle near its end,
whilst the bottom plate is screwed to its under side; or the upper lever
handle may work direct upon the bottom plate, a screw pin being passed
'

page_text: up through the bottom plate and screwed into the lever handle, whilst
the lower handle may be forked and fastened to the bottom plate at its
two sides, or it might be fixed to the plate on one side only and be
curved to bring it centrally below the other handle just in rear of the
plate.
At the present time the upper cutter plate has slots formed in it to
receive square studs which serve as guides for it in its to-and-fro motion.
In place of this I employ small square blocks of metal, each having a
hole formed through it for screws to be passed through for holding down
the cover plate.
Figure 1 of the Drawings hereunto annexed shews a plan view, and
Figure 1* a transverse section of an apparatus for clipping or shearing
animals, in which the front edge of the cover plate, herein-before men-
tioned, has a number of slits formed in it so as to divide it into a number
of separate springs.
a is the bottom cutter plate having comb-like teeth along its front
edge as heretofore usual; 6 is the upper cutter plate, also having teeth
along its front edge; c is the cover plate, the front edge of which bears
upon the cutter b; c¹ are the slots cut in the front of the plate c. The
back edge of the cover plate is also bent down so as to rest upon the
plate a in rear of the cutter b. d, d, are screws passed upwards through
the plate a, through slots in the cutter b, through the plate c, and
screwed into the bar e, which is placed above this plate. By this means
the front edge of the plate c is pressed against the top of the cutter b.
ff, are portions of lever handles for working the cutters. The upper
lever handle turns upon a pin g screwed into the lower lever handle, and
this latter handle is fixed by screws h to the bottom plate a.
k is a
screw nut for holding together the lever handles. The upper cutter has
fixed to it a pin 7, which rises up through slots in the plate c and bar e
and enters a hole in the end of the upper lever handle.
Figures 2.shew a similar construction of clipping or shearing apparatus
with the exception that the front edge of the cover plate c has no slits
cut into it.
Another way of.connecting the handles with the cutters is shewn at
Figure 3. In this arrangement the upper lever handle works directly
upon the bottom plate, whilst the lower handle is forked and is fastened.
to the bottom plate at its two sides, as shewn.
h

page_text: In the arrangement shewn at Figures 3", 3b, and 3° the lower lever handle
is also forked and secured to the bottom cutter. The upper lever handle
is formed in two parts; the shorter arm lies below the cover plate and
its end enters a slot cut out from the upper cutter. On the shorter arm
are pivots, which are received into holes in the bottom cutter and in the
cover plate, and the pivot which rises up through the cover plate is
formed just above the cover plate, with a square head, over which is
fitted the long lever arm or handle, and the handle is held thereto by a
nut on to the upper end of the pivot. The cover plate at the back
rests on the end of the lower handle, and is also bent over so as to
entirely close in the back of the apparatus. The screw pins which
fasten the lower handle to the bottom cutter plate rise up through holes
in the cover plate to keep it in position, and the cover plate is also drawn
downwards at the front against the bottom cutter by screws & passed
downwards through the cover plate through the movable cutter and
screwed into the bottom plate a.
.
"
The lever handles may either be formed so as to be held one in each
hand or like scissor handles, as shewn at Figure 6, or to be grasped in
one hand, as shewn at Figures 4 and 5, or they may have wooden handles
fixed to their ends, or may be otherwise suitably formed.
In the clipping or shearing apparatus, shewn at Figures 4, the cover
plate in place of bearing directly upon the cutter & bears upon a strip of
leather or such like elastic material, and between this elastic material
and the cutter a thin strip of spring steel is interposed.
In: Figures 4 is also shewn how the heads of the screws employed for
Holding down the cover plate are received into recesses on the under side
of the cutter plate a so as not to leave any projection standing out from
the under surface of this cutter. The cover plate shewn in these Figures
is simply a bar placed above the cutter.
The handles of the clipping or shearing apparatus shewn in Figures 4
àre formed in a suitable manner to be grasped in the hand, and are
forced apart by a spring acting in the manner herein-before described;
m is the spring fixed at one end to one of the lever handles, and at its
other end jointed to a link m³ carried by the other lever handle. A
şimilar arrangement of lever handles forced apart by a spring and link
is shewn at Figure 5. The. scissor handles shewn at. Figure 6 are also.

page_text: provided with a similar arrangement of spring and link to force them
apart from one another.
In the clipping or shearing apparatus, shewn at Figures 4, 5, and 6,
small square blocks are placed around each of the screw pins d, and are
received in slots in the cutter 6 to serve as guides for the cutter in its
to-and-fro movement.
The clipping or shearing apparatus shown at Figures 5 and 6 are
specially adapted for shearing sheep. In apparatus used for this purpose
it is necessary that the teeth of the lower cutter should be comparatively
coarse, so that their points should not be liable to pierce the skin of
the animal.
In the apparatus shewn at Figure 6 there are two teeth on the upper
cutter for each tooth of the lower cutter, whilst in the apparatus shewn
at Figure 5, which is the construction I prefer, the teeth are formed in
such a manner that but a slight amount of traverse has to be given to
the upper cutter. The upper surface of each of the teeth of the bottom
cutter is hollowed out in the centre, as shewn, and the upper cutter is
traversed to such an extent only that its teeth move from over the side
edge of one tooth of the lower cutter to over the side edge of the tooth
next to it.
In order also that the wool may readily gather in between the teeth of
the lower cutter and that these teeth may when shearing keep down
close to the skin of the animal, the fore part of each tooth is bevilled off
on the under side, as shewn in the cross section and under side view of
these teeth, Figures 5**. The back part of these teeth are not bevilled
off, or not to the same extent; so as to leave a broad surface to bear
upon the skin and prevent its being drawn up between the teeth. By'
forming the teeth in this manner the apparatus will always cut the wool
close to the skin of the animal without any danger of cutting the skin.
In order also to secure a proper cutting contact between the teeth of
the upper and lower cutters the upper cutter is as heretofore of a curved
form, as shown at Figure 5*, the rear portion of the teeth of the cutter
being ground away on the under side, so that their front portions only
bear upon the teeth of the lower cutter a, and these portions only act as
cutters.
An improved arrangement for giving motion from the upper lever
handle to the movable cutter is also shewn at Figures 4, 5, and 6. · A

page_text: pin carried by the end of the lever enters a block n received into a
recess in the back of the cutter plate, so that the pin simply turns in
the block and is not so much subject to wear as if it entered directly into
a slot in the upper cutter, as heretofore usual. This is of importance
when the apparatus is to be worked with one hand as any wear upon the
pin would alter the amount of movement required to be given to the
handles..
:
:
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood, that I claim as my im-
provements in apparatus for clipping or shearing animals,—
1. The employment of a cover plate slotted along its front edge, in
combination with the toothed cutters a and b, substantially as herein
described.
☐
2. Forming the cover plate to cover over the whole of the upper
cutter, with the exception of its cutting teeth, and to be bent over at its
rear end to come just in rear of the upper cutter and bear upon the
bottom plate, substantially as described.
i.
3. The employment of screws passed upwards through the bottom'
plate a and the upper cutter b to screw into the cover plate c and draw
it downwards on to the upper cutter, substantially as described.
4. The combined arrangement of spring and jointed link for forcing
apart the lever handles of apparatus for clipping or shearing animals,"
substantially as herein described.
5. The means, substantially as herein described, of combining, the
cutter plates with their handles.
.
6. The combined arrangement of apparatus for giving motion to the
cutter b, substantially as described and shewn at Figures 3ª, 3, and 3º,
and also the arrangement shown at Figure 3.
7. The employment of square blocks fitting over the screws by which'
the cover plate is held down and received in slots in the upper cutter to
serve as guides to guide it in its to-and-fro movement.
7.
8. Forming each of the teeth of the lower cutter a with a hollow
along its upper surface, substantially, as shewn at Figure 5.
9. Forming the teeth of the lower cutter, in the manner herein.

page_text: ALBERT MARTIN. (L.S.)