A Stalk or Shoot Cutter.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Aug., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 16th May, 1891-Accepted, 25th July, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Stalk or Shoot Cutter.
EDWIN WILLIAM COLLIER 1 Sussex Villas, Leyton, Essex, Commercial
Traveller ARTHUR BURGESS SOAR Springbank, Hendon, N.W., Wireworker
ROBINS THOMAS COOKE Eraligool, Sylhet, E. India, Tea Planter do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
A number of metal discs are mounted on an axle at such distances apart as
necessary to divide the stalks or shoots of plants into pieces of a required length.
The edge of the periphery of each disc may be flat, rounded, or sharpened to an
edge. Two of these axles provided with discs are mounted in bearings capable of
adjustment so that the discs may be revolved in such proximity to each other as to
cut or divide the stalks or shoots passing between them without cutting the attached
leaves.
The stalks or shoots are fed on to an inclined plane down which they slide falling
on another plane inclined in the opposite direction from which they slide to
the revolving discs, arranged by the fall parallel or nearly so to the axles on
which the discs are mounted.
For the
The stalk cutter is particularly applicable in the preparation of tea.
manufacture of tea young shoots are plucked from the plants with two or more
leaves attached. Coarse and fine leaf can be made into good tea if dealt with
separately, whereas if manufactured together the quality of one or the other or
of both must be deteriorated, and for this reason a large quantity of leaf which
could be made into good tea is left on the bushes, reducing the crop, and
retarding the growth of succeeding flushes. The use of the stalk cutter will
enable tea planters to divide the shoots into two or more pieces, thus separating
the coarse and fine leaf without injuring either for the purpose of manufacture
into tea; consequently more leaf can be plucked from a given area of plants
with advantage, and with improvement to their subsequent growth, and a better
average quality of tea may be made.
Dated this Eighteenth day of August 1890
EDWIN WILLIAM COLLIER.
ARTHUR BURGESS SOAR.
ROBINS T. COOKE.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Stalk or Shoot Cutter.
EDWIN WILLIAM COLLIER 1 Sussex Villas, Leyton, Essex, Commercial
Wireworker,
Traveller, ARTHUR BURGESS SOAR Springbank, Hendon, N.W.,
ROBINS THOMAS COOKE Eraligool, Sylhet, E. India, Tea Planter, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
A number of metal discs are mounted on an axle at such distances apart as
necessary to divide the stalks or shoots of plants into pieces of a required length.
The edge of the periphery of each disc may be flat, rounded, or sharpened to
an edge. Two of these axles provided with discs are mounted in bearings
capable of adjustment so that the discs may be revolved in such proximity to
cach other as to cut or divide the stalks or shoots passing between them, without
cutting the attached leaves. The stalks or shoots are fed on to an inclined plane,
TD 017

page_text: down which they slide falling on another plane inclined in the opposite direction,
from which they slide to the revolving discs, arranged by the fall parallel or
nearly so to the axles on which the discs are mounted. The stalk cutter is
particularly applicable in the preparation of tea. For the manufacture of tea
young shoots are plucked with two or more leaves attached. Coarse and fine
leaf can be made into good tea if dealt with separately, whereas if manufactured
together the quality of one or the other or of both must be deteriorated, and
for this reason a large quantity of leaf which could be made into good ten is
left on the bushes, reducing the crop and retarding the growth of succeeding
flushes. The use of the stalk cutter will enable tea planters to divide the shoots
into two or more pieces, thus separating the coarse and fine leaf without injuring
either for the purpose of manufacture into tea: consequently more leaf can be
'plucked from a given area of plants with advantage, and with improvement to
their subsequent growth, and a better average quality of tea may be made.
In the accompanying drawing :-
Fig. 1. is a plan of the machine with the inclined planes removed.
Fig. 2. is a front elevation of the machine with the inclined planes removed.
Fig. 3. is a side elevation.
Fig. 4. is a sectional view of the inclined planes.
Fig. 5. shews sections of discs which may be used.
The stalk or shoot cutter consists of an iron frame F., on which are mounted
bearings B. B', in which run the axles A. A. On these axles the discs (provided
with central holes for the purpose) are placed. and secured in position by end
pieces E. E and nuts screwed on the axles, a portion of the axles at each end
being threaded for the purpose.
The dises may be sufficiently thick (as shown in Fig. 5.) to keep the cutting
peripheries at the distances apart required to cut the stalks into pieces of the
desired length or may be thin, and kept at the requisite distances apart by
washers placed between them as shewn in Fig. 5, and the periphery of each
dise may be square, rounded, or sharpened to an edge, as shewn in Fig. 54 BC,
in order to provide the most suitable edges for dividing stalks of various kinds,
of various ages of growth, and consequent degrees of hardness.
Two metal cylinders might be turned in a lathe, and grooved to provide
ridges which would serve a similar purpose to the discs mounted on axles. On
both axles of the machine are placed cog-wheels Cg. Cg. which engage each
other, and on one of the axles a pulley is fixed for driving by means of a belt.
The bearings B' in which the axle A' runs are adjustable by means of screws S. S.,
so that the axles carrying the discs may revolve at a greater or less distance
apart as required, and the axle A' may also be adjusted in the direction of
its length by the set-collars C¹ C¹
By means of these two adjustments the peripheries of the disces may be
brought into such proximity longitudinally and laterally (as indicated by the
arrows in plan, Fig. 1) that stalks passing between the revolving discs are
evenly divided into lengths, whereas the leaves attached to such stalks sustain
little or no damage in passing. The feeding hopper consists of two or more
inclined planes, and is shewn in section in Fig. 4. For convenience the machine
would be constructed with two inclined planes I. I' set at suitable angles, and
the third or feeding plane H. (which would vary considerably in length to suit
working arrangements, and provide sufficient fall for the stalks) would be supplied
by the user of the machine. The stalks would be fed at the top of the inclined
plane H. by hand, or by an endless band, or conveyer of any suitable description.
The object of the inclined plane is to scatter the stalks, and so arrange them
that they arrive at, and are fed to the revolving discs parallel or nearly so to
the axles on which the discs are mounted. Below the revolving discs a sieve
is kept in position by means of spiral springs (s. s. above-s s below the
sieve) fixed to each side of the sieve. An arın a. is also fastened to each side
of the sieve; and to the end pieces E' E' on the axle, one or more pins or

page_text: cams J. J. are fixed, which when the machine is in motion engage the arms
and give a vibratory joggling motion to the sieve. The object of this sieve is
to separate pieces of stalk having no leaf attached, from those pieces to which
the leaf remains attached after passing between the revolving discs.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
First In machines for cutting or dividing stalks or shoots of trees, bushes
and plants, the employment of discs having square, rounded, or edged peripheries
mounted on revolving axles substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Second In machines for cutting or dividing stalks or shoots of trees, bushes
and plants, the employment of revolving metal cylinders grooved to provide
ridges to serve as substitutes for the discs mounted on axles referred to in the
body of this Specification, and in the first claim.
Third In machines for cutting or dividing stalks or shoots of trees, bushes
and plants the employment of two or more inclined planes for feeding the stalks
to the revolving discs, and arranging them parallel or nearly so to the axles
on which the discs are mounted, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this Sixteenth day of May 1891.
EDWIN WILLIAM COLLIER.
ARTHUR BURGESS SOAR.