IMPROVED CLIPPING APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO THE SHEARING OF SHEEP
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Winchcombe Bentham, of Buenos Ayres, in the
Argentine Republic, but at present residing in the Waterloo Road, in the
Parish of Lambeth, for the Invention of "IMPROVED CLIPPING APPARATUS
APPLICABLE TO THE SHEARING OF SHEEP."
Sealed the 1st September 1876, and dated the 5th April 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Winchcombe Bentham
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th April 1876.
HENRY WINCHCOMBE BENTHAM, of Buenos Ayres, in the Argentine Republic,
but at present residing in the Waterloo Road, in the Parish of Lambeth.
«IM-
PROVED CLIPPING APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO THE SHEARING OF SHEEP."
The chief object of this Invention is to provide a facile means for shearing sheep.
To this end, instead of relying upon the shearer for providing the mechanical
force as well as the skill required in shearing, I avail myself of manual labour or
horse power for working the cutting blades, and I thus relieve the skilled operator
from a large amount of physical exertion.
The shearing apparatus admits of considerable modification, but the simplest
form is based on the principle of the ordinary spring shears. Attached to one limb
of these shears is a standard to which a handle for holding the apparatus is
secured. Jointed to the upper end of this standard is an arm that carries at its
upper end a guide pulley. In a line with the handle is a stud axle on which
rotates a cam pulley that receives motion from an elastic band passing down from
an overhead pulley and over the guide pulley before mentioned. This overhead
pulley is driven by hand, horse, or other available power, and it communicates
motion through the cam pulley on the stud axle to the shearing apparatus while the
same is being moved about over the body of the animal that is being shorn. Bearing
upon the cam on the side of this pulley is a horn that stands up from the opposite
limb of the shear to that which carries the standard. When therefore rotary
motion is given to the cam pulley, the cam by pressing on the horn will close the
shears, but as soon as the horn is released from the pressure of the cam the shears
will open by reason of the resisting force of the spring.
To permit of the action of the shears being stopped without unshipping the
driving band the cam pulley is made to slide laterally on its stud axle and thus
put the cam out of line with the horn. A coiled spring serves to maintain the
[Price 6d1

page_text: pulley in its working position, and a thumb piece is provided for sliding it out
of action.
As a modification of this arrangement instead of forming the shears and blades
in one piece 1 propose to fit to each limb a segment-shaped casting, and to attach
to each of these two, three, or more small scissor blades. This arrangement will
require less motion than that first described to produce a cut, and it may therefore
be worked more rapidly. The segment pieces for carrying the blades may, if
thought desirable, be cast in one with the limbs of the shears. In this case the
limbs will not be made clastic, but they will be hinged together and carry a pressing
spring between them.
In this arrangement it will be convenient to connect the segment pieces together
by slotting the upper piece to receive a screw pin carried by the under segment
piece. A nut fitted to this pin will serve to adjust the position of the upper and
lower scizzor blades with respect to each other.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said Henry Winchcombe Bentham in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
5th October 1876.
"
HENRY WINCHCOMBE BENTHAM, of Buenos Ayres, in the Argentine Republic,
but at present residing in the Waterloo Road, in the Parish of Lambeth. IM-
PROVED CLIPPING APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO THE SHEARING OF SHEEP."
The chief object of this Invention is to provide a facile means for shearing sheep.
To this end, instead of relying upon the shearer for providing the mechanical force
as well as the skill required in shearing, I avail myself of manual labour, horse,
or steam power for working the cutting blades, and I thus relieve the skilled
operator from a large amount of physical exertion.
The shearing apparatus admits of considerable modification, but the simplest
form is based on the principle of the ordinary spring shears. Attached to one
limb of these shears is a standard to which a handle for holding the apparatus is
secured. In a line with the handle is a stud axle on which rotates a band pulley
that receives motion from an elastic or equivalent band passing down from an
overhead pulley driven by hand, horse, or other available power. Through this
band pulley a cam is actuated which communicates motion to the cutting blades
while the apparatus is being moved about over the body of the animal that is being
shorn.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 shows in side elevation, Fig. 2 in plan
view, and Fig. 3 in end view my improved clipping apparatus, and Fig. 4 is a
modification of the same.
A, A', is a pair of spring shears; B is a standard made fast to the limb A
of the shears and carrying at its upper end a fixed axle C to which a pair of
handles C is made fast; Ď is a band pulley affixed to a flanged collar D¹, which
is mounted loosely on the axle C. This collar D' carries a spur pinion D, which
gears into a spur wheel E, keyed to an axle E', which turns in a bearing in the
standard B, and is further supported by a pendant bearing B' carried by the axle C.
The casting of the pendant bearing has a pair of horizontal arms which serve to
carry at their extremities antifriction rollers d at opposite sides of the pulley D,
their use being to retain the elastic or other driving band coming from an overhead
pulley in the groove of the pulley D. To the axle El is keyed a cam E, the rotation
of which is intended to close the shears, the natural elasticity of the shears being
relied upon to return the cutting blades to their open position. Pendent from the
axle C is a cranked arm F which terminates in a crooked end that bears against
the free limb A¹ of the shears. This arm is made preferably in two pieces secured
together by clamping screws, as it thus admits of the ready adjustment of the
crooked end of the arm to ensure its bearing against the limb A¹ of the open

page_text: shears. This cranked arm F is in the same plane as the cam E, and it rides upon
the acting surface of that cam, when therefore rotary motion is given to the cam
in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3, the arm F will be thrust forward and caused
to move the blade A' against the fixed blade A of the shears. So soon, however,
as the largest radius of the cam has passed the pendent arm, the shears will
be released from the pressure of that arm and will return to their open position.
The mode of using the clipping apparatus is as follows:-The operator being
provided with an elastic band G, or an equivalent give and take band that receives
motion from an overhead druin or pulley, places the same around the pulley D and
seizing the handles C' he applies the apparatus to the sheep, inserting the shears as
usual below the fleece and moving them over the body of the animal, the rotary
motion of the pulley D being kept up by the action of the elastic hand thereon,
rotary motion will be given through the spur gearing to the can E, and by
the action of the cam on the cranked arm F the shears will be caused to clip
the fleecc.
In order to throw the apparatus out of action without disengaging the driving
band from the pulley, I so mount the axle E' as to permit of its receiving an end
way motion and thereby throwing its cam E² out of line with the cranked arm E.
To facilitate this motion I provide a rock lever H carried by a bracket from the
pendent bearing B', which rock lever embraces the end of the axle E¹ between
collars, and extends upwards to near the handles C' the shearer can therefore while
using the apparatus pull over the tail of the lever with his thumb, and thereby
throw the cain E out of action. A coiled spring E³ is used to restore the cam
to its working position when the lever H is released. It should be remarked that
E in gear therewith when
the pulley D is made broad in order to retain the wheel
the axle E is slidden endwise in its bearings.
In the modification shown at Fig. 4 the position of the driving parts is reversed,
the pulley axle being below the cam axle, but in all other respects the arrangement
is substantially that described with reference to Figures 1, 2, and 3.
In some cases I propose to shape the blades as shown at Fig. 5, which represents
the blades as divided to give them each two cutting edges. By this means I am
enabled to take in a greater breadth of fleece at one cut than by the long shear
blades. When this form of blade is used the motion of the cutters will be reduced,
their traverse being limited to the distance between the divisions in the blades.
The cam must therefore be cut to correspond with the reduced motion required for
the cutting edges.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improved Clipping Appa-
ratus applicable to the Shearing of Sheep," and explained the manner of carrying
the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited
Letters Patent I claim the means above described for applying to clipping appa-
ratus the motive force required for working the same independently of the skilled
operator.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Winchcombe Benthamn, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Fifth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six