IMPROVEMENTS IN CORK-CUTTING MACHINES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in
the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN CORK-CUTTING MACHINES."-A communication from abroad by George
Hammer and Alfred Butz, both of the City of Philadelphia, in the State
of Pennsylvania, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th November 1865.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CORK-CUTTING MACHINES," a communication from abroad
by George Hammer and Alfred Butz, both of the City of Philadelphia, in the
State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of cork-
cutting machine, whereby all the successive operations for transforming the
raw bark of the cork tree into any of the various descriptions of corks may be

page_text: conducted in such a manner that several operatives can be simultaneously
employed at different manipulations upon the same machine without hindrance
to each other.
This improved machine consists, firstly, of an arrangement and combination
of mechanism for cutting tapered corks from square or cylindrical blocks;
secondly, of an improved arrangement for effecting the preliminary operation
of cutting the raw bark into strips, and for subdividing these strips into
parallel or tapered blocks of any required size, to be subsequently reduced to
cylindrical or tapered corks in the first-mentioned part of the machine; thirdly,
of mechanism combined with the above for cutting flat and cylindrical corks
by means of revolving crown cutters, the whole of these various subordinate
combinations forming one complete machine driven by one main driving belt.
The main shaft of the machine carries a circular disc cutter at each end, the
edges of which are kept sharp by oil stones fitted to the framing and held in
contact with the cutting edges as they revolve. One of these cutters, which
is of larger diameter than the other, is for cutting tapered corks from square
or cylindrical blocks; these blocks are contained in a tray or receptacle sup-
ported by a fixed bracket, and at the delivery mouth of this receptacle there
is an adjustable guage, against which the block is held by a blade spring until
it is grasped between the adjoining ends of two rotating spindles. These
spindles are contained in a sliding frame, and one of them, which may be
termed the "live spindle," receives a positive rotatory motion from an endless
chain and chain pulley, the other being merely carried round by the frictional
contact with the cork. A self-acting clutch and clutch lever throw the chain
actuating pulley out of gear when the sliding frame is receding from the
cutter, so that the spindles may be at rest when in the act of gripping the
block, and consequently they take hold of it with greater certainty and accu-
racy. The grip is obtained by the aid of a spiral spring on one of the spindles.
As the sliding frame approaches the cutter with the block of cork to be cut
the clutch is thrown in gear again, and the rotation of the spindles recom-
mences. The cork having been cut, and the sliding frame receding from the
cutter, the spindles are separated in order to allow the cut cork to fall into an
inclined shoot belów, which delivers it into a receptacle for the
The
purpose.
clutch above referred to is thrown in or out of gear by a projection in the
sliding frame coming in contact with the tail of the clutch lever as the slide
moves to and fro. The separation of the spindles in order to release the cut
cork is effected by a moveable or spring incline which acts upon the lower
end of a lever, the upper end of which grasps a collar on the spindle to be slid
back; this incline enables the lever to pass freely in one direction, namely,

page_text: when approaching the cutter, but acts upon the lever and releases the cork
when moving in the opposite direction or receding from the cutter. The
reciprocating motion of the sliding frame is obtained by means of a chain or
cord attached to opposite ends of the slide and passing under a drum or pulley,
to the periphery of which it is secured. By turning this drum or pulley in
one direction or the other by the aid of a lever handle a reciprocating motion
is imparted to the sliding frame.
.
i
The apparatus for cutting the bark into strips consists of the smaller one of
the two circular disc cutters in combination with a table and adjustable guage.
The bark is laid upon the table with its edge against the guage, and the
_cutter, by revolving in the direction of the feed, draws in the bark as fast as
-it is cut without any force being required to press it through the machine.
When subdividing these strips into blocks a sliding saddle is fitted on to the
table, and upon this saddle is placed a head piece having a squaring strip
thereon, against which one side of the strip of cork is held whilst being cut.
This head piece is pivotted to the saddle by a vertical centre pin, upon which
it is free to turn slightly in a horizontal plane so as to present itself and the
strip of cork upon it at a horizontal angle with the plane of the cutting edge
of the circular cutter. This angular movement is controlled by two screw
pins passing through slots in the head piece, which crews when tightened
serve to hold the head piece fixed in a position perfectly parallel to the cutter
when parallel blocks are to be cut. When tapered blocks are required the
head piece is moved alternately from one stop to the other between the suc-
cessive cuts, and hence, in lieu of the strip of cork being cut across at right
angles, which would produce parallel blocks, it is cut across alternately at two
opposite angles, thereby producing tapered blocks.
The apparatus for cutting flat and cylindrical corks consists of a vertical
spindle, to the lower end of which are fitted different sized crown cutters,
according to the diameter of the corks required. Beneath this spindle there
is provided a table for supporting the cork to be operated upon. The vertical
spindle is driven by a twisted strap from a driving pulley on the main or disc
cutter shaft of the machine, such strap passing round a small fixed pulley on
the vertical spindle. By having the usual fast and loose driving pulleys on the
main cutter shaft of the machine and driving the same by a belt the whole of
the different operating parts receive motion simultaneously and in concert.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
22nd May 1866.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,.
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS, Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the 25th day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the 29th year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John
Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or 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 CORK-CUTTING MACHINES," a communication to me from
abroad by George Hammer and Alfred Butz, both of the City of Philadelphia,
in the State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:
The said Invention relates to a peculiar construction and arrangement of
cork-cutting machine, whereby all the successive operations for transforming
the bark of the cork tree into any of the various descriptions of corks may be
conducted in such a manner that several operatives can be simultaneously
employed at different manipulations upon the same machine without hindrance
to each other.

page_text: This improved machine consists, firstly, of an arrangement and combination
of mechanism for cutting tapered corks from square or cylindrical blocks;
secondly, of an improved arrangement for effecting the preliminary operation of
cutting the raw bark into strips, and for subdividing these strips into parallel
or tapered blocks of any required size, to be subsequently reduced to cylin-
drical or tapered corks in the first-mentioned part of the machine; thirdly, of
mechanism combined with the above for cutting flat and cylindrical corks
by means of revolving crown cutters, the whole of these various subordinate
combinations forming one complete machine driven by one main driving belt.
The main shaft of the machine carries a circular disc cutter at each end, the
edges of which are kept sharp by oil stones fitted to the framing and held in
contact with the cutting edges as they revolve. One of these cutters, which
is of larger diameter than the other, is for cutting tapered corks from square
or cylindrical blocks; these blocks are contained in a tray or receptacle
supported by a fixed bracket, and at the delivery mouth of this receptacle
there is an adjustable guage, against which the block is held by a blade spring
until it is grasped between the adjoining ends of two rotating spindles. These
spindles are contained in a sliding frame, and one of them, which may be
termed the "live spindle," receives a positive rotatory motion from an end-
less chain and chain pulley, the other being merely carried round by the fric-
tional contact with the cork. A self-acting clutch and clutch lever throw
the chain actuating pulley out of gear when the sliding frame is receding
from the cutter, so that the spindles may be at rest when in the act of gripping
the block, and consequently they take hold of it with greater certainty and
accuracy. The grip is obtained by the aid of a spiral spring on one of the
spindles. As the sliding frame approaches the cutter with the block of cork
to be cut the clutch is thrown in gear again, and the rotation.of the spindles
recommences. The cork having been cut, and the sliding frame receding
from the cutter, the spindles are separated in order to allow the cut cork to
fall into an inclined shoot below, which delivers it into a receptacle for the
purpose. The clutch above referred to is thrown in or
projection in the sliding frame coming in contact with the
lever as the slide moves to and fro. The separation of the spindles in order
to release the cut cork is effected by a moveable or spring incline which acts
upon the lower end of a lever, the upper end of which grasps a collar on the
spindle to be slid back; this incline enables the lever to pass freely in one
direction, namely, when approaching the cutter, but acts upon the lever and
releases the cork when moving in the opposite direction or receding from the
cutter. The reciprocating motion of the sliding frame is obtained by means
out of gear by a
tail of the clutch

page_text: of a chain or cord attached to opposite ends of the slide and passing under a
drum or pulley, to the periphery of which it is secured; by turning this drum
or pulley in one direction or the other by the aid of a lever handle a recipro-
eating motion is imparted to the sliding frame.
The apparatus for cutting the bark into strips consists of the smaller one of
the two circular disc cutters in combination with a table and adjustable guage:
The bark is laid upon the table with its edge against the guage, and the cutter
by revolving in the direction of the feed draws in the bark as fast as it is cut
without any force being required to pass it through the machine. When sub-
dividing these strips into blocks a sliding saddle is fitted on to the table, and
upon this saddle is placed a head piece having a squaring strip thereon, against
which one side of the strip of cork is held whilst being cut. This head piece
is pivotted to the saddle by a vertical centre pin, upon which it is free to turn
slightly in a horizontal plane so as to present itself and the strip of cork upon it
at a horizontal angle with the plane of the cutting edge of the circular cutter.
This angular movement is controlled by two screw pins passing through slots
in the head piece, which screws when tightened serve to hold the head piece
fixed in a position perfectly parallel to the cutter when parallel blocks are to
be cut. When tapered blocks are required the head piece is moved alternately
from one stop to the other between the successive cuts, and hence, in lieu of
the strip of cork being cut across at right angles, which would produce parallel
blocks, it is cut across alternately at two opposite angles, thereby producing
tapered blocks.
spindle there
The vertical
main or disc
The apparatus for cutting flat and cylindrical corks consists of a vertical
spindle, to the lower end of which are fitted different sized crown cutters,
according to the diameter of the corks required. Beneath this
is provided a table for supporting the cork to be operated upon.
spindle is driven by a twisted strap from a driving pulley on the
cutter shaft of the machine, such strap passing round a small fixed pulley on
the vertical spindle. By having the usual fast and loose driving pulleys on
the main cutter shaft of the machine and driving the same by a belt the whole
of the different operating parts receive motion simultaneously and in concert.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the
same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Fig. 1 of the Drawings is a side view of the improved cork-cutting machine
combining the above mentioned devices for effecting the several successive
operations; Fig. 2 is a front view of the machine; Fig. 3 is a plan of

page_text: that part of the machine in which the bark is first sliced and then cut into
blocks; Fig. 4 is a detached side view of the feed arrangement of the taper-
ing machine for cylindrical blocks; Fig. 5 is a plan thereof; Fig. 6 is a
detached plan view of part of the mechanism for cutting tapered corks; and
Fig. 7 a.detached view of the feed table of the tapering machine for squaré
or bevelled blocks.
:
A is the main shaft of the machine provided with fast and loose driving
pulleys a, a, and carrying at its extreme ends outside of the adjustable bear-
ings b, b, the circular cutting dises or knives B and C, the larger one of which
(B) serves to cut conical or cylindrical corks from blanks fed to it by means
of the sliding spindle frame D. This frame (hereafter more fully described)
is fastened in an adjustable manner to the slide E, reciprocating in a bed
F; the feeding device for supplying cylindrical blocks to the spindles for
transmittal to the knife B is supported upon a stand c, and. is constructed
as follows: Attached to the stand c, and vertically adjustable upon. the
same by means of a screw d, there is a rectangular piece d; on the top
of the horizontal part of dis placed the guage e, which is adjustable
lengthwise along d¹, and secured by a screw and nut. A receptacle G for.
the corks to be fed to the spindles is provided on the top of e. The position
in which the cork is placed for being grasped by the spindles J and J'is
best understood from Figure 4; resting upon the inwardly projecting end
of d', the cork is lightly pressed against the guage by a spring pad f
swinging upon a small rock shaft g, which pad is sufficiently yielding to
allow the cork to be removed horizontally towards the cutting disc, A
sliding movement of the spindle frame D, for alternately carrying the corks
to the knife and returning to the feed table for a next one, is given by means
of a cord or band h, so attached to the opposite ends of the slide E, and to
the periphery of a pulley H, that by means of a hand lever H¹ on the pulley
shaft motion is transmitted to E by the cord h in either direction. The
outward movement of the slide E is arrested by a fixed stop I on the plate
F, while a screw l¹ serves as an adjustable stop for the movement of E in
the opposite direction; by varying the position of this screw the finished
diameter of the cork is regulated with accuracy. The spindle J, for rotating
the cork as it is presented to the cutting edge of the circular knife B, is driven
by means of a chain ; passing over the pulleys j¹ and 1, the latter being the
driver and receiving motion through the bevel wheels and belt * from the
main shaft A; 3 is provided with a clutch, and so actuated by a clutch lever
and arm projecting from the slide E that the spindle ceases to rotate
as it reçedes towards the feed table, and is in turn thrown into action-when

page_text: approaching the cutting disc. The spindles being thus at rest when grasping
the blank to be conducted to the knife will be much more certain to take
accurate hold of the blank than if they were revolving at the time. A rocking
arm K, actuated during the sliding motion of E by an inclined plane ¹, and
by a spiral spring on the spindle J', serves to give the requisite sliding
movements to that spindle for alternately grasping and releasing the corks as
they pass through the machine. Although this sliding motion of one spindle
only is ordinarily sufficient, it may in some cases be advantageously given to
both spindles.
The arrangement of the inclined plane, and the manner in which it
actuates the double-armed lever K through the spindle J', will be best under-
stood upon reference to Fig. 6, where it will be seen that is attached to a
plate Lin the following peculiar manner :-It has a limited vibrating movement
upon a central axis / between two small stops 2 and 3, the axis being confined
in an oblong opening in the plate L, a light coiled spring 4 bears against one
end of, and brings its other end in contact with the pin 3; the operation of
the whole is as follows:-The lever K while holding the cork to the knife
occupies the position represented in Fig. 2, and as it recedes towards the feed
table its small friction roller 5 brings up against i', as shown in red lines at
Fig. 6, by yielding to the inclined plane the lower arm of K is drawn inward,
and by a consequent movement of its upper end in an outward direction the
cork just finished is released from between the two spindles and falls down; in
this separated position the spindles remain during the whole outward movement
until, at the instant of the slide E bringing up against the stop I, the friction
roller 5 is liberated from the inclined plane, the spiral spring being thus
freed from its previous compression suddenly pushes the spindle J' inward to
make it grasp the blank on the feed table. The roller 5 on the arm K is now
in the position shewn in red dotted lines (Fig. 6), and as upon the advance
of E toward the knife this roller comes in contact with the inclined plane i¹
on the opposite side the latter will yield to it in the oblong bearing of its axis 7,
so as not to disturb the spindles in their hold upon the cork to be cut. In
returning from the knife the described routine of movements is repeated. By
an arrangement of hoppers or inclined planes, clearly shewn in Fig. 1, the
chips are separated from the finished corks; the former, curling up on the
inner side of the knife, fall into the larger hopper M, and are heaped up
under the frame of the machine, while the corks as they leave the spindles
are carried over two inclined planes m and n into a separate receptacle. N and
N' are small oil stones so attached to their supports as to press lightly against
opposite sides of the cutting edge of the knife, thus keeping it uniformly sharp.

page_text: The mechanism for cutting the bark into strips consists in addition to the.
small circular knife C of a table O and guage 0¹. The end of the piece of
bark to be cut into slices is held against the guage O¹, and then laterally ad-
vanced toward the edge of the revolving circular knife C, the direction of
motion of which is such as to draw the bark through without the least:
application of force on the part of the workman. For the subsequent
operation of reducing these strips into blocks a sliding saddle P is employed
in addition to the guage O', which saddle has a vibrating head piece Q.
When required for cutting blocks with parallel sides this head piece is per-
manently fastened upon the sliding saddle P in the position shown in the
Drawing (Fig. 3), but the same parts are in a very simple and efficient
manner adapted to cutting blocks with tapering sides, from which tapered
corks can be cut. most economically. To this end the head piece Q is made
to vibrate upon an axis p, this movement being limited between adjustable
stops q, q; the strip of cork is laid upon the front part of the head Q against
the squaring strip Q', and between successive cuts of the knife the head is
moved alternately from one stop to the other, so that the cork blocks become
tapered by thus reversing the angle for each successive cut.
In addition to the above mechanism the machine is provided with a
frame R, carrying in bearings S, S, the hollow cutter spindle T for cutting
cylindrical or flat corks of any required diameter and thickness by means of
changeable cutters set into the lower end of the spindle; U is the table upon
which rests the slice of cork to be operated upon by the revolving cutter,
and V is the lever for actuating the cutter spindle; the latter is driven from a
pulley on the main shaft A by means of a half twist belt running over a small
pulley W.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
iuto effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
First, the sliding spindle frame D when its spindle J is actuated by the
clutched chain pulley and clutch lever k, or their equivalents, substantially
as specified.
Second, operating the sliding spindle J¹ by means of the double lever K,
spring, and inclined planet, or their equivalents, substantially in the manner
and for the purpose described.
Third, in combination with the cutting disc C the sliding saddle P¹, when

page_text: its vibrating head piece Q is arranged respectively to the stops q, q, and
guage O¹ substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.
Fourth, the peculiar. combinations of the mechanism for slicing the cork
and for tapered and cylindrical cutting when the same are so arranged as to
be simultaneously operated from one driving shaft (A), substantially as
specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto
I set my hand and seal, the Twenty-second day of May, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-six.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (Ls.)