CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR WEAVING AND CUTTING FUSTIANS AND OTHER FABRICS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Smith, of the City of Manchester, Manu-
facturer, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR WEAVING AND CUTTING FUSTIANS AND OTHER FABRICS,"
Sealed the 23rd March 1869, and dated the 29th September 1868
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Smith at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th September 1868.
I, Joux SMITH, of the City of Manchester, Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR WEAVING AND CUTTING FUSTIANS AND OTHER FABRICS," to be
as follows:-
The first part of my Invention consists in certain improvements upon
the Invention for which former Letters Patent were granted to me on
the Fourth day of April One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four,
No. 887. In the Specification of the said Patent a rod worked by a
lever is described for inserting the weft now my present improvement
Duan 8.71

page_text: consists in working the said rod by a hydraulic or other pump acting on
a piston fixed to the end of the said rod; this pump is worked by a cam
or tappet.
The second part of my Invention consists in the application of fluted
or toothed rollers to the taking-up motion. of looms; these fluted or
toothed rollers are also applicable for drawing the fabric forward through
my improved machine for cutting cotton and woollen cords, fustians, and
other similar fabrics. This improved cutting machine consists of a series
of circular cutters capable of lateral motion on a shaft so that they may
adapt themselves to the races of the fabric, but connected to the shaft by a
key and groove. The cutters pass through bent spring guides which enter
into the races and open them ready for the circular knives to cut the
weft threads; these guides project beyond the knives about six inches or
more or less. The guides are pushed forward at intervals into the races
by levers and tappets or cccentrics, and then carried back by the
advancing of the fabric. The fabric is kept tight in the machine by
three friction rollers, and it is carried over a straight-edge under the
cutters by the fluted delivery rollers above referred to, or otherwise;
the fabric being turned down over the straight-edge allows the knife
to pass partly through the guide. A self-acting stop motion is applied
to the machine to throw the driving strap off the driving pulley if a
guide should penetrate through the race; this stop motion consists of
a reciprocating traverse bar with hooks or feelers which catch the
projecting guide and stop the bar, if a guide should penetrate through
the back of the fabric it comes against a swivel bar, which also throws
the driving strap off the driving pulley.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Smith in the Great Seal l'atent Office on
the 27th March 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN 3
SMITH, of the City of Manchester, Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS er most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the

page_text: thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said John Smith, Her special
licenes that I, the said John Smith, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such other as I, the said John Smith, my executors, adminis-
trators, 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 rend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR WEAVING AND CUTTING FUSTIANS AND OTHER FABRICS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Smith, my executors or adminis
trators, 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
calender months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Smith, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement that is to say):-
The first part of my Invention consists in certain improvements
upon the Invention for which former Letters Patent were granted to me
on the Fourth day of April One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four,
Number 837. In the Specification of the said Patent a rod worked by a
lever is described for inserting the weft; now my present improvement
consists in working the said rod by a hydraulic or other pump acting
on a piston fixed to the end of the said rod, or on the end of the
rod itself; this pump is worked by a cam or tappet.
The second part of my Invention consists in the application of
fluted or toothed rollers to the taking-up motion of looms; these
Huted or toothed rollers are also applicable for drawing the fabric
forward through my improved machine for cutting cotton and woollen
cords, fustians, and other similar fabrics, forming the third part of
my Invention.
This improved cutting machine consists of a series of
circular cutters capable of lateral motion on a shaft so that they may
adapt themselves to the races of the fabric, but they are connected to the
shaft by a key and groove so that they may revolve with it. The cutters

page_text: pass through bent spring guides which enter into the races and open
them ready for the circular knives to cut the weft threads; these guides
project beyond the knives about six inches, or more or less. The
guides are pushed forward at intervals into the races by levers aud
tappets or eccentrics, and they are carried back by the advancing of
the fabric. The fabric is kept tight in the machine by friction rollers,
and it is carried over a straight-edge under the cutters by the fluted
delivery rollers above referred to, or otherwise; the fabric being turned
down over the straight-edge allows the knives to pass partly through
the guides without cutting the back of the fabric. A self-acting stop
motion is applied to the machine to throw the driving strap off the
driving pulley if a guide should penetrate upwards through the races;
this stop motion consists of a reciprocating traverse bar with hooks or
feelers which catch the projecting guide and stop. the traverse bar; if
a guide should penetrate downwards through the back of the fabric
it comes against a swivel bar, which also throws the driving strap eff
the driving pulley.
Aud in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily
carried into operation I will proceed to describe the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, reference being had to the figures and letters marked
thereon.
Figure is front view of a loom to which the first part of my
Iuvention is applied. A is the side frame of the locm as shown and
described in reference to Fig. 5 of the Specification of the Patent above
referred to; e is part of the reed, and the weft inserting rod, which
in this instance fits in the long cylinder B fixed to the side frame A;
is the double-acting cam, to which is fixed the driving wheel. The
vertical arm of the elbow lever f is provided with a bowl fitting in the
groove of the cam ♬ and the horizontal arm of the elbow lever f" gives
an up-and-down motion to the plunger C fitting in the cylinder D;
when the plunger descends, the oil, quicksilver, or other fluid in the
cylinder D is forced up the connecting pipe E and propels the rod f
across the shed, and as the plunger rises the pressure of the
atmosphere on the rod combined with the vacuum formed under
the plunger causes the fluid to run back from the cylinder B into
the cylinder D.
Figure 2 represents in section part of a loom to which the second
part of my Invention is applied. F is the breast beam; G, the taking-up

page_text: roller revolving in fixed bearings, and driven by ratchet wheel and
catch and wheels and pinions as usual; and H is a roller placed under
the roller G and revolving in adjustable bearings, so that the distance
between the said rollers may be regulated according to the thickness
of the fabric that is passing between them. The peripheries of the
rollers G and H are made with longitudinal flutes or teeth, and as the
fabric that is being woven is tightly compressed between the said
rollers, it is evident that as the roller G is turned round in the ordinary
manner the fabric iu passing between the rollers is taken up in a positive
and uniform manner. After the fabric has passed the rollers it is
collected in a suitable receptacle placed below, or it may be wound on
a cloth beam.
Figure 3 is an elevation in section of my improved machinery for
cutting cotton and woollen cords, fustians, and other similar fabrics;
Figure 4 is a plan of the same; and Figure 5 is a front view of
part of the machine. In these views a is the beam on which the
fabric to be cut is wound; this beam is supported in bearings cast or
fixed to the main framing of the machine, and it may be weighted to
prevent the fabric unwinding too fast. The fabric on leaving the
beam a is taken over the roller and around the drag roller c,
which is covered with needle points of sufficient length to penetrate
through the fabric. To each end of the axle of the drag roller is fixed
a break pulley cl, around which is a friction clip or break ², lined with
wood or other suitable material; one end of the clip is connected to a
fixed stud, and the other end is provided with a slot through which
the weighted lever c³ passes; the object of these. breaks is to keep
the fabric at the proper degree of tension. On leaving the drag roller,
the fabric is taken over the rollers d and e, between which the
tension bar, rests upon the fabric to keep it tight, and this tension
bar is weighted to any required extent by the weights f supported on
the rod which is suspended to the bar by the links. When
the fabric leaves the roller it is taken over the knife-edged rail g,
which is planed perfectly true, and the races of the fabric are cut at
this point by the circular cutters, which pass through the guides P,
ouc of which is placed in each race of the fabric; the projecting ends
of these guides are supported by the rail g fixed to studs let into
the cross beam v. After passing over the knife-edge g, the cut fabric
is taken under the roller i, then over the roller, and from thence to

page_text: the taking-up beam k, on which it is wound by friction. The roilers i
and, are toothed or fluted in the same manner as the taking-up
rollers G and H, shewn and described in reference to Figure 2, and the
roller is supported in adjustable bearings so that the distance between
the rollers may be regulated according to the thickness of the fabric;
these rollers draw the fabric through the machine; or instead of the
fluted rollers shewn, the fabric may be drawn forward by a roller
covered with needle points as described in reference to the roiler c.
The circular cutters are mounted on a shaft ', and they are capable
of moving laterally on the shaft to adapt themselves to the races of the
fabric, but they are carried round with the shaft by the key and groove
shewn in Figure 6, which represents a full-sized view of the cutter and
of the guide wire 2 in which it fits. The cutter shaft is provided with
the fast and loose pulleys 2 and 3, and the driving strap is moved from
one to the other by the strap fork 7 fixed to the spring starting lever 1,
which is similar to the starting lever of a loom; to the shaft is also
fixed the pulley 4, which by a strap and pulley m drives the cross
shaft m; the pinion m², fixed to the other end of the shaft m', gears into
the wheel n on the shaft n', on which is a series of double cams or
eccentrics; on the shaft ¹ is fixed the small pulley n³, which by
means of a friction strap drives the pulley on the win ding-on beam k.
Between the shaft n' and the cutters is the cross beam o supporting
the plates or pushers o', the object of which is to cause the guide wires
to advance into the races of the fabric. Each plate or pusher o is
provided with an autifriction roller acted upon by one of the cams,
and the pushers after having been moved forwards in succession by the
cams are brought back by a spring, as shewn in Figure 3, or in any
other convenient manner.
In Figure 4 only a few of these cams and pushers are shewn to avoid
useless repetition, but I intend to use about twenty in the width of
the machine the number may, however, be increased or reduced. The
object of pushing the guide wires into the races of the fabric in sections
and at intervals is to distribute the power evenly and to equalize the
strain on the fabric. The requisite rapid rotary motion is given to the
cutters in the direction of the arrow in Figure 3 by a strap from the
main gearing passing around the driving pulley 3 which is fixed on the
shaft of the cutters, and from this shaft the motions are transmitted to
the other parts of the machine, as above described; this is of the greatest

page_text: importance, as it ensures the starting of the cutters before the fabric
begins to advance. Previous to starting the machine one of the guides,
shewn in Figures 6 and 7, must be introduced into each race of the
fabric, and a corresponding number of cutters must be placed on the
shaft, each cutter entering into the open slot of one of the bent spring
guides, which are made, by preference, of two round steel wires brazed
together; at the front end one of these wires is bent and flattened to
open the race. I prefer to place a washer between each cutter to keep
them separate.
When the guides are in their places and the end of the
piece has been secured between the rollers and the machine may be
started, the strap guide lever being held by the retaining notch in the
bracket as the fabric is drawn forward; the cutters cut the races open,
pushers of by the
and the guides are gradually brought towards the
fabric until they come within reach of them; these pushers are
constantly moving to and fro on the plate o, and they cause the guides
to advance in the races. As soon as a sufficient length of fabric has
been cut it is wound on the beam and kept tight by the friction strap
from the pulley n on the shaft n passing around the pulley on the
beam The parts will remain in these positions so long as the work
progresses satisfactorily. but if one of the guides should penetrate
through the back of the fabric the following parts come into operation
to stop the machine:- Between the cutters and the roller e is the
swivel plates which is hinged at each end to the frame sides; to this
plate is attached the bent wire s', the end of which rests upon the end
of the lever t which. vibrates on a stud projecting from the end of the
lever 18 hinged to the plate 2 of the retaining notch. The front end of
the levert is thus held above the steps in the lever u, to which a constant
vibrating motion is given by the cam on the shaft n. When the
point of the guide p projecting downwards through the back of the
fabric is forced against the upper end of the swivel plate by the
pusher o¹, the wire releases the bent end of the lever t. thereby
allowing the other end to drop and to come against the steps of the
lever, consequently when this lever vibrates the lever t is moved
endwise and rakes with it the end of the lever 13 which throws the
starting lever out of its retaining notch, thereby shifting the driving
strap from the fast pulley 2 to the loose pulley and stopping the
machine

page_text: through the race the following parts come into operation to stop the
machine-Between the upper edge of the swivel plate 8 and the
cutters is the traverse bar v, see Figure 5, with hooks or feelers fixed to
it, the points of which just clear the surface of the fabric to the cut;
this bar is supported in the arms fixed to the upper bar v which
is supported in brackets fixed to the side frames. The bars and are
traversed to and fro across the fabric by the eccentric a on the shaft n'
acting on the lever v³, one end of which acts on the elbow lever 4; the
upright arm of this elbow lever is connected to the bar v. At one end
of the swivel plate 8 is a projecting fingers, see Figure 4, and to the
end plate or pusher of is fixed a feeler o³, and near the end of the
traverse bar is a plate v. Above the swivel plate 8 is a series of
fingers mounted loose on the cross rod ; the points of these fingers
rest on the fabric. So long as the guide wires remain in the races the
traverse bar v moves to and fro across the fabric, and the point of the
feeler o passes to one side of the plate, but as soon as the point of a
guide wire projects upwards through the race one of the hooks or feelers
of the rod comes against it and arrests the traverse of the bar e; the
plate is then left in line with the feeler o², which in advancing pushes
the other side of the plate " against the fingers and thereby moves the
swivel plate s sufficiently to release the end of the lever t, which thereby
throws the driving strap from the fast to the loose pulley, as above
described.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, and described the
manner of performing the same, I declare that I claim,―
First. The application of a pump for actuating the weft rod, as shewn
and described in reference to Figure 1.
Secondly. The application of fluted or toothed rollers to the taking-up
motion of looms, as shewn and described in reference to Figure 2.
Thirdly. The application of fluted or toothed rollers or rollers covered
with needle points for giving the diag or tension to the fabric and for
drawing the fabric through the cutting machine, as shewn and described
n reference to Figures 3 and 4.
Fourthly. The application of a friction break to each end of the drag
roller of cutting machines.
Fifthly. The application of a bar or roller resting on the fabric to
keep the fabric to be cut at an uniform tension.

page_text: Sixthly. Driving the various parts of cutting machines from the shaft
of the circular cutters.
Seventhly. The application of a straight-edge over which the fabric
passes and above which the races are cut, in the manner described.
Eighthly. The bent spring guides for opening the races of the fabric
and through which the circular cutters pass as shewn and described in
reference to Figures 6 and 7.
Ninthly. The rail
for supporting the ends of the guide wires
projecting beyond the knives or cutters.
Tenthly. The plates or pushers by which the spring guide wires are
pushed into the races of the fabric.
Eleventhly. The application of the self-acting stop motions for
stopping the machine when a guide wire penetrates through the back or
face of the fabric, as shewn and described, or any combination of
machinery for effecting the same object.
Twelfthly. The application of the roller for drawing the fabric from
the rollers by which the fabric is drawn through the machine.
And, lastly. The general combination and arrangement of all the
parts forming my improved machine for cutting fustians and other
fabrics.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Smith, have hereto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of March, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-nine.
JOHN SMITH. (L.S.)