IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CUTTING APPARATUS OF REAPING & MOWING MACHINES
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Daniel Pidgeon and William Manwaring, both
of the Britannia Works, Banbury, in the County of Oxon, Engineers,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CUTTING APPARATUS OF
REAPING & MOWING MACHINES."
Sealed the 14th February 1870, and dated the 30th August 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Daniel Pidgeon and
William Manwaring at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 30th August 1870.
We, DANIEL PIDGEON and WILLIAM MANWARING, both of the
Britannia Works, Banbury, in the County of Oxon, Engineers, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CUTTING APPARATUS OF REAPING & MOWING MACHINES," to be as
follows, that is to say :-
The Invention consists in a peculiar construction of the fingers or
guards of reaping and mowing machines, and its object is to keep the
surface of the finger beam free from soil, and other matters which

page_text: when accumulated upon the said finger beam beneath the reciprocating
knife or sickle impede the free reciprocation of such knife or sickle,
and by producing undue friction cause an increased wear and tear and
a heavier draught in the machine.
We accomplish the object of this Invention by casting the fingers
or guards, as shewn in the accompanying Drawings, where Fig. 1.
represents a sectional plan of the fingers and finger beam taken on
the line a, b, (Fig. 2), and Fig. 2 represents a section through one
of the fingers and the finger beam taken on the line c, d, (Fig. 1).
Each finger Y is cast with a depression ×, which depression at the
centre line of the finger sinks at least as low as and preferably lower than
the top surface of the finger beam Z. The manner in which this con-
struction of finger acts to prevent accumulation of soil or other clogging
matters on the surface of the finger beam beneath the sickle is as
follows-Let M (Fig. 2) represent a quantity of soil lying upon the
finger beam Z and N the reciprocating sickle bar, since the finger
beam has an inclination to the horizon in the direction shown, the soil M
tends to fall forward, a portion of it endeavouring to pass away beneath
the sickle bar N, and if the depressions X, X, X, were absent this would
be unable to escape from beneath the said sickle bar, and would by its
friction impede the free reciprocation of the knife, but in the con-
struction, as shewn, the matter M passes under the sickle bar N into
the depressions x, x, x, whence it is discharged to the right and left
over the cutting edges of the fingers f. f, by the reciprocations of the
knife.
Having fully described the nature of our Invention, and the means
of operating the same, we wish it understood that we claim the
construction of fingers substantially as shewn and for the purposes set
forth.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 30
filed by the said Daniel Pidgeon and William Manwaring in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th February 1871.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, 3
filed by the said Daniel Pidgeon and William Manwaring in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th February 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, DANIEL
PIDGEON and WILLIAM MANWARING, both of the Britannia Works,
Banbury, in the County of Oxon, Engineer, send greeting.
3

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Daniel Pidgeon and William Manwaring,
Her special licence that we, the said Daniel Pidgeon and William
Manwaring, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as we, the said Daniel Pidgeon and William Manwaring, our exe-
cutors, administrators, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CUTTING APPARATUS OF REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES,'
" upon
the condition (amongst others) that we, the said Daniel Pidgeon and
William Manwaring, our executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under our, 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 we, the said Daniel Pidgeon and William
Manwaring, do hereby declare the nature of our 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 Invention consists in a peculiar construction of the fingers or
guards of reaping and mowing machines, and its object is to keep the
surface of the finger beam free from soil and other matters, which
when accumulated upon the said finger beam beneath the reciprocating
knife or sickle impede the free reciprocation of such knife or sickle,
and by producing undue friction cause an increased wear and tear, and
a heavier draught in the machine.
We accomplish the object of this Invention by casting the fingers
or guards, as shewn in the accompanying Drawings, where Figure 1
represents a sectional plan of the fingers and finger beam taken on
the line a, b, (Figure 2), and Figure 2 represents a section through one
of the fingers and the finger beam taken on the line c, d, (Figure 1.)

page_text: Each finger Y is cast with a depression X, which depression at the
centre line of the finger sinks at least as low as, and preferably lower
than the top surface of the finger beam Z. The manner in which this
construction of finger acts to prevent accumulation of soil or other
clogging matters on the surface of the finger beam beneath the sickle is
as follows:-Let. m (Figure 2) represent a quantity of soil lying upon
the finger beam Z, and n the reciprocating sickle bar; since the finger
beam has an inclination to the horizon in the direction shown, the soil m
tends to fall forward, a portion of it endeavouring to pass away beneath
the sickle barn, and if the depressions x, x, x, were absent this would
be unable to escape-from-beneath-the-said-sickle_bar_and_would by its
friction impede the free reciprocation of the knife, but in the con-
struction, as shewn, the matter m passes under the sickle bar n into
the depressions x, x, x, whence it is discharged to the right and left
over the cutting edges of the fingers f, f, by the reciprocations of the
knife.
Having fully described the nature of our Invention, and the means
of operating the same, we wish it understood that we claim the
construction of fingers, substantially as shown and for the purposes set
forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said Daniel Pidgeon and William
Manwaring, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Seventh
day of February, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
one.
DANIEL PIDGEON.
(L.S.)
Witness to the signatures of
Daniel Pidgeon and William
Manwaring,
FREDERICK HOBLEY,
Accountant,
Banbury.
WILLIAM MANWARING. (L.S.)