IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING WOVEN AND OTHER FARRICS
Year: 1853

page_text: 'LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Osbourn, of Albion Street, King's
Cross, in the County of Middlesex, Tailor, for the Invention of
"IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING WOVEN AND OTHER FARRICS
Sealed the 20th October 1853, and dated the 22nd August 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Osbourn
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 22nd August 1853.
I, FREDERICK OSBOURN, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING WOVEN AND OTHER
FABRICS" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates chiefly to a mode of cutting out cloth for
garments by the aid of a reciprocating knife. The cloth to be cut out
is folded into any given number of thicknesses, or otherwise laid in
layers, and placed upon a table through which a slot is made to permit
of the up and down traverse of a knife, which is worked by a crank or
other analogous contrivance. Adjacent to the knife is an adjustable
presser piece which is intended to bear lightly on the surface of the
1
Sp

page_text: cloth and prevent it being lifted by the up stroke of the knife. In
using this machine the lines to be followed by the knife are marked
upon the top layer of the fabric, and the bundle of fabric is moved
fe on that it chall follow the lines
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick Osbourn in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 22nd February 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
FREDERICK OSBOURN, late of Albion Street, King's Cross, in the County
of Middlesex, but now of 69, Aldersgate Street, in the City of London,
Tailor, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of August, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Frederick Osbourn, Her special
license that I, the said Frederick Osbourn, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Frederick Osbourn, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the terin 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
"IMPROVED MACHINERY FOR CUTTING WOVEN AND OTHER FABRICS," upon the.
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Frederick Osbourn, 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
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Frederick Osbourn, do hereby
declare the nature of my said. Invention, and in what manner the same

page_text: is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing here--
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is
to say:
The chief object of this Invention is to facilitate the cutting out of
cloth for garments of various kinds.
This I propose to effect by the aid of a reciprocating knife which is
worked by a crank or other analogous contrivance.
According to the ordinary mode of cutting out garments the form of
the several parts is drawn upon the cloth, and these lines are followed.
by the tailor's shears; but this method, involving as it does a large
amount of manual labour, is both tedious and expensive. In carrying
out my Invention I fold the cloth which is intended to be cut up into
any given number of thicknesses, or otherwise arrange it in layers
forming together a pile of cloth of from three to five inches in depth,.
more or less. On the top layer of this pile of cloth I mark the lines.
which the knife is to follow by preference in the manner described in.
the Specification of a Patent granted to me on the First day of October,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, and I then lay the pile of
cloth upon a table through which a slot is made to permit of the up
and down traverse of the knife.
Adjacent to the knife I provide an adjustable presser piece, which is
intended to bear lightly on the surface of the cloth, and prevent it being.
lifted by the up stroke of the knife. When the knife is set in motion.
the pile of cloth is moved carefully under the action of the knife, so
that the cuts shall be made in the direction of the lines marked upon
the top layer of cloth.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1, is a side elevation of my
improved machine; Fig. 2, is an edge view of the same; and Fig. 8,
is a sectional plan taken in the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1. a, a, is a beam'
supported in any convenient way, and intended to carry the ma-
chinery. Bolted to and pendent from the under side of this beam a,*
is a cast iron guide frame b, and to it a guide plate c, is secured by
screws and nuts. A space is formed between the frame b, and its plate!
c, for the insertion of a traversing rod d, which carries at its lower end
•

page_text: knife f, which is beld firmly in
In the middle of the length of
permit of a pin projecting from
a socket e, to receive the stem of a
place by means of a binding screw.
the guide plate b, a slot is formed to
the traversing rod. To this pin a connecting rod g, pendent from the
metal strap of an excentric h, is attached by means of a quadrant
piece which the rod carries at its extremity. The excentric h, is keyed
to the driving shaft i, which is mounted in suitable bearings, and
receives rotary motion from a steam engine or other first mover.
Jointed to the metal strap of the rod g, is a rod k, which is connected
at its opposite end to a weighted lever 1, hinged to a bracket cast on
or forming part of the guide plate. When, therefore, it is required
to disconnect the traversing rod d, from the excentric rod g, it will only
be necessary to throw back the weighted lever, and the quadrant piece
will be thrown out of contact with the pin of the rod d. m, is an
adjustable presser piece, of a forked shape to permit of the knife
passing freely through it. The stem of this presser piece slides in a
space formed for it between the guide frame and guide plate, and it is
held in position by means of a binding screw n.
In order to operate with this machine a table with a smooth or
polished top is set beneath it for receiving the cloth to be operated
upon; and in this table a slot formed immediately below the knife,
to permit of its passing through the table, and thereby presenting a
proper reciprocating cutting edge to the pile of cloth. The pile of
cloth having been prepared as above described is brought up to the
cutting edge of the knife. The presser piece m, is then depressed so as
to bear lightly upon the cloth, and it is retained in this position by
means of the binding screw n. Rotary motion is now given to the
excentrich, and by its rotation a rapid vertical motion is communicated
through the excentric strap and its pendent rod to the traversing rod d;
and consequently to the knife f. The attendant now moves about the
pile of cloth (pressing it always up to the edge of the knife) so as to
make the cuts follow in the lines of the markings, and by this means
the layers of cloth are cut up into pieces of the required shape with
great rapidity and precision.
From the above description it will be understood that this Invention

page_text: is not only applicable to the cutting up of woollen goods, but that
cotton and linen goods for under garments, and leather for boots, shoes,
leggings and other like articles, may in like manner be cut up into the
required forms.
Having now set forth the nature and object of my Invention, 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 general arrangement of machinery as above described with reference
to the Drawing for cutting woven and other fabrics into pieces to form
garments of various kinds. And particularly I claim the application
to such purpose of a reciprocating cutting edge working as above
explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Osbourn, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Twenty-second day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
four
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lanc.
F. OSBOURN. (L.S.)