IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING Chaff and otHER SIMILAR VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES."
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Tester, of Hurst Green, in the County of
Sussex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING
Chaff and otHER SIMILAR VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Tester at the
Office of the Comunissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th January 1873.
I, JAMES TESTER, of Hurst Green, in the County of Sussex, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR CUTTING CHAFF AND OTHER SIMILAR VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES," to be as
follows:-
The Invention relates to certain improvements in that class of agricul-
tural machinery known as the "chaff cutting machine," and is designed
for the purpose of enabling such machine, by an improved arrangement
of feed motion, to cut varying lengths of material submitted to the action
of the cutting knives, say for instance from a quarter of an inch to four
inches long.

page_text: The improvements consist in actuating the feed by an arrangement of
sliding eccentric on the driving shaft, through the medium of ratchet
wheel pauls and slotted levers in the manner following:-The driving
shaft upon which the fly wheel and cutters are secured is provided with
an eccentric block and sliding strap, which is connected by means of a
rod with a slotted lever extending to the side of the machine. This lever
is provided with two pauls or catches for working or actuating a ratchet
wheel, which when in action communicates motion through the medium
of spur gearing to the feed rolls of the "chaff cutter." These rolls,
having weights that give or cause them to have or exert when in
action a pressure upon the chaff or other material they are feeding to
the cutters independent from the weighting of the "pinch block," which
enables them to maintain an uniform pressure upon the material being
cut, which is a great advantage, as it insures a constant and regular feed
according to the length required independent from the intermittent
action of the pinch block. Therefore according to the adjustment of the
rod of the eccentric in the slot of the under lever communicating motion
with the pauls and ratchet wheel any length of chaff or other material
fed by the rollers to the action of the revolving knives will be continu-
ously and regularly cut into uniform and even lengths.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Tester in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 25th July 1878.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
TESTER, of Hurst Green, in the County of Sussex, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fifth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James Tester, Her special license
that I, the said James Tester, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said James Tester, 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 torm therein expressed, should
aud lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United

page_text: Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING CHAFF
AND OTHER SIMILAR VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said James Tester, my executors or administrators, by
an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
scals, 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 James Tester, 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 thereof, that is to say :-
The Invention relates to cortain improvements in that class of agricul-
tural machinery known as the "chaff cutting machine," and is designed
for the purpose of enabling such machine, by an improved arrangement
of feed motion, to cut varying lengths of material submitted to the action
of the cutting knives, say for instance from a quarter of an inch to four
inches long.
The improvements consist in actuating the feed by an arrangement of
sliding eccentric connection on a disc secured to the driving shaft
through the medium of a connecting rod, lever, pauls, and ratchet wheel in
the manner following:-The driving shaft upon which the fly wheel and
cutters are secured is provided with a disc having a radial slot, to which
is connected one end of a rod, the other end of which is connected with a
lever provided with two pauls or catches working or actuating a ratchet
wheel, and which when in action communicate motion through the
medium of spur gearing to the feed rolls of the "chaff cutter," these
rolls having weights that give or cause them to have or exert when in
action a pressure on the chaff or other material they are feeding to the
cutters independent from the weighting of the "pinch block," which
enables them to maintain an uniform pressure upon the material being
cut, which is a great advantage, as it insures a constant and regular feed,
according to the length required independent from the intermittent
action of the pinch block. Therefore according to the adjustment of
the eccentric connection of the rod in the slot of the disc communicating
motion with the pauls and ratchet wheel any length of chaff or other

page_text: Having now described the nature of my said Invention, together with
the method of carrying the same into practical effect, I would wish it to
be distinctly understood in conclusion that I claim, the novel and
peculiar adaptation to chaff cutting machines of the various parts consti-
tuting the improved feed apparatus, together with their employment and
use in connection therewith, as herein-before substantially described, set
forth, and fully illustrated in the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Tester, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, this Twenty-first day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-three.
Witness,
THOMAS GASSON,
Hurst Green,
Sussex.
JAMES TESTER. (L.S.)