IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING WOOLLEN OR OTHER CORDS OR CORDUROY
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles William Keighley, of the Firm of
Lockwood and Keighley, of Upperhead Mills, Huddersfield, in the
County of York, Woollen Cord Manufacturers, and William
Netherwood, of the same Place, Cord Cutter, for the Invention of
"IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING WOOLLEN OR OTHER
CORDS OR CORDUROY."
ealed the 17th April 1874, and dated the 20th October 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles William
Keighley and William' Netherwood at the Office of the Com-
missioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 20th October
1873.
We, CHARLES WILLIAM KEIGHLEY,. of the Firm of Lockwood and
Keighley, of Upperhead Mills, Huddersfield, in the County of York,
Woollen Cord Manufacturers, and WILLIAM NETHERWOOD, of the same
Place, Cord Cutter, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention

page_text: for "IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING WOOLLEN OR OTHER CORDS
OR CORDUROY," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to self-acting mechanism for cutting open the
pile of woollen or other cords, corduroy, or corded fabrics.
Heretofore various attempts have been made to effect this object by
mechanical means, for which purpose the fabric has been wound upon a
roller mounted in one end of suitable framework and gradually passed,
travelled, or drawn from thence to and wound upon another roller
mounted at the other end of the same framework, during which process
or travel of the fabric a series of cutters or knives, also mounted upon
or arranged on and held by the said frame above the fabric (such knives
being inserted in the races of the piles or some of them) were to cut the
same open, but which in practice have not been found sufficiently efficient
or profitable in use.
•
Now our improvement consists in the employment of one knife only,
which we cause to travel or reciprocate quickly the length of the frame
on which the fabric is stretched from roller to roller, which knife being
inserted in a race of a pile, cuts it open after the manner of hand
cutting. Then by an intermittent traverse motion of the knife it is
inserted into the next race or pile in the fabric in succession, which at
the next stroke of the knife is also cut open, and so on until the whole
of the races, piles, or cords in the width of the fabric are cut open.
Then the fabric is drawn forward another length of the frame and tho
travel or reciprocation of the knife is repeated until the whole of the
cords in the width of the fabric are in like manner cut open, when
another length is drawn forward, and so on until the whole fabric
is cut.
Reciprocatory motion is given to the knife (by preference) by means
of a grooved wheel and cords, in which wheel is a shed working in a
lateral slot in a slide frame, and attached to the slide is a hollow cross;
rail, which by means of a wharle and stud actuates the knife. The
traverse from one race pile or cord to another is effected by means of an
inclined slot plate (attached to a frame or carriage the length of the
main framing, and capable of travelling intermittently across the same,
being mounted on wheels) also by means of a foot or guide inserted into
the next race determines the proper distance and lateral movement of

page_text: .
the knife, and a pin or pointed holder inserted into the fabric. There is.
a flexible metal band connected with the knife, which serves as a guide.
The knife is held in position for cutting by springs, which, if the said:
knife should penetrate the body of the fabric, will tilt and readily give
way, turning the knife out of contact, and thereby avoid cutting or doing
damage thereto, and a spring slide bar will be liberated, which will act,
on the strap guide and stop the machine for rectification of the knife.,
There is also provision made that when the traverse frame or carriage:
has passed across the whole width of the fabric it will come into contact
with a stop, which will act upon the strap guide and stop the motion of.
the machine for the purpose of the carriage being traversed. back for
another breadth of fabric, and for drawing forward the said fabric
another length, which drawing forward is effected by means of a worm
and gear wheels with shaft, bringing the rollers (for carrying and guiding
the fabric) into connection with the driving shaft of the machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles William Keighley and William Netherwood
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th April 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, CHARLES
WILLIAM KEIGHLEY, of the Firm of Lockwood and Keighley, of
Upperhead Mills, Huddersfield, in the County of York, Woollen Cord
Manufacturers, and WILLIAM NETHERWOOD, of the same Place, Cord
Cutter, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of October, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto us, the said Charles William Keighley and William
Netherwood, Her special licence that we, the said Charles William,
Keighley and William Netherwood, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said Charles William Keighley, and,
William Netherwood, our, executors, administrators, and assigns, should.
at any time agree with and no others, from time to time and
at all times thercafter during the term therein expressed, should and
.

page_text: 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 OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING
WOOLLEN OR OTHER CORDS OR CORDUROY," upon the condition (amongst others)
that we, the said Charles William Keighley and William Netherwood,
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 Charles William Keighley and
William Netherwood, do hereby declare the nature of our said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be parti-
cularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
(that is to say)—
→
This Invention relates to self-acting mechanism for cutting open the
pile of woollen or other cords, corduroy, or corded fabrics. 7
Heretofore various attempts have been made to effect this object by
mechanical means, for which purpose the fabric has been wound upon a
roller mounted in one end of suitable framework and gradually passed,
travelled, or drawn from thence to and wound upon another roller
mounted at the other end of the same framework, during which process
or travel of the fabric a series of cutters or knives also mounted uponor
arranged on and held by the said frame above the fabric (such knives
being inserted in the races of the piles or some of them) were to cut the
same open, but which, in practice, have not been found sufficiently
efficient or profitable in use:
Now our improvement consists in the employment of one knife only,
which we cause to travel or reciprocate quickly the length of the frame
on which the fabric is stretched from roller to roller, which knife, being
inserted in a race of a pile, cuts it open after the manner of hand
cutting. Then by an intermittent traverse motion of the knife it is
inserted into the next race or pile in the fabric in succession, which at
the next stroke of the knife is also cut open, and so on until the whole
of the races, piles, or cords in the width of the fabric are cut open.

page_text: Then the fabric is drawn forward another length of the frame, and the
travel or reciprocation of the knife is repeated until the whole of the
cords in the width of the fabric are in like manner cut open when
another length is drawn forward, and so on until the whole fabric is cut.
Reciprocatory motion is given to the knife (by preference) by means
of a grooved wheel and cord, in which wheel is a stud working in a
lateral slot in a slide frame, and attached to the slide is a hollow cross
rail, which, by means of a wharle and stud, actuates the knife. The
traverse from one race pile or cord to another is effected by means of an
inclined slot plate (attached to a frame, or carriage, or slide rail, the
length of the main framing, and capable of travelling intermittently
across the same, being mounted on wheels), also by means of a foot or
guide inserted into the next or other race, which determines the proper
distance and lateral movement of the knife, and a pin or pointed holder
inserted into the fabric. There is a flescible metal band connected with
the knife which serves as a guide. The knife is held in position for
cutting by springs, which, if the said knife should penetrate the body of
the fabric, will tilt and readily give way, turning the knife out of contact,
and thereby avoid cutting or doing damage thereto, and a spring slide
bar will be liberated which will act on the strap guide and stop the
machine for rectification of the knife. There is also provision made that
when the traverse frame or carriage has passed across the whole width
of the fabric it will come into contact with a stop, which will act upon
the strap guide and stop the motion of the machine for the purpose of
the carriage being traversed back for another breadth of fabric and for
drawing forward the said fabric another length, which drawing forward
is effected by means of a worm and gear wheels with shaft bringing the
rollers (for carrying and guiding the fabric) into connection with the
driving shaft of the machine.
Having set forth the nature of our said Invention, we will now pro-
ceed to describe the manner in which the same is carried into practical
operation, and in order to which, we refer to the accompanying Sheets of
Drawings of a machine or apparatus constructed in accordance with the
said Invention.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation, Fig. 2 is the opposite side also, Fig. 3 is a
Th
A
ли
and clavation of came The several Ricu

page_text: following being details or separate parts thereof.. The babric to be cut
is represented by the dotted line marked A, and through a slot in a rail
B, thence under the card roller B¹ and over the rail B³, thence over the
roller B³ and under the card roller B*, to, and is wound around the roller
B' by means of the belt or cord B and the gear wheels B; the fabric is
stretched between or from roller B¹ to the roller B*, by means of the
friction strap or cord C passing over a pully fixed on the roller B³, and
which is pressed by lever C¹and weight C. The knife D which is
shewn more fully in the details herein-after) is attached to an arm D¹,
hinged to a reciprocatory frame or carriage D³, mounted upon a longi-
'tudinal slide rail E, which rail is also mounted on wheels or friction
rollers e, resting and capable of running on the main framework of the
machine, so that it may traverse across the fabric as required; F is the
grooved wheel, and F¹ the cord for giving motion to the knife, a stud
fixed in the said wheel, which enters and works in a slot in the slide
frame F, by which reciprocatory motion is given to the said frame to
the extent of the diameter of the wheel throw of the stud; this frame
carries two pair of pullys F4 and F³, with cords F and F', passing around,
each pairs of the ends being fixed to the main frame, so that when
motion is given to the slide frame motion will also be given to the cords.
G is the hollow cross rail, which is also capable of sliding or of being
moved laterally on the slide frame F³ simultaneously therewith, but at
double speed, and therefore double the distance of travel, the cords being
attached to the said hollow rail by fixings and screws G¹ and G³, thus the
reciprocatory frame or knife carriage is caused to travel twice the distance
of the diameter or throw of the grooved driving wheel.
The means of effecting the traverse of the knife or the intermittent
sideway movement of the longitudinal slide rail is shewn at Figs. 5, 6,
and 7. H is the inclined slot plate attached to or formed, on which is a
rack H', into which gears a pinion H³, carried on a spindle H³, and
driven by friction, it being pressed by a spiral spring H' between two
collars; motion to this spindle is given by cord H³ acting on the pullys
H giving motion to the plate in alternate directions; I is a slidable
finger having a stud I', which enters the slot H, which, as the plate
moves gives motion to the finger in a direction at right angles to longi-
tudinal slide rail. This finger carries a slide 12 having a pointed pin
fixed to it. This pin is caused to penetrate the fabric before the end of
-

page_text: the cut, and during the return stroke the slot plate moves back, the slot
Hacting on the stud in the finger I, causes the longitudinal rail to move
sideway, according to the extent of motion giving to the said slot plate,
which movement is determined or adjusted by the screw I³, the motion
of the pin and plate I³ is produced by the action of a cam J, which
operates a lever J¹ fixed on a spindle J', on which is also fixed another
lever Js connected to the said pin plate. This cam J also gives motion
to a foot or guide K, causing it to enter a race of the fabric immediately
after the rail E is moved laterally or sideways, and to hold therein while
the knife is inserted, and during part of this time the next cut is made,
the pin I being withdrawn from the fabric. This guide adjusts the rail
to run of the fabric. The motion to this foot is given by levers K¹ and
K³ fixed on the spindle K³, operating at suitable times; the knife is
guided in its reciprocatory course of motion by a flexable metal band L.
The knife and its appendages or attachments, and its motion or action, if
or when it penetrates through the boby of the fabric, are shewn at
Figs. 8 to 14. D is the knife fixed in its guide d, and its holder or
carrier d'; shewn at Figs. 12.) The carrier is hinged on one end of a
lever arm d³, the other end of which is hinged to the arm D¹, between
bracke tplates d³ at a point d'. The knife is held in the position shewn
at Fig. 8 for cutting by a lever d³; one end taking on to the flattened
part at the end of the spindle d', the other end of said lever being pressed
by an india-rubber or other spring do, when, or if the knife should pene-
trate the body of the fabric, and passing through it will be immediately
released from the holding of the lever d³, and by the action of a spring
d' attached to a pulley or boss on the spindle d', the knife will be tilted
and drawn out of the fabric and thrown into the position shewn by the
dotted lines at d³, and at the same time the said boss will operate a rod
ď connected to a lever d¹, which acts upon a cord du, deflecting it to
such extent as to draw or slide a stop d¹ into a position for contact with
a slide bar d, for acting on apparatus in connection with the strap
guide, so to stop the further movement of the machine until the knife is
rectified.
When the longitudinal slide bar E with the knife has travelled across.

page_text: the said lever being fixed on a shaft on which is another lever M* con-
nected by cord M³ to a catch M (which holds the strap guide M' on the
first pulley M³), which action liberates the said strap guide when the
spring P throws it on the loose pulley P¹, and thereby stops the further
motion of the machine. The drawing forward of the fabric for another
length to be cut is effected by means of bevel wheels R and shaft S, worm
S₁ gearing in a wheel T, fixed on the shaft of the card roller B*; for this
purpose the strap guide is operated by a lever U fixed on one end of a
shaft U', the other end of which is fixed in the strap guide, thus, by
pressing down the lever U, the strap will be thrown on the pulley U³, to
which one of the bevel wheels R is fixed, which will thereby communicate
motion to the card roller B', which will draw the fabric forward another
length. The lever U is held down by a slide pin U³ pressed by a spring
U' attached to a lever U³, see Fig. 18, 19, and 20. To indicate the
length drawn forward a pinion V is fixed on the card roller shaft, gearing
in a wheel V¹, carried on a lever V³, hinged at one end V³ to the frame,
the other being capable of lifting so as to throw the wheel V₁ out of
gear with the pinion V when at liberty to be acted upon by a spring V*,
but in Fig. 18 it is shewn to be held in gear by a catch lever V³. In
the wheel V₁ are a series of holes in a circular line, a stud or finger can
be fixed in any one, which, when it comes into contact with the lever
Vo, knock it off the catch piece V' and so allow the spring to lift the said
lever, and thereby the wheel V₁ out of gear with pinion V.
breakage of the teeth when going into gear, a spring W is
lever V, and a pin W¹ in the wheel V¹, on coming into contact with the
other when the wheels are out of gear by the action of a cord and weight
W2, so that at the time when they are to be put into gear the spring will
give way, and so prevent breakage of the teeth.
.
To prevent
fixed on the
Having thus fully described the nature and particulars of the Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed or put into
practical operation, we would have it understood that we do not confine
ourselves to the precise details of construction or arrangement of the
machine shewn and described, as various modifications may be made
thereon without departing from the main features of the Invention,
which we consider to be, and therefore claim the construction and
arrangement of machinery suitable for working one knife at a quick
reciprocatory motion, whilst the fabric is stationary, and traversing the

page_text: same from one race to another, in manner substantially as herein described
and shewn in the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Netherwood, for and on
behalf of the said Charles William Keighley and myself, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of April One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.
-WILLIAM NETHERWOOD. (L.S.)
Witness,
WALTER BRIERLEY,
Tasker & Brierley,
Patent Agent,
Halifax, Bradford, & Blackburn.