IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND HARVESTING GRAIN, GRASS, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT, to William Edward Newton, of the Office for Patents,;
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND
HARVESTING GRAIN, GRASS, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES."-A communication
from abroad by William Van Anden, of New York, in the United
States of America.
Sealed the 21st June. 1861. and dated the 3rd April 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Newton
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd April 1861.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING
AND HARVESTING GRAIN, GRASS, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists, first, in the peculiar formation of. the cutters by
making them of a triangular shape out of thin plates of metal, and then
bending or dishing their edges down so as to make their lower surfaces
concave, and their edges assume an angle of about ten degrees (more or less)
so that when ground on the concave sides of the cutters, it will produce, a
sharp and thin cutting edge by the single operation of one only of the cutters
being ground.

page_text: The second part of the Invention consists in the use of adjustable clamps
or guides attached to the bed piece or shoe in which the cutter bar vibrates,
so that as the edges of the cutters are worn away, the clamps may be adjusted
by means of binding screws to hold the cutters in contact with the fingers of
the shoe or cutter bed, and thus keep them in working order.
The third part of the Invention consists in combining the frame of the
machine with the shafts or pole, by means of fixed arms attached to the
lower side of the axletree, for the purpose of making the machine self-
adjustable in overcoming obstructions to the forward progress of it.
The fourth part of the Invention consists in so arranging the several parts
of the machine that all the above-mentioned improvements may be combined
in one, so as to constitute a complete mowing machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Newton in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 3rd October 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Edward Newton, Her special license that I, the said William
Edward Newton, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Edward Newton, 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 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND HARVESTING
GRAIN, GRASS, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES," being a communication from abroad
by William Van Anden, of New York, in the United States of America, upon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Edward Newton, 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

page_text: Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Newton, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention of "Improvements in Machinery for Cutting and Harvesting
Grain, Grass, and other Substances," consists, first, in the peculiar formation
of the cutters, which are made of a triangular shape out of thin plates of
metal, and bent up or dished so as to make their lower surfaces concave and
their cages assume an angle of about ten degrees (more or less) so that
when ground on the concave sides of the cutters, the grinding operation will
produce a sharp and thin cutting edge by the single operation of one only of
the cutters being ground. This Invention, therefore, is of great importance
as a means of saving labor in keeping the cutters in constant working order
as well as in cheapening the cost of making the cutters, and in the economy
of metal used in comparison with what is required to make cutters in the
ordinary way.
The second part of the Invention, consists in the use of adjustable clamps
or guides attached to the bed piece or shoe in which the cutter bar vibrates,
so that as the edges of the cutters are worn away the clamps may be adjusted
by means of binding screws to hold the cutters in contact with the fingers of
the shoe or cutter bed, and thus keep them in working order.
The third part of the Invention consists in combining the frame of the
machine with the shafts or pole by means of fixed arms attached to the lower
side of the axletree, for the purpose of making the machine self-adjustable in
overcoming obstructions to the forward progress of it.
The fourth part of the Invention consists in so arranging the several parts
of the machine that all the above-mentioned improvements may be combined
in one, so as to constitute a complete mowing machine.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 is a plan view of the machine;
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same taken in the line x, x, of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is another sectional view taken in the line a, a, of Fig. 1, but looking
in the opposite direction; Fig. 4 is a plan view, and Fig. 5 a sectional view
of the cutter with the cutter bar, cutter bed, and clamps; Figures 6, 7, and 8
are plan and sectional views of one of the cutters detached and drawn full
size; Figures 9, 10, and 11 are similar views of another cutter differing
somewhat in form from that shewn at Figures 6, 7, and 8.

page_text: .
The frame of the machine is seen at A, A, and is firmly secured to the
upper side of the axletree B, on which are mounted the two running wheels
Cand D. To the arms of the wheel D is secured a face cog wheel E which
gears into a small bevel cog wheel F having its axle or shaft G arranged at
right angles to the axle of the wheel D, and supported in suitable bearings H
attached to the cutter frame. On the lower end of the shaft G is secured a
grooved cam I, and into this groove engages one arm J of a right-angled
lever, having its fulcrum K secured in bearings ke in the cutter frame A,
while the other arm. J is attached by a working joint to the end of the cutter
bar L,. for the purpose of causing the latter to reciprocate or vibrate on its
frame. This cutter bar is adjusted upon a bed piece M secured to the lower
end of the frame A, and bas on its front edge a number of fingers N against
which the cutters act to cut the stalks of grass as the machine is drawn
forward. The cutters are shewn at P, and are made of a triangular shape, as
shewn in enlarged detached views, Figures 6 and 9. They are produced from
thin plates of steel, and are made of the required form by swaging or pressing
the triangular blanks,in a heated state in cast-iron dies made from a plaster of
Paris mould. It will be seen that the cutting edges or surfaces of the cutters
are formed by bending or dishing down each edge, so that by their concavity
their bent down margins form an angle to the plane of the cutters of about
ten degrees, more or less, as may be thought best. The object of this is to
make the bevilled or inclined upper surface of the cutters a constant cutting
surface without the necessity of grinding, and thus making it necessary only
to grind the concave side of the cutter. perfectly flat to obtain a thin sharp
cutting edge. It will be obvious therefore that cutters thus formed are a
great advantage, not only in saving labor in their mode of construction, but
also in their subsequent use by reducing the amount of grinding necessary to
keep a good cutting edge, as well as in the reduction of the weight of metal
in making the cutters. Upon referring to Fig. 7 it will be seen that there is
space cut out from the middle of the cutter; it has been found very advantageous
when oparating upon some kinds of crops, as it assists in clearing and prevents
the cutters from clogging, but for other kinds of crops a plain cutter, such as
that shewn at Fig. 9, will answer the purpose equally well. I would observe
that the improved form of cutter herein-before described may be employed in
other arrangements of mowing or reaping machines, I do not therefore intend
to limit the use of the improved cutters to the arrangement of machinery herein
set forth. Several clamps Q, seen best in Figures 4 and 5, are attached to
the cutter bed for holding and guiding the cutter bar in its vibratory. motion,
and at the same time by their adjustability they will clamp the cutters to the

page_text: cutter bed so as to keep them always upon the face of the fingers to do their
work. This adjustability of the clamps is obtained by means of a mortise
made longitudinally through the centre of a stud solidly attached to the
upper side of the cutter bed, through which a shank q on the clamper is
inserted. The shank q³ has a screw thread and a tightening nut q' on its end,
and is permitted to be worked vertically so that by loosening the nut q' the
clamper may be depressed on the cutter bar to keep the cutters always in close
contact with the upper surface of the fingers N so as to execute their work
properly. In Figures 1, 2, and 3, R is the shaft or draught pole, which is
secured at its back end by joints to the lower ends of two arms S projecting
downwards from the lower side of the axletree B. These arms are about
eighteen inches in length, and are intended to operate as levers to lift the
point of the cutters over obstructions to their forward progress. This is effected
in consequence of the shafts to which the horses are attached being attached
to the levers S, which form one part of a right angled lever, the frame of the
machine being firmly attached to the upper side of the axletree B, forming the
other part; consequently whenever the points of the cutters are resisted in
their forward motion, the whole power of the team is exerted to lift them up,
as well as to draw them forward, thus automatically making the machine self-
adjustable. T is the cam attached to the shafts, and having notches in its
upper edge which are intended to engage a pin U in the side of the mower
frame, so that by means of the lever V attached to the cam the attendant of
the machine may, when required, elevate the cutters from off the surface of
the ground. W is a plain running wheel which is intended to support the
shaft or pole R so as to form a prop upon which the elevator cam T is secured,
to sustain the frame of the machine, and at the same time to give steadiness
to the motion of it.
Having now described this Invention of "Improvements in Machinery for
Cutting or Harvesting Grain, Grass, and other Substances,'
and having
explained the manner of carrying the same into effect; I claim as the Inven-
tion which I desire to secure by Letters Patent,-
First, the improved mode herein set forth of constructing the cutters of
harvesters and mowing machines.
Second, I claim the mode herein set forth of constructing, arranging, and
combining the cutter bar, cutter bed, and clamps with the cutters P. I claim
particularly the use of the clamp Q, or any equivalent contrivance in com-
bination with the cutter bar and cutter bed, for the purposes herein-before
set forth.

page_text: Third, I claim the mode herein set forth of combining the shaft or draught
pole and frame with the axletree of the machine for the purposes set forth.
Lastly, I claim the general combination and arrangement of the several
parts of the harvesting or mowing machine herein-before described, or any
mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Newton, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Third day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
T. NOLAN,
66, Chancery Lane.
W. E. NEWTON. (L.S.)