AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CUTTING CORKS FOR STOPPERS
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County
of. Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CUTTING CORKS FOR STOPPERS." -A communication
from abroad by John Denison Crocker, of Norwich, in the County of
New London, and State of Connecticut, United States of America..
Sealed the 27th March 1863, and dated the 29th November 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office. of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 29th.
November 1862.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR CUTTING CORKS FOR STOPPERS," to be as
follows:-
The object of this Invention is to obtain a machine for cutting corks for
stoppers which will perform the work rapidly, and be capable of being readily
adjusted so as to cut the corks of cylindrical or taper form as may be desired,
and of any required degree of taper and size.
The Invention' has also for its object a simple and automatically operating
means for clamping and holding the corks to be cut. To these ends the
Invention consists in the employment or use of a tilting frame or arms

page_text: provided with one or more arbors which are rotated or thrown in or out of
gear by the tilting movement of the frame, the latter being operated by the
cutter shaft, and the arbor or arbors provided with clamps or holders which
are also operated by the tilting of the arbor frame, the above parts being also
used in connection with feeders also operating, and a rotating cylinder cutter,
all arranged substantially as herein-after fully shown and described.
To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my
Invention, I will proceed to describe it by reference to the Drawing.
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of apparatus according to this Invention.
A represents a base or platform on which the machine rests, and B is a
vertical shaft placed on said base, and having a pulley B¹ on its upper end,
around which a belt C passes, said belt also passing around a vertical shaft D,
on which a circular cutter E is placed. This cutter has a smooth knife edge,
the bevil being on its upper surface, and the shaft D may be adjusted on its
upper end by a set screw a, so as to give it a vertical or slightly inclined
position, as may be desired. On the base or platform A there are placed two
standards 6, the upper parts of which receive the journals of a horizontal
shaft F. On the shaft F there are secured two arms G, G, each of which
is provided with two uprights c, c, which form the bearings of arbors H, H.
The arbors H, H, (there being two, one on either side of the machine,) are
allowed to turn freely in their bearings, and at their back ends they are each
provided with a pinion d. The front parts of the arbors H, H, are of tubular
form, and in the front part of each is placed a spindle I, the outer
end of which is provided with a button e, serrated or toothed at its face side.
Each arbor H has a band or ring J .fitted on it, and these bands or rings are
connected to the spindles I by pins f, which pass through oblong slots 9 in
the arbors as shown. The shaft F has a plate projecting laterally from it
and on this plate an upright his attached which has a spring L at its upper end,
said spring being of semi-elliptic form, and having at its end bearings against
the bands or rings J on the arbors H, H. The spring L has a tendency to
keep the spindles I thrown out from the arbors H to their fullest extent.
M is a slide the ends of which are fitted on the arbors H, H. This slide is
connected by a bail-shaped rod N with the upper end of a lever O, the fulcrum
pin of which passes through an arm j attached to the under side of the
plate K; the lower end of the lever O has a pin projecting laterally from it
as shown. P is an upright attached to the base or platform A at a point
about in line with the back ends of the arms G, G. This upright P has a
catch Qattached to it, said catch being simply a shoulder j formed at the

page_text: lower end of a bar 1, which is secured to the upright P by a pin, the bar!
having a spring m bearing against its lower part, which spring has a tendency
to keep the shoulder j towards the lower part of the lever O. The back part
of the shoulder j is rounded, as represented in the Drawing. On a vertical
shaft a there is placed a cam R, which is formed by a serpentine groove m*,
in the periphery of a pulley n; into the groove m* of this pulley a pin o fits,
said pin projecting laterally from an arm p attached to the shaft F. The
cam R is driven by a belt a**, from shaft D. S, S, are two upright shafts
(one at the end of each shaft H) mounted on the base or platform. On each
of these upright shafts there is placed a loose drum T, having a bevil wheel U
at its end. The drums T, T, rest on the ends of a spring, which has a
tendency to keep them elevated against pins q, q, which pass through the upper
parts of the uprights. A series of holes may be made in these uprights through
any of which the pins q may pass, and the height of the wheel U is therefore
regulated as desired. The front of the arms G, G, are curved or bent upward
as shown clearly in the Drawing, and in the upper ends of the part r, there
are placed loosely small spindles *, which have buttons s at their outer ends,
said buttons being serrated and facing the serrated buttons e of the spindles I
in the arbor H, H. W is a bent lever, which has its fulcrum pin t passing
through an upright u on the base or platform A. The lower part of the
lever W extends underneath the front part of the arm G which adjoins it, and
a spring X, which is attached to the base or platform A, bears against the
lower part of the lever W, and has a tendency to keep the upper end of said
lever out from the spindles I, r*, of the arm G aforesaid. A lever W
is applied to each arm G. Y is a case, which serves as a
cutter E.
guard for the
The operation of the machine is as follows:-The slabs of cork are cut or
sawed into small blocks of rectangular form, and of a size that will admit of
the stoppers being cut of the required dimensions. The shaft B is rotated
by any convenient power, and the drums T, T, are rotated from the shaft B,
by belts a, b, and the cutter E is rotated by a belt C. The arms G, G, as
the cutter shaft D rotates, are worked up and down by means of the cam R.
As the front ends of the arms G, G, approach the lowest point of their
movement the spindles I, I, are drawn back within the arbors H, H, on
account of the pin i of the lever O catching behind the shoulder ; of the
bar l, and the front end of the arms G, G, in their descent press down the
lower parts of the levers W, and throw their upper parts towards the
spindles I, r*. On the upper parts of these levers W the corks to be cut are

page_text: placed, and said corks by this movement of the lever are fed between the
buttons e, s, of the spindles I, r*, and at that movement the pin i of the
lever o passes above the shoulder j of the bar K, and the spring L is allowed
to throw the spindles I; I, out from the arbors H, HI, so that the corks will
be grasped firmly between the spindles I, *. The front ends of the arms G, G,
then rise under the action of the cam R, and just before the corks come in
contact with the cutter E the pinions d engage with the wheels U, U, and
the arbors H, H, are rotated, and the cutter E will cut them in conical form,
the conical shape being due to the inclination of the arms G, G; and the
desired degree of taper may be given to the cut corks or stoppers by inclining
the cutter shaft Dmore or less through the medium of screw a. As the
front ends of the arms G, G, rise the springs X, X, throw up the lower part
of the levers W, W, and the upper ends of said levers are thrown back from
the spindles I, *, and when the arms G, G, reach the highest point of their
movement, and the corks are fully turned, the front ends of the arms 9, 9, begin
to descend and the pinions d, d, leave the wheels U, U, the rotation of the
arbors H, H, ceasing, the spindles I, I, are drawn back within the arbors H,
so that the cut corks or stoppers are allowed to drop from between the spindles
I,, and the latter, consequently may receive other corks to be turned. As the
front ends of the arms G, G, rise, the pin i of the lever O forces outwards the
shoulder of the bar K, so that the pin may pass behind it. Corks may be
cut of different sizes by raising the shaft D of the cutter E to the desired
point, the step of the shaft being adjustable and adjusting the wheels U, U,
on their shafts S, S, so that the pinions d may gear into them at the proper
time.
From the above description it will be seen that the several parts of the
machine are worked automatically from the driving shaft B, all that is
required being attendants to feed the corks to the shoulders I, *, and this
may be done by children.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed 3
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th May 1863.*
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
3

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of November, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said William
Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
William Clark, 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 "AN IMPROVED
MACHINE FOR CUTTING CORKS AND OTHER STOPPERS," a communication to me from
abroad by John Denison Crocker, of Norwich, in the County of New London,
& State of Connecticut, United States of America, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Clark, my executors or, a
nistrators,.. by an instrument in writing under my, 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.
;
admi-
. NOW KNOW YE,. that I, the said William Clark; 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 Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say)
Fig. 1 is a side view of this Invention; Fig. 2 a plan or, top view of the
same; Figs. 3 and 4 sections of the same, taken respectively in the lines x; x,
y, y, Figs. 1 and 2. Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in the several Figures.
The object of this Invention is to obtain a machine for cutting corks for
stoppers which will perform the work rapidly, and, be capable of being readily
adjusted so as to cut the corks of cylindrical or taper form as may be desired,
and. of any required degree of taper and size...
7
The Invention has also for its object a simple and automatically operating
means for clamping and holding the corks to be cut. To these ends the
Invention consists, in the employment or use of a tilting frame or, arms
provided with one or more arbors, which are rotated or thrown in and out

page_text: of gear by the tilting movement of the frame, the latter being operated
by the cutter shaft, and the arbor or arbors provided with clamps or
holders, which are also operated by the tilting of the arbor frame, the above
parts being also used in connection with feeders, also self-operating, and a
rotating circular cutter, all arranged substantially as herein-after fully shown
and described.
To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and.construct this
Invention, I will proceed to describe it.
'
A represents a base or platform on which the machine rests, and B is a
vertical shaft placed on said base, and having a pulley B' on its upper end,
around which a belt C passes, said belt also passing around a vertical shaft D,
on which a circular cutter E is placed. This cutter has a smooth knife edge, the
basil being on its upper surface, and the shaft D may be adjusted at its upper
end by a set screw a, so as to give it a vertical or a slightly inclined position;
as may be desired. On the base or platform A there are placed two stan-
dards b, b, the upper parts of which receive the journals of a horizontal shaft F:
On the shaft F there are secured two arms G, G, each of which is provided
with two uprights c, c, which form the bearings of an arbor H. The arbors
H; H, are allowed to turn freely in their bearings, and at their back ends they.
are each provided with a pinion d. The front parts of the arbors H, H, are of
tubular form, and in the front part of each arbor there is placed a spindle I;
the outer end-of which is provided with a button e serrated or toothed at its
face side. Each arbor H has a band or ring J fitted on it, and these bands
or rings are connected to the spindles I by pins f, which pass through oblong
slots g in the arbors, as shown in Fig. 1. The shaft F has a plate K pro-
jecting laterally from it, and on this plate an upright h is attached, which
has a spring L at its upper end, said spring being of semi-elliptic. form,
and having its ends bearing against the bands or rings J on the arbors H, H.
The spring L has a tendency to keep the spindles I thrown out from the
arbors H to their fullest extent. M is a slide, the ends of which are fitted
on the arbors H, H. This slide is connected by a bail-shaped rod N with
the upper end of a lever o, the fulcrum pin i of which passes through an
arm attached to the under side of the plate K; the lower end of the
lever o has a pin ¹ projecting laterally from it; as shown clearly in Fig. 3..
P. is an upright attached to the base or platform A at a point about in line
with the back ends of the arms G, G. This upright P has a catch Q
attached to it, said. catch being simply a shoulder j formed at the lower end of
a bar k; which is secured to the upright P by a pin o, the bar k having a.

page_text: spring m bearing against its lower end, which spring has a tendency to keep
the shoulder towards the lower part of the lever.o. The back part of the
shoulder is rounded, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. On a vertical shaft a*.
there is placed a cam R, which is formed by a serpentine groove.m* in the
periphery of a pulley n; into the groove m* of this pulley a pin o fits, said
pin projecting laterally from an arm p attached to the shaft. F. The cam R
is driven by a belt a** from shaft D. S, S, are two upright stationary shafts
attached to the base or platform A, one just back of each. arm G. On each
of these uprights there is placed a loose. drum T, having a. bevel wheel U at
its end. The drums T, T, rest on the ends of a spring V, which has a ten-
dency to keep them elevated against pins 9, 9, which pass through the
upper parts of the uprights. A series of holes may be made in these uprights..
through any of which the pins.q, q, may pass, and the height of the wheel U.
therefore regulated as desired. The front part of the arms G, G, are curved.
or bent upward as clearly shown in Fig.. 1, and in the upper ends of the.
part there are. placed loosely small spindles r*, which have buttons
their outer. extremity, said..buttons being serrated and facing the serrated
buttons e of the spindles I in the arbors H, H. W is a bent lever, which has.
its fulcrum pin t passing through an upright u on the base or platform A. The.
lower part of the lever W extends underneath the front part of the arm.G, which;
adjoins it, and a spring X, which is attached to the base or platform A; bears.
against the lower part of the lever w, and has a tendency to keep the upper.
end of said lever out from the spindles I, r*,. of the arm G aforesaid. A.
lever w is applied to each arm G. Y is a case, which serves as a guard for the
cutter, E.
at:
The operation of the machine is as follows:-The slabs of cork are cut or..
sawn into small blocks of rectangular form, and of a size that will admit of the.
cork stoppers being cut of the required dimensions. The shaft B is rotated by
any convenient power; and the drums T, T, are rotated from the shaft B by.
belts a', 6', and the cutter E is rotated by the belt C. The arms G, G, as the:
cutter shaft D rotates, are worked up and down by means of the cam: R. As
the front ends of the arms G, G, approach the lowest point of their movement,
the spindles I, I, are drawn back within the arbors H; H, on account of the
pin of the lever o catching behind. the shoulder j of the bar k, and the front.
ends of the arms G, G, in their descent press down. the lower parts. of the
levers W, and throw their upper parts towards the spindles I, *. On the
upper parts of these. levers W, the corks to be cut are placed, and said corks.
by this movement of the levers are fed between the buttons e,.s, of the
spindles I,., and at that movement the pin, of the lever O passes above the

page_text: shoulder of the bar K, and the spring L is allowed to.throw the spindles I, I,
out from the arbors H, H, so that the corks will be grasped firmly between
the spindles I, **. The front ends of the arms G, G, then rise under the
action of the cam R, and just before the corks come in contact with the
cutter E, the pinions d engage with the wheels V, V, and the arbors H, H,
are rotated, and the cutter E will cut them in conical form, the conical shape
being due to the inclination of the arms G, G; any desired degree of taper may
be given the cut corks or stoppers by inclining the cutter shaft D more or less
through the medium of the screw a. As the front ends of the arms G, G, rise,
the springs X, X, throw up the lower parts of the levers W, W, and the upper
ends of said levers are thrown back from the spindles I,.r*, and when the
arms G, G, reach the highest point of their movement, and the corks are fully
turned, the front ends of the arms G, G, begin to descend, and the pinions d, d;
leave the wheel's u, u, the rotation of the arbors H, H; ceasing, and the
spindles I, I, are drawn back within the arbors H, so that. the cut corks or
stoppers are allowed to drop from between the spindles I, r*, and the latter
consequently, may receive other corks to be turned. As the front ends of the
arm's G, G,, rise, the pin of the lever O forces outward the shoulder j of the
bar K, so that the pin may pass behind it, see Fig. 3, in which the, outward
position of the shoulder j is shown in red.. Corks may be cut of different sizes
by raising the shaft D.of the cutter E to the desired point, the step of the shaft
being adjustable and adjusting the wheels.u, u, on their shafts S, S; so that the
pinion's d may gear into them at the proper time.
From the above description it will be seen that the several parts of the
machine all work automatically from the driving shaft B, all that is required
being attendants to feed the corks to the shoulders I, rx, and this may be done
by 'children.
:
Having described the nature of this Invention, and. the manner of per-
forming the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be pro-
tected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―
First, the tilting arms G, G, one or more provided with the spindle r*, and
arranged in relation with the rotating cutter E in connection with the rotary
arbors H, one or more also placed on the arms G; G, and provided with the.
spindles I, as and for the purpose set forth.
Secondly, operating or actuating the spindles I so that they may grasp and
release the corks at the proper time by means of the bands or rings J, J,
slide. M; spring. N, lever. O, and the shoulder j attached to the bar k, as
herein set forth.
Thirdly, rotating the arbors H, H, through the medium of the adjustable

page_text: wheels U, U, on the shafts S, S, and the pinions d, d, on the arbors H, H,
arranged as shown, so that the arbors H, H, may be rotated as described.
Fourthly, the levers W when used in combination and arranged in relation
with the arms G, G, as shown, to operate as feeders, as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
JAMES DAISH,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
W. CLARK. (L.S.)