IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF REEDS FOR WEAVING, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, and of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF REEDS FOR
WEAVING, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."―A
communication from Henri Victor Wacrenier, of Paris, in the Empire of
France.
Sealed the 28th December 1855, and dated the 19th July 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
19th July 1855.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, and of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
REEDS FOR WEAVING, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN,"
a communication from Henri Victor Wacrenier, of Paris, in the Empire of
France, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to certain improved constructions and arrangements
of reeds for weaving purposes, which it is proposed to make of hard india-
rubber, india-rubber and gutta percha combined, or of india-rubber combined
with metal or other materials, and to certain peculiar constructions and
arrangement of machinery, apparatus, or means for manufacturing the same.

page_text: According to one arrangement, the reed is composed entirely of a band of
hard india-rubber, and the dents or teeth are cut in it by means of a circular
saw of a diameter rather greater than the length of the reed dents. The
top and bottom of the dents are prevented from cutting the warp by being
protected by rounded strips of hard india-rubber, wood, or other suitable
material, laid along the entire length of reed.
Another mode of constructing reeds consists in forming the dents of separate
strips of hard india-rubber united at the top and bottom by gutta percha or
fusible metal. The shuttle boxes of ribbon looms may also be made of hard
india-rubber.
The machine employed in cutting the reed dents contains a shaft, on which
is fitted a small circular saw rotated at a great volocity. A sliding table or bed
carrying the india-rubber to be dented works on the fixed framing of the
machine immediately in front of the saw. This slide is made to move both
laterally, by a ratchet arrangement, for the purpose of bringing a fresh portion
in front of the saw after each dent is cut, and longitudinally, by means of a
cam, for the purpose of bringing the india-rubber up to the saw as fast as it
cuts through the material. As the saw is made extremely thin, & the cut
required to be very even and accurate, it is guided or steadied by rotating
between fixed fingers or guides.
Another mode of cutting the reed dents or teeth consists in using straight
saws, a number of which are fixed into a suitable box or frame, with washers
between each saw to afford space to the thickner of the dents. The india-
rubber is laid on or against this series of saws, and, being slightly pressed
thereon, it is rubbed transversely across the box or frame, whilst the saws
therein effect the cutting of the whole or a portion of the dents simul-
taneously
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 19th January 1856..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
and of Glasgow, North Britain, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her

page_text: reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John
Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF REEDS FOR WEAVING, AND IN THE MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," a communication from Henri Victor Wacrenier,
of Paris, in the Empire of France, upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said John Henry Johnson, 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 John Henry Johnson, 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 fol-
lowing statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and
to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
The said Invention relates to certain improved constructions and arrange-
ments of reeds for weaving purposes, which it is proposed to make of hard
india-rubber, india-rubber and gutta percha combined, or of india-rubber
combined with metal or other materials. and to certain peculiar constructions
and arrangements of machinery, apparatus, or means for manufacturing
the same.
According to one arrangement, the reed is composed entirely of a band of
hard india-rubber, and the dents or teeth are cut in it by means of a circular
saw of a diameter rather greater than the length of the reed dents. The top
and bottom of the dents are prevented from cutting the warp threads when in
use by being protected by rounded strips of hard india-rubber, wood, or other
suitable material laid along the entire length of the reed.
Another mode of constructing reeds consists in forming the dents of separate
strips of hard india-rubber united at the top and bottom by gutta percha or
fusible metal. The shuttle boxes of ribbon looms may also be made of hard
india-rubber.
The machine employed in cutting the reed dents contains a shaft, on

page_text: which is fitted a small circular saw rotated at a great velocity.
A sliding
table or bed carrying the india-rubber to be dented or cut works on the
fixed framing of the machine immediately in front of the saw. This slide is
made to move both laterally, by a ratchet arrangement, for the purpose of
bringing a fresh portion in front of the saw after each dent is cut, and longi-
tudinally, by means of a cam, for the purpose of bringing the india-rubber up
to the saw as fast as it cuts through the material. As the saw is mado ex-
tremely thin, and the cut required to be very even and accurate, it is guided
or steadied by rotating between fixed fingers or guides.
Another mode of cutting the reed dents or teeth consists in using straight
saws, a number of which are fixed into a suitable box or frame, with washers
between each saw to afford space for the thickness of the dents. The india-
rubber is laid on or against this series of saws, and, being slightly pressed
thereon, it is rubbed transversely across the box or frame, whilst the saws
therein effect the cutting of the whole or a portion of the dents simultaneously.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall refer
to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the same
letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the Figs.
Fig. 1 of the Drawings represents a side elevation of a portion of a reed
composed of india-rubber or gutta percha. In making a reed of this descrip-
tion, I take a band of hardened india-rubber of the length and breadth
required for the reed, and of sufficient thickness to give the requisite strength
to the reed dents. This band is then cut over its entire surface by means of
a small circular saw in such a manner as to form the reed dents a, leaving
a strip of india-rubber 6 all round to take the place of the metal bars or
framing in the ordinary reed. It will be obvious, however, that in place of
proceeding in the manner just described, all the dents of the reed may be
made separately of hardened india-rubber, and inserted at their extremities
into bands of gutta percha, replacing the parts b in Fig. 1. In place of gutta
percha I may employ fusible metal, or strips of wood, leather, or other suitable
and cheap material.
In order to saw the teeth out mechanically, either a circular or a straight
saw may be employed, as will be herein-after fully described. In using a
circular saw, it will be obvious, that whatever might be the proximity of its
axis to the band to be sawn, it would leave the ends of the indentations or cuts
inclined more or less, as shewn at c in the section, Fig. 2, the sharp edges of
which would prove injurious, and liable to cut the warp threads in weaving.

page_text: This inconvenience may, however, be remedied by the application of two
strips d of hardened india-rubber, wood, or any other suitable material, the
edges of which may be rounded in such a manner as not to injure the warp
threads.
I have represented at Figs. 3 and 4 a portion of a ravel or comb bar,
composed of hardened india-rubber, and having the teeth formed therein by
means of circular saws.
Fig. 5 represents an end elevation of a machine for cutting the dents of
reeds; Fig. 6, a corresponding plan of the same.
Fig. 7 is an enlarged transverse section of the machine; and Fig. 8 is an
enlarged elevation of the most important part of the mechanism.
A is a circular saw, revolving at a high velocity; and B is a travelling bed
plate, carrying, by means of the wrought-iron frame and screws c, a band
or strip of hard india-rubber C, which is brought forward against the saw for
the purpose of effecting the cut, and is then carried back to disengage it; it
then makes a lateral movement or traverse to the extent of the thickness of a
tooth or dent, when another cut is made, and the operation is continued until
the entire length of the strip has been thus cut into reed dents, a strengthen-
ing piece being left at each end, however, as shewn at bin Fig. 1. To
obtain the movements requisite for this purpose, the bed plate B is mounted
similar to the slide rest of a lathe, so that a traverse in a transverse direction
and another in a longitudinal direction of the machine may be obtained in
the slides and e of the moveable support E.
A shaft D carries a cam G, the rotation of which causes the carriage or bed
plate B with the strip of india-rubber C to be forced against the saw A, which
penetrates it to within a short distance of its axis. Immediately the cam G
ceases to act upon the carriage B, it is drawn back again by the counterweight
H, suspended to a cord h passing over a suitable guide pulley. It is neces-
sary that the carriage after having been driven back should move the space
of one tooth or dent in a lateral direction. To produce this effect, the
shaft D carries a cam K, Figs. 5 and 6, which cam actuates at each revolu-
tion a lever k furnished with a pall 7; this pall acts upon a ratchet wheel L fast
upon the large transverse horizontal screw M; an adjusting screw m regulates
the oscillations of the lever k, and consequently regulates the thickness of the
reed dents. In order that the cam G may always act against the centre of
the carriage B, it is mounted upon the shaft D in such a manner, that
although it participates in its motion, it is free to slide along it by means of
a groove and key, as shewn in Fig. 6. An armo is fixed to the moveable

page_text: support E, and terminates in a collar which embraces a groove in the boss
of the cam G, in order to cause it to traverse laterally with the carriage.
When the carriage B and the cam G have arrived at the end of their lateral
course, they encounter a projection on the bar f, Fig. 6, which bar is carried
with them, and is pressed against the side of the driving pulley N, which it
displaces from a stud on the shaft by compressing the spring s. This has the
effect of disengaging for a time the pulley N from the shaft D, upon which it
will now turn loosely, and the machine will be instantly stopped. The machine
is driven from the pulley S, which transmits a rapid rotatory motion to the
pulley S of the saw shaft. A slow rotatory motion is imparted to the cam
shaft D from the driving pully D¹.
As it is necessary to employ saws of very slight thicknesses in con-
sequence of the necessary proximity of the reed dents, and as these saws
would consequently be liable to bend and produce irregularities in the reed,
I employ suitable guides to obviate that defect. These guides consist of
fixed fingers u, u, between which the saw turns, and is guided steadily,
being also assisted by the moveable guide v. The carriage carrying this
guide is supported by a column v', fixed upon a carriage W₁, which moves
freely in dovetail grooves. The carriage is made to advance or recede along
a slot, with which the slide W¹ is furnished, by means of the screw W. This
can be also adjusted by four screws a¹. The moveable guide v holds the saw
firm close to its circumference at the place where it enters the india-rubber.
This guide is attached to a slide w, which is pressed constantly forward by
means of a weight and cord z; an arm a also attached to this slide encounters
the carriage B as it advances. The motion of the carriage forces the guide v
to recede, but at the same time constantly guiding the saw close to the
india-rubber while it is cutting it. When the carriage B, recedes the guide v
is left to itself, and is drawn back by its counterweight to the circumference
of the saw.
I have also modified the machine just described in such a manner that the
dents of the reed can be cut by means of straight saws.
For this purpose
I make use of a series of saws, equal in number to the number of dents
required in the reed, and arranged the thickness of a dent asunder. This
series of saws remains fixed-whilst the strip-of-india-rubber is moved over it
in a longitudinal direction to the saws by any suitable mechanical contrivance.
In order that this arrangement of straight saws may be better understood,
I have represented it in section and plan at Figs. 9 and 10.
Fig. 9 is a transverse section, shewing the combination of my small straight

page_text: saws; and Fig. 10 is a plan, shewing the manner in which they are united.
It will be seen that each saw A is pierced with two small holes, which serve
to fix them upon the long spindles a, a. Between each saw a small washer is
placed upon the spindle, the thickness of which washer is equal to that of the
reed dents, and these washers regulate the distance apart of the saws. These
saws united in this manner are placed in a box B, which holds them fast, and
the sides of which are of such a height as to allow a portion of the saws to
project above them. Covers or plates c are slid into dovetail grooves over the
narrow ends of the saws, and are firmly fixed by means of screws, the saws
being thus securely held in their places.
The strip of india-rubber A'is fixed to a support, not shewn in the Drawing,
and rests upon the series of saws, and receives a reciprocating motion in
a parallel direction to the length of the saws, that is, transversely to the
box B. A gradual pressure forces the saws to penetrate the india-rubber,
and cut the whole set of reed dents at one time. The mechanism imparting
the movement to the india-rubber is regulated according to the length of the
reed dents.
Figs. 11 and 12 represent a series of circular saws A, fitted on to a
spindle B, with washers B between each saw to give the required space for
the reed dent. By this arrangement the lateral traversing of the carriage
carrying the reed to be cut is dispensed with, as the whole of the dents will
be cut simultaneously.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of the said Invention; but what
I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the manufacture or construction of weavers' reeds, ravels, and comb
bars of hard india-rubber or gutta percha, as herein-before described.
Second, the manufacture of the reeds and shuttle boxes of ribbon looms of
hard india-rubber or gutta percha, as herein-before described.
Third, the peculiar construction and arrangement of machinery or apparatus
for cutting the dents of weavers' reeds, as herein-before described.
Fourth, the peculiar arrangement of a series of straight saws combined
together for cutting the dents of weavers' reeds, as herein-before described.

page_text: Fifth, the peculiar arrangement of a series of circular saws combined
together for cutting the dents of weavers' reeds, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of January, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-six.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)