AN IMPROVED METHOD OF CUTTING CAOUTCHOUC OR INDIA-RUBBER, LEATHER, HIDES, AND SIMILAR SUBSTANCES, SO AS TO RENDER THEM APPLICABLE TO VARIOUS USEFUL PURPOSES
Year: 1836

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSHUA
PROCTER WESTHEAD, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Sixteenth day of February, in the sixth year of His reign,
did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Joshua Procter Westhead, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Joshua Procter Westhead, my exors, adñors, and
assigns, and such others as I, the said Joshua Procter Westhead, my exors,
adiñors, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no other, from time
to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales,
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "AN IMPROVED
METHOD OF CUTTING CAOUTCHOUC OR INDIA-RUBBER, LEATHER, HIDES, AND SIMILAR
SUBSTANCES, SO AS TO RENDER THEM APPLICABLE TO VARIOUS USEFUL PURPOSES;" in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Joshua
Procter Westhead, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
enrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by
the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Joshua Procter Westhead, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same may be performed and carried into effect;

page_text: by reference being had to the annexed Drawings, and the following description
thereof :-
The scale to which the Drawings are made is marked thereon, and similar
figures and letters of reference are used to indicate similar parts throughout
the whole of the Drawings.
In the annexed Drawing, which represents one arrangement of machinery
or apparatus by which my improved method of cutting is carried into effect,
Figure 1 represents an end, and Figure 2 a front view of a machine, in which
A is a driving shaft, which receives motion by hand from the crank handle A¹,
or from other power, as circumstances may require; this motion can either
be imparted or arrested at the pleasure of the operative or person attending
the machine; B represents the fly wheel, for the purpose of equalizing the
rotation of the shaft A; and C, a pulley keyed on the shaft, and carrying the
strap D. Immediately above the pulley C, and parrallel to the shaft A, is
placed the shaft E, supported by two hangers d, d, and revolving freely on its
axis. On this shaft are placed the pulleys e and e', the former receiving
motion from the strap D, and the latter imparting motion to the strap F,
which passes round the pulley f, placed firmly on the small shaft f, f', carrying
the two small circular clisks or cutters g, g, which are revolved (in the
direction of the arrows) at an increased velocity due to the relative circum-
ferences of the various pullies C, e, e¹, and f. By reference to the driving
shaft A, at the opposite extremity to that at which the power is imparted, it
will be seen that a small bevil wheel a is placed thereon, geering into a
similar bevil a' or a³, placed on a transverse shaft b, b, as best seen at Figure 1.
This shaft b, b, is allowed to move endwise in the journals or supports in
which it is supported, so that either the bevil a¹ or a can be put in geer
with the driving bevil a, and thereby the direction of rotation of the shaft
When either of the bevils a¹ or a² are
b, b, may be reversed at pleasure.
put in geer with the bevil a, it is kept so by means of a small catch b;
which falls into a groove cut into the shaft b, b, and prevents any ends traverse
or movement of the shaft, until removed by the operator for the purpose.
Motion is conveyed by means of
reversing the rotation from the shaft b, b.
the pulley G and the strap G³ to the pulley H, which is supported on a shaft
by hangers h, h, similar to the shaft E, already described. This shaft is also
provided with a small drum or barrel I, as seen at Figure 2, which imparts
motion at a reduced speed to the strap i, and thence to the pulley K, placed
at one end of the shaft m, m, m, as seen at Figure 2; at the opposite end
of the shaft m, m, (which is supported in the sliding carriage n, n, n, n.) is
placed a spur wheel geering into a similar wheel placed on the extremity of a
of

page_text: screw passing the whole length beneath the carriage n, n, n, n, and taking
into a stationary nut attached to the part n', n', similar to the arrangement for
traversing the slide rest in lathes for the ordinary construction; the direction
of traverse or end motion of the carriage n, n, n, n, necessarily depending on
the direction of rotation of the pulley K. 0, 0, are two supports attached to
the carriage n, n, n, n, and provided with small shafts r and r¹, which receive a
slow revolving motion from the bevils o¹ and o, the former of which is placed
on the shafts m; m. P, P, represent two stationary shields or rests, supported
from the part n', n', each provided with an horizontal slot or opening to allow
of the alternate traverse of the small shafts r and r', as well as a perpendi-
cular cut or opening, through which the lower extremity of the cutter g is
.caused to revolve, as seen at Figure 2. By tracing the motion of this machine,
it will be seen that the cutters 9, 9, are receiving a quick rotation, at the same
time that the shafts r and are receiving a slow rotation as well as a slow
end traverse or progressive motion dependant on the screw motion which
governs the traverse of the carriage n, n, n, n; supposing, therefore, a flat disk
or piece of caoutchouc, leather, hide, or other similar substance to be secured in
.the position represented at S, by means of washers and screw nuts or other con-
venient apparatus, it will partake of the motion of the shaft r, on which it is
placed, and gradually revolve and keep in contact with the cutter g, regularly
approaching the same by the traverse of the carriage n, n, n, n, in the direc-
tion of the arrow no, and thereby cut the material S into fillet or tape t, t, t,
till the whole is disposed of. The utility of the rests or shield p, p, will now be
obvious in supporting the material to be cut when subjected to the action of
cutter g, which has a constant tendancy to press it against the surface of the
rest p. In operating with this machine, it will be remarked, that while the
shaft r, which carries the material S, is approaching the cutter g, the correspond-
ing shaft is receeding from the cutter to which it belongs, so that when the
piece S is finished, and the shaft r, which supported it, is near to the cutter g,
the corresponding shaft r' is at the greatest distance from its cutter. In this
position the machine is stopped by the operative or attendant, and the disk or
flat piece of caoutchouc or other material placed on the shaft 11, the catch b¹
elevated, and the shaft b, b, removed endwise in the direction of the arrows bº,
Figure 1, so as to relieve the bevil a¹, and bring the bevil a³ into gear with the
driving bevil a, and thereby reverse the direction of rotation of the pulley K,
and consequently the traverse of the carriage n, n, n, n. The machine being
again put in motion, the cutting proceeds on the one shaft r¹, while the oppo-
site shaft r receedes from the cutter g, preparatory to receiving a fresh piece
of material as soon as that under operation shall be finished and the machine

page_text: .again stopped as before; thus the shafts and 21 are ultimately loaded, and
the material cut from a flat disk into a continious fillet or ribband.
Now, although the machine which I have above described answers the
-intended purpose of enabling me to carry into effect my improved method of cut-
ting caoutchouc or india-rubber, leather, hides, and similar substances, so as to
render them applicable to various useful purposes, I am fully aware that the
same may be variously modified, as, for instance, instead of imparting a
rectilinear or progressive movement as well as a rotary motion to a piece of
caoutchouc or india-rubber, leather, hide, or similar substance intended to be
cut into fillets, a revolving motion may be imparted; and by casuing the
pedestal or bearings upon which the revolving cutters work to, be fixed upon or
attached to a sliding carriage, and made to advance in the direction of the
material to be operated upon, a similar effect may be produced, and the
caoutchouc, leather, hide, or other similar substance be cut into fillets or tapes
of the required thickness. It is also obvious that, instead of using revolving
or circular cutters, longitudinal or straight knives or cutters may be applied,
to which rapid reciprocating motion may be given for the purpose of cutting
the caoutchouc, hides, and similar substances into fillets. The position of the
various motions and parts of the machinery for the accomplishment of my
method of cutting such materials may also be considerably varied, if required,
and rendered more completely self-acting or independent of the operative or
attendant. But as one great advantage arising from the adoption of my
improved method is that of cutting pieces of material of irregular shape and
size, the adjustments of which must always depend on the judgment of the
operative, I have considered it best to leave the machine also greatly dependent
on his or her attention, I therefore wish it to be understood that I claim as
my Invention, not only the machine herein-before described, but also any
modification of such machine by which my improved method of cutting
caoutchouc or india-rubber, hides, and similar substances into a band, tape, or
fillet, by means of a revolving or other cutter acting on the exterior edge of
such materials, and regularly cutting the same in a spiral or helical direction
towards the centre, can or may be effected. And such my Invention being new
and never before effected by machinery, I do hereby declare this to be my
true and faithful Specification of the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joshua Procter Westhead, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Tenth day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-six.
JOSHUA PROCTER (L.s.) WESTHEAD.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Tenth day of August, in the
year of our Lord 1836, the aforesaid Joshua Proctor Westhead came before
our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Sixteenth day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-six.