Improvements in and Connected with Cutter Bars for ag Bed Plates.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Jan., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 18th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 23rd Nov, 1888
Improvements in and Connected with Cutter Bars for ag
Bed Plates.
We JAMES HACKING and JOHN WALTER HACKING of the firm of J. & J. Hacking
of Carr Vale Works Over Darwen in the County of Lancaster, engineers do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Our invention relates to cutter bars for bed plates of rag engines for paper
manufacture and consists in improved construction of said cutter bars and means of
adjusting and fixing them. As ordinarily arranged the bed plates consist of a
number of cutters or steel bars, drilled with holes for bolts by which bolts they
are clamped together. The bars are square and level at the bottom and either
inserted directly into a recess in the bottom of the rag engine cistern under the
cylinder and fixed by wedges an oblique direction to the centre line of the cylinder
or inserted into a box and fixed therein in an oblique direction the box being slid into a
recess of the bottom of the rag engine cistern.
The tops of the cutters are usually bevilled to edges or sometimes left square with
distance pieces between the several cutters. As the top edges have to follow the
periphery of the cylinder the cutters have to be higher at two opposite corners
of the bed plate than at the other two corners and each cutter varies in depth in
its own length and is different from every other cutter, so that the making of these
cutter bars requires a considerable amount of labour and skill.
When the bevelled edges are worn down or the square tops worn to about the level
of the packing pieces, the cutters are bevilled if required and raised by means of
packings placed under them which repairs likewise require much labour and skill and
are frequently imperfectly performed whereby the efficiency of the rag engine is
reduced. The cutters can only be utilised for a small part of their depth to within a
certain distance from the bolt holes passing through them and because a certain depth
of bar is required in order to fix the bed plate sufficiently by wedges in the recess of
the cistern or in the box.

page_text: The object of our invention is to reduce the labour and cost required for making
and repairing the cutters and to allow them to be utilised for a greater part of
their depth which we effect as follows:-
We make the cutters parallel on both edges and do not drill them for boltholes and
either leave them quite solid or cut short open slots into them at the bottom edge for
the bolts to enter into and hold them between two external clamp plates drawn
together by bolts passing underneath the cutters or in the aforesaid slots.
When the cutters are used without distance pieces and with bevilled edges, we form
the clamp plates with bottom flanges at the insides meeting in the centre, and near
each end with slots in their sides into which projecting ends of two cross bearers fit.
The cross bearers rest upon the bottom flanges or on the bottom of the slots and are
fixed in their positions by their projecting ends fitting into the slots. The tops of the
cross bearers are curved and of such shape and depth that when the parallel cutters
are placed upon them the upper edges of the bars form practically a cylindrical surface
fitting the rag engine cylinder when placed obliquely under the same. When the
bevilled part of the cutters is worn off, we insert other cross bearers into the slots of
the clamp plates higher than the first pair by the amount of the wear of the cutters,
and rebevil the latter parallel with the bottom edge.
In some cases we make both edges of the cutters bevilled and when one edge is
worn off insert higher cross bearers and turn the cutters over. This process is
repeated as required and the cutters lifted each time by higher crossbearers than
the preceeding ones until they are worn for the greater part of their depth.
When bars with square or bevilled edges and distance pieces or packings are used
we form the latter with slots through which the crossbearers can be threaded, or with
open slots in their bottom edges so that they can be dropped over the crossbearers and
also with slots for the clamping bolts to pass through.
The distance pieces or packing are formed with ribs or flanges at the bottom of such
width that the packings are kept apart at a distance corresponding to the thickness
of the cutters. The packings may rest at the bottom upon the internal flanges of the
outer clamp plates, or the clamp plates may be made without bottom flanges and the
packings and crossbearers rest upon the recess in the bottom of the rag engine cistern
when put into their places. The packings stop short at the top a certain distance from
the edge of the cutters, and are made of varying depth, so that the cutters when
placed upon the curved crossbearers stand out an equal distance above all the packing
pieces at every point. When the cutterbars are worn, we raise them by means of
higher crossbearers in the manner herein before described.
The outer clamp plates are made of uniform thickness when the bed plates
composed as herein before described are fixed by wedges or they may be made
wedge shaped when the bed plates are fixed in a box or slid into a recess in the
bottom of the rag engine cistern parallel with the cylinder shaft.
By our improved arrangement the labour of shaping and drilling the cutters and
adjusting them by packings under the bottom of the bed plates after resharpening
is avoided and the correct shape of the bed plates insured without the necessity for
special skill, while the cutters can be worn out to a narrower width than is possible
with the ordinary arrangement.
Dated this 17th day of January 1888.

page_text: We JAMES HACKING and JOHN WALTER HACKING of the firm of J. & J. Hacking
of Carr Vale Works, Over Darwen in the County of Lancaster, engineers do
hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
Our invention relates to cutter bars for bed plates of rag engines for paper
manufacture and consists in an improved construction of said cutter bars and means
of adjusting and fixing them. As ordinarily arranged, the bed plates consist of a
number of cutters or steel or other metal bars drilled with holes for bolts by which
bolts they are clamped together. The bars are square and level at the bottom and
either inserted directly into a recess in the bottom of the rag engine cistern
underneath the cylinder and fixed by wedges in an oblique direction to the centreline
of the cylinder or inserted into a box and fixed therein in an oblique direction, the
box being slid into a recess in the bottom of the rag engine cistern. The tops of the
cutters are usually bevilled to edges or sometimes left square with distance pieces
between them. As the tops have to follow the periphery of the cylinder, the cutters
have to be higher at two opposite corners of the bed plate than the other two corners
and each cutter varies in depth in its own length and is different from every other
cutter, so that the making of these cutter bars requires a considerable amount of
labour and skill. When the bevelled tops are worn down or the square tops worn to
about the bevel of the packing pieces, the cutters are rebevilled if required and raised
by means of packings placed under them, which repairs likewise require much labour
and skill and are frequently imperfectly carried out, whereby the efficiency of the rag
engine is reduced. The cutter bars also can only be utilised for a small part of their
depth to within a certain distance from the boltholes passing through them and
because a certain depth of bar is required in order to fix the bed plates sufficiently by
wedges in the recess of the bottom of the cistern or in the box herein before
referred to. The object of our invention is to reduce the labour and cost incurred
in making and repairing the cutters and to allow them to be utilised for a greater
part of their depth than can be done with the ordinary arrangements.
On the sheet of drawings appended hereunto fig. 1 shews a cross section through
our improved bed plate with cutter bars bevelled at the top.
Fig. 2 a cross section of an improved bed plate with cutter bars square at the
top, half in section along line A B of fig. 3 and balf along line C D.
Fig. 3 a side view of said bed plate, partly in section.
We make the cutter bars a a paralel on both edges a¹ a² and by preference do not
drill them for bolt holes and either leave them quite solid or cut short open slots a³
into them at the bottom edge for the bolts bb to enter into and hold them together
When the cutter
by two external clamp plate cd drawn together by said bolts b b.

page_text: bars are used without distance pieces and with bevilled edges as shewn by fig. 1 we
form the clamp plate c d with bottom flanges c' d' at the inside meeting in the
centre and near to each end with slots e e¹ in their sides into which the projecting ends
of two crossbearers ff' fit. These crossbearers rest upon the bottom flanges or on
the bottom of the slots e e' and are fixed in their positions by their projecting ends
fitting into the slots. The crosshearers are curved, the curvature being somewhat
exaggerated on the drawings for the purpose of shewing their arrangement more
clearly. The crossbearer is lower at the clampplate c than at the clampplate d, and the
other crossbearers f¹ is higher at the clamp plate c than at the clamp plate d as shewn
by dotted lines on figs. 1 and 2 and the crossbearers are of such shape and depth that
when the paralel cutters are placed upon them the upper edges of the bars form
practically a cylindrical surface fitting the rag engine cylinder when placed obliquely
under the same. This difference in height at the ends of the crossbearers may also be
produced by making them of equal depth at the ends and the surfaces of the slots on
which they rest at different heights in the clamp plates. In some cases we put one or
more additional crossbearers in between the crossbearers of and f¹, or a single curved
block resting upon the bottom flanges c¹ and d¹ may be used. When the cutters a a
are left without slots a³ for the boltholes, they are placed upon the top of the cross-
bearers with their bottom edges, while when the cutters are slotted for the bolts, they
are preferably also slotted for the crossbearers as shown on the drawings for the
purpose of further securing their position. When the bevilled part of the cutters is
worn off, we insert other crossbearers into the slots of the clamp plates higher than
the first pair, by the amount of the wear of the cutter bars and rebevil the same
parallel with the bottom edge. Fig. 1 shows one of the lower cross bearers in the
bedplate and fig. 2 one of the higher ones. This process is repeated as required and
the cutters lifted each time by higher cross bearers than the preceding ones until they
are worn for the greater part of their depth. The clamp plates c and d are formed
with slots for the bolts so that the latter can be moved up close to the bottom edge of
the cutters or into the slots a³ as the bars are raised.
In some cases we make both edges of the cutters bevilled and when one edge is
worn off, insert higher crossbearers and turn the cutters over, which in that case
obviously are not slotted for the boltholes or crossbearers at the bottom.
When bars with square or bevelled edges and distance pieces or packings are
used, as shewn by fig. 2, we form the distance pieces gg with slots through which the
cross bearer ff can be threaded or with open slots in their bottom edges, so that
they can be dropped over the crossbearers and also with slots for the clamping bolts to
pass through. The distance pieces 9 are formed with ribs or flanges g g at the
bottom of such width that the packings g g are kept apart at a distance equal to the
thickness of the cutter bars a a. The packings may rest at the bottom upon
the internal flanges of the outer clamp plates c and d or the clamp plates may be made
without bottom flanges as shewn on fig. 2 and the packings rest upon the recess in the
bottom of the rag engine cistern when put into their places. The packings g g stop
short at the top a certain distance from the edge of the cutters a a and are made of
varying depth so that the cutters when placed upon the curved crossbearers stand out an
equal distance above all the packing pieces at every point. When the cutter bars
are worn, we raise them by means of higher crossbearers in the manner hereinbefore
described.
.
The outer clamp plates are made of uniform thickness when the bedplates made
as herein before described are fixed by wedges, or they may be made wedge shaped,
or thicker at opposite corners of the combined bed plate than at the other corners when
the bedplates are fixed in a box slid into a recess in the bottom of the rag engine
cistern parallel with the cylinder shaft.
By our improved arrangements the labour of shaping and drilling the cutters and
adjusting them by packings under the bottom of the bedplates after resharpening
is avoided and the correct shape of the bedplates insured without the necessity for
special skill, while the cutters can be worn out to a narrower width than is possible
with the ordinary arrangement.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is,
Firstly. In rag engine bedplates, making the cutter bars straight and parallel on
both edges and supporting them on curved bearers, substantially as herein before
described and for the purpose set forth.
Secondly. In rag engine bedplates, arranging curved bearers for cutter bars with
straight and parallel edges so that they can be replaced by higher curved bearers when
the edges of the cutter bars are worn, substantially as herein before described
and for the purpose set forth.
Thirdly. The general arrangement or construction of rag engine bedplates having
no packings between the cutter bars as herein before described and illustrated by
fig. 1 of the drawings.
Fourthly. The general arrangement or construction of rag engine bedplates having
packings between the cutter bars as herein before described and illustrated by
fig. 2 of the drawings.