A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING AND CLEARING THE EDGES OF LAWNS, AND FOR OTHER Like PURPOSES
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Walter William Davenport, of Handsworth, in the County
of Stafford, Maltster, for the Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE
OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING AND CLEARING THE EDGES OF LAWNS, AND FOR
OTHER Like PURPOSES."
Scaled the 28th October 1876, and dated the 13th May 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Walter William Davenport
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th May 1876.
WALTER WILLIAM DAVENPORT, of Handsworth, in the County of Stafford,
Maltster. "A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING AND
CLEARING THE EDGES OF LAWNS, AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES."
My Invention consists of the new or improved machine or apparatus for cutting
and clearing the edges of lawns, and for other like purposes, the parts of which are
constructed and arranged as hercin-after described. By my Invention the grass at
the edge of the lawn is cut, the vertical edge of the lawn is pared, and the cut or
refuse matter collected as the machine is propelled by the user.
The said machine or apparatus consists of a frame, between the sides of which a
travelling wheel is supported, and in bearings in which it turns. The rear end of
the frame constitutes the handles by which the machine is propelled. On one side
of the travelling wheel is a disc-like vertical cutter, having teeth resembling those
of a circular saw, and nearly in the same plane as the said toothed cutter or saw,
and projecting in front thereof is a share-like cutter resembling the share of a
plough, but smaller. This share serves both to cut the vertical edge of the lawn,
and by the incline on its outer face to deflect the material cut by the share and the
dirt at the edge of the lawn into a collecting pan at the side of the machine. That
part of the said share against which the rotating toothed cutter or saw works
constitutes the edge by which, and the said cutter or saw, the grass at the edge of
the lawn is cut. The axis of the rotating cutter or saw is supported in a bearing
carried by a disc fixed in the side of the travelling wheel, and supported by the
framing of the machine, and a rapid rotatory motion is given to the said cutter or
saw by a pinion on the end of its axis gearing with an internal toothed wheel
made in the travelling wheel.
As the machine is propelled the pointed end of the share cuts the vertical edgo

page_text: of the lawn, the cut away parts and the dirt accumulating at the said edge being
deflected or turned into the side collecting pan, and the grass at the edge of the
lawn is at the same time cut between the rotating toothed cutter or saw and the
cutting edge of the share, the grass so cut falling into the side collecting pan.
At the rear of the machine is a semicircular or other shaped pan for receiving
the dirt, grass, and other matter collected in the side pan, the said matter in the
side pan being transferred therefrom to the rear pan by cross vanes, arms, or
scrapers on the rotating cutter or saw. The side collecting pan turns on a joint or
pivot on the share, and by means of a set screw or other mechanism its height may
be adjusted.
In order to adapt the machine to cut or pare the vertical edges of lawns having
different depths I make the share adjustable on the fixed frame of the machino
either by the use of packing pieces or otherwise, so that the said share may be
raised or lowered at the pleasure of the user.
The rotating toothed cutter or saw may either work against the inner or outer
face of the share and that part of the face of the said share against which the
edge of the toothed cutter or saw works may be made separable from the other
part, so that as one part wears away a fresh portion may be brought to the toothed
cutter or saw. I prefer for this purpose to make the said separable part of a
circular figure turning on a centre so that different parts may in turn form the
fixed cutting edge for the rotating cutter or saw to work against.
My new or improved machine or apparatus may either be used separately or in
combination with an ordinary lawn mower.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Walter William Davenport in the Great Seal Patent Oflice on the
8th November 1876.
WALTER WILLIAM DAVENPORT, of Handsworth, in the County of Stafford,
Multster. "A NEW OR IMPROVED MACHINE OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING AND
CLEARING THE EDGES OF LAWNS, AND FOR OTHER LIKE PURPOSES."
My Invention consists of the new or improved machine or apparatus for cutting
and clearing the edges of lawns, and for other like purposes, the parts of which are
constructed and arranged as herein-after described. By my Invention the grass at
the edge of the lawn is cut, the vertical edge of the lawn is pared, and the cut or
refuse matter collected as the machine is propelled by the user.
The said machine or apparatus consists of a frame, between the sides of which a
travelling wheel is supported, and in bearings in which it turns. The rear end of
the frame constitutes the handles by which the machine is propelled. On one side
of the travelling wheel is a disc-like vertical cutter, having teeth resembling those
of a circular saw, and nearly in the same plane as the said toothed cutter or saw,
and projecting in front thereof is a share-like cutter resembling the share of a
plough, but smaller. This sharo serves both to cut the vertical edge of the lawn,
and by the incline on its outer face to deflect the material cut by the share and the
dirt at the edge of the lawn into a collecting pan at the side of the machine.
That part of the said share against which the rotating toothed cutter or saw works
constitutes the edge by which, and the said cutter or saw, the grass at the edge of
the lawn is cut. The axis of the rotating cutter or saw is supported in a bearing
carried by a disc fixed in the side of the travelling wheel and supported by the
framing of the machine, and a rapid rotatory motion is given to the said cutter or
saw by a pinion on the end of its axis gearing with an internal toothed wheel
made in the travelling wheel.
As the machine is propelled the pointed end of the share cuts the vertical edge
of the lawn, the cut away parts and the dirt accumulating at the said edge being

page_text: deflected or turned into the side collecting pan, and the grass at the edge of the
lawn is at the same time cut between the rotating toothed cutter or saw and the
cutting edge of the share, the grass so cut falling into the side collecting pan.
At the rear of the machine is a semicircular or other shaped pan for receiving
the dirt, grass, and other matter collected in the side pan, the said matter in tho
side pan being transferred therefrom to the rear pan by cross vanes, arms, or
scrapers on the rotating cutter or saw.
The rotating toothed cutter or saw may either work against the inner or outer
face of the share and that part of the face of the said share against which the
edge of the toothed cutter or saw works may be made separable from the other
part, so that as one part wears away a fresh portion may be brought to the toothed
cutter or saw. I prefer for this purpose to make the said separable part of a
circular figure turning on a centre, so that different parts may in turn form the
fixed cutting edge for the rotating cutter or saw to work against.
•
My new or improved machine or apparatus may either be used separately or in
combination with an ordinary lawn mower.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawing the
manner in which my Invention may be performed.
Figure 1 represents in plan, and Figure 2 in side clevation, a machine or
apparatus constructed according to my Invention for cutting and clearing the edges
of lawns, and for other like purposes.
Figure 3 represents partly in horizontal section and partly in plan the travelling
wheel, the disc-like cutter or saw, and the cross arms or vanes of the machino
drawn to a larger scale.
Figure 4 represents in front elevation the said cutter or saw and arms or vanes
detached.
Figuro 5 represents in front elevation partly in section the travelling wheel and
its gearing with the fixed disc removed.
Figure 6 represents one side and Figure 7 the opposite side of the share-like
cutter of the machine detached; Figure is an edge view of the same, and
Figure 9 is a plan of the same.
Figure 10 represents the side pan of the machine dotached.
Figure 11 is a part of the machine detached.
Figures 12 and 13 represent modifications of parts of the machine, as heroin-after
described.
Figures 1, 2, and 13 are drawn quarter size; Figures 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 12.
are drawn half size; and Figure 11 is drawn full size.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the
Drawing.
a, a, is the frame of the machine, between the sides of the inner ends of which
the travelling wheel c is supported, the axis d of the said wheel c turning in
bearings at a, a, in the side of the frame a, a, and also in the disc e (see Figure 3).
The disc-like bearing e, around the periphery of which the travelling wheel c works,
is also supported by the frame a, a. The rear ends b, b, of the frame constitute the
handles by which the machine is propelled; is the disc-liko toothed cutter or saw
carried by the axis y, the latter being supported by and turning in the disc-like
bearing e and its boss at the side of the travelling wheel, and a rapid rotatory
motion is given to the said cutter or saw f by a pinion on the end of the saw
axis gearing with the internal toothed wheel of the travelling wheel c (sce
Figures 3 and 5); k is the share-like cutter situated nearly in the same plane as
the rotatory cutter or saw f, the said share being fastened to the fixed disc-like
bearing by screws passed through the arm. The inner face of the sharo k,
against which the toothed cutter works, constitutes the fixed cutting edge, between.
which and the said cutter or saw f the grass at the edge of the lawn is cut.
By an examination of the share, Figures 6, 7, 8, and 9, it will be seen that by
the operation of the part and its pointed end the vertical edge of the lawn is cut
or pared, and by the operation of the incline the material cut and the refuse

page_text: matter are deflected into the collecting pan at the side of the machine. The said
pan is connected to the side of the share by screws at n, n.
m, m, is a series of
vanes or scrapers connected to the face of the saw or toothed cutter f by screw nuts
at m², the said vanes or scrapers working in the pan 1. By the rotation of the
toothed cutter or saw fa rotatory motion is given to the vanes or scrapers m, m,
and the latter tranfer the dirt or refuse matter in the side pan to the collecting
pan p at the rear of the machine. The rear collecting pan is so connected to the
frame a, a, of the machine and to the side pan l that it can readily be removed for
emptying it and refixed in its place. This may be effected in various ways; for
example, clips on the pan p may be made to engage with the frame a, a, and the
rear part of the pan p be provided with a metal strap, which may be fixed to the
side pan by a cross pin or cotter or other fastening. The side collecting pan
may turn on a joint on the share k, and by means of a metal strap connected to the
fixed disc-like bearing e by a set screw or other fastening the height of the said
pan may be adjusted.
し
For the purpose of preserving the toothed cutter or saw f in contact with the
face of the share an antifriction pressing roller g carried by the end of the framing
of the machine bears on the face of the said toothed cutter, as seen in Figure 1.
This pressing or bearing roller q is shown detached, of the full size, in Figure 11.
The roller q is secured in the fork of the arm q, and the latter is fixed by the
screw pinto the frame of the machine. By means of packing pieces placed
between the arm q and the frame a the rotatory cutter f may be adjusted with
great accuracy against the face of the share k; is the separable part or disc of the
share, against which the rotating cutter or saw works. The said separable
disc turns on the centre, and as one part of the disc wears away the said disc
is partly rotated and again fixed, so as to bring a fresh portion into position for the
rotating cutter f to work against, ns best seen in Figures 6 and 7. I do not limit
myself to making the separable part of the share in the form of a disc, as represented,
as it may be made of other forins with like effect.
Instead of making the vanes or scrapers of separate plates screwed to the face of
the rotating cutter or saw, as in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4, the said vanes or scrapers
may be made in one piece, as illustrated in Figure 12; that is to say, the vanes or
scrapers m are connected to a central ring and the latter is screwed by a screw nut
to the cutter or saw shaft g.
For the purpose of guiding the share of the machine against the edge of the
lawn the rear end of the said share may be provided with a heel plate 1, as
represented in side elevation and plan in Figure 13. This heel plate is connected
to the share proper by means of a dovetail connection, as represented, so that when
not required the heel plate may be detached from the share.
A pressing roller may be situated in front of the rotating cutter for pressing
down the grass situated in the path of the said rotating cutter.
In order to adapt the machine to cut or pare the vertical edges of lawns having
different depths the share may be made adjustable on the fixed frame of the
machine, either by the use of packing pieces or otherwise, so that the said share
may be raised or lowered at the pleasure of the user.
In using the machine it is propelled by the handles b, b, the said innchine
travelling on the wheel c, from which motion is transmitted to the toothed cutter or
saw f. The pointed end of the share cuts or pares the vertical edge of the lawn,
while the grass at the said edge of the lawn is cut between the rotating toothed
cutter or saw fand the cutting edge of the said share. As the machine travels
along the dirt, grass, and refuse matter are deflected or turned into the side
collecting pan by the inclined end of the share, the dirt, grass, and matter
accumulating in the pan being removed therefrom into the rear pan 2 by the
rotating vanes or scrapers m, m.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself
to the precise details herein described and illustrated, as the same may be varied

page_text: without departing from the nature of my Invention; but I claim as my Invention,
the new or improved machine or apparatus for cutting and clearing the edges of
lawns, and for other like purposes herein-before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawing, that is to say, a machine or apparatus consisting essentially
of a share-like cutter for cutting the vertical edge of the lawn to be pared and
cleared, and a disc-like toothed cutter or saw working against the face of the share
for cutting the grass at the edge of the lawn or part operated upon, the said
machine being supported upon a travelling wheel, from which wheel the toothed
cutter or saw is driven; the several parts of the machine being constructed, com-
bined, and used, substantially as described and illustrated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Walter William Davenport, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of November, in the year of our
Lord, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
Witness,
RICHARD SKERRETT,
Clerk to George Shaw,
Birmingham.
WALTER WILLIAM DAVENPORT. (L.S.)