Improvements in Machines for Cutting Hair or Wool.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Cutting Hair or Wool.
I, ALEXANDER GRAY, of The Mansion, Frognal, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (which has been communi-
cated to me from abroad by John Walker Newall, Engineer, of Forest Hall, Ongar,
in the County of Essex, but at present residing at 473 Bourke Street, Melbourne,
Victoria, Australia), to be as follows:-
My machine is of the type in which a cutter is pressed against the comb and
vibrated across it by suitable means. I preferably cast the body of the shear in
one piece. The cutter is vibrated across the comb by means of a pivoted lever.
This lever is driven by means of an eccentric pin on the end of a driving spindle
working in a slot in the end of the lever.
The eccentric pin is preferably set in the crank disc so as to point to the axis
round which the lever vibrates. The pivot pin round which the lever vibrates
preferably passes right through the body of the shear from top to bottom. A
shoulder is formed on the pin either fixed or adjustable to form a footstep for the
vibrating lever. Either the whole pin or the footstep only as the case may be is
arranged to adjust vertically.
A plain parallel bush works on this pio.
On the outside of the bush is formed a ball and a conical or partly spherical seat
in the vibrating lever rests on the ball.
The lever carries a conical friction roller some way in front of the axis of
vibration.
A round hole is formed in the upper front part of the shear body parallel to the
bed to which the comb is fixed and over the friction roller..
Into this hole is placed a round rod on the under side of which a flat or
preferably conical surface has been formed, or a block having a flat side placed on
the rod to serve as a race plate for the friction roller. This rod or block as the
case may be is free to rotate round its axis to a limited extent, but end motion
is prevented.
The front end of the vibrating lever has points formed to bear on, and pins to
drive the cutter.
Pressure is put on the cutter by raising the centre pivot, this depresses the front
end of the lever.
The comb is of the usual type.
The cutter may have any number of teeth and is made of sheet steel pressed
into shape in the usual way.
The teeth are divided into groups or sections, if there are two teeth there would
be two sections, each having one tooth, if three teeth, then three sections, each of
one tooth, and if four teeth then two sections, each of two teeth.
A pressure point must be provided on the lever for each section of the cutter.
Each section or group is made complete in itself. That is it is so shaped and
placed as to provide within itself the requisite shape and stiffness for cutting.
Each section is connected to its neighbour by means of a piece of flat (in the

page_text: direction of the length of the cutter) metal, which may either be continuous with
and form part of the metal of which, the cutter sections are made or it may be
separate and fixed to them by any known means. This connecting piece is
slightly flexible and the object of it is to allow each section of the cutter to bed
itself truly on the comb without requiring the application of undue pressure.
Dated this 5th day of February 1896.
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Machines for Cutting Hair or Wool.
I, ALEXANDER GRAY, of The Mansion, Frognal, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, (which has been
communicated to me from abroad by John Walker Newall, Engineer, of Forest
Hall, Ongar, in the County of Essex, but at present residing at 473 Bourke
·Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), and in what manner the same is to be
performed; to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This machine is of the type in which a cutter is pressed against a comb and
vibrated across it by suitable means.
The body of the shear is preferably cast in one piece. The cutter is vibrated
across the comb by means of a pivotted lever. This lever is driven by means of a
pin placed eccentrically on the end of a driving spindle and working in a slot in
the end of the lever.
The eccentric pin is preferably set in a crank disc so as to point to where the
axis round which the lever vibrates cuts the prolonged axis of the driving spindle
in which case it will carry a conical roller working in a conical slot in the tail of
the pivotted lever. which slot must be curved round the centre of motion of the
lever in a vertical direction, or approximately so; or the eccentric pin may be
parallel with the axis of the driving spindle and carry a ball working in a
cylindrical slot in the tail of the pivotted lever. The pivot pin round which the
lever vibrates preferably passes right through the body of the shear from top to
.bottom. A shoulder is formed on the pin either fixed or adjustable to form a
footstep for the vibrating lever. Either the whole pin or the footstep only as the
case may be is arranged to adjust vertically.
If the footstep only moves it takes the form of a loose collar and is raised or
.lowered by means of a screw thread formed on the pin. or.in the body casting.
A plain parallel bush works on this pin.
The outside of the bush is partly spherical, and a conical or partly spherical seat
in the vibrating lever rests on the spherical part.
The lever carries a conical friction roller some way in front of the axis of
vibration. This roller may either be a complete one or only a segment of one
large enough to give the travel required.
A round hole is formed in the upper front part of the shear body parallel to the
bed to which the comb is fixed and over the friction roller.
Into this hole is placed a round rod on the under side of which a flat or
preferably conical surface has been formed or a block having a flat or conical side
is placed on a round. rod to serve as a race plate for the friction roller. This rod
. or block as the case may be is free to rotate round its axis to a limited extent but
end motion is prevented. Or the flat face of the rod may be against a flat surface
formed on a ball mounted so that it can turn in a seat in the upper side of the

page_text: pivotted lever and serve as a slide block. In this case the rod must be prevented
from turning and the flat face must be fixed truly parallel to the comb bed.
The front end of the vibrating lever has points formed to bear on and pins to
drive the cutter, or loose pieces to bear on the cutter may be attached to the .
lever in case it is desired to have more than two pressure points to bear on
the cutter.
Pressure is put on the cutter by raising the centre pivot, this depresses the front
end of the lever.
The comb is of the usual type.
The cutter may have any number of teeth and is made of sheet steel pressed into
shape in the usual way.
The teeth are divided into groups or sections, if there are two teeth there would
be two sections, each having one tooth, if three teeth then three sections, each of
one tooth, and if four teeth then two sections, each of two teeth, or four sections
each of one tooth, and so on.
A pressure point must be provided on the lever for each section of the cutter.
Each section or group is made complete in itself. That is it is so shaped and placed
as to provide within itself the requisite shape and stiffness for cutting. Each
section is connected to its neighbour by means of a piece of flat (in the direction of
the length of the cutter) metal which may either be continuous with and form part
of the metal of which the cutter sections are made, or it may be separate and fixed
to them by any known means. This connecting piece is slightly flexible and the
object of it is to allow each section of the cutter to bed itself truly on the comb.
without requiring the application of undue pressure.
But in order that the said invention may be fully understood it will now be
described by the aid of the accompanying sheet of drawings in which
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a shear constructed according to such
invention.
Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a certain modification in the means for actuating
the pivotted lever and also in the resistance point or fulcrum of such lever by
means of which pressure is applied to the cutter..
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the pivotted lever and the spindle for actuating same.
Fig. 4 is a plan view and Fig. 5 a vertical section of the improved cutter and
Figs. 6 and 7 are similar views of a modified form of such cutters.
A is the lever which actuates and applies pressure to the cutter B, which
vibrates over the comb C. This lever A is pivotted on the pin D which in the
case shown in the drawings, can be adjusted vertically by means of the nut E
working on the screw-threaded upper end of such pin. If desired the pin D may
be, reversed and the adjustment effected from the under side of the shear in which
case the pin may be fixed and the screwed collar may rise and fall.
A bush F works on the pin D and is partly spherical on its outside and
the conical or partly spherical seat in the pivotted lever A rests on the
spherical part.
In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 a conical friction roller G is placed in the
front part of the lever A and a round rod H with a flat or conical under surface is
mounted in a round-hole formed in the upper front part of the shear body I over
the friction roller G upon which it bears and forms a race plate therefor, such
rod H being free to rotate round its axis to a limited extent.
In the arrangement shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the roller G is replaced by a
ball G, with a flat surface on it, mounted so that it can move freely in the seat
formed in the upper side of lever A and serve as
slide block. In this case the
rod H has a flat surface and is permanently fixed parallel to the upper surface of
the comb C.
The front end of lever A has points a formed to bear on the cutter B to apply
pressure thereto and pin a¹ to drive same; or loose pressure points may be attached
to the lever in any convenient way.

page_text: By adjusting the pin D vertically by means of the nut E the rear end of the
lever A will be raised or lowered and as it is in contact with the fixed resistance
or fulcrum H, in front of such pin D while its extreme forward end bears on the
cutter B the pressure imparted to the latter will be consequently regulated as
desired.
In the construction shown in Fig. 1 the eccentric pin J of the driving spindle K
is set so as to point to where the axis round which the lever A vibrates cuts the
prolonged axis of the driving spindle K and it carries a conical roller L working in
the curved conical slot M in the tail end of such lever while in the construction
shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the pin J', is parallel with the axis of the driving spindle
and the roller L', which it carries is spherical, the slot M¹ in which the latter
works being of cylindrical form in plau and straight vertically.
The teeth of cutter B are divided into groups or sections upon each of
which a pressure point of the pivotted lever A bears; such sections being capable
of a certain amount of movement or flexibility in relation to each other so that all
the sections are sure to bear truly and with the requisite pressure upon the surface
of the comb in spite of any irregularities which may exist. In the arrangements
shown in Figs. 4 and 5 this is effected by cutting away a portion of the metal of
the cutter at the points b, b', thus dividing the teeth into two sections and permitting
of the requisite movement or yielding of same in relation to each other. In the
arrangements shown in Figs. 6 and 7 the teeth of the cutter B are formed in two
separate sections connected together by a flat piece N which is slightly flexible so
as to allow each section to bed itself truly on the comb without requiring the
application of undue pressure.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inveu-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
In machines for cutting hair or wool
1. Providing a fixed resistance or fulcrum in front of a vertically adjustable
pivot for a lever working round such pivot, by the forward end of which lever
a vibrating cutter is actuated and pressure imparted thereto substantially as
specified.
2. Providing a fixed resistance or fulcrum in front of a vertically adjustable
pivot for a lever working round such pivot, by the forward end of which lever a
vibrating cutter is actuated and pressure imparted thereto, such resistance or
fulcrum consisting in a round bar with a conical or flat under surface mounted in
a seat in the upper front part of the body of the machine and bearing upon a
conical roller carried by the pivotted lever in front of its pivot substantially as
specified.
3. Providing a fixed resistance or fulcrum in front of a vertically adjustable
pivot for a lever working round such pivot by the forward end of which lever a
vibrating cutter is actuated and pressure imparted thereto such resistance or
fulcrum consisting in a bar with a flat under surface mounted in a seat in the
upper front part of the body of the machine and bearing upon a corresponding flat
surface formed on the upper side of a ball mounted in a seat provided in the
pivotted lever in front of its pivot substantially as specified.
4. The combination of any of the features set forth in the preceding claims with
the means for actuating the pivotted lever such means consisting of a eccentric piu
secured to the driving spindle which pin may be either (a) set so as to point to
where the axis round which the lever vibrates cuts the prolonged axis of the
driving spindle and be provided with a conical roller working in a conical slot in
the tail of such lever such slot being curved round the centre of motion of the
lever or approximately so in a vertical plane, or (b) which pin may be parallel
with the driving spindle and be provided with a spherical roller working in a
cylindrical slot in the tail of such lever all substantially as specified.

page_text: 5. A cutter the teeth of which are divided into groups or sections flexibly
connected together and upon each of which sections bears a pressure point
formed on or attached to the lever employed for imparting the necessary pressure
to the cutter substantially as specified.
Dated this 28th day of October 1896.
ALLISON BROS.,
Agents for the Applicant.