IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY POR CUTTING AND ORNAMENTING SKEINS TO BE USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BASKETS AND OTHER WICKER WORK
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Scaling, of the firm of Messieurs Kitching
and Scaling, of Old Basford, in the County of Nottingham, Basket
Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY POR
CUTTING AND ORNAMENTING SKEINS TO BE USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
BASKETS AND OTHER WICKER WORK."
Sealed the 16th June 1854, and dated the 14th February 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Scaling at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 14th
February 1854.
I, WILLIAM SCALING, of the firm of Messieurs Kitching and Scaling, of Old
Basford, in the County of Nottingham, Basket Manufacturer, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING
AND ORNAMENTING SKEINS TO BE USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BASKETS AND OTHER
WICKER WORK," to be as follows:-
The cutter in general use is made of a conical-shaped piece of box-wood,
having a groove running from end to end, the width of the skein to be cut, and
at one end of the groove are fixed two cutters the depth of the groove. I make
use of the following improvements, viz., two gauge plates regulated by screws,
two cutters regulated by two other screws, one fixed guide plate and a cutter
punch or die held down by a weighted lever, the whole mounted on a small
.box.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Scaling in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th August 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
SCALING, of the firm of Messieurs Kitching and Scaling, of Old Basford, in the
County of Nottingham, Basket Manufacturer, send greeting. - .
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Scaling, Her special licence that I, the said William Scaling,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Wil-
liam Scaling, my executors, administrators, and 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR CUTTING AND ORNAMENTING SKEINS TO BE USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BASKETS
AND OTHER WICKER WORK," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
William Scaling, 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 William Scaling, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say:-
My Invention relates to the production of skeins to be used in the manufac-
ture of baskets and other wicker work. The skein cutters in general use cut
one width of skein only, and without any ornament whatever, so that a fresh or
different cutter has to be employed for cutting every different length of skein.
Now my Invention consists in combining and arranging machinery for cutting
and ornamenting skeins in such manner as to cut skeins of different widths,
and to ornament them by one and the same machine.
The manner in which my Invention is performed is exemplified in Figures
1, 2, 3, and 4 of the Drawings annexed, which represent different views of

page_text: machinery for cutting and ornamenting skeins combined and arranged according
to my Invention. a, a, Figures 1 and 2 are two sliding gauge guide plates,
the space between which is regulated by thumb screws a¹, a¹. In each plate a
small spring is inserted, which yields so as to allow skeins of varying widths to
pass through to the cutters d, d. b is a frame carrying a cutter 6¹ with a single
point, as shewn in Figure 3, for cutting plain skeins, or with a double point, as
shewn in Figure 4, for cutting ornamental skeins; the cutter is held down on
the skein to be ornamented by a weighted lever b². c, c, Figure 2, are two
bent plates to cover the knives d, d, in case a number of skeins are cut to a
width before the upper side is ornamented. d, d, are two knives also regulated
by thumb screws so as to cut the skeins of any required width.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim as my
Invention is,
The employment in machinery for cutting and ornamenting skeins to be used
in the manufacture of baskets and other wicker work, of the sliding guage
guide plates a, a, the frame cutter, and weighted lever b, b1, b2, and the cover
plates c, c, or either of them, in combination with one or more pairs of knives
d, d, for cutting both edges of a wicker skein and ornamenting the upper side
thereof, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Scaling, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of August, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-four.
Witness,
GEO. JON. ROBINSON,
Patent Agent.
Nottingham.
WILLIAM SCALING. (L.S.)