IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES USED FOR CUTTING, SCATTERING, AND COLLECTING VEGETABLES AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1860

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Edward Boyd at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd September
1860.
I, JAMES EDWARD BOYD, of Hither Green, Lewisham, in the County of
Kent, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES USED FOR CUTTING, SCATTERING, AND COLLECTING
VEGETABLES AND OTHER SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
These improvements more particularly relate to the formation or con-
struction of chaff cutters and other apparatus used for cutting, scattering, or
collecting grass, hay, straw, clover, cereals, roots, or other vegetable substances,
whether green or harvested, and are as follows:-On the machine to be used
for cutting chaff or food for cattle I have a face or otherwise formed spur
wheel, on which is placed the necessary number of teeth or cogs, and which is
connected with the chaff rollers or feeders, or other machinery whereby the chaff
or fodder, or other material to be cut is propelled, and this face wheel or spur
motion is set in motion by animal, steam, or hand power, and made to rotate
or work by means of a pinion or lesser wheel, or boss, or other arrangement,
which is placed across or in proximity to and made to work into the cogs or
teeth of the said face wheel. This pinion or other wheel is constructed with a
set of or a series of teeth placed at intermittent or other intervals thereon.
Supposing, in the present instance, that the periphery or circumference of the
pinion be divided into four quarters or divisions, say, one quarter or division
with three or more or less teeth or cogs, then the next or second quarter or
division a space, whereon such teeth or cogs are omitted, the third quarter or
division to have a series of teeth like the first, and the fourth quarter or
division to be like the second, without teeth. These teeth are to be of uniform
pitch, but of different lengths, so as to permit of one, two, or three, or more

page_text: teeth working before coming to the non-continuous or intermittent parts of
such pinion; for instance, if I want chaff of shortest length, I shift and set
one tooth of the pinion to work in the face or spur wheel, which, as it rotates,
propels the material to be cut through the feed rollers, and is advanced one
length, equivalent to the pitch of such tooth; if two teeth are set, then two
lengths are advanced, and if three teeth are set, then three lengths are in a
like manner advanced during each half revolution of the pinion. As soon as
the material is so advanced or propelled, the teeth become released from the
spur wheel, and the intermittent portion or division of the pinion without cogs
comes forward, and as there are no teeth or cogs to move the spur wheel or
feed rollers, the material so advanced by the previous motion is now stopped
and cut by the knife or knives, one or more of which rotate on the fly wheel,
and occupy a space equivalent to and in unison with the toothless portion of
the pinion; the knife or knives having passed the teeth or cogs on the
remaining half of the pinion, are brought forward in the same order as at
first described, they propel the feed or material as before, which, in its turn, is
cut as soon as the plain or toothless portion of the pinion advances, and so on
each revolution of the pinion, 'affording two or more stops to the feeding
rollers, and one or more lengths or cuts to the chaff or other material.
It will be evident that a modification of the above machine may be made in
such a manner that the pinion and the spur wheel can be arranged vice versa,
so long as the intermittent action is obtained.
I also claim the right to construct and arrange, and carry out the improve-
ment as follows:-Instead of the spur wheel before described on the knife
shaft or spindle, I place a step wheel or other movement, so constructed as to
give motion gradually, and to stop the same suddenly. This arrangement is
made to move a double lever or wheel, which in its turn works into a ratchet
on the periphery or face of the spur or driving wheel attached to the feed
rollers. The step wheel or other motion above referred to will have an
adjustable gear, and will not only give the stop feed by its sudden cessation of
motion above referred to, but unlike other chaff cutters or engines, will permit
or allow, or afford any length of cut according to the depth of the step of such
wheel, which is regulated by set screws on the axle before and behind such
step wheel, and what I claim in this last arrangement is the step wheel and
the mode of adjusting it, so as to regulate the length, or give any number of
lengths of feed or cut material. This motion and improvement applied for
can also be arranged by fixing adjustable steps on the fly wheel containing the
knives, and acting directly or indirectly on the feed rollers or other parts of
the machine.

page_text: I also claim to have a series of wooden or other rollers placed vertically,
horizontally, or otherwise on the sides and bottom of the feed troughs, which
will have the effect of easing the progress of the material towards the cutters.
Instead of using the ordinary feed rollers, claim to substitute a series of
wrinkled or corrugated prongs, forks, teeth or rakes, or other shaped con-
trivances of iron or other metal or material, and either cut out of sheet iron,
or forged, or cast according to necessity. The corrugation will either consist
of one or more wrinkles or furrows down the length of each of the prongs,
forks, teeth, or rakes, or by twisting or folding such teeth, prongs, or forks
down their centres, and whereby greater strength will be afforded than under
the ordinary prongs, teeth, or forks not having such corrugations, furrows,
or folds.
I claim either to stamp, fold, or cut out these prongs, forks, or rakes, or
feed rollers in one or a series of pieces, either according to the method of
making and cutting out digging forks, or otherwise, a series of which can be
constructed to be bolted or otherwise fastened together, so as to form one con-
tinuous fork or rake, or prong or roller. This arrangement will supersede the
necessity for fitting in prongs, teeth, rakes, or rollers with screw and nuts, as at
present. It will be necessary to relieve the teeth or rollers as much as possible
from liability to twist, bend, or break, and for this purpose I claim to place
one or more wheels or rollers, adjustable or otherwise, either at the ends or
other parts of the apparatus containing such teeth, rakes, or rollers.
I also claim to construct such teeth, rakes, or rollers so as to admit of their
being united, joined, or arranged, and by placing two or more of them on a
revolving shaft and rollers, or wheels, so to form a rotary feed roller or hay
maker, either for scattering or for gathering the hay in rows or cocks, and to
be otherwise capable of re-formation at pleasure, either as feed rollers, drag
rakes, or revolving, collecting, or scattering haymakers.
The corrugation referred to is also applicable to the tines of digging forks,
the right to which I claim.
Having now described my Invention, I do not bind myself strictly to the
details of construction, modifications, and mechanical arrangements herein set
forth; but claim so otherwise to carry out the improvements as may, by
practice, become necessary, and which I will more fully describe in my Final
Specification.