IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Monroe Childs, of No. 481, New Oxford
Street, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES."-A communication
from abroad by James Mills Ray, John Hooper Redstone, and
Albert Ellis Redstone, of Indianapolis, in the State of Indiana, one of
the United States of America.
Sealed the 24th October 1862, and dated the 29th April 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Monroe Childs at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th April 1862.
I, DAVID MONROE CHILDS, of No. 481, New Oxford Street, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES," to be as follows:-
As the machine is moved forward and the master wheel revolved, knobs
passing through a device cause it to descend or rise as each knob passes
through a curved groove in the same, giving motion to the sickle bars by
means of an adjustable lever and upright bar or piston. The lever is
attached to the bar by means of a bolt at the required point, as indicated by
the holes in the bar. The necessity of changing the attachment occurs as the
machine is raised or lowered.
The sickles are thus operated:-Slotted plates are attached to the sickle

page_text: bars, and the sickles upon the two bars lie face to face, so that the cutting
edges are in close contact, similar to the edge of shears in cutting. The bar
has projections upon opposite sides, the angles of the two corresponding with
the angles of the slots in which they are designed to operate for the purpose
of giving motion to the sickles as the bar is moved up and down. As the
bar is forced down the projection operating in one slot of the plate forces it
to the left, while that operating in the other slot of the plate forces it to the
right, thereby causing the sickle blades to operate, passing each other
alternately at each operation of the bar up or down. The weight of the sickle
bars being equal, the one is balanced by the other moving in an opposite
direction, and each bar is required to move but half the distance required for
a single bar, to bring the same amount of cutting edge to bear. The force is
communicated directly from the wheel to the sickle bar, the lever being used
only to allow the adjustment to a greater or less stroke, to save the necessity
of exact fittings. The device may be used to operate a sickle bar. The
knobs upon the master wheel fit closely in the groove of the device. Our
object in the employment of the device is the accomplishment of a motion
similar in its equations to that of a crank, and that the change from the point
of rest to that of the highest speed may be effected by the graduated motion
similar to that of the crank. The construction of the device is determined by
the size of the circle in which the knobs are placed upon the side of the
master wheel, the size of the knobs and the stroke required. The rake
operates in a curve centreing at the axis of a pulley, to which the handle of
the same is attached, and the pulley is operated by a band or cord, which is
attached to projections upon the bar of the crank. As the master wheel is
revolved, the bar which is attached to the device is moved backward and
forward operating the belt and pulley, and the rake which is attached to it
sweeps the grain from the table into the bundle rack at each revolution of
the master wheel; the rake, as it passes forward and sweeps the grain from
the table is thrown forward, and the teeth fall below the surface of the table
by a projection which is attached to the table, and meets a projection, upon the
The rake is carried back under the surface of the table; and. one
projection meeting the other projection, again throws the rake up in position
to rake off from the table. Attached to the pulley upon the lower part of the
.band. table is a cord, which is operated by the bar to which it is attached,
partly revolving the table at each revolution of the master wheel. The band
arms are operated by means of cords and knuckle pulleys, with journals
passing through the centre. The cords are attached to the periphery of the
band table, and operated by projections upon the frame under the same; as
rake.
..

page_text: the table is partially revolved or vibrated, the cord is caught by the projection
upon the frame, and draws the arm up as the bar moves forward, and as it
moves back the cord passing around the knuckle pulley through the arm is
caught, and brings the arms down to receive another band. The cord
running down through the inner shaft, to which the twister is attached,
attaches to the spring clamp of the twister, and as the bar passes along an
inclined plane projecting upon the bar operates the end of the lover, to which
the cord is attached, and brings the clamp tightly together upon the band,
and the cord that passes around the pulley upon the twister being operated by
the bar, makes two and one half turns of the band, twisting the same together
while the ends project from the sides of the twister. The clamp of the band
twister is attached to a sleeve, down through which a plunger passes containing
two blades or flat punches. The lever straddles the sleeve or outer part of
the twister upon the neck of the same. The lever operates over a flanged
collar, which is connected with the inner plunger by means of a bolt passing
through slots in the outer sleeve, which are designed to allow the inner
plunger to play up and down independently. As the bar is moved forward,
the levers being operated by the grooved device are kept in the same position,
until the device passes to the inclined part of the grooves, when the levers are
carried up, forcing th ister down into the bundle, the point of the same
parting the straw. Ti wister stops in a position at which the projecting
ends of the band are le chwise of the bundle, and over the opening made by
the twister as it descends into the bundle. By the time the twister has
completed its descent the blades have forced the ends of the bands tightly into
the opening made, by the twister. At each motion or revolution of the
master wheel, cach part having gone through with its evolution returns to its
original position, and each bundle is thrown by the rake into the bundle rack
over the band table. The space above the arms in the band table is sufficient
to hold, the amount of straw required for a band, and the guards fitting closely
to the bottom of the bundle rack separates the band from the remainder of
the bundle as the band table is revolved.
The machine may be used as a mower without the reaping attachments, or
with them as a reaper. The "device" referred to is constructed for the
purpose of imparting a reciprocating motion to the sickles, and operates as a
gate or sash, sliding perpendicularly in the frame of the machine. In the
side of this device is a curved groove, through which knobs upon the master
or main traction wheel pass, and it is constructed of such length that at the
time that one of the knobs is passing out, another is entering; it deviates
from the curve described by the knobs in the revolution of the wheel

page_text: sufficiently to give the required stroke to the connecting rod, which operates
the sickles. The motion imparted by the passage of the knobs through the
groove is similar to that imparted by the crank.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said David Monroe Childs in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th October 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DAVID
MONROE CHILDS, of No. 481, New Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said David Monroe Childs, Her special licence that I, the said David-
Monroe Childs, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said David Monroe Childs, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should in 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN REAPING AND MOWING MACHINES," a communication to me from
abroad by James Mills Ray, John Hooper Redstone, and Albert Ellis
Redstone, of Indianapolis, in the State of Indiana, one of the United States
of America, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said David
Monroe Childs, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 David Monroe Childs, 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:-
The construction and operation of my improvement will be seen by reference
to the accompanyings, and the letters marked thereon. Figure 1 is a

page_text: perspective view designed to show the general construction and arrangement
of the machine. Figure 2 is a plain section designed to show the operation
of the rake and the position of the bundle rack and band table. Figure 3
is a sectional elevation designed to shew the manner of operating the cutters
and of raising and lowering the machine. Figure 4 is a section showing the
device used for giving motion to the band table, and which imparts
motion to the whole of the binding arrangement as well as the rake. Figure
5 shows the band twister in its position of grasping the band as it is brought
up by the band arms.
The following is the operation of the machine :- As it is moved forward the
knobs (R) passing through the curved device marked (A) cause it to decend
and rise as each knob passes through, giving motion to the lever (C) which
is attached to it, and operates the siccles or cutters by means of the bar (D)
upon which are projections fitting to the slotted plates (E) and (F). The
plates (E) and (F) are each attached to cutters bars which ly face to face;
and as the bar (D) is forced down the plate (F) is mooved to the right and
the plate (E) is moved to the left, operating the cutters to which they are
attached, producing a shear cut, as will be seen by the arrangement of cutters
sbewn in Figure 2. The lever (C) is adjusted upon the bar (D) as the
machine is raised and lowered by means of the screw (G) which operates
in the frame H to which the master wheel is attached. '(I) is a grooved
pulley which operates the icel as the master wheel (J) revolves. The rakė
operates upon the pivot at (L), and is operated by the connecting rod M
and elbow lever (N), which connects with the device (K) shewn in Figure
4, which is caused to reciprocate sliding upon the axle of the master wheel.
A top view of the device K is shewn in Figure 2. The slide (a2), shown
in dotted lines in Figure 4, is attached to the arm of the master wheel by an
ordinary crank pin, and as the wheel is revolved traverses the slot, which axle
operate causing the device (K) is to move backwards and forward at each
revolution of the master wheel. As the bar is moved backward and forward
in the device (K) the ropes or bands (b) and c² which are attached to the
same are operated, operating the band table O. The red dotted lines show
a plan for the purpose of giving the position of the cords which operate the
band tube and band arms. As the the device (K) is moved to the right
the cord (62) is withdrawn while the band c² is released, partially revolving
the band table causing the cord (e) to meet the rollers (2) and causing the
arms to rise to the position shewn in Figure 5, and when moved to the left
the cords (d) strike the pulleys (i) and return the arms Q to their position
to receive the band as the bundle is deposited in the bundle rack (R). The

page_text: pulleys (G2) from the knuckles or pivots on which the band arms' swing. The
cord (G2) running down through the twister shaft S, is attached to the clamps
of the band. twister, and as the device K, is moved out the lever T is, which
is connected to the same and operated by the rod (k²), forces the twister shaft
down into the bundle, the points purting the straw to receive the band ends,
meanwhile the groove in the pulley (K) and feather upon the shaft of the
band twister cause the twister to revolve by means of the cord (U) which is
connected with the device (K) and operates at each revolution of the
master wheel thereby twisting the band. The lever W operates the shaft
which connects with the inner plungers or punches, and as the fulcrum of the
lever T is shorter than that of the lever W, it is carried further down into the
bundle, the blades X forcing the ends of the band into the opening made by
the twister as it descends into the bundle.
I claim the operation of the cutter of reaper by the device A in connection
with the lever C and slotted plates E, and F, substantially as set forth.
Secondly, I claim the rake L operated by the device K substantially as
set forth.
Thirdly, I claim the band table O, operated in connection with the bundle
rack R, for the purpose of carrying the band around, so as to ly crosswise of
the bundle when operated in connection with the device K as set forth.
Fourthly, I claim the band arms arranged under the rack into which the
bundle falls for the purpose of separating the band from the bundle and
carrying the same up around the bundle.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Monroe Childs, have hereunto
set my hand and seal this Twenty-ninth day of October, in the year of
our Lord Oue thousand cight hundred and sixty-two.
D. M. CHILDS. (L.S.)