A MACHINE FOR CUTTING CORKS
Year: 1819

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SARAH
THOMSON, of Boyd's Rope Walk, Rotherhithe, in the County of Surry,
Widow of Archibald Thomson, late of Church Street, Blackfriars, in the
Parish of Christ Church, in the said County of Surry, Mechanist and Engi-
neer, deceased, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King George the Third did, by Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,
the Fifteenth day of May, in the fifty-ninth year of His reign, grant to
me, the said Sarah Thomson, my exors, admors, and assigns, special licence,
full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, my exors, adiñors, and assigns,
and those with whom I should agree, and no others, should from time to time
during the term of fourteen years, make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England and the Dominion of Wales and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
and also in all His Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, the Invention
of "A MACHINE FOR CUTTING CORKS," communicated to me by my late husband,
the aforesaid Archibald Thomson, deceased, and also by my late son, Alexander
Thomson, also deceased; and whereas in the said Letters Patent is contained
a proviso that if I should not particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
by an instrument in writing under iny hand and seal, and cause the same to
be inrolled in the High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then the

page_text: said Letters Patent, and all benefit and advantage whatsoever thereby granted
should utterly cease, determine, and become void.
NOW I DO HEREBY DECLARE AND ASCERTAIN, that the nature of the
said Invention consists of new or improved machinery and the further appli-
cation of known principles by new combinations thereof for the purposes of
cutting cork, first into stripes, then into squares, and afterwards in rounding
the same; and that the said cutting is performed by means of circular knives,
and the manner in which the same is performed is particularly described and
delineated and ascertained in the two Plates hereunto annexed, intituled
"Plate 1st and Plate 2ª," as explained by what follows (that is to say) :-
The cork wood is by the said circular knives first cut into stripes, then into
squares, and then the squares are rounded.
Plate 1 represents the end and side views of the machine for the purpose
of cutting the cork wood into stripes and then into squares, and may be called
"the preparing machine."
Plate 2d represents the front and side views of the machine for rounding
the squares, and the operation is thus performed:-
First, as to the preparing machine represented in Plate 1", a slide on which
the sheet of cork wood is fixed advances to the circular.knife whilst it revolves,
and consequently the sheet of cork wood is cut into stripes, according to the
length, in the following manner :-
Figure 1, A, in Plate 1st, represents the end view, and Figure 2d, A, the
side view of the first preparing machine, which performs by a slide advancing
whilst the circular knife revolves, and consequently cuts the sheets of cork in
stripes according to its length. a represents a loose and fast pulley fixed upon
a shaft or axle b, and driven by a strap c; d, a plate or flange fixed upon the
axle b, and to which is fastened by screws the circular knife e; f, f, two
plummer blocks in which the axle 6 revolves, and are fixed upon a frame g;
h, a pinion fixed upon the axle 6 for giving motion to the slide, and works the
spur wheel i fixed upon the axle k, upon which is also fixed the pinion 1, which
works the rack m, fastened on the bottom of the slide n. o, a stand for the
end of the pressing lever, and raised or lowered by the set screw p, as may be
required. q, the pressing lever, working in the stand r, and fastened by a
rackets, at the necessary height. 1, a dovetailed frame and and carriage in
which the slides moves, and is adjusted by the screws u. v, a support for dove-
tailed frame carriage, and fixed to the frame g. w, a cock for the end of the
axle k to work in. x, a lever for throwing the rack pinion in and out of
geer, which works or stops the slide.

page_text: Having now explained the first preparing or striping machine, I proceed to
the second preparing machine, the purpose of which is to cut or chop the
stripes into quarters or squares, and is performed by a lever which alternately
rises and falls by means of a crank and second lever; so that as the knife
revolves, and the lever rises, that part of the cork stripe which projects over
the lever and beyond the knife, is cut off, the size of which is regulated by a
set screw and guide, shewn in Plate 2d, at r, Figure 1, B.
Figures 1 and 2, B, represent an end and side view.
loose and fast pulleys fastened on the axle b, and driven by the strap c, on
a represents the
the ends of which are fastened the plates or flanges d, on which are fastened
the circular knives e. f, the plummer blocks in which revolves the axle b,
and are fixed on the frame g. h, a small pulley fastened on the axle b,
which drives the pulley or rigger i, fastened on the shaft k. 1, a strap which
connects the motion from the pulley h to the rigger i. m, a crank fixed on
the shaft k, which, by the connecting rod and joint n, works the lever o, which
lever works on its fulcrum in the cock p. 9, a guide with set screws, to bring
the stripe to the centre of the knife. r, the set screw and guide for regu-
lating the size of the quarters or squares.
The preparing or cutting into squares being thus, explained, it only.
remains to describe the rounding or finishing machine in. Plate 2d. A, A,
represents two pulleys, the one loose and the other fast on the axle or shaft B,
and driven by the strap C, which gives motion to or stops the whole machine.
D, a wheel or ring, fixed upon the axle B, and to which is fastened by screws
or otherwise the circular knife E. F, F, two plummer blocks, with the brasses
G, G, fitted, and in which the axle or shaft B revolves. H, four bolts with
nuts, to fasten the plummer blocks F to the frame I. K, an iron pulley or
collar on the axle B, which which works the pulleys M by the strap L, and
which strap may be lengthened or shortened; according to the size of the
pulleys M, for giving the necessary speed to the cork. N, a shaft, upon
which are fixed the pulleys M and P, working in the cocks O; and which
pulley P continues the motion by the strap Q to the R, which is fastened on
he shaft S, working in the cocks at T. U, a screw or worm, for con-
inuing the motion to the wheel V (shewn in Figure 3). Upon the axle W of
he wheel V, and revolving in the cocks X, is fixed the top of the wheel Y,
which alternately works the pinion Z, and which pinions cause the cork wood
advance to the edge of the circular knife E. 1, a revolving conductor, in
hich the cork wood in square pieces are fixed betwixt the studs or axles 2, 3,
n the top of which are small flanges with pikes, to fasten the squares.
a lever, to press the top studs or axles 2 into the cork jointed at 5, fitted

page_text: with a socket 6, and fastened by a nut and screw 7, on the top of conductor
axle. 8, six inclined planes, which lift the lever above the axles or studs 2,
as the conductor revolves. 9, conducter axle, fixed in the bracket 10, by
screws and nuts 11. 12, a screw and ring, fitted on conductor axle, for giving
the necessary angle to the revolving conductor, and consequently to the corks.
13, an axle with the lever 14 at top. which works the conductor, and brings
regularly the cork squares in contact with the circular knife. 15, the lever
wheel, which has its motion by an intervening wheel 16, from V (shewn
in Figure 3). 17, a guide for the lever 4, fixed by the stud 18 to the
frame I.
The whole of the machinery is worked by a steam engine, round the drums
of which the strap C is. carried; or it may be worked by any other external
power applied in the same manner.
In witness whereof, 1, the said Sarah Thomson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-fifth day of May, One thousand eight
hundred and nineteen.
CON