IMPROVEMENTS IN T 31 MACHINERY FUK SPINNING, ROLLING, COMPRESSING, 35 AND. WINDING TOBACCO
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Butterworth, of Oldham, in the County
of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
T
31
MACHINERY FUK SPINNING, ROLLING, COMPRESSING,
35
AND. WINDING TOBACCO."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Butterworth
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 8th July 1871.
I, THOMAS BUTTERWORTH, of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for "Im-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING, ROLLING, COMPRESSING, AND WINDING
TOBACCO," to be as follows
In my improved machinery for spinning tobacco the tobacco is
subjected to the action of a set of three rollers before passing to the
flyer. The said rollers are caused to revolve on their axes, and at the
same time are moved to and fro in the direction of their axes by means
of a quadrant and rack actuated by a cam or by other suitable means.
The said rollers when moving forwards with the tobacco twist compress

page_text: and roll the same, and during the return movement of the said rollers
the tobacco is released from their action by one of their number being
raised or withdrawn from the said tobacco, or by so forming one or
more of the said rollers as that the surface of the roller or of each roller
recedes from the tobacco during the return movement or by both the said
means in combination. The tobacco proceeds from these rollers to a
flyer, the axis of which may be horizontal or vertical, but which I prefer
should be inclined with respect to the axis of the said rollers upon
the bobbin of which flyer the tobacco is wound, the winding being
regulated in the following manner:-A worm wheel is fixed on the
axis of the said bobbin and a worm gearing with the said wheel is
fixed or formed on a shaft.and receives motion through bevil wheels
from a cross shaft revolving on the flyer. A friction wheel is fitted
to slide on the said cross shaft, and the periphery of the said wheel runs
on a stationary disc or surface plate so that when the flyer revolves
the friction wheel is rotated. The said friction wheel is acted upon
by a spring which tends to draw it towards the centre of the said
disc or plate, and is retained in the positions suitable to the required
speed of the bobbin by means of a stop which bears against a stepped
sliding piccc or revolving rack which is moved during the revolution
of the bobbin so as to cause a stop which is in connection with the
said friction wheel to change from one step to another as each layer is
coiled or wound upon the bobbin, cach change allowing the said friction
wheel to move nearer to the centre of the aforesaid disc or plate, the
speed of revolution of the bobbin being thereby reduced. The said
movement of the stepped piece is caused by a screw, which is caused
to revolve to some extent at each revolution of the bobbin by a pawl
which actuates a ratchet wheel that is connected by bevil gearing
with the said screw, the said pawl receiving motion from the bobbin
through an excentric and connecting rod or a finger on the said bobbin
may take into a star wheel fixed on the end of the said screw at each
revolution of the bobbin, or the said stepped piece or revolving rack
may be caused to move by means of a worm and rack which receives
motion from the bobbin shaft by means of an excentric and connecting
rod working a pawl and ratchet wheel.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Butterworth in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 5th January 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS:
BUTTERWORTH, of Oldham, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, send
-greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, and in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Thomas Butterworth, Her special license
that I, the said Thomas Butterworth, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Butterworth, 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 IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPINNING, ROLLING, COMPRESSING, AND WINDING
TOBACCO," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Thomas
Butterworth, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seaľ,
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 Thomas Butterworth, 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 and the accompanying Drawings (that is to.
say) :—
In my improved machinery for spinning tobacco the tobacco is
subjected to the action of a set of (by preference) three rollers before
passing to the flyer. The said rollers are caused to revolve on their
3 axes, and at the same time are moved to and fro in the direction of
their axes by means of a quadrant and a rack actuated by a cam or by
other suitable means. The said rollers when moving forward with the

page_text: -
tobacco twist compress and roll the same, and during the return move-
ment of the said rollers, the tobacco is released from their action by
one or more of their number being raised or withdrawn from the said
tobacco or by forming one or more of the said rollers, so that the surface
of the roller or of each roller recedes from the tobacco during the
return movement, or by both the said means in combination. The
tobacco proceeds form these rollers to a flyer, the axis of which may
be horizontal or vertical, but which I prefer should be inclined with
respect to the axes of the said rollers upon the bobbin of which flyer
the tobacco is wound, the winding being regulated in the following
manner: A worm wheel is fixed on the axis of the. said bobbin and a
worm gearing with the said wheel is fixed or formed on a shaft, which
receives motion through bevel wheels from a cross shaft revolving on
the flyer. A friction wheel is fitted to slide on the said cross shaft and
the periphery of the said wheel runs on a stationary disc or surface
plate, so that when the flyer revolves the friction wheel is rotated.
The said friction wheel is acted upon by a spring which tends to draw
it towards the centre of the said disc or plate, and is retained in the
positions suitable to the required speeds of the bobbin by means of a
stop which bears against a stepped sliding piece or revolving rack,
which is moved during the revolution of the bobbin, so as to cause a
stop which is in connection with the said friction wheel to change from
one step to another as, cach layer is coiled or wound upon the bobbin,
cach change allowing the said friction wheel to move nearer to the
centre of the aforesaid disc or plate, the speed of revolution of the
bobbin being thereby reduced. The said movement of the stepped
piece is caused by a screw, which is caused to revolve to some extent
at each revolution of the bobbin by a pawl which actuates a ratchet
wheel that is connected by bevel gearing with the said screw, the said
pawl receiving motion from the bobbin through an excentric and
connecting rod or a finger on the said bobbin may take into a star
wheel fixed on the end of the said screw at each revolution of the
bobbin, or the said stepped picce or revolving rack may be caused to
move by means of a worm and rack which receives motion from the
bobbin shaft by means of an excentric and connecting rod working a
pawl and ratchet wheel or by other suitable means.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a machine according to my Invention
for spinning, rolling, compressing, and winding tobacco with the flyer
in side view and Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same machine with

page_text: the flyer in edge view, but with the feeding table and the rolling and
compressing rollers supposed broken away, and Fig. 3 is a transverse
section of the said machine taken through the compressing rollers.
In each of the above three views parts of the driving pulleys and fly
wheel are supposed to be broken away.
The machine is formed by a base plate A to which stands A¹ are
secured, which are tied together by longitudinal rails A² (not shewn in
Figs. 1 and 2). a is the first motion shaft; a', the fast and loose
driving pulleys upon it; a², the fly wheel secured upon the end of the
shaft a.
The belt guide (a³) is made to slide on one side of the longi-
tudinal rails A2, and it is actuated by a lever at having its fulcrum a³
attached to the framing, the lower end of this lever being connected by
a longitudinal rod a³ with an arm a³ on one end of a cross shaft as having
bearings in stands secured to the base plate. The other end of the
shaft (as) has a foot lever a secured upon it weighted to slide the belt
guide from the loose to the fast pulley when the lever (a³) is released by
a bell-crank latch lever a* having its fulcrum on a bracket secured to
the base plate. The operator by depressing the lever a slides the belt
on to the loose pulley, and the latch lever (a*) catches upon and holds'
it there until released as above explained.
The parts relating to the belt guide are shewn in Figs. 1 and 3 in
peculiar dotted line. The first motion shaft a has a bevel wheel b
secured at its inner end that gears with one upon a diagonal shaft (61)
shewn in Figs. 2 and 3, and having bearings in brackets, as shown. At
the lower end of this shaft a worm 62 is fixed, which gears with a worm
pinion secured to a wheel & working on a stud, which gears with
another wheel on a stud that drives the pinions on the ends of the
axes of the two lower rollers c, and also a carrier wheel 66 that drives a
wheel on the cam shaft (d) of the machine. The axes of the two
lower rollers (c) rotate in bearings which can be adjusted radially in
relation to the tobacco cord to be rolled to suit different thicknesses,
these bearings being fitted in stands on the table, as shown. The axis
of the upper roller rotates in bearings formed in a frame e that
oscillates on pivots e¹ carried by stands from the table, and rotating
motion is imparted to the roller by a wheel 67 centred on a stud forming
also one pivot of the frame e, which wheel gears with the pinion on one
of the lower rollers and with that secured upon the end of the upper
roller c. The rollers, c and c in this modification have long journals

page_text: and can slide to and fro in their bearings, the wheels driving their
pinions being of sufficient breadth to keep in gear at both extremes of
their end movement. Each roller has a neck formed in it, into which.
a clutch fork part c³ fits, and this part slides upon a rod c³ secured
between the stands for the rollers. The side of this clutch fork part has
rack teeth formed in it which gear with teeth formed on a segment upon
the end of a lever c' having its fulcrum on a stud c³ secured in the table,.
and the other end of this lever has two bowls on studs that take on cach
side of a cam rib, formed round a drum cº, secured on the cam shaft d..
Instead of two bowls in the lever one need only be used to work in
a cam groove formed in the drum (c). There is a single acting disc
cam e² secured upon the cam shaft d which acts upon one end of a.
lever es having its fulcrum e* on a bracket secured to the table, the other
end of the lever is jointed with a vertical rod e³, adjustable in length,
that acts upon a cross bar e³, from the frame carrying the upper roller,
which frame is pressed down by a weight or spring, and can be readily
lifted from the open end of the adjustable rod when required. The
cam c, for giving end movement to the rollers, is shaped to give a
forward movement to the rollers in the direction in which the tobacco
is passing; and at the same speed, but is shaped to give the back
movement quickly; about two-thirds of the circumference of the cam
is occupied by the forward movement, and about one-third with the
backward movement. The came for actuating the top roller e¹ is
shaped to lower the roller upon the tobacco cord at the beginning of
the forward movement of the rollers, and keep the roller down upon
the tobacco during that movement, lifting away from the tobacco at
the end of the forward movement, and remaining away until the back
movement is completed. The flyer for twisting and winding up the
tobacco is formed by two side frames f, connected at each end by two
cross bars f¹ and f, as shewn, and it rotates in bearings, having its
axis by preference in an inclined position. The upper axis is hollow,
and rotates in a bearing in a bracket secured to the framing A¹, the
lower bearing of the flyer rotates upon a stem g, held in a bracket
secured to the base plate; the brasses of the bearing are adjustable
by the set screws f³, and the stem g is secured in the bracket by an
end screw and set screw as shown. The stem g forms part of and
carries the fixed face plate or stationary disc 9', from which by the
rotation of the flyer are obtained all the movements for winding and
distributing the tobacco cord upon the bobbin. The bobbin
-
is:

page_text: formed of cast iron or other suitable material, with a hollow axis, and:
it is inserted between the side frames of the flyer, and then a shaft h
is passed through its hollow axis, and through bearings in the side.
frames. Upon one end of the shaft a worm wheel is fixed, and
upon the other end a spur wheel ³ is secured by a screw, the shaft
and bobbin being connected by a key or set screw so as to rotate
together. The worm wheel * on the end of the bobbin shaft gears
with a worm upon one end of a shaft *, having bearings in brackets
secured to the side of the flyer, the other end of this shaft has a bevel
whicel upon it that geers with one upon the end of a shaft g² passing
across the flyer and having bearings in its side frames. Upon the.
shaft there is a pulley g³ which can slide upon the shaft on a fixed
key so as to rotate with the shaft, and this pulley (93) has a groove
in its face to receive a band formed of leather or other suitable
material, this leather facing works and is kept in close contact with
the fixed face plate g' by two springs, one acting on each bearing of
the shaft g, the springs being secured in the sides of the flyer, and.
consequently the rotation of the flyer gives rotating motion to the.
shafts and * and the bobbin h. When the bobbin is empty the.
pulley g works upon the outer part of the fixed face plate g', and at..
the commencement of each new layer the pulley g³ is moved nearer
to the centre of the face plate to reduce the rotating speed of the bobbin,:
and make the winding-up speed of the tobacco uniform. The change.
in the position of the pulley 9³ is effected by the mechanism next
described. There is a groove in the boss of the pulley gs, in which a fork:
guide g' fits, that slides upon a rod g, which is fixed between the sides
of the flyer, and to this fork guide g'a hook is secured to which one
end of an india-rubber or other spring is attached, the other end.
being secured to a hook fixed in one side of the flyer. The action
of this spring is to draw the pulley towards the centre, but this is
resisted by a stud ' which screws into the fork guide g', so as to be
adjustable in length, this stud is round in section, but has two sides.
cut away to form two flats, the end of the stud slides through a guide.
³ secured upon the cross rod g³.
The end of the stud rests against
a stepped piece i arranged to slide the lengthway upon one side of the
flyer, being actuated by a screw having a bearing at one end arranged
to rotate only in a bracket secured to the side of the flyer. The screw
has a bevel wheel secured upon its end, which wheel geers with onc.
on a short cross shaft is, having bearings on the side frame of the flyer,

page_text: .
and there is a ratchet wheel upon the outside end of the short cross
shaft, which has a square upon it to fit a handle for screwing back
the stepped piece at the beginning of the winding of the bobbin; move-
ment to the stepped piece i is given so that the stud slips off one step
on to the next at the end of each layer wound upon the bobbin. The
ratchet wheel is actuated by a pawl jointed to a lever or arm i
oscillating upon the short shaft 2, and there is also a retaining pawl 2³
to prevent back movement of the ratchet, both pawls being kept against
the teeth by suitable springs. The arm for the ratchet pawl is jointed
to one end of a rod 2, the other end of which has a clip that, embraces
an excentric upon a wheel rotating on a stud fixed in the side of the
flyer and driven from the spur wheel ³ on the end of the bobbin shaft,
which gearing also gives motion to a bevel wheel on a stud j in the side
frame of the flyer which bevel gears with another on a short shaft
jin a bearing secured to the side of the flyer, the other end of the
short shaft has a bevel upon it that gears alternately with two connected
bevels je that slide on a fixed key on the end of a screw ³ having bear-
ings in the sides of the flyer. This screw actuates the guide j' for
distributing the tobacco cord upon the bobbin. The guide is a nut
that works on the screw and has an arm j that carries a swivel eye j
(as shown) through which the tobacco cord passes. The guide has
also two jaw parts and j that slide upon a rod k passing across the
flyer and having bearings in the side frames. This rod can slide end-
ways to such extent as to cause the clutch fork upon its end, which
fits a groove in the connecting boss of the two bevels je to move them
alternately in and out of gear with the bevel on the short shaft, the
sliding rod k is held after each movement by two latches alternately,
which latches pass through slots in the sides of the flyer and are jointed
therewith on fulcrums at.³, the outer tail of each latch being acted
upon by a spring secured to the side of the flyer, as shown. There
are two pins that pass through the rod k, and these pins pass between
the jaw parts j' and j³ which slide upon the rod k, the end of. onc
of the latches acts behind one pin to prevent the rod from moving,
but when the guide has been screwed to one side the inclined side
of one jaw comes against an incline upon the side of the latch k²,
and lifts its catch end above the end of the pin as shown in Fig. 1,
when a spring that slides upon the rod k which has been compressed
against the pin by the other jaw piece j³ gives the sudden end move-
ment to the rod which reverses the wheels
and screw, and causes

page_text: دو
the guide to travel in the opposite direction, by which movement the
helical spring is slided by the jaw j along the rod / ready to act upon
the pin at the other end of the rod. The movement of the rod / allows
the latch which is at liberty to drop behind its pin ³, and secure
the rod until released by the return movement of the guide . The
operator while supplying the "filler and "
wrapper "holds the
tobacco cord against the ledge upon the table x', allowing the cord to
rotate as the twist is put in, and to advance as it is wound up uniformly
upon the bobbin; the cord after leaving the hand of the operator
passes between the rollers c and c¹ which act intermittently to roll
and compress the cord which passes over a pulley in the framing, then
through the hollow axis of the flyer and between two pulleys f, having
bearings on brackets from the flyer, then the cord passes through the
eye of the guide and on to the bobbin 7. Rotating motion is given
to the flyer by a train of wheels from the first motion shaft a, to à
skew spur wheel upon the hollow axis of the flyer. Two wheels are
shown upon the shaft a and either may be the driver of the flyer
according to the twist required, the arrangement of the machine being
such that it can be readily altered by changing wheels, and the
stepped piece i to spin different sizes of tobacco cord. In some of the
Figures the wheels are only shewn by peculiar dotted pitch lines.
Having now described the complete machine shewn by Figs. 1, 2,
and 3, I will next describe modifications or alternative mechanism which
may be substituted for some of the parts above described; Fig. 4 is
a partial transverse section, of the machine through the compressing
rollers; and Fig. 5 is a plan view thereof shewing another modification.
The difference between this modification and that previously described
is that the axes of the rollers do not move end ways, but the rollers
arc formed of cylinders which slide to and fro bodily upon a fixed
key c* upon the shaft or axis of cach roller. This modification is the
same as that herein-before described in other respects, and as the same
letters of reference are used upon the same and corresponding parts
as were employed in describing Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the mechanism shewn
by Figs. 4 and 5 will be readily understood without further explanation.
The rollers (c and c¹) may be all mounted in a headstock so as to rotate
simply, the frame (e) for the upper roller (c¹) having its centres e¹ in the
headstock, and this headstock may be arranged on the table to move
to and fro in slides in the direction of the length way of the rollers.
The wheel in such an arrangement has broad teeth so as to keep in

page_text: gear with the pinions at each extreme of the movement. The head-
stock could have movement imparted to it by the same mechanism as
that herein-before described through a tooth rack on the side of the
headstock, or by any other suitable mechanism, and the upper roller (c¹)
.could be worked by the same or any other suitable mechanism. In
place of causing the upper roller (c) to be lifted intermittently it may
be made (especially for large twist) with part of its surface cut away,
as shewn in Fig. 6, the sunk part of its surface being opposite the
tobacco cord during the back end movement of the rollers, the raised
part being opposite and acting upon the tobacco during the forward
end movement of the rollers. In this arrangement the rollers will
make one backward and forward end movement during one revolution
of the roller with the sunk surface. The intermittent action of the
rolling and compressing mechanism forming a peculiar feature of
my Invention, may be attained by other arrangements of rotating
mechanism, but I prefer those modifications herein-before.described,
but when intermittent rolling and compressing action is used with one
set of rollers, as by my Invention, it is necessary to combine it with
mechanism for winding up the tobacco cord, which will act positively
and uniformly, because mechanism which does not act positively but
by friction that puts a drag or strain upon the tobacco cord tends to
pull away the tobacco cord from the hands of the operator in the
intervals when the rollers are not operating to compress and roll the
tobacco cord. If desired two sets of rollers may be employed so that the
tobacco cord after leaving one set of rollers will pass on to the other
sct, and in this case one set of rollers (both being actuated by suitable
cams on the same shaft), may be rolling, compressing, and making the
forward movement while the other set of rollers are making their
back movement or the cams may be so adjusted that both sets of rollers
will be acting at the same time for a part of each revolution upon the
tobacco cord, so that though each set will act intermittently there will
be either one or the other set constantly operating upon the tobacco
cord.
Instead of the screw j³ and mechanism shewn and described in

page_text: as those previously described. The stepped piece is an arm i secured
upon one end of a short shaft i*, having bearings in a bracket secured to
the side of the flyer, the other end of this short shaft (ix) has an arm 2³
secured to it, which arm carries the segment of a worm wheel that
gears with a worm on the end of a short shaft having bearings on
the side of the flyer. This shaft (2) is rotated by means of a rotchet
wheel in the same manner as the shaft (i) shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
As the shaft i* turns the arm i. moves in an arc and the stud. g drops
from step to step.
Fig. 9 is a partial edge view showing another method of giving motion
to the screw of the stepped piece i when arranged as shewn in Figs. 1
and 2. A projection upon the side of the bobbin flange is made to
come in contact with a star wheel 1 (shewn by a detached side view
Fig. 10), and cause it to move one tooth at each revolution of the
'bobbin.
I have now particularly described the nature of my Invention, and
the mode of carrying it into effect, and I wish it to be understood that I
am aware that Elijah Robinson, Charles Frederick Robinson, and James
Edward Hyde Andrews have obtained a grant of Letters Patent for the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, numbered 652, and dated the Fifth day of March, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy, for "Improvements in Machinery
for Twisting, Compressing, and Rolling Tobacco, applicable to Rolling,
Compressing, and Drawing Metals," and that I do not claim as my
Invention any part of the Invention claimed by the said Elijah Robinson,
Charles Frederick Robinson, and James Edward Hyde Andrews in the
Specification of their said Invention; but what I do claim is,--
Firstly. Rollers acting intermittently to roll and compress tobacco
cord, substantially in the manner herein-before described and illustrated
by the accompanying Drawings.
Secondly. Two sets of rollers acting to roll and compress tobacco cord
intermittently, each set of rollers acting upon the tobacco cord alter-
nately, or partly simultaneously, substantially as hercin-before described.
Thirdly. The mode of producing intermittent action by withdrawing
one or more of the rotating rollers or mechanism from the tobacco cord
by cam action or by sinking a part of the acting surface below its
periphery, substantially as described.

page_text: Fourthly. The combination of rotating, rolling, and compressing
mechanism acting intermittently with positive and uniform winding-on
mechanism, substantially as herein described and illustrated by the
Drawings.
Fifthly. The combination of mechanism for guiding the tobacco cord
upon the bobbin, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated
by Figs. 1 and 2 of the Drawings.
Sixthly. The combination of the stationary disc or face plate g¹ and
pulley with the stepped piece i and mechanism for actuating the same
for rotating the bobbin to obtain uniform winding-on of the tobacco
cord, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated by the
Drawings.
Seventhly. The general combination and arrangement of the mechanism
herein-before described and shewn by Figs. 1, 2, and 3 for spinning,
rolling, compressing, and winding tobacco.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Butterworth, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
THOMAS BUTTERWORTH. (L.S.)