IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE CUTTING OR CLIPPING OF LACE AND OTHER FABRICS
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Cook, of Sneinton, in the County of
Nottingham, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE CUTTING OR CLIPPING OF LACE
AND OTHER FABRICS."
Sealed the 20th June 1871, and dated the 21st December 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Cook at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st December 1870.
I, JAMES COOK, of Sneinton, in the County of Nottingham, Engineer,
5 do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE CUTTING OR CLIPPING OF LACE
AND OTHER FABRICS," to be as follows:-
In my improved machinery or apparatus for cutting or clipping lace
and other fabrics I employ a handle or handles attached to or forming

page_text: part of a frame which supports one or more sets of apparatus herein-
after mentioned. A bracket projects downward from the frame (when
the frame is held in position for effecting the cutting or clipping
operation). From the bottom of this bracket projects a guide blade
somewhat narrower at its point or end farthest from the bracket. The
blade is slightly recessed on each side on the top part, the length of the
blade so recessed is bent to form an arc of a circle. In each of these
recesses the lower edge of a cutting or clipping blade lies, the top edge
being the cutting edge. These blades are adjustable in the direction
of the length of the guide blade in slots or sockets at the lower end,
and on each side of the bracket first-mentioned the lower edge of
each cutting or clipping blade is held firmly down on the guide blade
by a spring which is hooked or otherwise connected with the back end
of the blade, and it is also attached to the short end of a lever carried
by a pin in the side of the handle or frame first mentioned. On the top
side of the handle or frame is an adjustable spring plate which at one
end is capable of being lowered by a screw, the other end projects over
and is bent down towards the recessed guide blade. This bent portion
carries a frame which forms bearings for the axle of a set of three rollers.
The frame is capable of being adjusted on the bent portion of the spring
plate. The central one of these rollers lics over the middle part of the
recessed guide blade, the rollers being slightly thinner than the width
of the guide blade at that part.
I sometimes employ a piece of metal on each side of the recessed
portion of the guide plate. These pieces of metals are carried by the
roller frame, and their lower edges approximate to the shape of the bent
recessed portion of the guide blade. The other rollers lie on each side
of the central one and presses upon the lace, net, or other fabric to be
operated upon, but the central roller cannot touch the body of such
lace or fabric, the guide blade being interposed between it and the
fabric. Between the central roller and the bracket a brush projects,
which effectually clears the cuttings or clippings from the rollers. The
rollers are covered with cloth, felt, india-rubber, or other material.
The machinery or apparatus is thus employed:-The lace, net, or other
fabric is carried by two or more rollers, and is passed over and lies upon
a solid body bound or otherwise covered with cloth or other con-
venient material, the apparatus being held above the whole and being

page_text: pushed from the operator, the guide blade or blades will enter the
loops of the parts to be clipped off, and as such parts pass up and over
the recessed part of the guide blade or blades, the threads will be cut
clear off, and each portion so cut off will always be of the same length.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Cook in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st June 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
Cook, of Sneinton, in the County of Nottingham, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said James Cook, Her special licence
that I, the said James Cook, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said James Cook, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein ex-
pressed, 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 OR
APPARATUS EMPLOYED IN THE CUTTING OR CLIPPING OF LACE AND OTHER FABRICS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Cook,
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 James Cook, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the

page_text: following statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say:
In my improved machinery or apparatus for cutting or clipping lace
and other fabrics I employ a handle or handles attached to or forming
part of a frame which supports one or more sets of apparatus herein-
after mentioned. A bracket projects downwards from the frame (when
the frame is held in position for effecting the cutting or clipping
operation). From the bottom of this bracket projects a guide blade
somewhat narrower at its point or end farthest from the bracket. The
blade is slightly recessed on each side on the top part. The length of
the blade so recessed is bent to form an arc of a circle. In each
of these recesses the lower edge of a cutting or clipping blade lies, the
top edge being the cutting edge. These blades are adjustable in the
direction of the length of the guide blade in slots or sockets at the
lower end, and on each side of the bracket first mentioned the lower edge
of each cutting or clipping blade is held firmly down on the guide blade
by a spring which is hooked or otherwise connected with the back end
of the blade, and it is also attached to the short end of a lever carried
by a pin in the side of the handle or frame first mentioned. On
the top side of the handle or frame is an adjustable spring plate
which at one end is capable of being lowered by a screw. The other
end projects over and is bent down towards the recessed guide blade.
This bent portion carries a frame which forms bearings for the axle of
a set of three rollers. The frame is capable of being adjusted on the
bent portion of the spring plate. The central one of these rollers lies
over the middle part of the recessed guide blade, the rollers being
slightly thinner than the width of the guide blade at that part.
I sometimes employ a piece of metal on cach side of the recessed
portion of the guide blade. These pieces of metal are carried by the
roller frame and their lower edges approximate to the shape of the bent
recessed portion of the guide blade. The other rollers lie on each side
of the central one and press upon the lace, net, or other fabric to be
operated upon, but the central roller cannot touch the body of such
lace or fabric, the guide blade being interposed between it and the fabric.
Between the central roller and the bracket a brush projects which
effectually clears the cuttings or clippings from the rollers. The rollers
are covered with cloth, felt, india-rubber, or other material.

page_text: The machinery or apparatus is thus employed:-The lace, net, or
ther fabric is carried by two or more rollers, and is passed over and
ies upon a solid body, bound or otherwise covered with cloth or other
convenient material, the apparatus being held above the whole and being
pushed from the operator the guide blade or blades will enter the loops
of the parts to be clipped off, and as such parts pass up and over the
ecessed part of the guide blade or blades the threads will be cut clear
off, and each portion so cut off will always be of the same length.
Cook's impts. in Machinery for Cutting or Cupping Lace, &c.
The machinery or apparatus is thus employed:-The lace, net, or
other fabric is carried by two or more rollers, and is passed over and
lics upon a solid body, bound or otherwise covered with cloth or other
convenient material, the apparatus being held above the whole and being
pushed from the operator the guide blade or blades will enter the loops
of the parts to be clipped off, and as such parts pass up and over the
recessed part of the guide blade or blades the threads will be cut clear
off, and each portion so cut off will always be of the same length.
Such apparatus constitutes one modification of my Invention.
A second modification of my Invention consists of a similar apparatus
with a bracket B.
I now proceed more particularly to describe with reference to the
accompanying Drawings, in what manner the Invention may be carried
into effect.
My improved cutting apparatus is shown in side view Figure 1, with
one of the wheels removed to shew more fully the several parts;
Figure 2 is a plan of the same; Figure 3 is a front view of the bracket B
and guide blade C. In this view a cutter blade is seen in section in the
right-hand slot resting upon the wedge D³.
Figure 4 represents one of a pair of cutters of a shape which I some-
times employ instead of the shape shewn at Figure 1.
A is a handle, Figures 1 and 2, to which is attached a brass or other
metal bracket B, from the bottom of which projects a guide blade C
made of thin metal and somewhat narrower at its point or end farthest
from the bracket. This blade is slightly recessed on each side of the
top and is bent of the form of an arc of a circle for a portion of its
length. In each of these recesses the lower edge of a cutting blade D
or D¹ lies, the top edge for the length between the dotted lines at
Figure 4 being the cutting edge. These cutter blades are adjustable
in the direction of the length of the guide blade in slots at the lower
end, the bracket B being held at the required angle by a wedge D³ and
a thumbscrew, the lower edge of each cutter blade is held firmly down
on the guide blade in the recess by a spring attached to the back end
of the blade and also to the short end of a lever E which is carried by
a pin in the side of the handle A. On the top side of the handle an
adjustable spring plate F is secured at one end. This plate is capable
of being raised or lowered by a thumbscrew. The free end projects

page_text: over the handle and is bent down towards the recessed guide blade.
This bent portion carries a frame G which forms bearings for the axle
of a set of three rollers. The frame is capable of adjustment on the
bent part of the spring plate. Each of the three rollers is covered on
their circumference with leather or other similar material which is again
covered with cloth or similar material so as to avoid the abrading of
the net or other fabric upon which the apparatus is used. The outer
rollers H are all of the same diameter and are free to turn clear of the
guide blade cutters, &c. The central roller I is somewhat smaller in
diameter than the outer rollers and lies over the middle part of the
recessed guide blade. It is somewhat thinner than the width of the
guide blade at that part.
Upon each side of the recessed part of the guide blade is a picce of
metal K. These pieces are supported and carried by the handle A.
The lower edges of these pieces approximate to the shape of the bent
recessed part of the guide blade. The pieces of metal hold down the
net or other fabric while the apparatus is passed over it and prevent it
from being pulled on to the cutters and at the same time guide the
threads to be clipped on to the cutters, thus ensuring them being cut off.
The central roller does not touch the body of the net or other fabric, the
guide blade being interposed between the roller and the fabric, the guide
blade passing between the body of the fabric and the threads to be
clipped off. Above the central roller I is a brush L held by an arched
bracket M secured to the spring plate F. This brush as the roller I
revolves prevents the clippings from being carried round with it. The
clippings are shaken out of the apparatus when sufficient has been
collected by the operator.
The apparatus is employed in the following manner:-The net or
other fabric to be operated upon is carried by two or more rollers, and
is passed over and lies upon a solid body board or otherwise, covered
with cloth, felt, india-rubber, or other like material, the apparatus being
held above the whole and being pushed from the operator, the guide blade
will enter the loops of the parts to be clipped off, and as such loops pass
up and over the recessed part of the guide blade the threads will be
cut clear off and each portion so cut off will be of the same length.
A modification of my apparatus is shown in Figure 4. Here there is a
bracket B wider than that shown at Figure 3. In this bracket there

page_text: are as many pairs of slots as there are pairs of cutters employed. To
each pair of cutters there are a guide blade C and two holding-down
pieces K and one wheel I which is of less diameter than each of the
two outer wheels H, that is to say, if there are six pairs of cutters there
would be six wheels like the wheel I and two wheels like the wheels H;
also there are as many brushes L and arched brackets M as there are
pairs of cutters, but there is only one spring plate For an equivalent
to which a frame is attached to carry one axle for the whole of the
wheels, but there is a separate spring and lever E to each cutter. By
apparatus thus constructed as many rows of loops are clipped off at each
passage of the apparatus over the net or other fabric as there are pairs
of cutters.
I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to the width
of guide blade C, as shewn, as I employ guide blades of various widths,
according to the length of the loops to be cut off the net or other fabric,
and adjust central wheels I of suitable width and holding-down pieces K
to suit such guide blades.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be performed, I declare that I claim, the
arrangement and combination of apparatus herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Cook, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of June, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.
5 Witness,
GEO. JON. ROBINSON,
Patent Office,
Nottingham.
JAMES COOK. (L.S.)