An Improved Apparatus for Cutting Cloth, Wood, and other Materials.
Year: 1885

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Cutting Cloth, Wood, and other
Materials.
I, EDGAR DREDGE of 36* Aldersgate Street in the City of London, Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The chief object of this invention is to provide a simple and compact apparatus
for cutting out garments from cloth and other fabrics, but the apparatus is also
applicable for cutting leather, rubber, wood, and other substances.
In cutting out garments to be made to a certain pattern, many thicknesses of
cloth are presented to the cutting instrument at the same time.
The cutting instrument hitherto employed for this purpose has been a band
knife, which is mounted on pulleys carried in adjustable bearings, the adjustability
of the bearings being to permit of tension being put upon the band knife in order
to give it the necessary amount of rigidity required to ensure good work.
It is, however, practically impossible to put a sufficient amount of tension on
the band knife by these or any other means, to prevent its twisting or bending, if
any extra pressure is put upon it during the cutting operation, and at the same
time allow for easy running of the pulleys, as the greater the tension, the more the
pulleys are caused to bind on their shafts; the band knife, in point of fact, acting
as a band brake, and preventing the rotation of the pulleys; thus, it is either
necessary to work with a comparatively loose knife, or with a very high motive
power or force.
I
Now, according to my invention, I dispense with the use of the band knife, and
use, in place thereof, an ordinary straight knife.
In the accompanying drawing, I have shown my improved apparatus for cutting
many thicknesses of cloth or other fabric in side elevation.
A, is a standard, preferably of cast metal; B is a cross beam firmly secured
thereto, and also to a standard C, which carries a table D to receive the pile of
material to be cut.
E, E¹ are a pair of levers or beams, one of which, E, has its fulcrum on the
standard A, and the other, E¹, on the cross beam B. The outer ends of these levers
are connected by a rod or bar F in any suitable manner, which will allow of the
levers or beams oscillating freely; and to the rod or bar F is adjustably secured -
one end of the connecting rod G.

page_text: The other end of this connecting rod G works on the pin of a disc or crank H,
to which retary motion is communicated in any convenient manner from a prime
mover, and an oscillating motion is thereby communicated to the levers E E¹.
E2 E2 are curved plates secured to, or formed with the free ends of the levers or
beams E, E, and these plates have lugs or projections E3 arranged to receive
threaded bolts E, to which the straight knife I is connected in any convenient
manner.
The bolts E carry winged nuts, which bear against the outside of the lugs or
projections E³, and when screwed down, serve to strain the knife I between the
lugs E. As the levers E, E' are connected at their opposite ends by the rod F,
the amount of tension which can thus put on the knife is enormous, and the risk
of twisting or bending the blade during use will be obviated.
Notwithstanding the great tension that can be put on the knife blade, the strain
on the fulcra of the levers or beams is but slight, consequently the oscillation of
the levers or beams E, E¹ may be effected with but little power, a treadle being
quite sufficient. The apparatus may also be driven at considerable speed and
without any noise, provided all joints are properly made.
Projecting outwards from the standard A is an arm A¹, which carries an
adjustable presser bar a and foot a¹, which is slotted to allow the knife to pass
through.
The object of the bar a and foot a' is to prevent the rising of the material
during the upward motion of the knife as the levers E E¹ reciprocate.
The levers may have their fulcra at the centre of their length, as shown, or in
any other position, according to the amount of reciprocating motion it is required
to give to the knife.
The curved plates E' are for the purpose of ensuring that the knife shall always
rise and fall in the same vertical plane.
In order to keep the knife sharp, I may arrange below the table an emery wheel
or other rotary sharpening device, which will be driven by a band from the crank
shaft, and rotate in contact with the knife. After the knife has been working for
some time, and the upper part of the blade becomes dull, the winged nuts may bo
loosened, the knife unhooked, turned upside down, inserted again in place, and
tightened up. As the machine continues working, the dull portion of the blade
will be ground by the rotary sharpener below the table.
It will be evident that the improved machine may be employed for other
purposes than cutting cloth; thus, for instance, it is eminently adapted to cutting
fret work, such as that used by pianoforte manufacturers and cabinet makers.
The present apparatus used in this work is of a most cumbrous and antiquated
character, and the amount of vibration caused in its use necessitates its being fixed
in the most solid manner possible in the workshops, besides requiring greater.
power to drive it.
In adapting my apparatus to the production of fret work, I replace the knife by
a saw, and I dispense with the use of the presser bar a and foot a¹, as the wood or
other material being operated upon, being rigid, can be held firmly down by the
workman.
The power required to drive my improved apparatus, when cutting through a
piece of nine inch batten, is but little more than that required when cutting cloth,
so that by using my apparatus, better work will be done than with the present
apparatus, and the excess of power now required to work such apparatus may be
used in other parts of the shop.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. A machine for cutting cloth, wood, and other materials, constructed and
arranged substantially as herein shown and described.

page_text: 2. In a machine for cutting cloth, wood, and other materials, connecting the
rear or outer ends of the levers or beams carrying the cutting instrument, by a
rigid connection, as and for the purpose set forth.
3. In a machine for cutting cloth, wood, or other materials, the combination
with a pair of levers or beams suitably mounted and connected at their rear ends
by a rigid connection, of means for applying tension at their front ends, substan-
tially as shown and described.
4. In a machine for cutting cloth, wood, or other materials, the combination of
a pair of levers or beams suitably mounted, and provided, at their front ends, with
means for applying tension, and connected at their rear ends by a rigid connection,
with means for producing an oscillatory motion of the said levers or beams, applied
to said rigid connection, substantially as shown as described.
Dated this 28th of October 1885.
EDGAR DREDGE.
Newton & Son,
Agents for the Applicant.