IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING LOOPED OR CORDED FABRICS OF SILK, WOOLLEN, COTTON, OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles William Keighley, of the Firm of Lockwood
and Keighley, of Huddersfield, in the County of York, Woollen Cord Manu-
facturers, and William Netherwood, of the same Place, Cord Cutter, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING
LOOPED OR CORDED FABRICS OF SILK, WOOLLEN, COTTON, OR OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 21st October 1879, and dated the 24th April 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles William Keighley
and William Netherwood at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 24th April 1879.
CHARLES WILLIAM KEIGHLEY, of the Firm of Lockwood and Keighley, of
Huddersfield, in the County of York, Woollen Cord Manufacturers, and WILLIAM
NETHERWOOD, of the same Place, Cord Cutter. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING LOOPED OR CORDED FABRICS OF SILK, WOOLLEN,
COTTON, OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
This Invention relates, firstly, to apparatus to be employed in cord cutting
machinery, for the purpose of enabling the attendant to tighten or slacken the piece
or fabric under operation.
Upon the ends of the shafts carrying the taking up and letting-off rollers we
mount two toothed worm wheels, the wheel on the taking up shaft having a
smaller number of teeth than the one on the letting-off shaft. These wheels are
turned by two worms fixed upon a shaft carried by brackets attached to the side of
the machine, the said shaft being formed in two parts, and connected by means of
a frictional clutch box.
When the shaft is turned round, the taking up shaft revolves at a quicker speed
than the letting-off shaft, and so either stretches the cloth or slackens it according
to the direction in which it is turned, the amount of tension being adjusted by
means of set screws in the frictional clutch.

page_text: When required, the clutch may be placed out of gear and the taking up roller
moved independently of the letting-off roller, or vice versa.
Secondly. Our improvements relate to the cutting instruments employed both
in hand and machine cutting, and we propose to form the cutting edges of diamond
instead of steel, which becomes dull and requires to be sharpened frequently,
causing great loss of time.
The guide point may also be formed of diamond or similar substance, or it may
be formed of steel, and attached to the holder of the diamond by soldering or other
suitable means.
The diamond may be cut or reduced from both sides or faces to a sharp cutting
edge by the ordinary process of diamond cutting or reducing. Or it may be cut or
reduced from one side only, the other side being left in its material state.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Charles William Keighley and William Netherwood in the
Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th October 1879.
CHARLES WILLIAM KEIGHLEY, of the Firm of Lockwood and Keighley, of
Huddersfield, in the County of York, Woolen Cord Manufacturers, and WILLIAM
NETHERWOOD, of the same Place, Cord Cutter. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING LOOPED OR CORDED FABRICS OF SILK, WOOLLEN,
COTTON, OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES."
This Invention relates,-
Firstly. To apparatus to be employed in cord cutting machinery for the purpose
of enabling the attendant to tighten or slacken the piece or fabric under operation.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Sheet of Drawings illustrates a side elevation of a
cord cutting machine with our improvements attached. The piece to be cut is
passed over a roller A, usually covered with card teeth, mounted on shaft B, and
passes over the cutting table C to the taking-up roller D mounted on shaft E, being
ultimately wound upon the roller F. Upon the ends of the shaft B and E we fix
two tooth or worm wheels G, H, the wheel on the taking-up shaft E having a
smaller number of teeth than the one on the letting-off shaft B. These wheels are
turned by two worins J, K, fixed upon shafts L and L' carried by brackets M
attached to the side of the machine and connected by means of a frictional clutch
box N. This clutch is shewn in detail in Fig. 2. When the shafts L, L', are
turned round, the taking-up shaft E revolves at a quicker speed than the letting-off
shaft B, and so the cloth is tightened or kept in a state of tension for cutting.
When it is desired to slacken the fabric, the part a of the clutch b is disengaged by
pulling the handle P outwards which is connected by fork e to the clutch; the band
wheel R is then turned round in the opposite direction, turning the shaft L' while
the shaft L is stationery, and thus the fabric is slackened. The fabric may also be
tightened whilst the machine is cutting, by the attendant turning the hand wheel R,
causing the roller D to take up fabric whilst the roller A is stationery.
The clutch N is composed of three parts, the part a being connected to the
shaft L' by a key fixed on the shaft, and a groove or slot in the part a; the part a
is thereby capable of sliding on its shaft, and it is kept up to the clutch by spiral
spring d. The parts b and c are secured by three bolts f which compress the
frictional substances g placed between them against the disc s fixed on the shaft L.
When the portion a of the clutch encounters resistance sufficient to cause the fric-
tional surfaces g to allow the disc 8 to slip, the taking-up shaft L¹ will revolve at a
slower speed than the shaft L. Such resistance will occur when the tension on the
fabric is greater than the friction between the surfaces g and the fixed disc 8.
Secondly. Our improvements relate to the cutting instruments employed both in
band and machine cutting, and we propose to form the cutting edges of diamond or
similar substances instead of steel which becomes dull and requires to be sharpened
frequently, causing great loss of time. The diamond or similar substance may form
the guide as well as the cutter; or the guide may be formed of steel, and attached
to the holder of the diamond by soldering or other suitable means. The diamond
may be cut or reduced from both sides or faces to a sharp cutting edge by the
ordinary process of diamond cutting or reducing. Or it may be cut or reduced
from one side only, the other side being left in its natural state; or an uncut
diamond of suitable shape may be used.
Fig. 3 is a side view of the holder, and Fig. 4. is a cross section or end view of
the stone we find most suitable. The holder a is of steel bent over the edges of the
diamond and pressed firmly thereon so that when the surrounding edges of the
metal are either soldered or otherwise secured together the diamond 6 shall be

page_text: firmly held in its position, and in order to accomplish this the corners h of the stone
are bevilled or cut off so as to fit or bed itself into the guide c, which is grooved
when formed of metal,
Having thus described the nature of our said Invention, and shewn by Drawings
how the same is to be performed or carried into practical operation, we would have
it understood that we do not confine ourselves to the precise details of construction
or arrangement herein given, as the same may be modified, but what we claim as
our Invention is,―
Firstly. The combination and arrangement of parts for regulating the tension of
the fabric, substantially as herein shewn and illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.
Secondly. The use and employment of diamond or similar substance as a cutting
edge, formed and fixed in the manner and for the purpose herein shewn and
described.
In witness whereof, we, the said Charles William Keighley, and William
Netherwood, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-second
day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-nine.
CHARLES WILLIAM KEIGHLEY. (L.S.)
WILLIAM NETHERWOOD.
(L.S.)
Witness,
HENRY NORTH CROWTHER,
Cashier to Messrs. Lockwood & Keighley,
Huddersfield.