IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR MACHINERY FOR CUTTING CORN, GRASS, AND SUCH LIKE STANDING OR GROWING CROPS, AND AN APPARATUS OR MACHINERY FOR CUTTING VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES AS FOOD FOR CATTLE
Year: 1843

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
CHARLES PHILLIPS, formerly of Chipping Norton, in the County of
Oxford, but now of Baptist Mills, within the Borough of the City
of Bristol, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by
Her Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster the Third day of July, in the seventh year of Her
reign, did for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Charles Phillips, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Charles Phillips, my executors, administra-
tors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the town of Berwick upon Tweed, my Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS OR MACHINERY FOR CUTTING CORN, GRASS,
AND SUCH LIKE STANDING OR GROWING CROPS, AND AN APPARATUS OR
MACHINERY FOR CUTTING VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES AS FOOD FOR CATTLE;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said
Charles Phillips, should cause a particular description of the nature of
my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to

page_text: be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in
part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the
said Charles Phillips, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully
described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
reference being had to the drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Drawing No. 1, is a representation of my Invention for cutting grass
or clover. The cutting part of this apparatus may be applied to the
apparatus for reaping described in my specification of a Patent, which
specification was inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery on
the Twentieth day of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-one; when it is substituted for the mode of
cutting there described, it is adapted for cutting standing crops of corn.
This Invention consists of a novel combination of parts into a machine
for the above purposes of cutting grass or clover, or corn, under the last-
mentioned circumstances. Figure 1, is an elevation of the left-hand
side of the machine; Figure 2, a plan, and Figure 3, a full-sized fragment
of the cutters. The iron framing of the machine will be readily under-
stood on inspecting the drawing; a, is the chain by which the machine
is drawn; b. and b', are the handles by which it is guided, shown with
the middle portions broken away, to contract the space of the drawing;
6', is not seen in the elevation; c, and c', are the wheels on which the
machine moves; c', is not seen in the elevation; c, is fixed firmly by the
key d, to the axle e, whilst c', runs freely on the axle; f, is a toothed
wheel fixed to the axle, and driving the pinion g, producing rotation of
it and the toothed wheel ; this wheel h, drives a pinion, which is
hidden by it in Figure 2, and by the framing in Figure 1, but in Figure 1,
it is shown in dotted lines marked i. On the spindle of this last-
mentioned pinion is an eccentric, hidden in Figure 1, by the framing,

page_text: and in Figure 2, by the pinion g: the axis of this eccentric should be
half the distance from the axis of the spindle that the tips of the teeth
of the cutters hereafter to be described are asunder; this eccentric
imparts reciprocating motion to the connecting rod j, which imparts
motion like that of a bell crank to the crank , which is centred on a
pivot at l; m, is the upper, and n, is the lower of two castings, shown
only in Figure 2, betwixt which is a correctly planed rabbet, which
contains the cutters, the top one sliding in it, and the bottom one fixed
in it to the casting n. These cutters consist of two plates something
like saws, a full-sized fragment of which is shown at Figure 3; the two
are shown in such a position that a portion of each of the teeth and
one end of the lower one are seen; in Figure 2, these cutters are
marked o, but the upper one hides the lower one; the teeth form a
eries of shears, the action of which is produced by the sliding to and
fro of the upper plate, which is occasioned by its being pivoted to the
crank, at p. On the spindle of the wheel h, is a pulley g, which, by
the cord, which is once crossed, drives the pulley s, in the reverse
direction. The pulley s, is fixed on the axle, on which also are fixed
the two six-armed castings t, and t¹; t', is not seen in Figure 1; betwixt
the arms of t, and t, are six rakes, marked 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, all the teeth
of which are directed downwards, as seen in Figure 1 ; the teeth are
kept pointing down by means of the two six-armed castings v, and v',
which revolve each on an eccentric, through which passes the axle of
the castings t, and t¹; v', is not seen in Figure 1; on each of the pivots
by which the rakes are supported in t, and t, and on the outside of
these castings, is fixed a crank, with a crank pin, working at one end of
each rake into an arm of the casting v, and at the other end into an
arm of the casting v¹; the centres of the eccentrics on which revolve
the castings v, and v', should be vertical over the axle that passes
through them; these centres may be any convenient distance above
the axis of the axle; but, whatever this be, the distance of the axis of
the pivot at each end of each rake from the axis of its crank pin should
be the same; by this arrangement the teeth of the rakes are kept
pointing downwards. The wheel c, as the machine progresses, imparts
motion to all the working parts, and to secure its motion spikes may

page_text: be placed round its rim, as shown in the drawing. The use of the
rakes is to clear the cut grass or clover away from the cutters; the
same object in some instances may be attained more simply by a small
rapid running roller, the length of the cutters, placed parallel, or nearly
so, with them, as close as may be over them, and immediately behind
the base of their teeth; this roller, when used, may very conveniently
be driven by a cord from the spindle of the pinion i.
In my specification herein-before referred to, inrolled in Her Majesty's
High Court of Chancery on the Twentieth day of November in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-one, is described a
mode of reaping by means of rotating shears. Drawing No. 2, hereunto
annexed represents a mode of producing a reciprocating or oscillating
motion by which the kind of cutters described in my said specification
may be made to act; in this case these cutters may be segments
instead of complete circles, or they may depart from the circular form,
but I consider it preferable that they should be circular. The mode of
combining this mode of cutting into a complete machine will be under-
stood by reference to my said specification and the drawings thereunto
annexed. I shall only here describe that in which my further Invention
consists, namely, the new kind of motion by which the cutters are made
to act the pinion e, is to be considered as placed in the same situation
and actuated in the same manner as the pinion indicated by the letter c,
in my said specification, and the drawings thereunto annexed. In this
drawing Number 2, Figure 1, represents a left-hand elevation of the ap-
paratus, and Figure 2, a fragment, in plan, and partly in section; e, is the
pinion herein-before mentioned; a, is the shaft or spindle which is driven
by it; b, a toothed wheel on that shaft, which gives motion to another
toothed wheel, c, and by it to the spindle d, at each end of which is a
crank f; in Figure 1, one crank is hidden by the other, and as Figure 2,
is a fragment, only one end of the spindle d, is shown, but from this will be
seen the position and action of the cranks f; the cranks f, by means of
connecting rods g, one only of which is shown, give reciprocating motion
to the bar h, which moves in the slots i, one also of which only is shown;
k, are the circular cutters, the relative position of which is the same as
that described in my said specification. To the spindle of each of the

page_text: back row of cutters is a lever 1, a part of which is attached to the bar h.
by the connecting rod m; a pivot on each of the levers l, connects it to
a lever n, fixed on the spindle of the adjoining cutter in the front row;
by this arrangement it is evident that the rotation of the pinion e, will
impart reciprocating or oscillating motion to the cutters. In this draw-
ing. Number 2, the plates betwixt which the apparatus just described
works are the same as those shown in drawing Number 2, attached to
my said specification, except that the dimensions of all the parts are
reduced to a scale of one half in the drawing Number 2, hereunto an-
nexed. The parts shown in section are the same in both drawings, but the
position of the back row of distant bars has been a little varied.
In drawing Number 3. Figures 1, and 2, are representations of my
Invention of improvements in apparatus or machinery for cutting bay
and straw, which consists of a novel combination of parts into a machine.
Figure 1, is an elevation of that side of the machine towards the right
hand of the persons who is working it; Figure 2, is a plan. I purposely
avoid showing many of the well known parts of this machine. The
trough or box, the driving spindle a, which is shown, with the end which
carries the fly-wheel broken off, the toothed wheels b, and c, and the
rollers d, and e, are all well known parts, which will be readily under-
stood on inspection of the drawing; the roller f, and the endless web
g, which runs round the rollers d, and f, driven by d, and driving f, are
also, I believe, parts well known. For the purposes of my Invention
it is desirable that the floor of the trough should be constructed so as
to be in immediate contact with the upper portion of the web; the
web is not shown in Figure 2, but its position is indicated by the space
enclosed in dotted lines 1, 2, 3, 4. Besides the well known parts already
mentioned there are two other rollers. h, and i; on the spindle of h, is
a toothed wheel k, which runs freely on that spindle, and on the spindle
of i, is a toothed wheel I, fixed to that spindle. On the opposite end
of each of the two last-uamed spindles, and on the corresponding end
of the spindle of the roller e, is a crank to each spindle; the first of
these cranks is marked m, the second n, and the third o; the distance
from the centre of cach of these cranks to the centre of its crank
pin should be the same. The crank pins are all connected by the

page_text: connecting rod P, the holes in which are so placed as to keep the centres
of the crank pins the same distance asunder as the centres of the cranks
are. If the usual motion be given to this machine, the wheel c, will
drive the wheel k, and the wheel k, will drive the wheel l, imparting
motion in the same direction to the rollers e, and i; the wheel k, running
freely on the spindle of the roller h, does not impart motion to that
roller, its motion being given through the medium of the connecting
rod p, and the crank n; by this arrangement the three rollers will all
move in the same direction, and will draw or propel the bay or straw
with greater freedom than usual from the liability of shipping on it,
and if placed in the manner shown in Figure 1, so that each roller in
succession brings the hay or straw under a greater degree of compres-
sion, will, I believe, draw it forwards with greater ease. The motion
of all the other parts shown in these two figures is well known.
Figure 3, in drawing Number 3, is arepresentation of one of my
Inventions of improvements in apparatus for cutting turnips and other
roots. This figure represents a vertical section of the common well
known cylindrical turnip cutter, the section being made directly trans-
verse to the axis of the cylinder; all the well known parts of this
machine will be understood on inspection of the drawing. The direc-
tion in which the cylinder moves is indicated by an arrow: a, and a, are
two knives which slice the turnips; c, and c, are two of the knives which
divide the slices into slips; d, is the plate or part against which the
turnips rest when being cut; the circular part e, is the cylinder. It is
well understood that when each turnip is sliced away till the residue
is thinner than the space betwixt the plate d, and the cylinder e, at the
part f, that residual piece falls out of the machine at the part f, with-
out being cut into slips; but it will be seen in this drawing that I have
surrounded the under portion of the cylinder with a casing g, which is
a portion of a cylinder, and which should be placed as close as the
knives a, will admit of, without interrupting the working of the machine.
It is evident this casing will prevent the residual piece referred to from
falling out of the machine; it will be carried round with the knives, and
forced through the knives by the turnips above. This casing should
extend nearly across the cylinder from one side of the machine to the

page_text: other, and perforations in it will be advisable, to allow of the escape
of dirt. This casing is but a continuation of the plate or part d, and
is not necessarily a separate piece, although I believe it will be more
convenient that it should be made so. The mode of accomplishing the
purpose which this accomplishes is alike applicable to machines made
with knives on cylinders, cones, or plates working with an axis hori-
zontal or approaching to that position, the shape of this part requiring
adaptation to the shape of the part carrying the knives, whether it be a
cylinder, cone, or plate. I do not consider it necessary to describe the
application in more than one instance; the application in the other two
instances cannot fail to be understood from the one I have shown, in the
case of the cone and plate; this part should be of the shape of the parts
to be covered, and should be placed as close as the knives will admit.
Drawing No. 4, is a representation of another of my Inventions of
improvements in apparatus for cutting turnips and other roots. Fi-
gure 1, is a plan; Figure 2, an elevation. This apparatus is similar to that
described for the same purpose in my specification inrolled in Her Ma-
jesty's High Court of Chancery on the Twentieth day of November in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-one; those
parts which I do not now describe will be understood by reference to
that specification; in this case I have omitted to show the ribs which
are there described, in the plate or casting which carries the knives. In
the apparatus described in my said specification the part in which the
turnips to be cut are placed is divided into five divisions or compart-
ments, but in the present instance it is divided into only two, as will be
seen by the drawing; it will also be seen that the slitting knives, all of
which are marked c, in the course in which they move, which is indi-
cated by an arrow, are so placed that the back of each knife is in advance
of the edge of the adjoining knife, the effect of which is avoidance of
compression of the slips of turnip.
Drawing No. 5, is a representation of another of my Inventions of
improvements in apparatus for cutting turnips and other roots. Fi-
gure 1, is a plan; Figure 2, an end elevation to the left hand of a person
standing facing the side where he would stand to work the machine;
Figure 3, is an elevation of the side on which the machine is worked;

page_text: and Figure 4, is the same elevation as that last mentioned, but partly
in section, the section being a vertical longitudinal section, the course
of which is shown in Figure 1, by the dotted red line A, B. The parts
marked a, are the wood framing of the machine; b, is the upper part or
hopper of the machine, in which the turnips are placed to be cut; the
parts marked c, are the iron framework of the body of the machine,
suspended on gudgeons or pivots at the two parts marked d. Figure 1,
is shown with the hopper removed, for the sake of showing other parts
more distinctly; e, is a plate which carries the knives; f, is the slicing
knife, with two cutting edges, a letter f, being placed at each of the
cutting edges; the elevation of this knife above the surface of the plate
determines the thickness of the pieces of turnip; the parts marked i, arc
the upright slitting knives; g, is a crank, the crank pin of which passes
through a projecting arm of the plate e; h, is the spindle which carries
that crank; k, is a fly-wheel, with a winch or handle by which the ma-
chine is worked; 1, is an iron frame which carries the spindle h, with
an opening in which the crank g, works; m, and m, seen best in Fi-
gure 4, are the parts against which the turnips rest to be cut. The direction
in which the fly-wheel moves is indicated in Figure 3, by an arrow. The
parts marked n, are rollers, on which the plate e, moves; these are four
in number, one of them is seen in Figure 2, and ono hidden by the frame
1, at a, and two also are seen in Figure 4; and by a comparison of these
two figures the position of all four will be understood. From the
description already given, it is evident, that if rotation be given to the fly-
wheel, such a reciprocation will be given to the plate e, as will have
the effect of slicing turnips or other roots when put into the machine,
and it is also evident that the machine will oscillate upon its gudgeons or
pivots at d, which motion will have a tendency to prevent the roots block-
ing up in the machine. On the under side of the plate e, are centered four
levers; one is centered at each corner of that plate in such a manner as to
rise and fall round the centre; these levers are marked, one of them O',
another O, another O³, and another O'. O¹, and 0%, are seen in Figure 2;
03, and 0³, are seen in Figure 8; and O', and O', are seen in Figure 4;
by a comparison of these three figures, their position will be under-
stood. Betwixt these four levers is suspended by four pins a frame p;

page_text: the points of suspension from two of the levers, as shewn in Figure 4, at
the mark (1), will make it plain where the points of suspension are; from
all the levers the pins whereby the suspension of the frame p. is effected
should be so loose as to admit of that rising and falling of the levers
which will hereafter be shown to take place. On each of the levers is a
projection q, which catches the under side of the frame p, and occasions
the frame to rise in a plane with the levers whenever they are raised by
the rollers 7, and 1, which will hereafter be mentioned; s, s², s³, s4, s, are
five knives, shown in transverse section in Figure 4, the edges of which
are upwards; these are fixed in the frame p, transversely across the
machine; s', is plainly seen in Figure 2, above the frame p; s. and ³.
are seen betwixt the frame p, and the roller r, but there is not sufficient
seen to allow of their being marked in this figure; they are all dis-
tinctly seen in Figure 4. The rollers r. and r¹, are placed to run in the
iron framework transverse to the machine; they are seen in Figure 2,
and are seen in section in Figure 4, from which two figures their
position will be understood; t, is a shoot or funnel, absent in Figure 2,
for conducting the roots, when cut, into any suitable receptacle. It is
evident that when the crank g, is carried into such a position as to
project horizontally away from the body of the machine, the levers o¹.
and o². by means of the shape of their ends, which will then be resting
on the roller r, will be elevated by that roller, and thereby the edges of
the knives s', s2, s, st, and s, will be elevated to the under side of the slicing
knife f; it is equally evident that when the crank g, is carried into the
opposite horizontal direction, the levers o³, and o, will be elevated by the
roller and the knives s', s", s, s', and 85, will be, in a similar manner to
that last described, elevated to the under side of the knife f. The
motion of all the parts of this machine having now been described, it will
be seen that the thickness of the pieces of the roots will be determined
by the knife f, their widths will be determined by the knives i, which
is the same as that which is effected by most other well known
turnip cutting machines; but at each period when the action of these
knives f, and i, is complete, the knives s', s, s³, s, and s., come into opera-
tion, cross-cutting the pieces, and reducing them to smaller pieces.
whose greatest length is thereby determined. In making use of the

page_text: terms thickness, width, and length, it is to be understood that the space
betwixt the knives i, exceeds the elevation of the knife f, above the
plate e, and that the spaces betwixt the knives 81, 82, 83, 84, 80, exceed the
spaces betwixt the knives i; this is not a necessary mode of con-
structing this machine, but it is the mode here shown, and consequently
renders the expressions correctly applicable.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the various improvements are to be performed, I would remark
that I do not confine myself to the precise details here shown, so long
as the peculiar mode of action of any of my improvements is retained.
And I would have it understood, that what I claim as my Inven-
tion is,―
First, the mode of combining machinery for the purpose of cutting
grass, corn, or such like standing or growing crops, whereby a series of
shears are formed by two plates with teeth, in any way similar to those
described in drawing No. 1.
Secondly, I claim the combination of shears of any kind into a
machine for the purpose of cutting grass or corn, in which five or
more pairs of shears are used to cut over a width of twelve inches as
the machine progresses.
Thirdly, I claim the combination of any kind of cutters into a machine,
with a rake or rakes, or with a roller, so as to carry the crop cut
directly backwards, spreading it over the surface of the ground from
which it was cut.
Fourthly, I claim the mode of combining machinery for the purpose
of cutting corn, whereby a series of circular shears are made to re-
ciprocate, as described in drawing No. 2; and I not only make this
claim with respect to shears of a circular form, but I make it with
respect to shears of any form in which both the blades of any pair are
made to reciprocate, although I believe it is better the circular form
should be adhered to.
Fifthly, I claim the mode of combining machinery for the purpose of
cutting hay or straw, whereby two or three or more rollers are applied
on both sides of the hay or straw, in such a manner that there are two
or three or more rollers on both sides. contributing to draw the hay or

page_text: straw forward, as described with respect to Figures 1, and 2, in drawing
No. 3.
Sixthly, I claim the mode of combining machinery for the
purpose of cutting turnips or other roots, whereby a casing is applied
to the cylinder, cone, or plate which carries the knives, at that part
where, as the machine is used, the knives leave the upper space of the
machine in which the roots are placed to be cut, and extended round
from that part to the part where the knives re-enter that space, so as
to prevent portions of the roots escaping without being properly acted
on by the knives, as is described with respect to Figure 3, drawing No. 3;
and, as I am aware that the purpose thus accomplished may be acconi-
plished less perfectly by a less extended casing, I not only claim the
application of this casing, extended as far as I have just described, but
I claim the application of it over four parts or more of fourteen equal
parts of the outer surface of any cylinder or cone or that side of any
plate which may be used for carrying the knives of any apparatus for
cutting turnips or other roots.
Seventhly, I claim the mole of combining machinery for the purpose
of cutting turnips or other roots, whereby the position of the slitting
knives being such that one third of them or more are so placed that
the back or thickest part of a slitting knife is in advance of the edge of
the next slitting knife that in succession to it enters the turnips or other
roots is combined with a division of that part of the machine in which
the turnips are placed to be cut, into two compartments or divisions and
no more, or is combined with two receptacles and no more, in which to
place the roots to be cut, as shown with respect to drawing No. 4.
Eighthly, I claim the mode of combining machinery for the purpose
of cutting turnips or other roots, whereby an oscillating motion is given
to the body of the machine, for the purpose of preventing the roots
from blocking up in the upper part of the machine, and of dislodging
them when they have blocked up, as is described with respect to
drawing No. 5; and I not only claim the peculiar oscillating motion,
but I claim the imparting of any motion to the body of the machine
for this purpose, more than the motion which contributes to the cut,
provided that additional motion be effected by the simple action of
turning the machine.

page_text: And ninthly, I claim the mode of combining machinery for the
purpose of cutting turnips and other roots, whereby a knife or series
of knives is brought into operation so as to cut the roots in a trans-
verse direction to that effected by the direct motion of working the
machine, whether that motion be a rotatory or a reciprocating motion;
first, I make this claim with respect to the peculiar mode of accom-
plishing it described in drawing No. 5, and I also make it in its most
extended application, believing it to be entirely new. This transverse
cut may be effected by the motion of the knives in the manner I have
described, or in some other manner, but it may be also effected with the
knife or knives fixed, and the roots forced on to the cutting edge or
edges by the motion of some other part, both of which methods I claim
as my Invention, and all the modifications of which they are susceptible.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Phillips, have hereunto set my
hand and scal, this Second day of January in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-four