IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING AND DIVIDING SUGAR
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FRANCIS
MOLINEUX, of Hackney, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at.
Westminster, the Eighteenth day of March, in the eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Francis Molineux, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,.
that I, the said Francis Molineux, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Francis Molineux, my exors, admors, 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 FOR CUTTING AND
DIVIDING SUGAR;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that I,.
the said Francis Molineux, shall cause a particular description of the nature
of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
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

page_text: 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
Francis Molineux, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following Statement thercof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say:-
In cutting and dividing refined loaf sugar into knobs or small portions,
it has heretofore been usual to chop the same by hand. Now, the object
of my Invention is so to arrange mechanical parts into machinery in such
manner that loaf or refined sugar may be cut and divided into knobs or small
portions, and when desired rendered into dust, with facility and at much less
cost than when using a hand chopper. And in order that my Invention may
be fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe
the Drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents a side view, and Figure 2 a plan of a machine con-
structed according to my Invention. It consist of a frame a, a, carrying
a circular saw b, on an axis 6', which is supported in bearings 6%, 6%, and
motion is given to the axis by means of a girt or band passing over the
pulley c on the axis b', and then over the pulley d on the axis d', there being:
a handled, so that the machine may be worked by hand, or it may be driven
by a steam engine or other suitable power. And I first place the loaf of
sugar on to a frame e, shown separately at Figure 3, which is guided by
rails e', indicated by blue lines in the Plan, by which the loaf of sugar may be
brought into contact with the circular saw b so as to cut a groove in the
direction of its length. I then reverse the position of the loaf of sugar so as
to bring the part of its surface directly opposite to that which was first cut,
so as to produce two cuts in the direction of the length of the loaf, but on
opposite parts, and then by applying a wedge the two parts may be separated,'
forming two half loaves, which are ready to be cut or divided into pieces
suitable to be afterwards divided into lumps for use, as I will presently proceed
to describe. I place one of such half loaves on a carriage f, as is shown at
Figures 1 and 2, where the red lines represent the portion of loaf sugar
being operated upon, and it will be seen that there is a stop on the carriage f
for the end of the loaf to rest against, and the carriage f is supported on
wheels ff, which run upon the rails 9, 9; and these rails 9 are slightly

page_text: iuclined towards the circular saw, so that when the loaf of sugar is placed
upon the carriage f it may by its weight be borne against the circular
saw b, when a portion equal in thickness to the distance between the
stop fand the side of the saw will be cut off. The carriage f will then:
be drawn back and the loaf of sugar again moved so as to present a fresh
part to be cut off, and so on till the part of the loaf is cut up; and the pieces
so cut will successively push each other forward into a position to be broken
into lumps for use, as I will now proceed to describe. On the axis d' is affixed:
the bevilled pinion d, which takes into and drives the bevelled tooth. wheel i, .
on the axis, producing a slow motion thereto. On the axis d' is carried the
roller j, around which are placed a series of plates, with knife edges j, j¹, and it
is by means of these plates, combined with other plates with knife edges on the.
drum k, that the sugar in this machine is divided into lumps for use. The..
plates on the drum k are placed in the direction of the length of the drum,
as is indicated at k¹, k, and the two drumis j and k are geared together by the
pinions j, k, on their axes. The lumps fall through between the rollers j, k,
and are conducted by the open wire trough 1 into a receiver m, while the
smaller particles fall through the open wire trough into a receiver n, and the:
dust from the saw is received into the box n'. I would however remark, that:
although the arrangements of machinery just described is that which I prefer,:.
it is evident variation may be made, and I have shown several modifications
of machinery by which the object of my Invention may be obtained.
Figure 4 shows a side view of a roller k, with a series of serrated surfaces,
which may be used instead of the plates with knife edges k',
Figures 5, 6, and 7 show a side, a front view, and a plan of a machine with
a series of circular saws o placed at a suitable distance apart on the shaft'o',
by which the portion of a loaf may be divided into pieces suitable for being.
divided into lumps for use. The portion of loaf is placed on the table p, as.
is indicated by the red lines, and such table is capable of sliding over the.
machine in such manner as to bring the loaf into contact with the circular,
saws o. The table p has slits cut in it, as shown, to allow of the circular,
saws o passing therethrough to the loaf; but by the machinery shown in
these views the saws do not separate the parts cut, they only pass partly
through, and the parts have to be separated afterwards by wedges. On the
axis of the circular saws is affixed a pulley 9, over which passes a band or
gut q' from the grooved wheel r on the axis r', which receives motion by means
of the treadle 2.
Figure 8 shows a side view of a machine in which the loaf of sugar is held
in suitable chucks s, 8, in such manner that the loaf may be caused to revolve,

page_text: and while so revolving it is subjected to a scoring action from the instruments
t, t, a side view of one of which is shown separately at Figure 9. These
instruments tact by their weight, they being guided by the framing of the
machine.
Figure 10 shows so much of machinery for dividing loaf sugar into small
particles for confectioners & others as will enable a mechanic to understand
the apparatus which I have found to answer. for this purpose. A is a fly
wheel on the axis B, motion to which is given by the handle A¹; or by other
suitable means... The axis B.carries the bevilled tooth wheel C, which takes
into and drives the pinion D on the spindle E, on which is affixed the disc F,
which is formed conical, and serated on its upper surface; and the loaf of
sugar G is held at its upper end in the frame H (which is shown separately at
Figure. 11) in such manner that it may be allowed to descend by its own
weight or otherwise as the cutters F cut particles from its lower end. The
ends of the frame H are guided in the frame of the machine.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would remark, that I make no claim to
any of the mechanical parts separately, nor do I confine myself to the details
shown and described, so long as mechanical parts such as are herein described
are combined into machinery for cutting and dividing refined or loaf sugar.
2. In witness whereof, I, the said Francis Molineux, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-five.