Cardboard, and the like.
Year: 1888

page_text: Cardboard, and the like.
I, WILLIAM HUGHSON GOLDING of Boston, in the County of Suffolk and State of
Massachusetts, United States of America,, 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 :-
This invention has relation to paper-cutters of that class known as card-cutters, and
of that particular form of card-cutter which embodies a pivoted blade, a coacting fixed
blade, and a front gauge, all arranged parallel and operatively connected with a bed
provided with a side gauge; and among the objects of the invention are to reduce the
number of parts, the cost of manufacture, and the liability to get out of repair, and to
increase the capacity of the machine, and the facility with which it can be used.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following
description.
Referring to the drawings-
Fig. 1 is a plan of a card-cutter constructed in accordance with my invention.
Fig. 2 is a right and Fig. 3 a left elevation of the same. Figs. 4 to 10 are details
hereinafter described.
Like letters indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.
A represents the bed or table of the machine, which may be constructed of wood or
iron, and which is provided with the grooves A¹ extending from the rear to the front
edge thereof, which grooves are intended for the reception of a strip A², of wood or
other material which will serve as a side guide by projecting above the upper surface
of the bed or table, and also for the reception of the gauge rod. hereinafter described
when inserted therein. It is of course understood that the grooves A¹ are arranged
each at a right angle to the front edge of the table, so that after the first cut strips
having parallel edges may be cut from a sheet. Several grooves A¹ are provided in
order that a side guide may be placed so as to bring narrow sheets nearer the free end
of the knife whereby shorter movements thereof will be required to permit the
insertion of the strips for transverse cutting thereof. At the rear edge of the blade
and table I secure a casting B, (see Figs. 1 and 5) which consists of a plate having
formed thereon a grooved bracket B' adapted to receive a cylindrical rod B², having a
lug B³, projecting therefrom, and a screw-threaded lug B4, for the reception of
יn.
077

page_text: a set screw B6, the lug being arranged with relation to the bracket so that the
set-screw may be run into the bracket to bear upon the rod B2 whereby the latter
may be forcibly held against longitudinal movement in the bracket so that the lug B³
of the rod may be adjustably held at a desired distance from the knife, and so that,
also, said rod may be so adjustably held that the end thereof having the lug may be
extended beyond the rear edge of the bed or table, as indicated by dotted lines Fig. 5.
It is understood that the rod when used with the lug in front of the casting B as well
as in rear thereof, is arranged in one of the grooves A' of the bed or table. The lug
of the rod serves as a rear guide and is used when making a continuous cut or series
of cuts in material which is longer than the cutting device employed in the machine,
which purpose and object the machine is adapted to accomplish by certain features of
construction hereinafter described.
C represents the front gauge, and it comprises the well known bar arranged
parallel with the knife, and provided with inclined pegs C₁, and supported in this
instance by rack-bars, D, operated by pinions D₁, (see Figs. 3) mounted upon a
shaft D2, extending under the bed and from one end to the other thereof. The pegs C¹
are inclined to a point below the plane of the fixed knife so as to reach under and
guide the leading edge of a sheet which naturally sags below said plane and to a line
along the front gauge which is in said plane and thus render the measurements of the
gauge more accurate. Outside of one of the pinions there is mounted upon the end
of the shaft D2 a hand-wheel D³, which serves the purpose of operating the pinions
whereby the rack-bars are moved inwardly and outwardly uniformly so as to preserve
parallelism between the knife and the front guide. A set-screw D4, serves to retain
the front guide in an adjusted position. The rack-bars are preferably formed of
cylindrical rods, as bearings for the same can be provided at a minimum expense, and
at the same time, such bearings may be more accurately aligned parallel with
each other, as will hereinafter more fully appear.
One of the features of construction which I bave devised, is what I term the bed-
plate of the machine, and its importance rests in the facts that although it is but a single
casting, it serves several purposes and performs several important functions. This
bed-plate is represented as detached and in perspective in Fig. 4 in which, also, it is
represented as broken transversely for convenience of illustrating certain features of
its construction. Opposite ends of the same casting are shown in Figs. 2 and 3.
The bed-plate E, comprises a main bar extending from one end of the machine to the
other, and is of angular form in cross-section and strengthened by brackets E¹ (one
only of which is shown) and is slotted through its upper surface or flanged as at E² for
the adjustable attachment thereupon of a fixed blade F. At one end there is a
standard E3, having a boss E; through which the pivot G¹ of the movable blade G
passes. The standard E3 is also provided with a projection or stop E³ which is
arranged back of the boss E4, and serves to retain the knife G in an elevated position.
A lug E projects from the side of the standard E for a purpose hereinafter
specified.
At each end of the bed-plate there is formed rearwardly extending arms E' and Es
the latter being at the same end as the standard E3. Each of the arms is shaped
interiorily as at E to form a plane surface at a right angle to the rear surface of the
main portion of the bed-plate, so that when the bed or table A is completed with
square ends and with a front edge at right angles thereto, it may be placed within the
arms E7, E8, and against the rear surface of the bed-plate and secured in such position
by means of screws or bolts E passing through perforations in the arms of the
bed-plate.
On the arms are formed housings E¹¹ for the pinions D' and through the housings
and arms are formed bearings E for the shaft upon which, the pinions are mounted.
In rear of the housings are vertical lugs E13 which together with the vertical flange
of the angular main portion are bored as at E to form bearings for the rack-
bar D; and in rear of the lugs E¹³ there are extended from the arms horizontal
flanges E, which are bored vertically for the passage of bolts or screws to be used
if desired to firmly secure the entire cutter to the table.

page_text: This bed-plate though formed as a single casting is of such a conformation as to
be readily fitted and finished for use and that almost entirely by machine tools in
contradistinction to hand-labor. The position of the standard being at the front
edge of the horizontal flange permits said flange to be planed by machinery to
form a true bed for the fixing knife F, and with any ordinary drilling machine the
bearings E, and E, for the shaft and rack-bars respectively may be formed in true
alignment with each other.
Among the important functions performed by this single casting are that it
contains the bearings of several of those portions of a card-cutter which necessity
requires to be strictly parallel with each other. The advantages of securing such
parallelism by mounting all the movable parts, in or upon a single casting are
apparent and one of the important features of my invention is a bed-plate formed
in a single piece and of such configuration as to serve the several functions
required.
The movable knife comprises besides the usual steel blade G a handle or lever G2
which also is an embodiment of novel features of my invention. The handle or lever
is a single casting having a vertical and a horizontal flange, the former being cast
with a groove G³ running the entire length of the blade carrying portion thereof. At
one end the lever terminates in a boss G4 which is perforated to fit the pivot bolt G¹.
The face of the boss G4 of the bed-plate if finished off in line with the front edge of
the fixed blade and the boss G4 of the lever is thrown to the rear by a curve G³ so
that when finished its front face is also substantially in line with the front edge of
the fixed knife or so near thereto that when the knife G is secured to the lever the
two knives operate to produce a shearing cut. On the side opposite the groove G³
the lever has formed thereon solid projections G and at the end opposite the boss G*
there is formed a hand grip G' which is slotted or has an opening G extending from
one end to near the other of the grip on one side and crossed by a bar G³ on the other
side near one end. An opening G10 is formed near the bar which opening com-
municates with the slot G for a purpose hereinafter specified. The object of the
projections G and the groove G³ is to facilitate finishing the lever for its pivotal;
attachment to the standard E3 of the bed-plate and for the attachment of the
blade G to the lever. The casting being comparatively long and cylindrical is
strengthened by its angular form and by first planing the projections G a surface
or support for further fitting is secured and that without moving the material all
along the surface of the lever on which the projections are formed. This supporting
surface having been secured only the portion outside of the groove G³ requires to be
planed to form a surface for the knife G. The faces of the boss are also planed or
otherwise finished with regard to a proper alignment with the surface upon which
the fixed blade G is secured, so that when mounted upon a pivot the movable blade
works true and square with regard to the fixed blade of the cutter. In cutting sheets
into cards after all care has been exercised in properly aligning the movable and
fixed blades with each other, there is yet a tendency of the movable blade to spring or
be forced away from a shearing contact with the fixed blade by the action of the
material being cut. This tendency is increased when the material is allowed to spring
or curve upwardly and away from the fixed blade near its edge. To prevent any
action of the material like that mentioned as well as to supply a device for pressing
several sheets of a material snugly upon the fixed blade during the operation of
cutting, is another important object of my invention which also involves novel features
thereof.
H represents the spring compressor, which I arrange in connection with the
movable blade in such a manner as to perform the functions indicated. That is to
say, to prevent upward curvature of the material and to compress several sheets being
cut and this by a pecular mode of operation in that the compressing function pre-
cedes the cutting action of the blade as it progresses, and is automatically terminated
in the act of lifting the knife for a new cut. The spring H terminates at one
end in an angular projection H' which is secured to a bracket H2 pivotally mounted
on the bolt G. The projection H' abuts (when the free end of the knife is down)

page_text: against the lateral lug Es of the standard E³ thereby stopping the pivotal action of
A freedom of
the bracket H2 at a time slightly before the knives begin to cut.
movement on the bolt G¹ of the bracket which carries the projection H¹ away from
the lug E permits a movement of the spring H bodily with the handle or movable
knife. The free end of the spring His passed through the opening Go and into the
slot G of the grip and said free end reciprocates within said slot during successive
elevations and depressions of the handle or lever. In this manner the spring is raised
and lowered with the lever but lowered in advance of the blade and raised follow-
ing the blade, so that its compressing action takes effect before the cutting and
remains after the same by reason of the greater curvature given the spring as
compared with that of the cutting edge of the movable knife.
Another important capability of a paper-cutter constructed in accordance with
my invention is that of cutting material longer than the blade into continuous
strips. This is accomplished by setting the standard back from the front edge of
the bed plate instead of directly thereat and by placing no obstructions upon the
bed-plate at the end where the blade is pivotted.
By reference to Fig. 8 X represents a sheet of paper from which a strip X' is being
cut, the main body of the sheet, that is the front edge thereof, passing beneath the
pivot and along the bed-plate beyond the pivot, while the strip X passes beneath the
standard E3 (as shown) in the direction indicated by arrows. It will be seen that
successive cuts may be. made so as to cut material of indefinite length. In this
operation the reversible back gauge may be employed to determine the width of strips
greater than can be indicated by the front gauge of the cutter, in that the length of
the rack-bars D are preferably limited to the width of the bed or table A of the cutter.
In this operation the front gauge C is not employed as a gauge though it may serve
to hold up the sheet or web when it projects beyond the gauge. The lug B³ in the
position shown in Fig. 1 serves to prevent the sheet or web from creeping away
from the front edge.
Fig. 10 is a detail in elevation of a portion of the front gauge and of a casting I
which is perforated for the reception of the rack-bar D and provided with a horizontal
flange J through which screws are passed upwardly into the wooden gauge or bar
proper Ca vertical flange J' on the face of the gauge being shown by dotted
lines. This connection of the gauge with the rack-bars aids materially in preserving
the parallelism required and is far preferable to and more serviceable than a direct
connection of a wooden gauge to metal rack-bars.
I do not limit myself to the use or employment of all of the novel features of my
invention in a single paper cutter as it is evident that one or more of them may be
employed in connection with other features of construction than the remaining novel
parts herein disclosed. For example my bed-plate may be used in connection with
other front or rear guides and my compressing spring or yielding automatic com-
pressor may be employed in connection with another bed-plate or knife than those
herein shown, and I may vary the details of construction of the several parts in any
manner and to any extent within the skill of persons conversant with the construction
of machines of this class.
1o.
f.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. In a paper cutter a bed-plate carrying a fixed knife and having a standard
arranged substantially in line with the cutting edge of said fixed knife and provided
with a lateral lug in combination with a movable knife and with a spring compress,
all pivotted to said standard substantially as specified.
2. In a paper-cutter a bed-plate carrying a fixed knife and a standard provided
with a lateral lug in combination with a movable knife and a bracket pivotted to tlie
standard and with a spring compressor secured to the pivotted bracket and having
its free end loosely connected with the free end of the handle of the movable knife
substantially as specified.

page_text: 3. The combination with the movable blade of a paper cutter of a bracket loosely
mounted on the pivot of the blade and a spring attached to the free end of the
bracket and loosely connected with the free end of the movable blade substantially
as specified.
1.
4. In a paper-cutter the combination with a bed-plate carrying a fixed knife and
having a standard arranged with the side thereof substantially in line with the
cutting edge of said fixed knife of a movable blade secured to the handle or lever
curved at its pivotted end to bear against the side of the standard a bracket mounted
on the pivot of the movable blade and a spring secured to the bracket and
extending parallel with the movable blade and along over the fixed blade substantially
as specified."
5. A movable blade having a slotted handle-grip and an opening communicating
with the slot of the grip in combination with a spring arranged parallel with the
blade and blades free and arranged within the slot of the grip substantially as
specified.
6. In a paper-cutter a reversible rear gauge consisting of a cylindrical rod having
a lug and of a casting provided with a rod receiving bracket and an intersecting
screw-threaded lug and a set-screw mounted therein, substantially as specified.
7. The combination with the grooved table of the reversible rear gauge and
devices substantially as described for securing the same in an adjustable position
substantially as specified.
•
8. The combination of the front gauge C having the inclined pegs C¹ with the
rack-bars D, table A, and devices for securing the bars in an adjusted position
substantially as specified.
Dotad this 10th dow of Tul. 1000