IMPROVEMENTS IN CUTTING CORKS AND BUNGS. AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robinson Crocker, of Northumberland Street,
Strand, in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN CUTTING CORKS AND BUNGS. AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robinson Crocker
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 14th December 1859.
I, WILLIAM ROBINSON CROCKER, of Northumberland Street, Strand, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN CUTTING CORKS AND BUNGS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED
THEREIN," to be as follows:
This Invention has for its object improvements in cutting corks and bungs,
and in apparatus employed therein. For cutting corks and bungs according.
to this Invention the cork wood is first cut into strips, the breadth of which is
equal to the length of the cork or bung to be cut from it; this is effected.
by means of a circular knife revolving at a considerable velocity, and fitted.
to a table or platform, through a slit in which the upper portion of the
knife passes, the axis of the knife being below the surface of the table or plat-
form. The cork wood is presented to the knife by hand, and is guided by a
straight edge clamped to the table. Thus it is the upper portion of the knife,
or the part above the axis, which divides the cork wood, and not the portion

page_text: under the axis, which has usually been employed when rotating knives have
been used for cutting cork wood into strips, and which is not so effective as
the upper portion of the knife. From the strips of cork wood so produced
cylinders of corks are cut by a machine such as is described in the Specifi-
cation of a Patent granted to Lorenzo Blackstone (No. 1583) in the
year 1856, that is to say, by means of a steel cylinder sharpened at the end and
revolving rapidly, against which the cork wood is pressed. In order to cut
taper corks or bungs from the cylinders or blanks of cork wood produced in
the manner above described, a machine is employed which operates in the fol-
lowing manner: The blanks to be tapered are placed by hand into holes or
cavities formed to fit them in the periphery of a feed wheel. These holes or
cavities pass through the feed wheel, and are parallel to its axis.. The feed
wheel rotates step by step, and brings the blanks in succession opposite to or
in a line with the ends of two spindles revolving with considerable velocity.
Immediately one of these spindles is by a cam caused to advance, it comes in
contact with one end of the blank, and drives it on until its other end comes
against the extremity of the other spindle, so that the blank becomes held
between them; the two spindles then move together, and they carry the blank
out of the feed wheel against the edge of a revolving knife, and in order that
this knife may cut the blank to the desired taper form, the spindles which
carry it are set at an inclination to the plane in which the knife revolves, and
this inclination can be varied according to the amount of taper to be given.
The distance of the knife from the spindles is also adjusted according to the
diameter of the cork or bung to be cut, and its edge is arranged to meet the
blank in such a position that the plane in which it revolves may be a tangent
to the circular cut which it produces; were this not so a clean cut would not
be obtained. When the cut is complete the spindles return, carrying the now
finished cork or bung back into its hole in the feed wheel and there release it.
The feed wheel then moves on a step to bring up another blank, and so the
operation is continued.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-third year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Robinson Crocker, Her special licence that I, the
said William Robinson Crocker, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said William Robinson Crocker, my executors;
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others;
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein ex-
pressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CUTTING CORKS AND
BUNGS, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Robinson Crocker, my exccutors or admi-
nistrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Robinson Crocker, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in cutting corks and bungs, and
in apparatus employed therein. For cutting corks and bungs according to this
Invention, the cork wood is first cut into strips, the breadth of which is equal
to the length of the cork or bung to be cut from it; this is effected by means
of a circular knife revolving at a considerable velocity, and fitted to a table or
platform, through a slit in which the upper portion of the knife passes, the
axis of the knife being below the surface of the table or platform. The cork
wood is presented to the knife by hand, and is guided by a straight edge
clamped to the table. Thus it is the upper portion of the knife or the part
above the axis, which divides the cork wood, and not the portion under the
axis, which has usually been employed when rotating knives have been used
for cutting cork wood into strips, and which is not so effective as the upper
portion of the knife. From the strips of cork wood so produced cylinders of
cork are cut by a machine, such as is described in the Specification of a Patent
granted to Lorenzo Blackstone (No. 1583), in the year 1856, that is to say,
by means of a steel cylinder sharpened at the end and revolving rapidly,

page_text: against which the cork wood is pressed. In order to cut taper corks or bungs
from the cylinders or blanks of cork wood produced in the manner above
described, a machine is employed which operates in the following manner :-
The blanks to be tapered are placed by hand into holes or cavities formed to
fit them in the periphery of a feed wheel; these holes or cavities pass through
the feed wheel, and are parallel to its axis. The feed wheel rotates step by
step, and brings the blanks in succession opposite to or in a line with the ends
of two spindles revolving with considerable velocity; immediately one of these
spindles is by a cam caused to advance, it comes in contact with one end of
the blank, and drives it on until its other end comes against the extremity of
the other spindle, so that the blank becomes held between them; the two
spindles then move together, and they carry the blank out of the feed wheel
against the edge of a revolving knife, and in order that this knife may cut the
blank to the desired taper form, the spindles which carry it are set at an incli-
nation to the plane in which the knife revolves, and this inclination can be
varied according to the amount of taper to be given. The distance of the
knife from the spindles is also adjusted according to the diameter of the cork
or bung to be cut, and its edge is arranged to meet the blank in such a posi-
tion that the plane in which it revolves may be a tangent to the circular cut
which it produces, were this not so a clean cut would not be obtained. When
the cut is complete the spindles return, carrying the now finished cork or bung
back into its hole in the feed wheel, and there release it; the feed wheel then
moves on a step to bring up another blank, and so the operation is continued.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING, No. 1.
Figure 1 shows a plan; and Figure 2 shows a side elevation of a machine
for cutting cork wood into strips of a breadth corresponding with the length of
the intended corks to be cut therefrom. a is the axis of the circular knife b,
which axis is below the upper surface of the table c, on which the cork
wood is placed when cutting it into strips; d, d, are the bearings, in which the
axis a revolves; e is a drum or pulley on the axis a, by which it receives
motion from a steam engine or other power by an endless strap; f is a guide
for the edge of the cork wood, which is shown by dotted lines in Figure 1;
this guide is capable of being set nearer to or further from the circular cutter b,
and of being retained in any desired position by a screw and nut, as shown;
g is a metal plate let into the upper surface of the table. This plate has a slit
formed in it, the sides of which slit come as near as may be to the sides of the

page_text: ratchet which is operated upon by the pawl P, attached to the crank P1,
on the crank plate R. The ratchet has as many teeth as there are cavities in
the circumference of the feeder L. Q is a dog, and serves to hold the ratchet
stationary when not moved by the pawl P; for the purpose of doing this
more effectually, it is pressed down by spring X. A pivot r is fixed near the
end of the pawl P, which acting on an inclined plane on the dog Q, raises it,
when the ratchet is moved by the pawl; but it is forced down again by the spring
until raised by the pin as before. The feeder L and ratchet K are firmly
fastened to the shaft d, but the gear a works loosely thereon.
a
The operation of the machine is as follows, viz.: the moveable frame M, M',
is so arranged, by raising or depressing the end M', as to give the required
taper to the cork. The feeder L being supplied with corks by placing them
in the cavities at its circumference, as shown at Figure 2, is made, by means
of the pawl P acting on the ratchet K, to perform such part of a revolution as
to bring the axis of one of the corks contained in one of its cavities directly on
a line with the centres of the spindles e and e¹, when the feeder remains
stationary, the ratchet being held firmly by the dog Q, while the cork is
held between the heads i and i, and, agreeably to the traversing motion com-
municated to the spindle e by the lever U, is taken from the cavity and exposed
to the edge of the plate or knife D, which not being on the same plane with
the axis of the cork, gives it the required taper, and the spindles e and e¹ being
brought back to their original position, the former by the lever U, and the
latter by means of the weight p, or it may be a spiral spring acting on the
spindle m, the cork is again deposited in the cavity. In a similar manner the
axis of the next cylindrical piece or blank of cork is brought between the
centres of the spindles, and the same operation as before described is repeated.
Instead of the weight p, any device which may be deemed sufficient may
be used for the same purpose. To prevent the spindle e from being pushed
so far by the spring or weight p as to interfere with the feeder, a collar
used, which coming against the bearing J, prevents the further progress of
the spindle.
is
The corks after having been cut or tapered are removed from the cavities
by means of a rod, not shown in the Drawing, which traverses in a manner
similar to the spindle e. The shaft C is set in a cup at the bottom, which
may be raised or depressed at pleasure by means of a screw, thus enabling me
to use a larger or smaller. feeder, and consequently to cut larger or smaller
corks. I would remark that in place of the corks being cut to a tapered form,
the parts may be arranged to make parallel cuts when it is desired simply to
reduce the diameter of the previously cylindrical cut pieces of cork wood. I

page_text: would state that heretofore when cutting corks by machines which work with
two revolving spindles and cutter, whether for making cylindrical or taper
corks, the apparatus and machinery have been arranged to cut from blocks or
blanks of cork wood which have been simply squared, and it is peculiar to this
Invention to first cut the cork wood into cylindrical blanks or blocks, and then
to feed them into apparatus consisting of two rotating spindles acting with a
cutter actuated by machinery, and so to reduce such cylindrically cut pieces of
cork either to a taper or to a less cylindrical form.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to any
of the mechanical parts separately, nor do I confine myself to the details herein
described. But what I claim is, first, the mode herein described of combining
the parts shewn and described in respect to Drawing No. 1; and, secondly, I
claim the combination herein described in respect to Drawing No. 2.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robinson Crocker, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty.
WILLIAM ROBINSON CROCKER. (L.S.)