IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING BANDS OR, ROPES OF STRAW, HAY, OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Harwood Simpson, of Petersham, in the County
of Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVED MACHINERY OR
APPARATUS FOR MAKING BANDS OR, ROPES OF STRAW, HAY, OR OTHER FIBROUS
SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 13th April 1858, and dated the 13th October 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Harwood Simpson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
13th October 1857.
I, JOHN HARWOOD SIMPSON, of Petersham, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED.
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING BANDS OR ROPES OF STRAW, HAY, OR OTHER,
FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows:-
My Invention of improved machinery or apparatus for making bands or
ropes of straw, hay, or other fibrous substances, relates to an arrangement of
mechanism for making hay or straw bands such as are used for tying up.
agricultural produce. The machine or apparatus consists of a cast-iron or
other suitable frame mounted on four legs or standards; two, three, or more
hollow spindles working in bearings are mounted on the frame, and are pro-,
vided with sheaves, which are fixed on the spindles and worked by endless.
bands crossing from one sheave to another, so that all the spindles are made to
rotate together. A solid spindle with a hook at one end thereof is passed.

page_text: through each of the hollow spindles, and the hook spindles are provided with
clutches, so that when the hooks are lightly pulled the clutches are brought
into gear, and commence turning or rotating the hooks, and thereby twisting
the hay or straw that is hooked on to them, but as soon as the draft on the
hooks is slackened, the clutches are put out of gear by a spiral spring, and
then the hooks will remain stationary and cease to rotate, while the hollow
spindles will continue revolving. Rotary motion is communicated to the
hollow spindles either by attaching a winch handle to the end of one of them,
and transmitting motion to the other by means of bands, or by means of a
separate shaft and suitable toothed gearing. The machine may be made with
any convenient number of spindles, and it is well adapted for attaching to
agricultural engines or any other power, or it may be driven by a boy, who
will turn the winch handle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Harwood Simpson in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 13th April 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HARWOOD SIMPSON, of Petersham, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Harwood Simpson, Her special license, that I, the said
John Harwood Simpson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said John Harwood Simpson, 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 expressed, 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 Inven-
tion for "IMPROVED MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING BANDS OR ROPES OF
STRAW, HAY, OR OTHER FIBROUS SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said John Harwood Simpson, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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

page_text: within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Harwood Simpson, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This Invention relates to an arrangement of mechanism for making hay or
straw bands, such as are used for tying up agricultural produce, and packing
goods for transport. It has hitherto been the practice to put the twist into
such bands by hand, which is a slow and as compared with mechanical power
expensive process. By my Invention, however, several bands may be twisted
simultaneously, the band or rope makers working at the machine being
perfectly free and independent of each other in their operations.
In the accompanying Drawing, Fig. 1 is a front elevation; and Fig. 2, a
plan view of the improved twisting machine complete, it being constructed to
operate upon three bands simultaneously. a, a, is a hollow cast-iron bed plate
mounted upon side frames b, b. This bed plate is provided with bearings for
three hollow spindles c, c, on which are keyed sheaves or pulleys d, d, for
receiving endless bands that connect them together. On the middle spindle c
a hand wheel is mounted, for imparting rotary motion thereto. The connection
therefore of the several pullies by driving bands ensures the simultaneous
rotation of all the spindles c. The mode of forming these hollow spindles is
shewn in the enlarged sectional view, Fig. 3, by reference to which their use
will also be clearly understood. At their hinder end the spindles c are enlarged
in diameter, as shewn at c, to form a socket for receiving the head of an
inner spindle e, which is passed through the hollow spindle. This spindle e is
provided at its forward end with a hook f to receive the loop of hay or straw
that is required to be twisted. On the head of the hooked spindle a clutch is
formed, for the purpose of taking into a recess made in the enlarged socket of
the hollow spindle. Between the head of the hooked spindle and the bottom
of the socket ca coiled spring g is inserted, which surrounds the stem of the
hooked spindle, and keeps the clutch out of action. When, however, a drag
is put upon the hooked spindle by the attendant sufficient to overcome the
elasticity of the spring g, the head will be drawn inwards, as shewn in the
Figures 1, 2 and 3, and the clutch will be thrown into action, by which means
the rotary motion of the hollow spindle will be communicated to the hooked
spindle. It will now be understood, that if the hooked spindle is drawn
forward in its socket by the attendant pulling the hay or straw which he has

page_text: looped upon the hook, the material so looped on will be rapidly twisted into a
coarse rope, and the attendant adding from time to time fresh stalks or fibres
may work the band or rope to any required length with great rapidity. As
soon as he has made the required length of band, he has merely to slacken the
draft on the hook, and the clutch will be thrown out of gear (as shewn by dots
in Fig. 3) by the expansion of the spring g. The hooked spindle will then
cease to rotate, being prevented from turning and untwisting the band by
coming against a stop i, and the hook remaining stationary will be ready to
receive a second supply of hay or straw: The hollow spindles c, c, having,
however, a continuous rotary motion, those hooked spindles which are still
clutched to their respective hollow spindles will continue to rotate and perform
the twisting operation.
I would remark that although I have shewn in the accompanying Drawing
a machine calculated to produce three bands simultaneously (one attendant
being provided for each hooked spindle), yet my machine may be. adapted to
the simultaneous manufacture of more or less of such bands, by increasing or
diminishing the number of the spindles to suit the varying requirements of:
purchasers, and, if desired, the machine may be adapted for attachment to an
agricultural steam engine, for the purpose of driving it instead of turning it by
a winch handle.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improved Machinery
or Apparatus for Making Bands or Ropes of Straw, Hay, or other Fibrous
Substances," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I
wish it to be understood, that under the above in part recited Letters Patent
I claim the means herein described for facilitating the twisting of coarse
fibrous materials into loose bands or ropes.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Harwood Simpson, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, the Thirteenth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
JOHN HARWOOD SIMPSON. (L.S.)