CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR PRODUCING THE PILE OF PLAIN OR FIGURED VELVETS OR OTHER PILE-CUT GOODS OR FABRICS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Renshaw, of Salford, in the County of
Lancaster, Machinist, for the Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR PRODUCING THE PILE OF PLAIN OR
FIGURED VELVETS OR OTHER PILE-CUT GOODS OR FABRICS."
Sealed the 31st March 1857, and dated the 2nd October 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Renshaw at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 2nd
. October 1856.
I, JOSEPH RENSHAW, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Machinist, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR PRODUCING THE PILE OF PLAIN OR
FIGURED VELVETS OR OTHER PILE-CUT GOODS OR FABRICS," to be as follows:-
My improvements relate to a novel description of machinery for cutting the
loop or terry of velvets and other similar looped fabrics in order to produce or
raise a pile thereupon, and consists in an arrangement of rotatory cutters,
guides, and wires employed for this purpose. These cutters revolve with or are
driven by a shaft, upon which they are situated, by means of a key or feather
upon the shaft fitting into a recess in the cutters, or vice versa, so as to allow
the cutters to move freely and loosely in a lateral direction upon such shaft,
and being tight or bound only at the cutting point, or that in immediate

page_text: contact with the loop to be cut.
Each cutter is provided with a vertical
guide or "sheath," enclosing part of its periphery, to ensure the per-
pendicular position of the cutter, and also its proper situation in the "
whilst cutting. The shaft upon which these cutters are placed is capable
of adjustment in its bearings, so as to allow the cutters to be removed from the
loops when not required to cut, although the "guides" or. " sheaths" may
always remain in the "race" and in contact with the wires. The fabric
intended for subsequent cutting is woven with a wire in each separate "race
or sequence of loops throughout the entire piece. When the fabric is thus
prepared, and the loops are required to be cut to raise or produce the
pile, the fabric is passed under the action of the rotatory cutters, and
the wires are passed through each separate guide or sheath enclosing the
cutters so as to ensure the perfect contact of the cutters and wires, each
cutter cutting against a separate wire, and upon one side of such wire instead
of upon the top; by this means the racé is kept distended by the wires and
the loops raised or held up to the cutters, and the cutters, being roughed
or edged like a file, act against the wires and upon the loop; and thus the
loops are cleanly cut between the wire and rotatory cutters so long as they are
allowed to remain in contact. In order to keep the edges of the cutters
sharply roughed, which edge will ensure a perfect cutting, I employ a milled
or file roller to act upon the said edges, which may either be constantly
in contact therewith or otherwise, as preferred, for the purpose of filing
or sharpening them. It will now be evident that this machinery may be so
arranged upon the breast of the loom as to cut simultaneously with weaving
the fabric; or the fabric may be passed under the action of the cutters as
an after process, and in a separate machine of similar construction, and
arranged for cutting purposes only. In those cases where the above arrange-
ment is employed for cutting or producing the pile of figured velvet, the wires
in the race of the cloth must be wrought by jacquard machine or other
figuring apparatus, so that they may be only present in those situations which
may be required to be cut to produce the figure or patern.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Renshaw in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd April 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
RENSHAW, of Salford, in the County of Lancaster, Machinist, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of October, in the year of our Lord'
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto ine,
the said Joseph Renshaw, Her especial licence that I, tlie said Joseph
Renshaw, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Joseph Renshaw, 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 Invention for "CUTTING OR PRO-
DUCING THE PILE OF PLAIN OR FIGURED VELVETS OR OTHER PILE-CUT GOODS OR
FABRICS," upon the condition, amongst others that I, the said Josephi
Renshaw, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly 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 tlie
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 Joseph Renshaw, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying Drawings (that is to say):
My improvements relate to a novel mode of .cutting the loop or terry
of velvets or other similar looped fabrics in order to produce or raise n
pile thereupon, by means of an arrangement or rotatory cutters, guides, and
wires, as hereinafter described. The cutters revolve with or are driven by
a shaft, upon which they are situated, by means of a key or feather upon the
shaft fitting into a recess in the cutters, or vice versa, so as to allow the
cutters to move freely and loosely in a lateral direction upon such shaft, and
being tight or bound only at the cutting point, or that in immediate contact
with the loop to be cut. Each cutter is provided with a vertical guide or sheath,
enclosing part of its periphery, to ensure the perpendicular position of the
cutter, and also its proper situation in the "race" whilst cutting. The shaft
upon which these cutters are placed is capable of adjustment in its bearings,
so as to allow the cutters to be removed from the loops when not required to
cut, although the guide or sheath may always remain in its place and in
contact with the wires. The fabric intended for subsequent cutting is woven
with either one or two wires in each "race" or sequence of loops throughout
the entire piece. When the fabric is thus prepared, and the loops are required

page_text: to be cut to raise or produce the pile, the fabric is passed under the action of
the cutters, and the wires are passed through or outside each separate "guide"
or "sheath" enclosing the cutters, so as to ensure the perfect contact of the.
cutters and wires, each cutter cutting against a separate wire (or between two
when more than one are employed in each "race"), and upon one side of such
wire instead of upon the top; by this means the "race" is kept distended by
the wires and the loop raised or held up to the cutters, and the cutters being
roughed or edged like a file, act against the wires and upon the loop, and thus
the loops are cleanly cut between the wires and the rotatory cutters so long
as they are allowed to remain in contact. In order to keep the edges of the
cutter sharply roughed, which edge will ensure perfect cutting, I employ a
milled or file roller to act upon the said edges, which may either. be constantly.
in contact therewith or otherwise, as preferred, for the purpose of roughening
or sharpening them. It will now be evident that this machinery may be
so arranged upon the breast of the loom as to cut simultaneously with weaving
the fabric, or the fabric may be passed under the action of the cutters as
an after process, and in a separate machine of similar construction and
arranged for cutting purposes only. In those cases where the above arrange-
ment is employed for cutting or producing the pile of figured velvets, the wires
in the "race" of the cloth must be wrought by jacquard machine or other
figuring apparatus, so that they may be only present in those situations which
may be required to be cut to produce the figure or pattern.
In order that the Invention may be better understood and explained in
detail I have hereunto attached a Sheet of Drawings, made upon a scale of
about two inches to the foot, and having similar letters of reference marked
upon corresponding parts of the apparatus throughout all the Figures shewn.
Fig. 1. is a front elevation of the breast of the loom, shewing the guides or
sheaths and rotatory cutters, also the method of driving the same.
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the loom, illustrating the manner of laying the
wires in the fabric and the cam employed for such purpose. This view
also shews the general features of the Invention, such as the manner of
retaining and holding the wires at each end, and other details.
Fig. 3 is a detached view (shewing full size) of a cutter and its sheath
or guide with one wire, and also the mode of attaching the wire.
In Fig. 1, a, a, is the breast of the loom over which the fabric is wound, and
immediately above which are placed the rotatory cutters b, b. b; the sheaths.
or guides c, c, c, are so situated that each shall enter and distend its separate.
race or sequence of loops, so that the cutters which revolve within the guides
may cut the said loops as they progress through the loom or are taken up.

page_text: on to the "beam." d, d, are the wires, one or more of which are woven in each
successive" race," and which are distended between the rod e in the front of
the loom and the barf at the back of the same. In order that the wires may
be retained at a proper and even tension, according to the rise and fall of the
healds, they are passed first in the guides and beneath the cutters; or, if pre-
ferred, when two wires are used one may pass each side of the guide, and then
under the bow or rod g, and lastly under the bar g' to the bar f; the bar g, g',
are secured to the cranked lever h, which vibrates upon a centre, thus laying
the wires in or out of the loops, according to the number of wefts required to
be woven over the said wires to form the loop.or pile to be cut, the action of
the lever and its rods or bars 5 governed or regulated by the cam i, combined
with the arrangement of levers which are in connection with the aforesaid
lever h. The cutters are driven by means of a ratchet k and ratchet wheel k¹,
which receives motion from the slay; by this means an intermittent motion
is imparted to them, so as to cut at intervals as the fabric is formed, but, if
preferred, a continuous rotatory motion may be substituted. When much friction
has been created upon the. wires, by continual cutting at one point, it will be
necessary to alter the position of them, so as to present a new portion of the
wire to the action of the cutters. This is effected by first lowering the bar f
(sliding upon the vertical rods 1) by means of the wheels m, m, and turning the
rod n, upon which the wires become wound; they are then extended again by
the afore-named apparatus, and the requisite tension maintained upon them.
I would here remark, that when two wires are employed the cutter acts
between them, and they may either be enclosed within the "guide" together
with the cutter, or they may pass on each side of the "guide," as preferred;
and in instances where only one wire is employed, the cutter acts upon one side
of it, and the wire is enclosed in the "guide," so as to be in immediate con-
tact with the cutter at the point of cutting; and also that the said cutters are
to be furnished with a sharply-roughed edge, which may be accomplished by
means of a milled or file roller acting upon the said edges and applied by hand;
or the file roller may be continued the whole longitudinal length of the cutters
and be driven by mechanical arrangement.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, together with the
manner of performing the same, I wish it to be distinctly understood that I
claim as the Invention, for which the said Letters Patent were granted, the
cutting or producing the pile of fabrics by means of circular cutters having
roughened edges enclosed or partially enclosed in "guides" or "sheaths," and
used in combination with wires over which the loops are formed, whether such
wires be one or more than one in each "race" or sequence of loops, and

page_text: whether they are enclosed within or pass outside the "guides" or "sheaths,"
as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Renshaw, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this First day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
JOSEPH RENSHAW. (L.S.)