CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS'S USED FOR CLEARING GRAIN FROM THE STRAW, AND FOR PULVERIZING THE SAME
Year: 1798

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
PALMER, of Maxstock, in the County of Warwick, Yeoman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did,. by>
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westininster, the Fifth day of June, in the thirty-eighth year of His reign,
give and grant unto me, the said John Palmer, His especial licence, full
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John Palmer, my execu
tors, administrators, and assigns, during the term therein mentioned, should
and lawfully might use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF APPARATUS'S USED FOR CLEARING GRAIN FROM THE STRAW,
AND FOR PULVERIZING THE SAME;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso obliging me, the said John Palmer, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, to 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 His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within one calendar
month next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, as in
and by the same (relation being thereunto had) may more fully and at large
appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Palmer, do hereby declare, that my said Invention consists, in the first
place, of an improvement on a machine or apparatus for clearing grain
from the straw, which has been some time in use, the general principle
whereof it appears necessary to describe, in order that my improvements may
be more clearly understood.
Fig. in the Drawing hereto annexed is a perspective view of the said
machine or apparatus. A, A, A, A, frame of the machine; B, winch by
which it is worked; C, cog wheel which turns the nut D; D, nut of the
beaters' spindle; d, nut of the feeding roller's spindle; E, feeding roller; e,
under roller, turned by the pressure of the roller E; F, spindle of the beaters;
G, G, wheels on which the beaters are fixed; H, H, H, H, beaters; I, I, I, I,
J, J, part of the framework against which the beaters act, and force or beat
out the grain in passing through the machine. On or between this frame-
work is fixed boarding to prevent the grain and straw from getting out of the
machine till it is properly thrashed and forced thereout at K, K. The cross
pieces or framework marked I, I, I, I, project one inch nearer the beaters
than the said boarding, and the space, between the beaters and the said cross
pieces is half an inch. L, stage or boarding on which the grain in the straw
is spread before it enters the machine to be thrashed, and which is drawn into
the same by the rollers E, e. M, M, upper part of the frame of the machine
covered with boarding to enclose the same.
Fig. 2, section of the end of the said machine. The several letters marked
thereon refer to the same parts of the machine as the corresponding letters in
Figure 1.
.
Fig. 3, perspective view of the beaters H, H, H, H, the wheels on which
they are affixed G, G, the nut D, and spindle F of Figure 1.
Having by the Drawings hereto annexed, Fig. 1, 2, and 3, and the several
references thereto, described the general principle of the old thrashing machine,
I now proceed to ascertain and set forth my improvements, and how they may
be adapted thereto, as well as to other machines, whether worked or put in
motion by steam, horses, manual labour, or any other adequate power; and
I do hereby declare that my improvements to such machines principally
depend on so placing the beaters on the wheels, frames, or cylinders, that they
may beat one half only, or some other -indefinite part of a revolution of such
wheels, frames; or cylinders. The beaters, wheels, frames, or-cylinders must
be sufficiently heavy to act as a fly; in order that the accelerated force or vis
inertiæ acquired by the beaters and wheels, frames, or cylinders, during, that
part of their revolution in which they have no resistance from the grain in the

page_text: straw to be thrashed, shall be sufficient to carry them through the other part
of the revolution, in which they thrash or beat out the grain without much
additional force from the working power.
.).
:
Figure 4 in the next Drawing is a perspective view of my improved beaters
and wheels, frames, or cylinders, which will more clearly explain the same,
and the principle or manner in which they act or work. D, nut of the
beaters' spindle; F, spindle of the beaters; G, G, wheels, frames, or cylinders.
on which the beaters are fixed; H, H, H, H, H, H, H, the beaters which are'
fixed on one half of the circumference of the wheel, frame, or cylinder only,
and not on the whole circumference, as in the old machine. These beaters are
in number seven, but their number may be encreased or diminished, and they
may be placed on more or less than one half of the circumference of the
wheel frame or cylinder at discretion, as may be found best to answer the
intended I purpose; and in order that the wheel frame or cylinder may maintain
a due equilibrium in its revolution, it seems necessary to affix some kind of
weight on that part of it whereon there are no beaters.
Figure 5 is a section of my improved beaters and wheels, frames or cylin-
ders, spindle or nut. The several letters marked thercon refer. to the corre
sponding letters in Figure 4.
Figure 6 is an end view of my improved feeding roller, spindle, and nut, so
constructed as-to act only, during a part of its revolution, corresponding with
that part of the revolution of the beaters and wheels, frame or cylinder, at
which time they act and beat or thrash out the grain. This roller is so con-
structed as to make its revolution in the same time that the beaters, and
wheels, frames or cylinders make their revolution, which is easily contrived
by making the roller's nut and the beaters' nut of the same diameter, or
nearly so.
Figure 7 is a front view of my improved feeding roller, spindles, and 'nut;
and I do hereby further declare that my improved apparatus for pulverizing,
grain consists in having only one half, or some other greater or less part of
the core or cylinder at discretion, cut or fluted, and the other part left quite
smooth or plain, as described in the Drawings of the core or cylinder of a
hand mill hereto annexed.
Figure 8, front view of such core or cylinder, cut or fluted on half its
circumference only.
Figure 9, end view of the said core or cylinder.
Figure 10, front view of the core or cutting part of a different kind of iron
or steel mill, fluted round half its circumference only. The box or case in
which the last-mentioned core or cutting part acts must be fluted or cut on

page_text: half the concave circumference only, or some other greater or less part, at
discretion. In order to give force or effect to these mills, it is necessary to
affix a fly on the spindle of the core or cylinder in the usual way, and the
power may be greatly encreased by affixing such a fly on a separate spindle,
such spindle's velocity being encreased by a cog wheel and nut, as described by
the letters C and D in Figure 1; but these flies, spindles, cog wheels,
and nuts form no part of my Invention, having been long since in general-
use.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Palmer, have to these Presents my
hand and seal subscribed and set, this Twentieth day of June, in the
thirty-eighth year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George. the
Third, by the grace of God of Great Britain, France, France, and
Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, and so forth, and in the year
of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and ninety-eight.
Sealed and delivered (being first duly
stamped) in the presence of
JOHN OSTLER.
IALALLI
CHARS JONES.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Twentieth day of June, in
the year above mentioned, the aforesaid John Palmer came before our Lord
the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written. And
also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the Twenty-first day of June, in the year above written.