CERTAIN. IMPROVEMENTS IN THRASHING MACHINES
Year: 1842

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
DRY, of Beverley, in the County of York, Agricultural Implement Maker,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Second day of August, in the sixth year of Her reign, did, for
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Dry, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John Dry, my exors, admors, and
assigns, and such others as I, the said John Dry, my exors, admors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within that part of Her said Majesty's
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her Dominion
of Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN.
IMPROVEMENTS IN THRASHING MACHINES;" in which said Letters Patent there
is contained a proviso that I, the said John Dry, shall cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which the
same is to be performed, under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her

page_text: Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in
and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in pursuance of the said proviso, I, the said
John Dry, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and tho
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following Specification thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say:-
Figure 1 of the said Drawings is a side elevation of a thrashing machine,
constructed according to my said improvements.
Figure 2 is an end elevation thereof.
Figure 3 a transverse section through the line a, b, of Figure 1; and
Figure 4 a horizontal section through the line c, d, of Figure 1.
A, A, A, A, is the framework of the machine. B is a semi-cylinder, repre-
sented separately in Figure 5, which is divided into two distinct sections B¹
and B2, each of which is suspended independently of the other by eye bolts from
the cross bolt C. Both sections present on the inside regular rows of teeth
f.f.f, of a triangular form, supported by transverse stays or ties f, f, but in
the upper section the spaces between the rows of teeth and the stays are
closed, while in the lower part these spaces are left open. By means to be
afterwards explained both these sections are made perfectly fixed and stationary
when the machine is in action, and in that state they have the appearance and
are in effect one entire semi-cylinder. D is a revolving beater frame, shewn
separately in Figures 6 and 7 (the former being a bird's-eye view, and the
latter an end view), which carries rows of teeth or beaters 9, 9. g, shaped
similarly to the teeth fif, of the stationary semi-cylinder B, and taking into
the interstices between them. E is a pinion fixed on the end of the axis of
the revolving beater frame D. F is a cog wheel which takes into the pinion E,
and which being connected by its axis with any primary moving power, as horse
power or steam power, gives motion to the whole machine. G is a stage or
platform from which the grain to be thrashed is laid by hand-on an inclined
feeding board G³, whence it falls between the teeth of the revolving beater
frame and those of the stationary semi-cylinder. The grain. as it is thrashed
out falls through the open interstices of the lower section B² of the stationary
semi-cylinder, and is received on the floor of the machine while the straw is
carried round by the action of the revolving beater frame D, and thrown out
into the vacant space H behind. From the separate views (Figures 6 and 7)

page_text: given of the revolving beater frame, it will be seen that the triangularly-shaped
beaters g, g, g, are fixed to the frame at such an angle that when they come
down upon the grain as it passes between the stationary semi-cylinder B and
the revolving beater frame D, they shall fall flatly upon it, and not present
their edges to break or cut or otherwise damage the grain or straw. It will
also been seen, by reference to the separate view, Figure 5, of the semi-cylinder
B, that the teeth on the inside thereof are set at an angle to correspond with
that at which the teeth of the revolving beater frame D are fixed.
The distance between the teeth of the stationary semi-cylinder B and those
of the revolving beater frame D may be made wider or narrower at pleasure,
according to the sort of grain to be threshed, and the state as to dryness or
wetness which it is in by the means next to be described. K (Figure 4) is a
curved bar attached by its two ends to the cross bolt C, from which the two
sections of the stationary semi-cylinder are suspended. L is a winch, one arm
of which passes through a bearing k at the end of the franiework A, A, and
terminates in a male screw l, which takes into a female screw cut out in the
head of the curved bar K. M, M, are two bearings, in the slots m, m, of
which rests the end of the cross bolt C. From the description so far it will
be readily understood, that as the winch is turned and the screw end forced
inwards through the curved bar K; the cross bolt C, to which the ends of the
curved bar K are attached, will be drawn back, and with it the two sections of
the semi-cylinder B suspended from it, and that the space between the opposite
rows of teeth will be thereby proportionably encreased, and vice versa. Now,
to keep the sections of the semi-cylinder B steady in any position which may
be thus assigned to them, and to preserve their parallelism within the frame-
work, as also to allow of the upper section being raised to the slight degree
required when the cross bolt C is drawn back, there are four diagonal stays,
N, N, two on each side, which pass from the sides of the sections B' and B
to the insides of the bearings M, M, and are screwed at each point by screws
on which they turn freely, so that whatever is the position given to the cross
bolt, the thrust of the diagonal stays on one side and the opposing force of the
screw on the other will keep it for the time fixed. in that position. On the
screw arm of the winch L there is a small pinion O, which takes into a circular
toothed plate P, fixed on the end of the machine, on the centre of which
plate is fixed the centre of a larger plate, which I call the index plate, the
outer rim of which is divided into any number of equal parts, say from 1 to 10
nclusive, as shewn in Figure 2. The purpose of these arrangements is to
enable the owner or user of the machine instantly to ascertain by outside

page_text: inspection whether the semi-cylinder B and the revolving beater frame D are
at a distance from each other most proper for the sort of grain which is in
course of being threshed. Thus, supposing Figure 1 were to indicate, when
the pointer of the tooth plate P is opposite to it, that the teeth of the cylinder
and beater frame are all but in contact with one another, 2, 3, and 4 would
indicate that they are 1, 2, or 3 degrees more removed from one another; or
again supposing that it has been found by repeated trials that the best distance
for threshing wheat in a dry state is when the pointer of the toothed plate P is
opposite Figure 3, the owner or user has for ever after, when thrashing such
wheat, only to see that the index plate is in that position, and so of all other
sorts of grain. And though I have directed that the teeth, as well of the
stationary semi-cylinder as of the revolving beater frame, shall be set at such
an angle as that they shall act or press flatly against the grain to be threshed, I
declare that I do not confine myself to any one angle, but claim a right to use
any angle or angles at which they can be placed consistently with the produc-
tion of the said effect.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner
in which the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim as of my
Invention, is,―
First, the before-described stationary semi-cylinder of two sections suspended
from one common point of support independently the one of the other, and
having on the inside thereof rows of teeth of the form and fixed at the degree
of inclination aforesaid.
Second, the before-described revolving beater frame, having rows of teeth
or beaters of the form and fixed at the degree of inclination aforesaid.
Third, the combination of parts or means herein-before described, whereby
the distance between the stationary semi-cylinder and the revolving beater
frame can, by turning a winch or other handle, be made wider or narrower
according to the sort of grain which is to be thrashed, and the state as to
dryness or wetness it may be in.
And fourth, the combination of parts herein-before described, whereby the
owner or user of the machine can instantly ascertain, by outward inspection,
the distance from the stationary cylinder at which the revolving beater frame
is at any time working.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth
dow of Doomlion One thousand night hundred and forty two
JOHN (Ls.) DRY.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fifteenth day of December, in
the year of our Lord 1842, the aforesaid John Dry came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Second day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-three.