A NEW COMBINATION AND APPLICATION OF MACHINERY FOR THE PURPOSE OF CROPPING OR SHEARING THE VEGETABLE SURFACE OF LAWNS, GRASS-PLATS, AND PLEASURE GROUNDS, CONSTITUTING A MACHINE WHICH MAY BE USED WITH ADVANTAGE INSTEAD OF A SCYTHE FOR THAT PURPOSE
Year: 1830

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
EDWIN BUDDING, of the Thrupp, in the Parish of Stroud, in the
County of Gloucester, Machinist, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty William the Fourth did,
by lis Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster the Thirty-
first Day of August, in the first year of His reign, give and grant unto me,
the said Edwin Budding, my executors, administrators, and assigns, His
especial licence, sole privilege, full power, and authority that I, the said
Edwin Budding, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should and
lawfully might, during the term of years therein expressed, make, use,
exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
npon-Tweed, my Invention of "A NEW COMBINATION AND APPLICATION OF
MACHINERY FOR THE PURPOSE OF CROPPING OR SHEARING THE VEGETABLE
SURFACE OF LAWNS, GRASS-PLATS, AND PLEASURE GROUNDS, CONSTITUTING
A MACHINE WHICH MAY BE USED WITH ADVANTAGE INSTEAD OF A SCYTHE
FOR THAT PURPOSE;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a
proviso, that if I, the said Edwin Budding should not particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my

page_text: hand and seal, and cause the same to be enrolled in His said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within two calendar months next and
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent, that then th
Letters Patent and all liberties and advantages whatsoever n
granted should utterly cease, determine, and become void, as in
the same, relation being thereunto had, may more fully and n
appear.
"
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I,
said Edwin Budding, do hereby declare that the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are
particularly described and ascertained in and by the drawing hereunto
annexed, and the following description thereof; that is to say, Figure 1,
in the drawing is an elevation of the left side, and Figure 2, is a ground-
plan of my machine, drawn to a scale one fourth of the real dimen-
sions; the same letters refer to the same parts of the machinery in both
figures. A, A, is the cast iron frame; B, and C, aro two wrought iron
bars, with screws at their extremitics, for connecting the opposite sides
of the said frame; D, is a hollow cylinder or drum of cast iron, fixed on
the horizontal axis E, having its bearings in the under edge of the frame
A, A; and F, is a toothed wheel fixed on the same axis E, to drive
the pinion G, when the drum D, is made to roll on the ground. H. is
a horizontal wrought iron axis, turned round by the said pinion G
when the machine is in action. I, is a toothed wheel fixed on one end
of the axis H, to drive the pinion K, which is fixed on one end of the
horizontal axis L; three brass rings, M, M, M, are fixed on this axis
L, to carry tho revolving spiral cutters N, which are made of thin
steel plates, tempered, fixed on by screws or let into grooves in M; the
number of the said spiral cutters so fixed may be from four to eight,
or more. O, is a rectangular steel plate, tempered, having its front edge
towards N, and a little bevelled like a blunt chisel; this steel plate O,
is fixed by screws against the under side of the horizontal cast iron
bar P, which is fixed by its extremities to the sides of the frame
A, A, at bottom. Q, is a horizontal solid cylinder of cast iron, having
its bearings k, screwed against the insides of the frame A, A, by the
screws 7, which pass through chase mortices in k, in order to allow an ad-

page_text: justment of the height of the cutting plates N, O, above the ground; the
whole machine bearing on the cylinders D, Q, when in action, as well
as when at rest. R, is a wood handle for the right, and S, is a similar one
for the left hand of the workmen; a, a, are bearings for the axis L, screwed
to the outsides of A, A, by the screws b, which pass through chase
nortices in a, to allow an adjustment of the edges of N, to O; vertical
screws d,d, pass through projecting parts of A, A, and bear against the
upper and lower edges of a, a. In order to fix a, a, when adjusted, c, is
a front horizontal bar connecting the opposite pieces a a. The ratchet
wheel e, is fixed to the pinion G, the sliding gland or box f, fixed by a
feather to the axis H, with which it therefore always turns, contains a
click or pall for taking into the teeth of the ratchet wheel e, when f, is
pushed over it by the lever g; the centre of motion of this lever is at h,
the bar B. A notch in the bar C, at i, serves to lock the end of the
lever g, whenf, by acting on e, compels G, to drive H, I. The bearings
of II. are n, n, which are scrowed against the outsides of A, A, the screws
passing through chase mortices in nn, to allow an adjustment of I, to K,
after adjusting the pieces a, a, when f, is moved from c, c, and G, will
turn loose on H, and the machine may be rolled along on D, Q, without
communicating motion to the cutters round the axis L. Operation of
the machine. The various parts being adjusted, and the upper end of
the lever g, placed in the notch i, the workman takes hold of the handles
R, S, and by pushing forward the machine the drum D, rolls upon the
ground like the wheel of a wheelbarrow, at the same time turning F,
which drives G, and I, and this wheel I, drives K, L, M, making the
revolving cutters N, act rapidly by their smooth outer edges against the
edge of the fixed cutter O, so as to crop or shear the grass or vegetable
surface. At the same time the cylinder Q, rolls on the ground to regulate
the height of O, and consequently the closeness of the cutting or short-
ness of the grass left. To keep the roller Q, sufficiently free from any
adhering substances, the horizontal bar m, connecting the opposite
pieces k, k, serves as an axis for a thin iron scraper curved so as to form
a portion of a cylinder or arch, having its lower edge bearing on the
surface of Q. The speed with which the machine is pushed forward when
at work is not material, because the number of cuts will always be in

page_text: the same ratio with the space rolled over by the drum D. The
revolving parts may be made to be driven by endless lines or bands,
instead of teeth. It is advisable to employ the machine when the
grass or vegetable surface is dry; and when high grass is to be cut, it
is best to shear it twice over, lowering O, N, by adjusting k, k, previous
to the second course or kerf. Grass growing in the shade, too weak to
stand against a scythe to be cut, may be cut by my machine as closely
as required, and the eye will never be offended by those circular scars,
inequalities, and bare places, so commonly made by the best mowers
with the scythe, and which continue visible for several days. Country
gentlemen may find in using my machine themselves an amusing.
useful, and healthy exercise. I do not claim as my Invention
separate parts of my machine, considered without reference to the e
to be produced by them; but I do claim as my Invention the desc
application and combination for the specified purpose.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edwin Budding, have hereunto s
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth Day of October One tho
.
BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the same Twenty-fifth Day of Oc-
tober the year above-mentioned the aforesaid Edwin Budding came
before our Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the speci-
fication aforesaid, and all and everything therein contained in form
above written, and also the specification aforesaid was stamped accord-
ing to the tenor of the Statute in that case made and provided.

page_text: REFERENCE.
Cast Iron frame of the Machine
Two bars fixed to A. A
Hollow cast-iron Cylinder or drum
Wrought-iron axis of D.
Toothed wheel fixed on E to turn G.
Pinion on the axis H turned by F
Horizontal axis of wrought Iron.
Toothed-wheel, fixed on one end of H, turning
Pinion fixed on one end of the axis L
Horizontal axis of the revolving cullers N.N.
Three Brass rings fixed on the axis L
A number of spiral cutters fixed on or in M
A fixed steel plate or blade, screwed to P.
Horizontal bar fixed to A.A.
Horizontal cast-iron solid Cylinder.
Handle for workman's right hand, fixed to A.
Tandle fixed to A for workman's left han
Bearings for the axis L. screwed to A.
Screws connecting a.a. with the frame A.
Fixed horizontal rod, connecting a.a.
Vertical screws, for fixing a. a. when adjus
A Ratchet-wheel fixed to pinion G, on axis
Sliding gland or click-box, to act on e,
Bent lever, to slide f, to H,
Centre of motion of g, on B,
Nolch in C. to hold one end of 9,
Bearings of Q, adjustable.
Screws to fix k. k, to A. A.
Horizontal axis of scraper for Q
Adjustable bearings of H
Acting direction of moving parts.