IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING CUT PILE FABRICS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Samuel Cunliffe Lister, of Manningham, near
Bradford, in the County of York, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Samuel Cunliffe
Lister at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 11th February 1868.
I, SAMUEL CUNLIFFE LISTER, of Manningham, near Bradford, in the
County of York, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING CUT PILE FABRICS," to be as
follows:--
This Invention has for its object improvements in looms for weaving
cut pile fabrics, and relates to that class of loom in which two pile
fabrics are woven together face to face and are cut asunder by a knife
which severs the pile between them. Heretofore it has been proposed
to cut the pile by means of a knife or blade which is moved to and fro
from side to side of the loom, and it has also been proposed to sharpen
such knife by causing it near each end of its to-and-fro movement to
rub against stones or grinding surfaces.

page_text: According to my Invention I employ revolving, grinding, or polishing
surfaces to act on the knife whilst it remains at rest at one or it might
be at both ends of its stroke. I employ one revolving grinding surface to
act on the under surface of the knife and the other on its upper surface,
and by preference I place both revolving surfaces at the same side of
the loom and support the axes which carry such revolving surfaces in
a frame which can be alternately raised and lowered so as first to bring
onc revolving surface against one side of the cutting edge and then
the other revolving surface against the other side of the edge; by
preference also I cause the knife to be acted on by one only of the
revolving surfaces during each of its periods of rest at the side of the
loom where the sharpening takes place; the revolving surfaces are not
brought into contact with the knife until the knife is at rest. The
raising and lowering of the frame carrying the axes of the revolving
surfaces may be effected by a lever acted on by a cam wheel or otherwise;
each revolving grinding surface may also be of a width greater than the
width of the knife, and one part of its width may be coarser or finer
than the other part, so that if the axis of such grinding surface be shifted
endwise either the coarse or the fine grinding or polished surface may
be brought into position to act on the knife. At the time of sharpening
the knife is held gently against the revolving sharpening surface by a
slight spring.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister in the Great Patent Office
on the 11th August 1868.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
CUNLIFFE LISTER, of Manningham, near Bradford, in the County of
York, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent bearing date the Eleventh day of February, in the year a
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
first year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto mc, the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister, Her
special licence that I, the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Samuel Cunliffe

page_text: Lister, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN LOOMS FOR WEAVING CUT PILE FABRICS," upon the
condition, (amongst others) that I, the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
This Invention has for its object improvements in looms for weaving
cut pile fabrics, and relates to that class of loom in which two pile
fabrics are woven together face to face and are cut asunder by a knife
which severs the pile between them. Heretofore it has been proposed
to cut the pile by means of a knife or blade which is moved to and fro
from side to side of the loom, and it has also been proposed to sharpen
such knife by causing it near cach end of its to-and-fro movement to
rub against stones or grinding surfaces.
According to my Invention I employ revolving, grinding, or polishing
surfaces to act on the knife whilst it remains at rest at onc, or it
might be at both ends of its stroke. I employ one revolving grinding
surface to act on the under surface of the knife and the other on its
upper surface, and by preference I place both revolving surfaces at the
same side of the loom and support the axes which carry such revolving
surfaces in a frame which can be alternately raised and lowered so
as first to bring one revolving surface against one side of the cutting
edge, and then the other revolving surface against the other side of
the edge, the revolving surfaces are not brought into contact with the
knife until the knife is at rest. The raising and lowering of the frame
carrying the axes of the revolving surfaces may be effected by a lever
acted on by a cam wheel or otherwise.

page_text: Having thus stated the nature of my invention, I will proceed to
describe more fully the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a side elevation partly in section, and Figure 2 a front
view of so much of a loom as is necessary for illustrating the manner
in which I prefer to carry out my Invention; Figure 3 shews section
of the same taken through the line A, B, Figure 1; Figures 4 and 5
shew separately the revolving sharpening rollers full size.
A, A, A, is the side frame of the loom; B is the crank shaft; C, the
cam shaft on which is keyed the small pinion D in gear with the
wheel E to which is attached the adjustable excentric F; this eccentric
raises and depresses the sharpening rollers by means of the lever G
and the slide bar H working in the adjustable socket I; the socket I
allows the rollers to be set at any angle; K, K, are the sharpening
rollers shown in centre of their travel; L is a thin steel spring on
the under side of knife carriage to press the knife with an elastic
pressure against the top roller. The knife is similarly held down by
a spiral spring affixed to the knife carriage so that it may be held
with an elastic or yielding pressure against the bottom roller, this
spiral spring is not shewn in the Drawing. The rollers are connected
by a pair of small wheels (R, R, Figures 2 and 5) and are driven by
a cord from the loose pulley M which is worked by the catchi wheel
N keyed to a shaft, on opposite end of which is the wheel O in gear
with the wheel on crank shaft B. The cord is carried over the pulleys P
to the rollers and is kept tight by the spiral spring Q. The catch
wheel N is used to prevent the rollers revolving in the opposite
direction when the loom is put back, as the knife would soon damage
the leather if the rollers met it. The manner of giving motion.to
the knife is not shewn in the Drawing, but I prefer to drive it to
and fro by a tappet or cam which is driven by a pinion fixed on the
cam shaft C, the knife being caused to traverse the loom from one
side to the other immediately after every sixth beat up of the slay
and it gets out of the piece before the slay strikes up for the seventh
time, thus the knife remains stationary at each side of the loom during
six beats up of the batten. The sharpening apparatus is set to: be
about the centre of its travel when the knife arrives; it is then raised
sufficiently to sharpen the under side of the knife and is lowered to

page_text: sharpen the top, and then mounts to about the central point of its
movement before the time at which the knife must be moved across
the loom. In the arrangement shown in the Drawing the sharpening
apparatus is on one side only of the loom, but as the eccentric by
which it is raised and lowered is continually revolving, the sharpening
apparatus will be raised and lowered when the knife is at rest at
cach side of the loom. I prefer to cover the revolving sharpening
rollers with leather, and to apply to the surface of the leather a compo-
sition such as is applied to strops for sharpening razors, but other
revolving sharpening surfaces might be employed in place thercof.
In place also of the revolving sharpening apparatus being caused to act
on both sides of the knife at each of its periods of rest at the side of
the loom where the sharpening apparatus is situated, the knife might be
acted on upon one side only at each period of rest, the two sides being
then acted on alternately. Each revolving grinding surface might also,
if desired, be of a width greater than the width of the knife; and one
part of its width might be coarser or finer than the other parts, so
that if the axis of such grinding surface were shifted endwise either
the coarse or the fine grinding or polishing surface might be brought
into position to act on the knife, I do not however consider it necessary
so to construct the revolving sharpening apparatus.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Cunliffe Lister, have
hereunto set my hand and scal, this Seventh day of August,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
cight.