A NEW OR IMPROVED COMBINED KNIFE CLEANING AND SHARPENING MACHINE
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Woodward, of Regent's Park, in the County of
Middlesex, for an Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED COMBINED KNIFE
CLEANING AND SHARPENING MACHINE."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Woodward at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th September 1880.
HENRY WOODWARD, of Regent's Park, in the County of Middlesex. "A NEW
OR IMPROVED COMBINED KNIFE CLEANING AND SHARPENING MACHINE."
According to my Invention I provide a base or foundation plate upon which the
leather or other suitable knife cleaning or polishing material is placed and secured
in any approved and suitable manner; above this plate I provide a second plate
which is hinged at one end to the base plate, a strong spring keeping the two
surfaces pressed together; the underside of the top plate is also provided with
cleaning and polishing material like the base plate, and the spring like action
caused by the spring tends to keep the two plates or surfaces together until a knife
is inserted between the two; the top plate is thus slightly raised from the bottom
just the width of the knife to be cleaned, which is passed to and fro between the
cleaning and polishing surfaces, the springs always keeping the surfaces pressed
on the knife blade, and at the same time allowing them to adjust themselves to the
uneven thicknesses of the knives which are passed between the surfaces to be
cleaned. An aperture is formed in the top plate over which a box is placed to
carry knife powder.
A wire is a convenient spring; this wire is driven into the lower board and bent
over the top surface of the top board, and presses thereon towards the front
thereof; this spring may be used in combination with an ordinary hinge, or the
spring and hinge may be formed of ono piece. Or the spring may be at the
fore end of the top plate and consist of pin passing through the two plates and
spring, with a thumb screw at top to operate same. The action is similar to the
other arrangement, because the top and bottom plate being hinged together the top
plate is free to adapt itself to the knife, as I do not limit myself to the particular
form of spring used. For sharpening knives I place a file, steel, or other sharpening
surface on the outer edge of the bottom plate over which the knives are drawn
when cleaned. In this way I provide in one compact instrument both an effective
knife cleaner and polisher and knife sharpener. The machine may be screwed
down to a table or be provided with a handle to steady same while in use if
desired.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Woodward in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th March
1881.
"A NEW
HENRY WOODWARD, of Regent's Park, in the County of Middlesex.
OR IMPROVED COMBINED KNIFE CLEANING AND SHARPENING MACHINE.”
According to my Invention I provide a base or foundation plate, board, block, or
slab, upon which leather or other suitable knife cleaning and polishing material is
placed and secured in any approved and suitable manner; above this board I provide
a second board which is hinged at one end to the base board, and I employ a spring
for keeping the two surfaces pressed together. The under side of the top board is
also provided with cleaning and polishing material, and the spring tends to keep
the two surfaces together until a knife is inserted between the two. The top board
is thus slightly raised from its bottom just the width of the knife to be cleaned,
which is passed backwards and forwards between the cleaning and polishing
surfaces, the spring always keeping the surfaces pressed on the knife blade, and at
the same time allowing them to adjust themselves to the uneven thickness of the
knives. An aperture is formed in the top board over which is placed a hopper to
carry knife powder.
The spring above mentioned may consist of a wire driven into the lower board
and bent over the upper surface of the top board and press thereon towards the front
thereof. This spring may be used in combination with an ordinary hinge, or the spring
and binge may be formed in one piece. Or the spring may be at the fore end of the
top board and consist of a pin passing through the two boards, with a thumb screw
and spring at top to work the same. Or an india rubber ring may be employed.
In any case the action would be similar, because the top and bottom boards being
binged together the top one is free to adapt itself to the knife, but I do not limit
myself to the particular form of spring used.
For sharpening knives I place a file, steel, or other sharpening surface on the
outer surface of the bottom board, over which the knives are drawn when cleaned.
Thus I provide in one compact machine both an effective knife cleaner and
polisher and knife sharpener.
The machine may be screwed down to a table or dresser, or it may be provided
with a handle to steady same in use if desired.
And in order that my Invention may be more fully understood I proceed to
describe same aided by the accompanying Drawings.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view shewing one arrangement of my combined knife
cleaning and sharpening machine.
A is a base board, block, or slab of wood, on which is secured in any suitable
manner, as, for instance, by glue, a sheet or sheets of leather, kamptulicon, or other
suitable knife cleaning and polishing material a; and B is an upper and shorter
board, block, or slab, also provided with a sheet or sheets of like cleaning and
polishing material a*. These two boards or blocks are connected together at one
end by a hinge C, and at the opposite end of the upper board or block a thumb
screw D, provided with a coiled spring d, and entering the lower or base board or
block keeps the cleaning and polishing surfaces a¹, a*, in contact to any required
pressure, but at the same time permits the upper board to rise so as to adapt itself
to the thickness of the knife being cleaned.
E is a hopper fixed to the upper board B and into which knife powder or other
suitable cleaning and polishing material is placed; this powder or material finds its
way to the cleaning and polishing surfaces through an orifice or orifices e, e,
contrived in the upper board and seen in dotted lines in the Drawing.

page_text: The lower or base board or block A is of somewhat longer dimensions than the
upper board or block B, and the space extending beyond the upper board is also
provided with cleaning and polishing material, which material is a continuation
of the polishing surface a*, and which is destined to clean and polish the backs of
the knives.
G is a file, steel, or other suitable sharpening agent, which is secured to the outer
surface of the lower board in any suitable manner, and over which the knives to
be sharpened are drawn backwards and forwards.
h, h, are lugs, by means of which the machine is secured to a table or dresser.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a modified arrangement of the combined
knife cleaning and sharpening machine, the same letters of reference indicating
like parts to those in the arrangement shewn in Fig. 1.
In this arrangement the lower board A is provided with a block A* on which
the leather or other knife cleaning and polishing material is secured, but instead of
affixing the leather directly to the block it is laid on a sheet or sheets of felt a¹ or
other like material, so as to give to the leather a greater amount of elasticity, and to
thus cause the knife to better adapt itself to the cleaning and polishing surfaces.
The upper board B is likewise provided with a sheet or sheets of felt a¹ or the
like. The upper board or block is here set slightly inclined to the lower one in
order to allow the cleaning and polishing material to reach every portion of the
wedge shape of the knife blade. This inclination is obtained by setting the hinge
or hinges Ĉ low down on the block A*. The thumb screw and spiral spring are
dispensed with in this arrangement, and the upper polishing and cleaning surface
is retained against the lower one by means of an elastic ring f, one end of which
is secured to an eye or stud f' driven into the lower board A or into the block A*,
while the other end is passed over a stud f" secured to the upper board B.
His the cleaning or polishing surface for the backs of the knives, and G is
the sharpener herein before referred to.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and in what manner the
same may be performed, I declare that I claim,―
First. The new or improved combined knife cleaning and sharpening machine,
having its parts arranged and operating substantially as herein described and
shewn.
Second. The modified arrangement as described and as shewn in Fig. 2 of the
Drawings for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Woodward, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventeenth day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
HY. WOODWARD. (LB)