IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHEARS FOR CUTTING GRASS
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I WILLIAM CLARK,, of 528 Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex, Horse
Clipper Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of my Invention, for
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHEARS FOR CUTTING GRASS,” to be as
follows:
Not
The object of this Invention, is the construction of shears which are more
particularly designed, for clipping and trimming grass growing on the edges of
lawns, garden beds or the like; and the improvements consist in the construction
of shears, the cutters of which relative to the handles, are placed at right angles
thereto, so that when in use the blades though laying flat against the vertical or
slanting edge or border of the lawn will enable the operator to hold the handles
horizontal, as though he were in the act of cutting or clipping the upper surface of
the lawn. In carrying my Invention into practice I form on the handle or stem of
the lower blade a' projecting stud so placed that it allows an open slot formed in a
finger projecting from the upper or movable blade to fit therein, the position of the
fixed stud relative to the movable slotted projection of the lower blade being such,
that when the handles are taken hold of and worked, the upper or movable blade;
is caused through the action of the aforesaid stud and slot to receive a clipping
motion at right angles to their position with the actuating handles.
.
THOMAS WRIGLEY,
36, High Holborn, W.C.,
Agent to the Applicant.

page_text: I WILLIAM CLARK of 528 Oxford Street, in the County of Middlesex Horse
Clipper Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHEARS FOR CUTTING GRASS, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The object of this invention is the construction of shears which are more
particularly designed for clipping and trimming grass growing on the edges of
lawns, garden beds, or the like, and the improvements consist in the construction
of shears the cutters of which relative to the handles are placed at right angles
thereto so that when in use the blades though laying flat against the vertical or
slanting edge or border of the lawn will enable the operator to hold the handles
horizontal as though he were in the act of cutting or clipping the upper surface of
the lawn.
The manner of performing the invention may be described as follows.―
. The lower blade of the shears I secure to the fixed handle and the other blade is
connected therewith by the pivot which forms the fulcrum of the shears as is usual.
The handles of the shears are so arranged that they will assume a position at right
angles to the blades and a clipping motion is transmitted to the upper blade in the
manner following, On the upper blade immediately above its fulcrum or pivot I
firm a stud which projects into a slot in the short arm of a bell crank lever the
longer arm of which is the shank of the working handle, the fulcrum of such bell crank
lever is carried by a projecting portion of the fixed handle, and the arrangement is
Buch that when the working handle or bell crank lever is moved to and fro the
slot of the short arm of such lever acts on the projecting stud of the upper blade of
the shears in such a manner as to give it with each to and fro horizontal motion of
such handle a vertical risc and fall and thus effect the necessary cutting action to
the shears.
In order that the invention may be well understood and explained in detail I
have hereunto annexed a sheet of Drawings made about half the usual size upon
which letters of reference are marked on corresponding parts on all the Figures
Fig 1 represents a Front Elevation of the improved construction of shears for
cutting and trimming the edges of Lawns, garden beds, or the like.
Fig 2 represents a plan view of the same.
Figs 3 and 4 represent similar views to the last shewing a modification of
the means employed for transmitting motion to the upper blade of the shears
and
Fig 5 represents a view of the shears with long handles.
In these Figs a is the fixed handle, b the working or movable handle. The
lower blade c of the shears is secured to the holding handle which may be fixed or
movable and the upper blade o' is connected to the lower blade by the fulcrum d

page_text: as is usual.
On the upper blade c¹ immediately above its fulcrum & I form a stud s
(see Figs 1 and 2) which projects into an open slot formed in the short arm f of
the bell crank lever having its fulcrum g on a horizontal projecting portion a¹ of
the fixed handle a. The longer arm b¹ of this lever is the shank of the working or
movable handle b. Thus it will be seen that when the handles a and b of the
shears are held in a horizontal position and the working handle b is moved to and
fro or in cases where both handles are worked the slot in the short arm f of the bell
crank lever will press against and actuate the stud e of the upper blade c¹ in a
manner which will cause such blade to receive an opening and closing shearing
movement in a direction at right angles to the working handle transmitting motion.
In order to give an even traverse and steadiness to the shears whilst in operation
I mount them on the carrier wheel h. In Figs 3 and 4 a modification of the parts
giving motion to the shears is shewn. According to this arrangement the short
arm of the bell crank lever b¹ forms a stud i which enters an inclined or curved
slot in the upper blade c¹ above the fulcrum or pivot d. When a to and fro
horizontal motion is transmitted from the working handle b to this stud it is forced
against the sides of the inclined or curved slot in the upper blade and so causes such
blade to receive a rising and falling or opening and closing clipping motion at right
angles to the handle transmitting such motion.-I would remark that although
I have shewn in Figs 3 and 4 a modification of the method I adopted in Figs 1
and 2 for converting a horizontal into a vertical motion I dont wish to contine
myself to such methods only as other equivalent means may be employed with like
results.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
First. Constructing shears employed for cutting and trimming grass growing on
the edges or borders of lawns, garden beds, foot paths, road sides or for other like
purposes in such a manner that the blades of such shears will assume a position at
right angles to the handles transmitting motion to the shears and
Secondly. The novel application to such shears of a means which will enable the
horizontal to and fro action of the working handle to transmit a vertical motion to
the cutting blades of the shears in the manner as herein substantially described
set forth and fully illustrated in the drawings annexed.
Ded thin 1741 dose of Dasamban 1001