CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SHEARING OR CROPPING WOOLLEN AND OTHER CLOTHS REQUIRING SUCH PROCESS
Year: 1820

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
DAVIS, late of Brimscomb, but now of Bourne, near Minchinhampton, in the
County of Gloucester, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth did,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of that part of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, bearing date at West-
minster, the Eleventh day of July, in the first year of His reign, give and
grant unto me, the said William Davis, my exors, admors, and assigns, His
especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
William Davis, my exors, adors, and assigns, during the term of years
therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and 'the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Inven-
tion of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SHEARING OR CROPPING
WOOLLEN AND OTHER CLOTHS REQUIRING SUCH PROCESS;" in which said Letters
Patent there is contained a proviso that if I, the said William Davis, shall
not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my suid Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said 'Letters Patent, that then the said Letters Patent,
and all liberties and advantages' whatsoever thereby granted, shall utterly
cease, determine, and become void, as in and by the same, relation being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW.YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Davis, do hereby declare tliat the nature of my said Invention,

page_text: and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly
described and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereunto annexed, and the
following description thereof, (that is to say):-
Fig. 1 represent one of the cutters or shears before it is fixed to the
machine. Fig. 2 is a end view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section of Fig. 1. The
same letters indicate the same parts in each Figure of the Drawings. A is a
bar of mettal, to wich the cutter blade R is fixed by screws) the blade R is
made of sheet steel and hardened). X are supporters for the arbour h and
rotative cutters B. X is fixed to A, and is adjustable by the screws f, g. 9:
is
screwed into X and rest on A. f is screwed into A. By this arrangement
the cutters B and R can be made to press more or less against each other)
the cutters B is made of a sollid piece of steel in the shape represented by the
section at B, Fig. 3, the whole of its length, and twisted as at Fig. 1,
hardened and ground true). Fig. 4 is a section at right angles to the axis of
a cutter, which may be applied instead of B). Fig. 5 is a bed to support or
press the cloths when shearing against the cutters). Fig. 7 is a end view of
Fig. 5; or Fig. 6 a end view a little differant in construction to Fig. 7, but
the same in principle). I is a thin piece of mettal, made ellastic by tempering,
as springs if made of steel; if made of copper should be hard-rolled or
hammer-hardened). I is fixed to the pieces J, and supported on the wire
springs K, and is adjustable by the screws L and nuts M). J is are thin
pieces of mettal screwed on the supporting piece N, and reduced in thick-
ness at ito cause them to bend frely with the motion of I on the
springs K). N is a piece of mettal to support the wire springs K and
stay pieces J).. Q is bolts to fix the pieces N to the pieces O, Fig. 8, 9.
Fig. 8 represents the manner of fixing the cutters, and the parts for drawing
the cloth to be shown through the machine). Fig. 9, 10, is end views
of Fig. 8. A, B are cutters, as explained above. E is a roller on wich
the cloth to be shorn is to be coiled and passed over. F, a roller or
cylinder covered with cards betwin B, A, and I, J, and on to G, a roller
covered with cards. H is a board equel in length to the cyllinder G. Its
use is to disengage the cloth from the card roller G). D are two bars to
support the cutters and frames Y, B, R, A, which is fixed to the bars D by
screw bolts and nuts). O is a bar supporting the beds N, I, J, Fig. 5, 6, 7,
which is fixed to by the bolts and nuts Q). T is a friction wheel fixed on
the axel of the carded cyllinder F). U is a lever resting on T, and V a
weight to retard or give sufficient tension to the cloth when shearing). Y is a
cylinder to which the moving power should be applied, and from Y the other
moveable parts receive their motion, viz., the cutters B by endless lines or

page_text: belts passing over the cyllinder. Y and pulleys C, which is fixed on the
arbours h). The motion is communicated to the. carded cyllinder G by the
whorm, fixed on the axis of Y, and workingin to the wheel a, fixed on the
axel 6). The wheel c is fixed.on the axel b, and work into the wheel d, fixed
on the axel G). The disengaging board H is driven by a endless line or belt
passing over the cyllinder Y and pulley e, fixed on the axel of H). i is a
endless belt, passing over, the ends of the card cylinders F, G. It may be
made of thin copper, and into it a number of points rivetted projecting out-
wards, also pieces or snags riveted and projecting inwards, to work in grooves
or teeth at the ends of the cyllinders F, G. The use of this belt is to receive
the list of the cloths to be shorn on the exterior points, to prevent the angler
direction of the cutters B, R, and the beds I forcing the cloth out of its
proper direction). The cyllinder Y is represented with a part broken out, that
the manner of fixing the cutters to one of the supporting bars D may appear
more clear). Framework is not represented in the Drawings, or do I consider
it nessesarie, as it constitute no part of the Invention claimed by me, and may
be made in various shapes, and support the ends of the barcing bars and axels
of the cylinders and wheels equally well). The ends of the bareing bar O
should slide in grooves in the frame, and be made adjustable in a direction
at right angles to the plaine of the cutters collectively, which may be
effected by a screw at each end of the bar O passing through holes in
part of the frame, and adjustable by the nuts S, Fig. 9). The possition
I prefer for the perpendiculer and base is represented at Fig. 9, where
the dotted line k is the perpendiculer, and Z. the base; the other view,
Fig. 8, parelell to the orizon). Fig. 11 is a front view of one of the beds.
P is a piece of mettal applied to the outside beds, and made to slide on from
one end to the other to depress as much of I in the exterior beds as will
admit P to receive the list of cloths when shearing into the opening m in the
upper part to guard to prevent the list being shorn. Fig. 12 is a section of P).
The cylinders F, G, is moveable on their axis in the direction of the length,
and may be fixed by set screws or clamps); its use is to varey the track of
the cutters when required. One of the guards P should be of sufficient
length in the opening m to receive both the list of the cloth and the belt i).
A piece of thin cloth should be sewed to the end of the cloth to be shorn, and
cover as much of the length as should not be shorn; it must be of sufficiant
length to cover the card cylinder G when the cloth to be shorn is entering
between the cutters and beds). In the above-described machinery I claim as
my Invention,
First, the application of rotative cutters made of one sollid piece of mettal

page_text: not screwed or wedged to a cylinder or bar, as have hitherto been the
practical way of making rotative cutters for shearing clothes.
Second, the application of rotative cutters in a. angler direction, as repre-
sented, Fig. 8. The differance betwin this and the application. of rotative
cutters hitherto in practice will be easily understood, as the old practice is
to place the under cutter, known by the name of ledger blade, nearly parelell
to the length of the cloth to be shorn, or else nearly at right angles to the
longth of the cloth. .
Third, the application of beds, made ellastic by spieral springs, placed nearly
at right angles to the plaine of the ledger cutters. By the above-described
machinery one or two cassimeres may be cut at one time by fixing a thin
piece of mettal betwin, the cutters and middle list to prevent it being
shorn. If it is desierable to cut. one narrow cloth, one half of the cutters, or as
maney as necessarie, may be made to rest by casting of the lines.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Davis, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Sixth day of Januarey, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and twenty-one.