US2583758A - Sickle grinder - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 29, 1952 c. B. WEBBER SICKLE GRINDER Filed Jan. 30, 1946 2 SHEETSSHEET l 2 4 Fig.2 5 a T r 'I 45 A M51 55 ie J I 4'2 i2 52 $4 /14 u, a 48 Clifford b. Webber Jan. 29, 1952 c. B. WEBBER 2,583,758

SICKLE GRINDER Filed Jan. 30, 1946 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Clifford. B. We bber W 61mm Patented Jan. 29, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in sickle grinders, an object thereof being to provide a simple, durable, inexpensive and easily operated grinder capable of accurately sharpening the blades of sickles of the type commonly employed in mowers and reapers.

A sickle of the type mentioned consists of a bar and a series of generally triangular blades arranged in edgewise abutting relationship and riveted at the butts thereof upon said bar. The forwardly pointing body of each blade is beveled along the opposite upper margins thereof to produce sharp edges. In use, sickles rapidly become dull necessitating the resharpening thereof in some manner, it being preferable that the blades be ground in their assembled dispositions on the sickle-bar, whereby the sickle may remain undisturbed and ready for prompt reapplication to the implement in which it is used. This mode of sharpening sickle blades is common and is customarily carried out by the employment of a grinding wheel of opposed frusto-conical formation having oppositely beveled faces against which adjacent edges of adjacent blades of a sickle are concurrently presented with the crotch between such blades receiving the ridge on the grinding wheel. Conventional manipulation of a sickle relative to a grinding wheel, whereby the blades of the sickle are successively presented to said wheel and moved back and forth thereover, results in the sharpening of the blades in a more or less satisfactory manner depending upon the effort involved and the accuracy of manipulation of the sickle. Mechanical contrivances of different kinds have been employed with limited success in so handling a sickle assembly, but all of them, so far as known, are relatively complicated and diflicult to operate reliably, especially in the hands of inexperienced persons.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a sickle grinder constructed to overcome the disadvantages experienced in previous grinders, a more specific object being to provide a sickle grinder, as aforesaid, in which the sickle is stationarily held while the grinding wheel is moved relative thereto to sharpen the adjacent edges of adjacent blades of the sickle.

Another object of the invention is to provide in an instrumentof present character a bed along whicha sickle may be advanced, step by step, successively to bring the blades thereof within range of the grinding wheel, a further object being to supply yielding means for releasably holding a sickle in place upon said bed, and an additional object being to provide means for guiding the operator in appropriately stationing the sickle on the bed at each step thereof in the grinding operation.

to present said grinding wheel near the position wherein the grindingof a sickle is to be effected thereby, and which is readily movable to bring 1 the grinding wheel into grinding contact with the sickle at each step in the sharpening thereof;

A further object of the invention is to provide a grinder of the instant nature in which the prime mover for the grinding wheel is supported together with said wheel by the movable mounting means for said wheel.

Other objects of the invention reside in the novel combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter illus' trated and/or described.

In the drawings, Fig. l is a perspective view of a form of sickle grinder embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1, a sickle being shown in place on the bed rail of the device; Fig. '3 is a plan view and Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1.

Reference being had to the drawings wherein similar parts are designated by similar reference characters throughout the several views, it will be seen that the illustrated embodiment of my invention includes a frame A consisting of a rearwardly opening channel-bar constituting a bed rail a, and a tubular member intermediately bent to form a post Ill and a forwardly extending beam l l. Another tubular frame member, forming a tie-reach l2 between said post to and said bed-rail a, is welded at its rear end to said post" It), in parallelism with the beam I I, and is welded at its front end to the bed rail a intermediately of said rail. The bed rail 0. is disposed at right angles to the upright plane common to said tiereach l2 and beam II and the channel insaid bed-rail receives the said front end of said tiereach I2. Welded to the base of the post I0 is a member b at the rear thereof, and a link b de-L 3 pending from said beam H and supporting said mounting b at the front thereof. The body of the mounting, as shown, is an angle-bar II, one flange thereof being substantially horizontally disposed and the other flange verticallydisposed. Welded edgewise along the free edge of said horizontal flange is a plate or shelf I8.

The body of the rear hanger link 2) consists of a channel-bar. I9 to the lower. end of which a clevis 2Uis welded. A pivot pin :2! extending through the arms of said clevis 20 also extends through a bushing 22 welded to the rear end of the angle-bar IT. A similar clevis 23 is swivelly" connected to the beam II by means of a stud 24- extending upwardly through said beam and fitted at its upper end with a nut 25 riding the top of the beam II. A pivot pin 26-extending through the dependingarms of said clevis 23 also extends 7 through a bushing 21 welded to the upper end 'of I the channel-bar I9.

The body of "the -front hanger link 21 "comprises ahelibal extension" spring-28- which is caught "at" its upper end on a hook 253 hung fromtheirail I I and wh'lcl'r caught at its" lowerend on an upstanding hook 39 welded to the front :portion' of the an'gle bar IT.

A- horizontally disposed" journal bearing 3|, wel'dedto 1 the front" endof said" angle-bar I'I; revolubly supports a' sh'aft 32i Fitted to said shaft 32 near'on'e end 'of the' bearing 3|, is "a grinding wheel 33 of'opposed'frusto conical formation, the same having anintermediate annular ridge '34 and sloping faces35 at eitherfside-thereof. Near the other'end' of saidibearing'3l, a pulley 36 is secured-'to said shaft 32; saidpulley 36' being conplaced .onthe-bed rail a in the'illustratedmanner irr which the iunder faces of; the blades 41 rest upon the upper flange 40 of said bed rail a with the. blades: 4 I pointing rearwardly' of- .the device and: the.- rearwardedgebf thebar. 42 abutting against-the. web 43-of thebedrail a at-the front thereof. Being thusdisposed relative to said bed:-rail-, .thesickle C is slidably guided thereby for longitudinal movement lengthwise thereof.

Welded to thevmounting b of the hanger B. is

al -forwardly extending arm formed at its free end. to provide a handle 45. Grasping said handle .45, an operator can depress the. forward end "of .the. mounting band -.sw-ing.-.-the same: fore.

and-Taft to bringv the grinding wheel 3.3'movably intoengagement with the sickle. Appropriately, the sickle willbe stationed on the bed rail a so that the crotchbetweentwo adjacent blades M will. be centeredin the normal vertical plane of the annular ridge- 34 of'the grinding wheel 33;

Thus, in a simple downward movement ofthehandle 45" followed by a forth and back motion, the-sloping surfaces '35- of' the grinding wheel 33 will be movably contacted with the beveled marginsof such 'twoadjacent blades-similarly to grind and-sharpen the-edges: thereof. Having ground said'edges as desired; the operator will. release the':handl'e45 and thespringfflpwhich wasrpre viously extended in depressing the forward end of the mounting b, will contract and return said end of said mounting to its normal elevated position clearing the grinding wheel 33 from the sickle blades.

The upper flange so of the bed rail a is notched, as at 46, to accommodate the lower portion of the grinding wheel 33 which extends downwardly beneath the plane of the sickle blades 4| in the grinding operation. Axguard'fl, welded to the mounting b and overreaching the upper portion of the grinding wheel 33 protects the operator from flying sparks emanating from said grinding wheel.

The sickle being ground is shifted step by step along the bedrail successively to present adjacent edgesof adjacent blades 4| in position to be engaged by the grinding wheel 33. To keep therearedge of the sickle bar 42 in slidably guided relationship against the front face of the web43 of the bedrail. a, a front guideafl is provided: Said front guide- 48 consistsofa; clip: welded to said. web-.43;of.fthe bed. rail;a.. This. clip. has an. upstanding: terminal. flange. 49 which. isengaged bythe front edge'of. the sickle bari42.-. On said flange 49 of the guide-clipAB-is an.indi-.-

cater-line 56 with whichjoints between adjacent blades 4| are.successivelyregistered in the step by step advance of thesicklexC. along the bed raila. In re'gisteringthe joint-between twoadjacent blades M with said indicator-line ifl; the crotch between two othenadjacent -blades 4Iwi11- be substantially centered with respectQto thenormal plane of the annular ridge 34-of thegrinding wheel 33. Thelsickle c; thus stationed with reference to the-indicator. 50; will be properly contacted by the grinding wheel 33 upon maneuvering the hanger 11, 215 aforesaid Preferably, the grinding.wheel. 33 rotates-in alclock wise direction as seen. in-Fig. 2,.the tendency of the sickle to creep rearwardly'across the-bedrail. a being resisted by engagement of Ithesickle. ban 52 with the front face of theweb..43-of said bedrail; To hold. the sickle. C in endwiseadjusted positionon top of the bedrail-a, I. provide a releasable clamp. D including a. hold-downfinger 5| disposed above the upper face otthe bed rail. a near the front guide 48 aforesaid. Saidfinger 5'! is pivoted at itsv rear end, as at. 52,- to

theread end of a rearwardly extending mounting strip. 53Qfastened to said bed rail; a. Enci'rcling.

the upper portion of a headed bolt 54, extending. upwardly through said mounting. stripv 53 and:

hold-down finger 5!, is a helical spring 55 which is compressed between said finger 5| and a; nut 58 on said bo1t54. Through this bolt 54; said spring 55 yieldingly reacts to clamp the holddown finger 5| against the'upper face'of sickle C on the bed rail a, and, in turn, to clamp such" sickle against said bed rail. Said clamp Dis released to free its grip'upon the sickle simply'by.

lifting theforward end of the holdl-down finger 5i against the action of thespring 551- If desired; a second or supplementary front guide; similar to said front guide 48; may be secured 'to the" bed rail a near the end thereof opposite the clamp D. While the rear suspension link'b" confinesth'e hanger mounting b substantially to a forward and backward motion, the'swiveling 'of saidli'nk, at its connection with the beam I I, frees the front end of the hanger mountingb' for sideW-ise movement permitted by the-spring ZBin the front suspension link'b Thus, considerable"tolerance is provided; whereby the'a'djacent edges of ad-- jacent blades ofa sickle maybe similarl'y and"- uniformly ground 7 even though the crotch be hended that the instant device is simple, compact,

durable and inexpensive in construction and, while relatively rough in construction, is capable of operating with precision in unskilled hands. A feature facilitating the use of the device resides in the stability of the swinging hanger B by reason of the added weight on the hanger mounting b supplied by the motor 39 for driving the grinding wheel 33.

Changes in the specific form of my invention, as herein described, may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

4 Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A grinder comprising a frame having an overhead support, a first suspension linkage hung from said support adjacent its forward end thereof, said suspension linkage including a yieldingly extensible element constructed and arranged to permit both fore and aft and lateral swinging of the lower end of said first linkage, a second suspension linkage hung from said support adjacent its rear end thereof, said second linkage comprising a swiveling element connected at one end to said overhead support for rotation about a vertical axis, an arm pivotally connected atone end to the opposite end of said swiveling element for movement about a horizontal axis, a hanger support pivotally connected adjacent one end thereof to the free end of said arm for movement about a horizontal axis, the hanger support being connected to said first suspension linkage adjacent its forward end thereof, a grinding wheel revolubly supported on said hanger support adj'acent its forward end thereof, a motor mounted on said hanger support between said first and second linkages, and means operatively connecting said motor to said grinding wheel for rotating the same, whereby the first suspension linkage permits the forward end of the hanger support to be moved downwardly and to be swung fore and aft and sidewise to place said grinding wheel in contact with the surfaces to be ground and said second suspension linkage permits the rear end of said hanger support to turn about the vertical axis of rotation of said swiveling element conformably with the sidewise swinging movements of the forward end of said hanger support and further permits the hanger support to pivot back and forth conformably with fore and aft swinging movements of the forward end of said hanger support.

2. A grinder comprising a frame having an overhead support, a first suspension linkage including a helical spring hung from said support adjacent its forward end thereof, a second suspension linkage hung from said support adjacent its rear end thereof, said second linkage comprising a stud connected at one end to said overhead support for rotation about a vertical axis, the opposite end of said stud connected to a U-shaped member, an arm pivotally connected at one end within the legs of said U-shaped member for.

movement about a horizontal axis, a hanger support pivotally connected adjacent one end there-'- of to the free end of said arm for movement about a horizontal axis, the hanger support being connected to said first suspension linkage adjacent its forward end thereof, a grinding Wheel revolubly supported on said hanger support adjacent its forward end thereof, a motor mounted on said hanger support between said first and second linkages, and means operatively connecting said motor to said grinding wheel for rotating thesame, whereby the first suspension linkage permits the forward end of the hanger support to be moved downwardly and to be swung fore and aft and sidewise to place said grinding wheel. in contact with the surfaces to be ground and said second suspension linkage permits the rear end of said hanger support to turn about the vertical axis of rotation of said swiveling element con-,

formably with the sidewise swinging movements of the forward end of said hanger support and further permits the hanger support to pivot back and forth conformably with fore and aft swinging movements of the forward end of said hanger support. o. 3. A grinder for a sickle consisting of a bar and a series of triangular tooth-like blades secured at their butts upon said bar and bevelled along their free upper margins to provide cutting edges, said grinder comprising a holder for the sickle, a frame having an overhead support, a first suspension linkage hung from said support adjacent its forward end thereof, said suspension linkage including a yieldingly extensible element constructed and arranged to permit both fore and aft and lateral swinging of the lower end of said first linkage, a second suspension linkage hung from said support adjacent its rear end thereof, said second linkage comprising a swiveling element connected at one end to said overhead support for rotation about a vertical axis, an arm pivotally connected at one end to the opposite end of said swiveling element for movement about a horizontal axis, a hanger support pivotally connected adjacent one end thereof to the free end of said arm for movement about a horizontal axis, the hanger support being connected to said first suspension linkage adjacent its forward end thereof, a grinding wheel of 0pposed frustoconical formation having dual grinding surfaces, said grinding wheel being revolubly supported on said hanger support forwardly thereof above said holder, a motor supported on said hanger support between said first and second linkages, and means operatively connecting said motor to said grinding wheel for rotating the same, whereby the first suspension linkage permits the forward end of the hanger support to be moved downwardly and to be swung fore and aft and sidewise to contact the two opposing faces of the grinding wheel simultaneously with and along adjacent edges of two adjacent blades of the sickle, and said second suspension linkage permits the rear end of said hanger support to turn about the vertical axis of rotation of said swiveling element conformably with the sidewise swinging movements of the forward end of said hanger support and further permits the hanger support to pivot back and forth conformably with fore and aft swinging movements of the forward end of said hanger support.

4. A grinder for a sickle consisting of a bar and a series of triangular tooth-like blades secured at their butts upon said bar and bevelled alongatheirlrfreeiupper marginsito provide cutting edges, saidrgrinder comprising a holder-"for: the sickle, at frame: having anoverhead support; a-:first suspension linkage including a helical spring hungs'from said support adjacent its forward-"end thereof, a. second suspension" linkage.

hung'fromsaid support adjacentits. rear, end

supported: on said hanger. support forwardly" thereof: above said holder; 21: motor-mounted: on saidihanger" support between. said first and secend-linkages, means 'operatively connecting said motor to said grinding wheel for rotating: the

same; whereby the first suspension linkage permitsthe'; forward end of the hanger support to b'esmove'dfdownwardly' and to he swung. fore and aftzandzsiclewise to contactthe two-opposing faces ofsfthe grinding wheel' simultaneousiy with and along'adjacent edges of two adjacent blades of the sickle andz-said second linkage permits the rear end oftsaidshanger support to. turn about the vertical, axis: of' rotation of said swiveling element conformably: with: the: sidewise swinging movements of the-forward end-of said hangersupport-and further permits the hanger support toipivotback and forth conformably' with fore and-af-t-swinging movements ofv the forward end of :saidhanger support.

5; A: grindercomprising a frame having an overheadisupport', a first pendulousv suspension linkagerhung fromsaid support forwardly thereof; azsecond' pendulous suspension linkage hung from:said'support'rearwardly thereof, a hanger support carried. by said first and second linkages, said: first linkage :being connected at its Cir means:

8fi lower portion; tosaidhanger support forwardly thereof and said second linkage beingconnected at its lower portion to said hanger support rearwardly thereof, agrinding wheel revolubly-supported on the hanger support at the forwardportion thereof; a motor; mounted onv saidhanger support between said first linkage and said sec ond linkage, means operatively connecting saidmotor to' said grinding wheel for rotating: the. same, said first linkage being yieldingly' extensible enabling the forward portion of the hanger support tob'e forcedly moved'downwardly to lower the grinding wheel into contact with an article to-beground, said first linkage being swingable fore and aft and laterally enabling said forward portion of saidhangersupport to be similarly moved for shifting the grinding wheelforwardly,rearwardly and sidewise, said second linkage being swingable, but only fore and aft; enablin'g'tlie rearward portion of said hanger support to move conformably' with'the' forwardand rearward movements'of said forward portion of said hangersupport while depriving said rearward portion of said hanger support'of lateral swinging movements, said secondlinkage supporting said rearward portion of said hanger support swivelly enabling the same to turn horizontally in conformity with the sidewise movementsof said forward portion of said hanger support. V

CLIFFORD B. WEBBER,

REFERENCES CITED The followingireferences are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

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