US28179A - Improvement in machines for cutting fat - Google Patents

Description

J. M. HUNTER. MACHINE FOR CUTTING FAT.

No. 28,179. Patented May 8,1860.-

Ewen/Z, 1 w j fwgma PATENT OFFIC J. M. HUNTER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR CUTTING FAT.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 28,179, dated May 8, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. M. HUNTER, of the city and county of New York, in the State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Machine for Cutting Fat preparatory to Bendering the same and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the construction and operation .of the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the principal parts. Fig. 2 is a section on theline S S. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the trough and the feeding apparatus. Fig. 4 is a section of a portion of the cutting-disk and of the means of sharpening and of cleaning the same on a larger'scale, and Fig. 5 is a view of a portion from the rear on a larger scale.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the drawings.

The nature of my invention consists in slicin g the blubber of the whale or other fat by a circular cutter or disk which is rotated and moved vertically at the same time; also, in rotating the disk by a positive motion in one direction during the entire descent, and releasing'and allowing it to continue its motion by momentum during the return vertical move ment; also, in combination with the means of driving, in a means of adjusting the height of the shaft of the disk without afiecting the other parts of the machine; also, in a form of the feeding-trough; also, in the combination of a heart-cam motion with a rack-and-pinion motion in actuating the cutting-disk; also, in a mode of sharpening the cutting-disk.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation by the .aid of the drawings and of the letters of ref:

erence marked thereon.

I construct a trough, A, to receive the lumps of blubber or other fat to be sliced, and in line therewith,-and at a little distance therefrom, construct another, B, as represented. In the base of A, I mount an endless belt, a, and in the base of B a similar belt, Z, as represented. Both belts are actuated by suitable mechanism so as to move in the same direction, and the belt a; feeds the lumps, while the belt b conveys away the slices of fat, r, after they have been out, the cutter operating in the small E, the latter being capable of being raised and lowered relatively to D by means of the screw F, and of being firmly fixed thereon by means of set-screws. In this frame E, I mount a shaft, y g, with a large thin disk, G, firmly fixed on one-extremity, and a small ratchetwheel, G, firmly fixed on the other extremity.

The disk G is sharp and thin and performs the duty of slicing the fat, being so mounted that when the frames D and E, with their attachments, are allowed to sink to their lowest positions it stands in the space between A and B, so as completely to separate them; but when it is elevated by the same means it is entirely clear of said space.

I mount in suitable hearings on the side posts, 0 O, a shaft, H, which extends across in front of the frame D. This shaftis rotated by'power outside of the machine and forms the medium through which my entire machine is operated. On it I fix cams or equivalent devices, which, at each revolution, impart, through suitable connections, an intermittent motion to the feed-belt a and to the deliverybelt I), the belt b being moved with the same velocity as a, or with a different velocity, according as the connections are arranged.

The construction of this portion of the machine is analogous to the feed-motions and delivery-motions of carding-engines and many varieties of machines.

. I prefer to cause the belt b to travel a little faster than the belt a.

I adopt any of the well-known means for tightening and adjusting my belts a and b.

I obtain the vertical reciprocating-motion of the frame D and its attachments directly from the revolution of H by the following means: I fix on H two heart-shaped cams, I I,'which, as the shaft H rotates, act upon the frame D through the intervention of the small wheels or rollers 01 d d d, as represented. These cams I compel the frame D, and consequently the cutting-disk G, to rise and sink steadily or uniformly.

I mount loosely on the shaft 9 a gear-wheel, J, which meshes into a fixed rack, K, and as the frame D rapidly rises and sinks this wheel J rotates in corresponding directions, revolving with a uniform motion in one direction, while moving downward and with a similar motion in the opposite direction while moving upward. I

On the wheel J is fixed a pawl, T, and spring t, as shown in Fig. 5, which operate on the ratchet-wheel G, soas to rotate the shaft g and the attached cutting-disk in the direction indicated by the arrow.

Ifix in the opening between the belt a and the belt btwo bars, m m, extending across the trough, with their upper surfaces level, or nearly level, with the upper surface of the belt 0.. These bars aid in supporting the fat which is being cut, and are at such distance apart that the cutting-disk G may work between them.

The bar m, also the bottom B of the trough B, may, if preferred, be mounted at a lower level than A and m. This may facilitate the separation of the slices without materially affecting the action of my machine.

I make the width of the trough B somewhat greater at the end presented toward the cutting-disk than the width of the corresponding end of the trough A, and I arrange the sides of these troughs in the manner shown in Fig. 3, in order that the sliceswhich are drawnor moved to one side by the rotary motion of G during its descent may be properly conducted upon the belt b,'to be removed.

I fix on the frame D, at the point designated, two suitable surfaces, N N, which may, by the action of the. screws a and P, be made to press with any required degree of force on either or both sides of the disk at its edges, forthe purpose of keeping the edge in a keen cutting condition. The surfaces N N may be coated with emery or inlaid with bones or other suitable material of any degree of fineness desired. As all parts of the periphery of G pass equally through the space between these, the disk is thereby kept always sharp and true. These parts N N may extend nearly to the center of G, if desired, and may serve an ad-.

ditional purpose in clearing G from any fat which may tend to adhere to it.

It will be observed that the pawl T acts to drive the disk Gr only during the descending motion and that it releases it entirely during the ascending motion. It follows that the disk G is not compelled to rotate alternately in opposite directions, but is driven directly only during the descent of the parts, and is set free to continue its rotation by momentum during their ascent, or to stop its rototary mo- .tion entirely during such period as the friction or other resistance may dictate.

By the use of the heart-shaped cams I I the motion is transmitted uniformly during the en tire descent. A crank or any other motion may be substituted for the heartcam motion, if desired; but in such case the disk will not receive a uniform rotatory motion during its descent, nor will it, if running very freely, receive such motion during the whole period of the descent, because if the motion of'th pawl diminishes at any period it becomes ineffective by reason of the ratchet-wheel running away from it by its momentum. It is desirable to receive motion through this pawl during as long a period as possible, and the utmost is the whole period of descent. This latter is entirely availed of by my use of the heartshapcd cams.

This mode of driving will usually allow the disk to rotate sufficiently to keep itself clear and to avoid dragging up and disturbing the slices; but in case the material is in anywise difficult to work I fix the wheel Gr rigidly upon the shaft 9, and thus compel the cuttingdisk G to rotate with a positive motion in the opposite direction during its ascent.

The cost of constructing the machine and the liability to derangement are both reduced by dispensing with the ratchet and pawl 1n all cases, and driving the disk in the manner last described. Either method of driving the disk may be adopted in my invention, as may be desired.

Y I can modify the form of my cams more or less from the ordinary form, so as to give a continuously accelerating motion during the descent, without defeating the object of my invention; but I prefer the ordinaryform for the reason, among others, that it fills the space between the rollers d d in all positions of the cams and prevents rattling and uncertainty in the action.

My machine gives a very rapid drawing cut, and the machines heretofore used for this purpose are unable to obtain these conditions to an equal extent. My machine, worked in the manner first describedgallows the knife to revolve at pleasure and clear itself of fat without compelling any positive rotatory motion on the ascent. It allows the cutter to be placed to workat any depth required, as the disk wears away, without any adjustment of other portions of the machine. It allows the slices to bemoved to one side by the rotation of the disk without afl'ecting their arrangement in close contact with each other.- It compels the disk to rotate with a uniform velocity during its descent, which may, by properly, proportioning the parts, he made that which is found most desirable in practice and it keeps the cutting edge always keenly sharpened and very true.

Having now fully described my improved machine, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Slicing the fat by the cutter G, which is rotated and moved vertically at the same time, p

as herein set forth. 7

2. In combination with the rack K and pinion J, or their equivalents, operating G by the ratchet and pawl G T, or their equivalen s so as to act with a positive motion during the entire descent, and to release Gr during the ascent, as described, to avoid losing time and power in overcoming the momentum of the cutting-disk, and for the. purpose of clearing it of the material without increasing the labor of operating.

3. The adjustable frame E, as herein described, in combination with the pinion J and fixed rack K, or their equivalents, for lowering the shaft g, as the disk becomes smaller, without 'afi'ecting any of the other portions of the machine.

4.. The flaring of the trough B, as described, for the purposes herein set forth.

J. M. HUNTER.

Witnesses THOMAS D. STETSON, WM. B. SMITH.

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