US254431A - Half to edmund converse - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

0. N. CUTTER.

ICE CUTTING MACHINE.

Patented Feb. 28,1882.

' Wzfn55555= .2 Sheets-Sheet 2 G. N. CUTTER.

IGE CUTTING MACHINE. No. 254,431. Patented Feb. 28,1882.

/M.///M%U UNITED STATES PATENT Orrrc CHARLES N. CUTTER, or WORCESTER, MAssAonusETTs, ASSIGNOR or one HALF TO EDMUND CONVERSE, or SAME PLACE.

ICE-CUTTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 254,431, dated February 28, 1882,

' Application filed July 23,1879.

1 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES N. CUTTER,

of the city and county of Worcester, and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Cutting Ice and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in whichi 1 Figure 1 represents a top or plan view of one of my aforesaid improved ice-cutting machines. Fig. 2 represents a front side view of said machine,lookingin the direction indicated by arrow 1, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a vertical section through a portion of the machine, taken on line A B, Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by arrow 2 of the same figure. Fig.4 represents a vertical section taken on the same line, A B, as Fig. 3, but looking in the opposite direction, as indicated by arrow 3, Fig. 1. Figs. 5 and 6 represent vertical sections of still other portions of the machine, taken on lines B G and O D, Fig. I, respectively, looking in the directionindicated by arrow 4 of the same figure; and Fig. 7 represents a part end view of the machine, looking in the direction of arrows 5 5, Figs. 1 2111052. My invention relates to ice-cutting machines. 1n whlch a series of saws are mounted upon a horizontal shaft adapted to be rotated by belting from a steam-en gine placed upon theframe -of the machine.

My invention consists in details of construction which will be hereinafter described in connection with the drawings, and then clearly pointed out in the claims.

To enable those skilled in the art to which my invention belongs to make and use the same, I will proceed to describe it more in ,detai In the drawings, the parts marked E represent the frame-work, upon which the machine is arranged and secured. The saws F and G G are arranged vertically, being secured to a horizontal shaft, H, which turns in suitable hearings in the lower ends of segment-pieces I I, the operation and purpose of which pieces will be hereinafter more fully described.

Upon the inner end of shaft H is secured a small spur-gear, J, which meshes into and is operated by a larger spur-gear, K, secured to of a steam-power engine so arranged and secured upon the machine that proper connection may be made with aforesaid drivingshaft L.

The two inner saws,G G, which are smaller in diameter than the outer one,-F, simply serve the purpose of markers, while F acts as a cuttin g-saw, and may be made of any desired diameter for cutting different thicknesses of ice.

The cakes of ice may be cut of any desired size by simply changing the position of the marking-saws G G upon shaft H, the size of said cakes being the width between the outer cutting-saw, F, and marking-saw G. The purpose of saw G is to cut a short distance into the cake, in order that it may be more easily manipulated or broken up, preparatory to de livering the same to consumers. Two or more saws G, instead of one, may be employed,..if

desired.

Saws F and G G may be raised and depressed, so as to obtain a greater or less out into the ice, and to allow of'the adjustment of the machine from one positionto another, in the following manner: Segment pieces I I,

which are provided with spur-teeth .a, are tit ted loosely, so as to slide up and down in socket-pieces b b, which are secured in framework E. They are retained in their proper relative position laterally by means of narrow pieces 0 0 upon one side and slotted plates 11 d upon the other. side, both being secured to the sides of frame-work E.

The segment-pieces I I are operated to slide up and down, so as to raise and lower .the I V saws, by means ofa hand-crank, N, (secured to the upper end of an angular shaft, 0, arranged to turn in a bearing-piece, P, secured to frame-work E,) through worm-gear Q, (secured to the lower end of shaft 0,) and spurgears R and S S, secured upon horizontal shaft T, which is arranged to turn in suitable bearings, T T, secured to the sides of frame work E.

The machine is propelled forward or back, as the case may be, by means of a large toothed feed wheel, U, secured to shaft V, whichturns in suitable bearings, V V, secured to frame-work E. Said feed-wheel U is secured to aforesaid shaft V by the hub U of said wheel being keyed to a hub-piece, U secured upon shaft V. Upon said shaftV are also arranged two bevel-gears,W W, which slide back and forth upon shaft V, but are prevented in this instance from turning upon the same by one side of the shaft being cutaway upon one side the distance that they are required to slide, and screws passed through the hubs of said gears and into such cut-away places. The purpose of this arrangement is to reverse the action of feed-wheel U, so as to movethe inachine backward or forward, as before stated,

- shaft L, which meshes into a spur-gear, Y secured to the shaft X of aforesaid gear W Gear'Y inthisinstance is formed upon a coneshaped piece, Z, upon which are also formed two other gears of different sizes, Y and Y The=purpose of this arrangement is to obtain a means of varying the speed of feed-wheel U,- so as to'propel the machine back and forthfaster or slower, as desired, by bringing agear of'smaller or-greater diameter into action with )1 worm-gear Y upon driving-shaft L, according to the speed desired to be given to said feedwheel U, a smaller gear being employed to obtaiii a greater speed, and vice versa.

number employed than in this instance, if desired. In'adjusting the machine so as toobtain a greater or less propelling-power, the

' rear end of frame-piece Y is first loosened upon its supporting-piece Y by turning screwf, when the frame-piece is then raised or swung up a short distance, piece Y being slotted for the purpose, as represented at'g." The proper gear to produce the desired speed is then adjusted and secured upon shaftX at the proper point to work with and receive the action of worm-gear Y upon shaft L, when the framepiece Y is then readjusted and locked in the desired position upon its supporting-piece Y by means of screw f, and the machine thereby again prepared for operation.

The forward end of frame-piece Y is pre vented from sliding sidewise by rings or collars' h h, secured at each side of the same to shaft V. Bevelgears W W in this instance are' moved laterally upon shaft V, so as'to bring one or the other into action with bevelgear W as before explained, by being connected with a sliding rod, It, which maybe slid back and forth in suitable bearing-pieces, l l, secured to frame-work E. Said connection is made by means of forked pieces m m, which are secured at one end to aforesaid sliding rod 70, while theirother forked ends, at a, fit into slots 0 0, formed around the hubs p p of said bevel-gears W W. Thus they may be moved and held laterally without in the least retarding their rotary motion, and with said sliding rod may be combined a shipper-lever, arranged to be locked, tohold either of its gears in mesh with gear W or both of them out of mesh therewith.

Bearings V V, as will be seen by Fig. 6 of the drawings,are arranged and constructed so that shaft V and the parts connected thereto may be allowed to give or spring up slightly by arranging spiral or other suitable springs, q q, in hollow capping-pieces r 1", which bearupon the top of pieces 8 s, in which the ends The pressure of said spi-- of said shaft turns. ral springs q q upon the top of bearing-pieces s 8 may be varied by means of adjusting The object screws t t in capping-pieces i r. of this arrangement is to allow feed-wheel U-to give or spring up when coming against raised portions or ridges upon the ice, thereby preventing the teeth a of the same, as well as other portions of the machine, from being broken.

To permit the feed-wheel U to be raised off of the ice when it is desired to propel the machine sidewise, said wheel is arranged to'turn upon an eccentric hub-piece, a, (see Fig. 5,) which may be turned. so as to raise andlower said feed-wheel by inserting a bar or lever in one of the holes to formed in the head at of said" eccentric piece '27.

In changing the axis of spurwheel U the wheel is first disconnected from its holdingpiece U when the lever is then inserted in one of the holes 10, and eccentric hub-piece '1) turned so as to raise the wheel as much as desired,

IIO

and when said wheel U is to be employed for propelling the machine back and forth again bearings in frame-work E. Pawl 3 is hinged to the lower end of lever y, and is pressed down so as to catch into ratchet-teeth 1 by means of a spring, 1

A constant pressure is produced upon the under sides of pieces 51 3 in which the ends -of shaft 3 turns, by means of a spiral or other spring, 1 Thus by turning adjusting-screws y 3 up or down (their. lower ends having a bearing upon the top of bearingpieces 31' 3 I spur-wheels y may be raised or lowered at pleasure.-

- The parts marked z represent the trucks or."

wheels uponwhich the machine travels. Said trucks or wheels are arranged to revolve in the lower ends of upright pieces 2, which are loosely fitted in sockets formed in the upright parts 2 of cross-pieces e which may be adjusted up or down, and so as to turn,and thus allow the machine to be moved in any direction, as indicated by dotted lines z, Fig. 1, by means of adjusting-screws e and z, as in this instance, or in any other suitable and convenient manner.

a z are guides, which simply serve the purpose of preventing the machine from traveling out of its straight and proper course by the lower ends, 2 z, of said guides being inserted into the slot previously out by the saws, as represented by dotted lines 2 Fig. 3 of the drawings. Said guides 2 z are fulcrumed at the point z upon frame E, and are operated by means of operating-handles z. The guides are prevented from swinging over too far in either direction by the straight parts 2 of handles z striking against stop-pins 2, secured in frame E.

In practice, by the use of my improved machine only the first cut is required to be made in the usual manner now employed for cutting ice, after which the machine is then placed at one end of said out, with the lower ends, 2 z, of guides Z7 2 in aforesaid cut. The machine is'then put in operation, and the next place to be cutis marked by marking-saw G. Then the machine is propelled laterally, so as to bring the cutting-saw into the line last marked, and that line out and another marked, and so on from one succeeding cut to another.

The surface of ice required to be cut up having been cut, as aforesaid, and marked by saw G in one direction, the machine is then turned a quarter-way around, so as to cut the ice into blocks or cakes, the operation of the machine being the same as above described, excepting that its motion back and forth over the field of partially-cut ice will be at right angles to its'motion in making the cuts first above described.

From theforegoing description it willbe seen that by my invention a very convenient, practical, and labor-saving ice-cutting machine is produced, and one which performs its office perfectly. Those skilled in the art to which it appertains will readily understand and appreciate its practical advantages. It not only saves much expense by doing away with a great portion of manual labor and labor by horse-power, which is now employed in cutting ice, but at the same time produces much more satisfactory results, inasmuch as by the use of guides such as are used upon the machine, and by-obtaining a strong, steady, and even propelling-power, the cakes are out much more evenly, and with greater rapidity than by the old methods usually employed of plowing or otherwise cutting ice by hand or horse power.

It will be observed that the ice cutting and marking saws are so made that they will out equally well when rotated either forward or back. Consequently they will cut the ice by an under and upward motion-that is, when the machine is propelled in one direction the rotation of the saws should be such as to have their upper parts rotate back, thus cutting the ice from under and up, and the change of rotation of, the saws and feed-wheel maybe reversed by employing a reversible steam-englue.

Having described my improvements in machines for cutting ice, what I claim therein as new and of my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a machine for cutting ice, the combination, with shaft V and propelling-wheel U, of the eccentric hub-piece o and its head 00, provided with holes 10, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, with frame E of the ice-cutting machine and shaft V, carrying propelling-wheels upon an eccentric hub, of adjustable shaft H, marking-saw G, and cuttingsaw F, arranged in relation to each other substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination, with marking-saw G and cutting-saw F, of a second marking-saw, G, and an adjustable shaft, H,operated by means of cog-wheels and worm-gears, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4.. The combination, with shaft H and frame E, of curved socket-pieces b b, geared segmentpieces I I, shaft T, worm-gear R, spur-gears S S, operating-crank N, and its shaft 0, provided with worm-gear Q, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. The combination, with shafts H, X, and L, relatively arranged and supported as described,0f gears W, W,W ,Y Y ,Y and Y substantial] y as and for the purposes set forth.

' 6. In an ice-machine, a frame, Y,-pivoted at one end upon the shaft V, carrying the propelling-wheels, and adjustable vertically at the other end, in combination with shaft X, supported thereby, worm gearing-wheels upon said shaft, and worm-wheel Y whereby shafts X and L are supported in relation to each other as and for the purposes set forth.

7. The combination, with the frame E of the ice-cutting machine and cross-pieces 2 of upright parts 2 upright shafts z, trucks or wheels 2, and adjusting-screws 2 2", said parts being constructed and relatively arranged substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

8. The combination, with the frame E, provided with stop-pins z, of guides z", fulcrumed at the point e and provided with operatinghandles a and downwardly-projecting parts or flanges z, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

CHARLES N. CUTTER.

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