[Fig. 1224.] is a geometrical elevation of one side of Mr. Davis’s machine. [Fig. 1225.] a plan or horizontal representation of the same, as seen in the top; and [fig. 1226.] a section taken vertically across the machine near the middle, for the purpose of displaying the working parts more perfectly than in the two preceding figures. These three figures represent a complete machine in working condition, the cutters being worked by a rotatory motion, and the cloth so placed in the carriage as to be cut from list to list. a, a, a, is a frame or standard, of wood or iron, firmly bolted together by cross braces at the ends and in the middle. In the upper side-rails of the standard, there is a series of axles carrying anti-friction wheels b, b, b, upon which the side-rails c, c, of the carriage or frame that bears the cloth runs, when it is passing under the cutters in the operation of shearing. The side-rails c, c, are straight bars of iron, formed with edges v, on their under sides, which run smoothly in the grooves of the rollers b, b, b. These side-rails are firmly held together by the end stretchers d, d. The sliding frame has attached to it the two lower rollers e, e, upon which the cloth intended to be shorn is wound; the two upper lateral rollers f, f, over which the cloth is conducted and held up; and the two end rollers g, g, by which the habiting rails h, h, are drawn tight.
In preparing to shear a piece of cloth, the whole length of the piece is, in the first place, tightly rolled upon one of the lower rollers e, which must be something longer than the breadth of the cloth from list to list. The end of the piece is then raised, and passed over the top of the lateral rollers f, f, whence it is carried down to the other roller e, and its end or farral is made fast to that roller. The hooks of the habiting rails h, h, are then put into the lists, and the two lower rollers e, e, with the two end rollers g, g, are then turned, for the purpose of drawing up the cloth, and straining it tight, which tension is preserved by ratchet wheels attached to the ends of the respective rollers, with palls dropping into their teeth. The frame carrying the cloth, is now slidden along upon the top standard rails by hand, so that the list shall be brought nearly up to the cutter i, i, ready to commence the shearing operation; the bed is then raised, which brings the cloth up against the edges of the shears.
The construction of the bed will be seen by reference to the cross section [fig. 1226.] It consists of an iron or other metal roller k, k, turned to a truly cylindrical figure, and covered with cloth or leather, to afford a small degree of elasticity. This roller is mounted upon pivots in a frame l, l, and is supported by a smaller roller m, similarly mounted, which roller m, is intended merely to prevent any bending or depression of the central part of the upper roller or bed k, k, so that the cloth may be kept in close contact with the whole length of the cutting blades.
In order to allow the bed k to rise and fall, for the purpose of bringing the cloth up to the cutters to be shorn, or lowering it away from them after the operation, the frame l, l, is made to slide up and down in the grooved standard n, n, the movable part enclosed within the standard being shown by dots. This standard n, is situated about the middle of the machine, crossing it immediately under the cutters, and is made fast to the frame a, by bolts and screws. There is a lever o, attached to the lower cross-rail of the standard, which turns upon a fulcrum-pin, the extremity of the shorter arm of which lever acts under the centre of the sliding-frame, so that by the lever o, the sliding-frame, with the bed, may be raised or lowered, and when so raised, be held up by a spring catch j.
It being now explained by what means the bed which supports the cloth is constructed, and brought up, so as to keep the cloth in close contact with the cutters, while the operation of shearing is going on; it is necessary, in the next place, to describe the construction of the cutters, and their mode of working; for which purpose, in addition to what is shown in the first three figures, the cutters are also represented detached, and upon a larger scale, in [fig. 1227.]