The workmen draw the paper from between the rollers c, and bring it up to the stop h, in the intervals between the passing to and fro of the swing-cutters.
The following very ingenious apparatus for cutting the paper web transversely into any desired lengths, was made the subject of a patent by Mr. E. N. Fourdrinier, in June, 1831, and has since been performing its duty well in many establishments.
[Fig. 781.] is an elevation, taken upon one side of the machine; and [fig. 782.] is a longitudinal section. a, a, a, a, are four reels, each covered with one continuous sheet of paper; which reels are supported upon bearings in the frame-work b, b, b. c, c, c, is an endless web of felt-cloth passed over the rollers d, d, d, d, which is kept in close contact with the under side of the drum e, e, seen best in [fig. 782.]
The several parallel layers of paper to be cut, being passed between the drum e, and the endless felt c, will be drawn off their respective reels, and fed into the machine, whenever the driving-band is slid from the loose to the fast pulley upon the end of the main shaft f. But since the progressive advance of the paper-webs must be arrested during the time of making the cross cut through it, the following apparatus becomes necessary. A disc g, which carries the pin or stud of a crank i, is made fast to the end of the driving shaft f. This pin is set in an adjustable sliding piece, which may be confined by a screw within the bevelled graduated groove, upon the face of the disc g, at variable distances from the axis, whereby the eccentricity of the stud i, and of course the throw of the crank, may be considerably varied. The crank stud i is connected by its rod j, to the swinging curvilinear rack k, which takes into the toothed wheel l, that turns freely upon the axle of the feed drum e, e. From that wheel the arms m, m, rise, and bear one or more palls n, which work in the teeth of the great ratchet wheel o, o, mounted upon the shaft of the drum e.
