WOLSELEY'S SHEEP-SHEARING MACHINE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1511, 19 March 1887, Page 3

WOLSELEY'S SHEEP-SHEARING MACHINE.

(Melbourne ' Daily Telegraph '

A. large cumber of gentlemen asiembled la Messrs R. Goldsbrough and Oo.'swool stores, Bourke street easf, yesterday afternoon, to witness a trial of a novel pad highly useful invention, v'z „ a ■hetp-inearzDg machine, the invention of Mr P. T. Wolieley, of the Euroka ■tatlon. The following description will giro an Idea of the invention :— The machine I« ssmal t being enclosed m a biais oMlng 8 inches long, the working parti m front, the hind parts forming a suitable handle. Through the handle moi a light steel rod working m bearings at'both ends. At the front end is atttohed a light steel crank, with pin attached thereto ; this pin fits into a hole In a small piece half-inch long of $ steel tod, •ftllad the plunge ; this plunge fits a light steel cylinder, the front part of whioh Is slightly scored out to permit of • lateral motion to the crank pin, At ihe back of the cylinder is an arm extending one inoh, with sleeve, fitting over the main pin, whioh Is securely attached to the oase. Under the arm is Sj friction double whee 1 , whioh rolls on a •teal step as the arm reolprocates. On the top of this arm Is a hinge joint, to whioh is hloged tbe lever arm or fork ; this fork has three prongs, the ends being bent dowowirds with pins m each point to receive the smalt hollow steel cutters. On the top side of the fork la a slight hollow to receive the arms of the saddle, being a light collar fitting over the main pin, with arms retting on the fork. A milled round-headed hollow nut, whioh also sots as a recepUole for oil to lubricate the main pin, is screwed down on the main pin head, and this presses the saddle arms Into the fork, and gives pressure on ihe points of the fork holding the small cutter, This pressure or tension Is kept Id position by a small steel spring fitting into the ratchet* on the tension nut. The cutter whioh cats the wool sb It reciprocates over the oomb, is ol light ■teel, having three points, and is stamped hollow to avoid friotion. The oomb la of steel, being one-eighth of an inch thick, and havlqg eleven teeth half an Inoh long. It is fastened to the underneath part of th» front of the oaeing by suitable fht broad-heided icrews, and has an adjust* Jng slot, so as to poimit of its being moved backwards or for ward a to suit the s!z3 of the cut required. At the end of the hand|e is a universal joint connecting the machine with the case conveying the motive power. This joint enables the operator to twlat and turn his hand m say direction, thus giving him as much freedom of use ns if he were working a pair of common shears. The action of the cutter as it reciprocato3 quicklj over the oomb is self sharpening ; thus one cutter may ahear a thousand or more sheep unless the wool possesses sand or foreign natter to destroy the cutting edges. In this case, or where it may bo necessary to remove tbo cv ter, and replace it by a sharp one, the tension nut is eased, the fork ie raised till the pin points are above the corresponding holes m tho cutter, and m a few seconds a fresh one ispiuc.d m position, the tension nut is screwed down till the required tension or pressure is effected on the cutter, and work is re* sumed. In the event rt the comb being broken, or its cutting edges heing injured, it can be speedily replaced by relieving the screws which connect it with the ense and substituting n now one. All the parts of the machine are Interchangeable; thus should one part be injured or wear out m course of time it can quickly bo replaced by a duplicate. The motive power is oonveyed to the machine by either steam or horse. An eight-horse power CDgino will work 100 machines. Several sheep were shorn yesterday, and the trial proved an unqualified success. The time taken to shear the first sheep was 4£ minutes, the fleece being cut close and very cleanly. The machine having been run over a sheep that had been shorn m the ordinary way removed 9£ oza of wool, thereby giving evidence of the closeness of tho cut. The combs, however, oan be made of any thiokneßß, so that any desired length of fleece may be left on the sheep. An impo'tant feature is that no Becond out is necessary, and unskilled men can use the msobino