3c6 Dfcnplion of Mr. Cuftances 



nopoly might be made of the art of preparing vegetable cut- 

 tings, as had been fuceefsfully done by Cuftancc. Al- 

 though the oppofition was ftrong, I was the fuccefsful bidder, 

 and became poflcfled of both engines, which are conftru&ed 

 nearly upon the fame principle ; and I am happy to embrace 

 the prefent opportunity of communicating to the public fo 

 valuable an acquisition to philofophy and fcience. 



Cuflance's bcjl Culling Engine defcribed. 

 Fig. i. rcprcfents a view, and fig. 2. a fe£tion, of the cut- 

 ting machine. It has the appearance of an oblong box, and 

 the fides from the bottom A (fig. 2.) up to B are made of 

 brafs. A piece of hard mafiogany, C C, is fitted into 

 the brafs box, and fills the whole cavity down to a a, leav- 

 ing a void fpace at the bottom, of fufficient fize to admit 

 the parts of the machine which work there, and which 

 are defcribed below. From the top to the bottom of the 

 wood there is a perforation, of which the outline of fig. 3. 

 may be confidered as representing a horizontal feclion, 

 which receives eaiily a brafs focket, fig. 3, in which the 

 wood (A) to be cut is fecured in its place by means of a 

 brafs holdfaft c, grooved like a float file, and prefled againft 

 the wood by tire {crew d. This focket, with the holdfaft, 

 (which viewed in front has a fluted appearance) and the 

 piece of wood is reprefented in its place D, fig. 1 and 2, 

 where it is fecured from {baking by means of the piece e, 

 fig. 2, prefled againft it by the fcrew £ but not fo tight as 

 to prevent its being raifed when required by the micrometer 

 fcrew to be yet defcribed. The focket, which fills the perfora- 

 tion from the furface D clown to g, has a horizontal divifion 

 at h, which fcrves as a bottom for the holdfaft to reft on ; the 

 cavity of the focket below h receivesa piece of metali i, of which 

 fig. 4, is an horizontal fe£t ion ; through this piece, which 

 moves eaiily up or down in the focket, is a female fcrew, in 

 which the micrometer fcrew turns, which may be feen pafT- 

 mg -through 1 % in fig. 2. The micrometer fcrew, the neck 

 of which works in a plate m m, made faft to the bottom of 

 the piece of mahogany before defqribed by means of the 



fcrewa 



