hovey’s straw cutter. 
216 
HOVEY’S STRAW CUTTER. 
In regard to my straw cutters, I will briefly state, 
commencing with No. 1, that the frame and straw 
box is similar to those that have been in common 
nse, except mine are made in a manner more substan¬ 
tial and of superior workmanship, and joint bolts 
and wood screws are used instead of nails and pins. 
The running parts of this machine consist of a 
cylinder, on which are six spiral knives, fastened by 
screws to six spiral wings, cast on the cylinder. On 
the shaft or arbor of said cylinder is a balance wheel 
and crank handle, which is to give motion to the ma¬ 
chine. Immediately above the cylinder of knives is 
a hide roller, about 3i inches in diameter, and 6 
inches long, which, by means of two screws, can be 
pressed down so as to come in equal and easy contact 
with the outer surface of the cylinder of knives, be¬ 
tween which the cutting operation is performed. The 
edges of the knives come in contact with the hide 
roller as they revolve in connection with each other. 
This motion serves also to draw in the feed after it 
has been placed in the box, and makes it a self-feed¬ 
ing machine. This simple combination of a cylinder 
of knives with a hide roller, constitutes the whole 
moving operations of this important machine, and 
performs the double purpose of cutting and self-feed¬ 
ing. But the most important part of this machine 
may be described as follows : 
Straw Cutter.—Fig. 56. 
These knives are fastened on to the wings on the cy¬ 
linder by means of two or more binding screws, which 
pass through the centre of the knife near each end. A 
slot is cutout from the hole in the knife, through which 
the screw passes to the inner edge of the knife, the size 
of the screw, so that by simply starting the binding 
screws back a little, the knives can be taken off sepa¬ 
rately without taking out the binding screws, and by 
means of two set screws, which are inserted in to 
the cylinder, directly under the inner edges of said 
knives, running towards the centre of the cylinder 
The heads of those screws are slotted like wood 
screws, and screwed down nearly even with the 
outer surface of the cylinder, between the wings. 
On the heads of the screws, near each end, the inner 
edges of the knives rest, so that by turning out those 
set screws with a screw-driver, it will force the knife 
out from the centre of the cylinder, and by this 
arrangement all the knives on the cylinder are easily 
adjusted ; and in case any one knife should, by extra 
grinding, or by wear or accident, become more nar¬ 
row than the "rest, it can be set out so as to be per¬ 
fectly cylindrical and uniform with all the knives on 
the cylinder; and when so adjusted the binding screws 
can be screwed up, and hold them firm against the 
spiral wings. These wings serve to strengthen the 
knives and support them in their proper position, by 
means of which the largest cornstalks can be cut in 
these machines with ease and dispatch. 
No. 1 cutter, 1 think, will cut about 100 lbs. of 
stalks, hay, or straw, in twenty minutes, by hand 
power. The hide roller is formed of the best pre¬ 
pared raw hide, and made solid by slipping hide 
washers or collars on to an iron shaft, and pressing 
them together with a pressure of more than ten tons 
before they are turned off. The spiral position of 
the knives is such, that one end of a knife leaves the 
hide roller at the same time the next one approaches 
it; by this means the resistance is uniform and equal; 
and in consequence of the convex form of the edges 
of the knives, the uniform manner in which the cut¬ 
ting is performed, together with the angular manner 
in which the substances are cut, renders this plan 
the most rapid and easy of nny method now in use 
for the above purpose. The above described machine 
is the smallest size that I make at present. The 
others are made on the same plan, and vary only in 
size and strength. 
No. 1 cuts 100 lbs. hay, &c., in 20 
“ 2 “ “ “ “ 15 
“ 3 “ “ “ “ 12 
« 4 « u « .i 10 
“ 5 “ “ « “ 8 
u 0 « « « « 5 
minutes. Price $12. 
“ “ 15 
“ “ 20 . 
“ “ 25. 
“ “ 30. 
“ “ 35. 
The above are estimated to work by hand power, 
and cut straw and cornstalks with the same rapidity 
as hay. If water or horse power is used, it increases 
their power of cutting; for No. 5 will then cut 100 
lbs. of hay, &c., in five instead of eight minutes. 
No. 1 to No. 6 cut the feed about 1£ inches long; 
the other sizes about If inches. Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4 
have six knives on the cylinders; No. 5 has eight; 
No. 6 has twelve knives. The size of the hide 
rollers varies from 3£ to 5 inches in diameter, and from 
6 to 8 in length, according to size and price of the 
machines. The number of revolutions required in 
the above calculation would be, by hand power, about 
40 per minute, and about 60 by horse power. Either 
of the power cutlers are capable of cutting a ton of 
stalks, hay, or straw, in one hour, if it can be put 
into the box. The cylinder may run with safety 
from 60 to 100 turns per minute. 
The advantage of having the roller above the 
cylinder of knives is obvious, from the fact that 
without gearing the crank would not turn the cylin¬ 
der the right way without turning backwards; and 
from another fact, that grit or gravel in the hay will 
not lodge on the hide roller when it is above the hay, 
and this prevents in a great measure the dulling of 
the knives. Were the roller at the bottom, or under 
the knives, the dust would fall into the indentations 
made in the roller by the pressure of the knives, and 
in time would become full of grit and gravel ; besides, 
the machines are more simple without gearing, and 
less likely to get out of repair. Wm. Hovey, 
Worcester, Mass., May 25, 1845. 
