US2013893A - Cutter for paper and board stock - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 10, 1935. R R, MATTHEWS 2,013,893

'CUTTER FOR PAPFR AND BCARD STOCK Filed March 9 1934 j I Zlvwcntot 1/ Ross RMalf/zews "/c/K J' 2 8/ 2a 83 W Patented Sept. 10, 1935 UNITED STATES cu'rraaroamraaannnoann STOCK- Boas B. Matthews, Seattle, Walla, assignor of one-halftoIsaaoP.Matthewa, Seattle, Wash.

Application March a, 19:4, Serial No. 114,801

BClaima. (am-1s) My invention relates to cutters such as are used by printers, sign shops, photographers, schools. and the like for cutting paper or board stock, trimming the edges thereof, and for squaring up stock.

Usually a shear is employed for such purposes, but the shears available are expensive, and it is diilicult to keep them sharp and true. Furthermore, they will not operate satisfactorily on heavy stock, having a tendency to crush it. It is an object of my invention to provide a device which will serve such a purpose, which will operate satisfactorily for stock of diflerent thicknesses, and which can be manufactured and sold at a low price, and one in which the cutting elements consist of an ordinary razor blade which can be purchased cheaply anywhere and which can be sharpened or easily replaced.

Such razor blades are quite flexible, hence it is a further object to devise such a cutter adapted to the use of razor blades, and wherein are provided means to guide the cutting element independently of the razor blade, yet also to guide and hold the razor blade to prevent its flexing during the cutting operation. 7

I have discovered that such a cutting element will not operate satisfactorily on both paper stock and board stock except as the angle of the razor blade is changed for each type of work, and it is a further object, therefore, to devise a cutting element for use in such a device, wherein the angle of the blade may be readily and quickly changed and set at the proper angle without the necessity of measurement or careful adjustment by the operator.

Since such a device must be capable of clamping and holding stock of various thicknesses, from a single sheet of thin paper to a piece of wall board, it is a further object to provide selfadiusting means which will permit the clamping element which I employ to accommodate itself naturally and automatically to the different thicknesses, yet to hold each securely.

Since a clamping arm is employed in my device, and it should be of light material for ease in handling and for cheapness, it is a further object to so mount the two ends thereof and to hold these two ends in place against any movement laterally of the clamping arm, so that the latter may serve as a guide for the cutting element, and will be positioned exactly parallel to the groove which I employ as a guide and support for the razor blade.

Other objects, particularly such as pertain to mechanical details, will becomev apparent as this specification progresses.

My invention comprises the novel parts, and

I the novel combination and arrangement thereof by the claims which terminate the same.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown my invention embodied in a form which is at 10 present preferred by me, it being understood that various changes may be made from the form illustrated, within the scope of the claims.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device in operation.

Figure 2 is an end view of the device, parts being broken away.

Figure'3 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 2, showing the cutting element in operative position, and showing how the device accom-Qll modates itself to diilerent thicknesses of stock.

Figure 4 is a transverse section through the cutting element, board and clamping arm, showing the operative relationship of the parts.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section through the 25 slide forming part of the cutting element, showing the razor blade supported thereon.

The device comprises essentially a board 2, along one edge of which may be secured a ruler 20, a clamping arm 3 which is placed at right angles .to the ruler 3 and which is hinged at a from a support secured to the board -to cooperate with the board in clamping and holding stock S placed upon the board, and a slide l movable along the clamping arm 3 and carrying a blade Ill projecting below the slide and past the plane of the board's surface to cut through the stock held between the clamping arm and the board.

For cheapness and convenience of manufacture, and because it is light and easy to handle, 40 the clamping arm 3 may be formed as a tube of rectangular cross section. At one end, preferably adjacent the ruler 20, if the latter is employed,

a supporting arm 4 is mounted, this being preferably in the form of a flat spring suitably secured, 45 as by a screw '40, to the board I, and projecting thence upwardly, as indicated at 4|, and then outwardly. The tube is recessed, as is best seen in Figures 2 and 3, and the supporting arm 4, or

o at least the upwardly extending portion 4| thereof, 50

is made of a width to exactly fill the recess within the tubular arm 3, which is hingedly connected to the outer end of the supporting arm 4 by the pivot pin 30. Thus when the clamping arm 3 is swung downwardly towards the board 2 the sup- 65 porting amt. fitting exactly within its recess,

.will prevent movement ofthe clamping arm 3 relative to'the board transversely of the clamping r purpose of obtaining a better grip the under surface of theclamping' arm may be faced with a the legs of the slide l the razor blade so that'whilethe structure may be simple n a mggfig entof this end of the clampa'swinging movement-about ing arm othe'r' I e the pivot pin flimsy bepermitted. By making the supportingarm I of spring'niaterial it-permits the clamping. arm to yield vertically relatively to thesurface-of the board to accommodate.

diflerent thicknesses of stuck. as maybe seen by comparison of Figures 2 and 3.

Adjacent the swinging en'dof the clamping arm a catch is provided, this being secured .to theupper surface ofthe board and projecting into a recess in the tubular clamping arm,.this catch being of a width to fill therecess and being formed .preferably of a piece of flat metal bent upon itself,

hence it prevents transverse movement. of this end of the clamping-arm in the same way that the supporting arm 4 prevents such movement at the other end. The catch 5 may be somewhat spring-like, and-so positioned andformed as to engage an edge ll of the recess in the clamping arm to hold this swinging endof the clamping arm 'downagainst the board or against stock which may be placed upon the board. j For the strip of rubber, as-ihdicated at jl, and immediately beneath this, upon the surface of the board 2, may be placed a strip 2! of'sandpaper. The slidel ispreferably bifurcated to closely embrace the arm 3, so that it may be guided by On one of this arm whilevmoving therealong.

7 I0 is secured. Preferably this is the outer 'leg', and the razor blade is secured on the. inner face of this leg,

' where it will be closely adjacent the'clamping arm 3, yet it acts outside the clamping arm, and

any failure to cut properly may be immediately observed. As seen in Figure 5, the razor blade is of a type readily available on the market, having a longitudinal slit ll. Abolt l2-may be passed through one end of this slit l l and through a hole provided therefor in the leg of the slide I, and a complemental bolt It may be passedthrough the other end of the slot l I and through an arcuate slot M in the slide. It has been'discovered that the blade should form a reasonably acute angle to the guide surfaces 'l5-of the slide which rest upon the top of the clamping arm 3 when paper is to be cut, but that the angle should be'greater when board-stock is to be cut, hence by providing the arcuate slot H, or the equivalent, two spaced holes the angle of the blade may be readily adjusted in accordance with the character of the stock to be cut, and the operator I may-change the adjustment and know that he 60v stock in addition to the guide afforded by themounting of the slide I upon the clamping arm 3.

Accordingly at the end of the board 2, adjacent the clamping arm 3 and parallel to it, I provide two metallic strips 22 and 23, suitably secured to the board as by the screws 24, and slightly spaced tome arm a. by 12 and 2:.

It thus projects below, Such by washers 2S (see Figure 4), and the groove thus formed between these two metal strips receives the projecting part of the blade l0, and these strips are spaced only suiliciently to receive theblade,

and therefore closely embrace, support andgulde. 5

the blade, and prevent its flexingJ Thus the slide is guided mainly by the clamping arm 3', yet

the bladev is additionally guided and supported so e that it will not run off along a curve or atan" angle the groove between the strips It is believed the manner of'useof thedevice self-evident from the above description. and from the accompanyingdrawing,

r the advantages attained by its r 15 What I claim as my invention'isz. 1 1 1. A cutter of the character "described,'.com-

prising a board, a tubular clamping arm,'nie"ans hingedly-supporting ,one end of said-arm from v board, a catch upon the board distant from a said hinge means, comprising a flat metallic piece folded upon itself, the tubular am being apervtured to receive said catch, the sides of said. aperture engaging the ends of the catch, to prevent transverse movement or the arm, and one end edge engaging the catch to hold the rm toftheboard to clamp-stockplaced upon the board,

and a blade-carrying slide movable along the arm tocjut stock thus clamped.

2.; A-cutterof'the character described, comprising 'a; .board,a tubular clamp n arm,

hingedly supporting one end of said armfrom the board, ajcatchupon the board distant from said hinge. means, comprising a flat metallic piece folded-"upon itselL-the tubular arm-being aperturedfto receive said catch, the sides-of said aperture engagingthe'ends of the catch to prevent transverse movement of the arm, and one end edge'engaging the catch to hold the arm down to the board to-clamp'stock placed upon the board, the board having a groove adjacent and parallel .to the arm, and a slide having a downwardly projecting blade movable along the arm, the blade then closely received in the groove to be held'therein'ag'ainst flexing. I j

3. A slide for cutters of. the character described, comprising a body bifurcated to be guided for movement along a longitudinal guide, a razor blade having 'an elongated slot, a hole in one leg of said body adapted to register with one end "of the razor blade's slot, and a bolt extending through both, thereby to hold the razor blade projecting below the body, a second bolt passing through the opposite end of said slot, and the body having an arcuate slot to receive said second bolt for adjustment of the angle of the blade about the first bolt, according to the thickness of the material to be cut. I a

4. A cutter of the character described, comprising. a board, a tubular clamping arm, a flat springarm mounted at one end upon the board, and extending thence upwardly and then outwardly, a hinge support for the clamping arm at the outer end of said spring arm, the clamping arm being recessed to receive and closely embrace the upwardly extending portion of the spring arm, when in clamping position, to prevent relative movement between this end of the clamping arm and-the board, transversely of the clamping arm, means interengageable between the board and the swinging end of the clamping arm to hold v the clamping arm down to the board to clamp stock placed upon the board, and to prevent relative movement between this end of the clamping arm and the board, transversely ofthe clamping arm, and a blade-carrying slide movable along the clamping arm to cut stock clamped thereby.

5. A cutter of the character described, comprising a board, a clamping arm formed of hollow rectangular tubing, means to hold said arm down to the board to clamp stock placed upon the board, said means projecting within the hollow arm and spanning the cavity to engage both sides thereof, thus to prevent its displacement transversely. a slide guided for movement lengthwise of said arm, and a cutting blade carried by and projecting below said slide.

6. A cutter of the character described, comprising a board, a clamping arm, means hingedly supporting one end of said am from the board, means interengageable between the board and the swinging end of the arm to hold the am down to clamp stock placed upon the board, said hinge means being yieldable towards and from the board to accommodate stock of widely varying thicknesses and incorporating means to press the arm against the stock with substantially the same pressure irrespective of its thickness, and m a blade-carrying slide movable along the arm to cut stock thus clamped.

ROSS R. MATTHEWS.

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