The First Machines for Comb and Tooth Cutting
1796 19th. July
Mr William BUNDY of Pratt Place, Camden Town, London.
Patented a new comb-cutting machine to cut teeth mechanically from a comb—shaped plaque, or blank on the horizontal plane. This is not a twinning machine (whereby the teeth of one
comb are cut from the spaces of the teeth of another comb and all out of the same plaque), but the first mechanical tooth-cutting invention. This is believed to be the first recognised mechanical comb-cutter to have been invented.
1811 (approximately)
Mr Ricketts – described as an ingenious artist – worked in London.
He devised a mechanical punch, to cut vertically, the teeth of a comb, and by so doing, he had cut out another comb! (much to his surprise). Hence, two combs were cut in one operation – on a thin piece of warmed tortoiseshell. This was the first double—cutter machine, or twinning machine.
lt is believed to be the first comb-cutting machine for cutting a twin set of teeth in one operation, whereby the intersection between two teeth on one side forms the tooth on the opposite side. The two combs are then separated, or parted, and hand-finished.
Around 1831-32
Mr William Rogers of 54 High Street, St. Giles, London.
Worked on Ricketts’ idea and developed his own refined machine – for cutting tortoiseshell and horn teeth. This became widely used in England by comb manufacturers, and was redesigned many times by other engineers. According to Doyle (page 142), it was never used in the USA. Rogers was rewarded by the Society of Arts (later, the Royal Society), c1832-3, for his machine.
Between 1832 and 1842
Mr Michael Kelly, a homer, working in London, and described as an “anizan”, was said to have been more interested in machines than in working horn.
Credited with inventing the quannell, for which he was rewarded by the Society of Arts in 1845. Sometime before 1843, he improved and remodelled Rogers’ machine.
Between about 1828 and 1840 (date not verified)
Messrs. Pow and Lyne invented an “ingenious machine” for sawing boxwood and ivory combs, a different technique from that required for tortoiseshell and horn.
The teeth of two combs could be out together by placing the plaques one on top of the other, using a revolving or circular saw. The number of teeth cut varied from 30 to 80 per inch, and with great
exactness. Some saws were fine enough to cut as many as 100 teeth per inch. This was not a twinning machine.
It has not, as yet, been possible to identify the “Mr. Lynn” who has been mentioned in several papers, and accredited the invention, around 1828, of a comb tooth-cutting machine. It may be speculated that he is perhaps the partner of Mr Pow, mentioned above, i.e. Mr Lyne.
Until a twinning machine for cutting the teeth of two intersecting combs was invented, this process was previously done by means of a double saw, consisting of two parallel blades, one deeper than the other.
Twinning machines proved to be a welcome step forward in the production of horn and tortoiseshell dressing- and small side-combs, by a speeding up of the arduous tooth-cutting stage. These two materials were amenable to such mechanisation, provided the correct procedures were followed regarding the warming and sotening of the substances. Both ivory and boxwood were too brittle and friable to be subjected to this technique. They continued to have the teeth out by manual control of the tools.
The author would welcome any additional history to add to, or amend, the foregoing data. Further information on “Mr Lynn” is particularly sought.
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