" The Society approved of the report, and recom mended the said machine to all gentlemen and far mers." The ingenious Mr Bailey gives an excellent descrip tion of the thrashing machine, in the Northumberland Survey, which with, the greatest liberality, he allows us to use on the present occasion.
Description and Calculation of a Thrashing illachine erected at Chilling/am.
" In Plate IV. Fig. 1, BB is a horizontal board, or table, 5 feet lung by 3 feet 4 inches broad, on which the corn CC is evenly and presented to the cast metal fluted rollers R R, (4 inches diameter,) which take it regularly in, and by their w eight and sharp edges hold fast the straw, while it is struck, switched, or thrashed, by the switchers, or pieces of wood SSSS, fixed in the cylinder DD, and projecting 3 inches from its surface ;* these, when they strike the corn, move in an upward direction R E, with great velocity, and throw the corn as it is thrashed, and the straw as it leaves the fluted rollers, against the circular rake K K, and upon the wire skreen G, from whence the straw is taken by the rake, and delivered upon the sloping board L, down which it slides to the floor N, while the corn passes through the skreen G into the hopper and from thence to the inclined board I ; but, in falling from 11 to I, a strong current of air, raised by the fanners FFF, blows the chaff over the sloping board 0, and the light corn against it, which falls into the space P, and the chaff into M, while the good grain slides down the in clined board II, to the floor at Q, from whence it is taken and put into a second winnowing machine, in which are placed proper riddles to suit different kinds of grain. This second machine is moved by a rope going over a pulley, fixed in the axle T, and is set a going, or stopped, at pleasure, by a stretching pulley, as occasion re quires.
Where the situation will admit of the board II being placed about 4 feet from the fluor, the second winnow ing machine may be placed directly under it, and save the trouble of lifting the corn.
To find the velocity of the particular harts, we must divide the product of the number of cogs in the driving wheels, by the product of the number of cogs in the driven wh•el8, and the qmni•nt will he the number of revolutions made by the last moved part, For one or the first moving part.
The whole is put in motion by an overshot water wheel 11 feet diameter, which makes from live to six revolutions per minute, according to the supply of water. On the axle of this water wheel is fixed a large spur wheel a a of 160 cogs, holies diainctcr,) while la drives a east-metal pillion b of 16 cogs, (15.28 inches diameter.) on the axis ()I• which is placed another wheel c of 63 cogs, (60.1 inches diameter,) that drives the cast-metal pinion d of 16 leaves, (15.28 inches diamek r,) on the axis of which is fixed the DD, (4. feet diameter, and 5 feet long,) with the four pi ujecting pieces of wood, or switchers, 5555, thee switch or thrash the corn, as described above.
The rollers are moved by the pinion b of 16 L.aves, working into the slizlit cast-metal wheel f fixed on the iron axis ii of the lower roller, on which axis is ales fixed a small pinion g of eight leaves, working into another hi of equal number, fixed on the axist of the upper miler, which gives the two rollers an equable motion for taking in the corn.
The,: x 1.111 , revolutiGn of the roll ers for one of the water wheel, multiplied by 5.5, 21.44, the rev olutions of the rollers per minute.
And the diameter or the rollers being 1 inches, the circumference will be 12.566 inches ; there fore 12.566 inches, the circumfer ence of the rollers, multiplied by 31.11, the revolutions of the rollers per minute,,07 . inches or straw, passing through the rollers per minute ; which 307 in ches receive 866 strokes or the switchers in that time, or nearly three strokes to an inch.
When the rollers arc required to move swifter or slower, they may be driven very conveniently from the end of the axle or the rake, by fixing a cast-metalluccd whce I on it, with three rows of cogs, (8, 10, and 13,) working into a shifting pinion of 8 leaves, fixed on an iron axle ; at the other end of which is put a small be--„-c/ iv heel of 12 teeth, working into another of S teeth, at the end of the axle of the lower roller.