Hand powered cottage saw gin

Hand powered cottage saw gin, and raw cotton sample, by H. E. I. and Company (original made by W. Jamieson), Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside, Manchester, England

This is a small hand-power saw gin intended for cottage use. Similar gins have been made almost entirely of wood. The machine has a horizontal shaft carrying four circular saws, the teeth being of a special form known as thorn teeth. These teeth project to the extent of .5 in. through closely fitting slots in the back of a hopper, in which the raw cotton is placed. Parallel with the saw spindle is another shaft having on it an eight-bladed revolving brush, at such a distance that the brushes touch the saw teeth. These two spindles are rotated by an endless band which passes over a large pulley driven by hand, and also round a tightening sheave. The saw teeth drag off the cotton fibre from the seeds in the opper, and carry it round with them till the revolving brushes are reached, when, owing to the higher speed of the brushes, the fibre is taken from the teeth, and by the air current resulting from the fan action of the brushes is carried out of a delivery spout at the back of the gin. The brushes also touch a fixed ledge of hard wood by which any entangled fibres are released. The cleaned seeds drop out of the hopper through an adjustable slot at its base.