Abstract: An apparatus for the separating and renewed applying of an incoming material web on winding machines to a winding sleeve, a separating knife and an applying brush, fixedly connected to the latter, being swivelled into the path of the material web for separating, and the separating knife being accelerated by a hydraulically driven motor, controlled by a stepping control motor, by means of a shaft at an angle of up to 130.degree., whereupon the separating operation is performed at from 230.degree. to 260.degree. and the shaft comes to a standstill again after about a further 90.degree.. In this way, transverse separating of a material web is possible even at high speeds. In order to avoid deformations of the separating knife, the shaft of the hydraulic motor is provided with a compensating shaft.