Abstract: A drilling machine of the woodpecker type employs a spindle carrying a drill. The spindle is mounted for rotation in a housing having an attached feed screw and those members form an assembly that can be axially moved while the spindle rotates to enable the drill to be fed toward and retracted away from the work. The feed screw is engaged by a nut whose position is controlled by a rapid traverse mechanism which can rapidly retract the spindle away from the work and can rapidly advance the spindle toward the work. The rapid traverse mechanism holds the nut fixed in position in the interval between rapid advance and rapid retraction. A peck feed machanism is connected to the feed screw and repititively feeds the spindle toward the work by causing the feed screw to progressively advance into the nut in the intervals when the nut is fixed in position. A hitch feed is coupled to the feed screw and acts to prevent the drill from bottoming in the hole on rapid advance.

Abstract: A cutting device for cutting deleaved and cored heads of cauliflower into predetermined smaller sizes comprises a cleated conveyor for conveying the cored cauliflower heads, a first series of circular knives equally spaced and transversely positioned along the conveyed path of the cauliflower, a first stripper bar associated with the first series of knives to remove cauliflower from between the knife edges, a rotating paddle extending transverely across the conveyor and immediately downstream from the stripper bar so as to settle cauliflower pieces back onto the conveyor between the cleats and ready the cauliflower chunks for further cutting, a second series of circular knives spaced transversely across the conveyor and a stripper bar associated with the second series of knives so as to clear the cauliflower that sticks between the circular knives.

Abstract: An apparatus and process is described for deflecting a continuous yarn moving along a first to a second path to lay flat on a surface of an upstream roll of a pair of rolls at least adjacent a cutting zone defined by the circumferential contacting surfaces of the rolls of a cutting machine. The first path of movement is above and in a zone between the sides of one roll, the blade-carrying roll, which may comprise either the upstream or downstream roll, and the yarn is deflected at such time that it is being drawn at an operational speed of movement and at a speed equalized with the drawing speed of movement of other yarns.

Abstract: A cutting device used in conjunction with an apparatus for processing a continuously advancing strand material is actuated by an air cylinder that is preloaded to full pressure before moving the blade to cut the strand. An air activated linkage releases the cutting blade to begin its travel under full operating pressure.