Abstract: A cloth spreading machine for accurately spreading layers of cloth upon a cloth supporting surface without a catcher mechanism, including a longitudinally reciprocably movable spreader frame having a vertically movable spreader element, a motor for elevating the spreader element and a sensor adapted to detect an increase in the height of the cloth layers and coupled to the elevator motor for continually maintaining a substantially uniform height between the spreader element and the top layer of cloth within close tolerances. A cutter mechanism mounted on the spreader element is operative to cut the cloth when the spreader frame is in a stationary position spaced longitudinally a short distance from the end of the traverse of the spreader frame so that when the cloth is cut, it will fall free upon the next lower layer so that its cut end will lie substantially in a vertical plane containing all of the cut ends of the spread layers.