Abstract: A cutting machine for cutting a vegetable product includes a frame, supporting a product flow path, at least three links, pivotally attached to the frame, a cutting plate, pivotally attached to each of the three links at three pivot points and oriented substantially perpendicular to the flow path, a plurality of cutting knives, carried by the cutting plate, each having a generally corrugated configuration defining adjacent peaks and troughs, the cutting knives oriented angularly with respect to each other, and a drive motor, coupled to rotationally drive at least one of the links with respect to the frame, whereby the cutting plate moves in an orbital motion in a plane substantially perpendicular to the flow path, thereby moving the cutting knives sequentially and repeatedly across the product flow path.

Abstract: A rotary knife fixture for cutting vegetable products such as raw potatoes into spiral shapes. The knife fixture includes a ring-shaped blade holder driven rotatably within a hydraulic product flow path. The blade holder includes at least one cutting blade, wherein the blade is twisted from a generally longitudinally aligned center axis outwardly in opposite circumferential directions with a sharpened leading edge set at a desired pitch angle. By controlling the pitch angle of the blade in relation to the blade rotational speed and velocity at which the potato travels along the hydraulic flow path, the resultant spiral cut shape is selected. By using multiple cutting blades at known axially spaced positions and selecting the angular position of each cutting blade in succession, the number of spiral shapes cut from each potato is selected. The blades can have a nontextured straight-cut edge, or a textured crinkle-cut edge, or a combination.