Shear for cutting billets, beams, and the like

Claim 1

A VERTICAL SHEAR FOR CUTTING BILLETS, BEAMS AND THE LIKE, COMPRISING A SOURCE OF FLUID UNDER PRESSURE, A FRAME, AN ACTUATOR MOUNTED IN SAID FRAME FOR RECIPROCATION ALONG A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL AXIS, OPERATING MEANS ON SAID FRAME FOR RECIPROCATING SAID ACTUATOR, SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL GUIDE MEANS INTERSECTING SAID AXIS AND EXTENDING FROM A CUTTING STATION IN SAID FRAME TO A TRANSFER STATION REMOTE THEREFROM, AN ASSEMBLY MOVABLE ON SAID GUIDE MEANS INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID ACTUATOR BETWEEN SAID CUTTING AND TRANSFER STATIONS; SAID ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A CARRIAGE, AN UPPER KNIFE HOLDER MOUNTED IN SAID CARRIAGE FOR SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL MOVEMENT, AN UPPER KNIFE SECURED TO SAID HOLDER, A LOWER KNIFE ARRANGED ON SAID CARRIAGE FOR COOPERATION WITH SAID UPPER KNIFE, AND CYLINDER AND PISTON MEANS SUPPORTED ON SAID CARRIAGE AND CONNECTIBLE TO SAID SOURCE, SAID CYLINDER AND PISTON MEANS BEING OPERABLE AT THE CUTTING STATION TO URGE SAID UPPER KNIFE HOLDER RESILIENTLY TOWARDS SAID ACTUATOR FOR ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH; AND A VALVE FOR RELEASING A SELECTED AMOUNT OF FLUID FROM SAID CYLINDER AND PISTON MEANS TO DISENGAGE SAID UPPER KNIFE HOLDER FROM ITS ACTUATOR PRIOR TO WITHDRAWAL OF THE CARRIAGE FROM THE CUTTING STATION; SAID ASSEMBLY BEING REMOVABLE FROM SAID GUIDE MEANS AT THE TRANSFER STATION AS A UNIT WHEREBY SAID ASSEMBLY MAY BE REPLACED BY ANOTHER CARRIAGE ASSEMBLY INTERCHANGEABLE THEREWITH.