Shear knife positioning apparatus

Claim 1

IN A SHEAR OF THE DOWN-AND-UP CUT TYPE ADAPTED TO SHEAR A BLOOM AND WHICH COMPRISES: A FRAME; UPPER AND LOWER KNIFE HEADS MOUNTED IN THE FRAME FOR OPPOSED VERTICAL MOVEMENT AND CARRYING CUTTING KNIVES; MEANS FOR CLOSING THE KNIVES IN A SHEARING ACTION WHEREIN THE UPPER KNIFE IS BROUGHT INTO A CUTTING POSITION AND AFTER WHICH THE LOWER KNIFE IS RAISED TO EFFECT A CUT; A BLOOM-ENGAGING MEANS MOUNTED FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE UPPER KNIFE HEAD AND ADJACENT TO THE UPPER KNIFE; THE BLOOM-ENGAGING MEANS BEING SO MOUNTED THAT IT CAN PROJECT BELOW THE LEVEL OF THE UPPER KNIFE TO CONTACT THE BLOOM PRIOR TO CONTACT OF THE UPPER KNIFE WITH THE BLOOM; THE UPPER END OF THE BLOOM-ENGAGING MEANS BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO A FORCE EXERTING MEANS TO URGE THE BLOOM-ENGAGING MEANS AGAINST THE BLOOM; THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES: HYDRAULIC MEANS TO DROP THE BLOOM-ENGAGING MEANS TO A POSITION IN WHICH ITS LOWER SURFACE IS A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE BELOW THE EDGE OF THE UPPER KNIFE;