Lanphear Herbert Scott (1856-1923) was granted letters patent for an apple parer on January 29, 1884 (Scott, 1884). Lanphear's brother Robert P. Scott was a well established manufacturer of apple parers; even so, L. H. Scott's parer was manufactured by L. A. Sayre in Newark, New Jersey and sold as the Waverly.
The paring arm has a sector gear that is continuously engaged with a sector gear on the frame. The mechanism pushes the paring arm sector gear in the forward direction and then reverses the motion without the need for a return spring. This is accomplished with a face cam.
A pin secured to the underneath side of the rotating table acts as a follower constrained in a slotted lever. The lever has two pivot points, one secured to the paring arm carriage and the other to the frame. As the table is rotated it acts as a face cam and the pin follows the slot in the lever, first pushing the paring arm half way around the apple to pare it and then back to starting position. Scott references a similar mechanism in his letters patent used in a apple parer design patented by Henry A. Frost on August 6, 1861, see Whittemore Brothers Return Table in our Video section.
The helical teeth on the return table are placed on the underside to protect them from parings and apple juices. However, I have found juices quickly flow into the space between frame and the top of the turntable. This parer has to be well lubricated as there are many parts that experience sliding friction. The mechanism is wonderful and a joy to study. |