This section is from the book "Cassell's Cyclopaedia Of Mechanics", by Paul N. Hasluck. Also available from Amazon: Cassell's Cyclopaedia Of Mechanics.
To make the spill cutter here described and according to the dimensions given in Fig. I, a piece of wood some Sin. by 1! in. by 1 3/4in. must be obtained, and a groove about 1/2 in. wide and fin. deep cut along the centre of one of its broad sides. At one end this groove is further hollowed out as in Fig. 2, which shows the shape of the groove and also illustrates the slits, 2 in. long, in which the knife is to be fixed. Now cut from the bottom a strip of wood some 6 in. long and 3/8in. thick, so as to leave a piece projecting from the under side at the rear end as shown in Pigs. 1, 2, and 5. The knife itself is a piece of steel 2 in. long and 1 1/2 in. wide, into the sides of which two holes have been drilled as indicated in Fig. 3. The edge (see side elevation 1!, Fig. 3) is ground sharp just like a chisel, after which the knife is placed in the slits previously cut in the block. Then find the correct positions for the holes D D (Fig. 2) in the wood, through which pass the screws which hold the knife securely in its place. At Fig. 4 is given a section which illustrates the position of the knife, the cutting edge of which is raised about 3 32., in. above the bed of the groove. The cutter, being finished, may be put to work. First place the projecting under piece against the edge of the table, as shown in Fig. 5. A piece of straight-grained wood being pushed sharply forward through the groove, its bottom edge strikes against the slightly raised blade, and a spill issues from the aperture beneath the knife. By means of such a tool, spill making becomes astonishingly easy, and a large number can readily be cut in a very short time.
A Handy Spill Cutter.
 
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