Machine for opening a severed bovine or ovine head

An apparatus for opening a severed livestock head, said apparatus comprising:

• a base;
• a pair of upwardly directed and parallel base blades on said base spaced to support said head at the back thereof;
• a vertically displaceable blade of wedge-shaped cross section directed downwardly toward said base blades and positioned to open the back of said transversely thereto, said vertically displaceable blade having a downwardly concave central portion and a pair of symmetrical side portions flanking said central portion and each having a generally vertical upper region terminating at said central portion and a lower region extending downwardly from said upper region laterally away from the other side portion, said side portions and said central portion forming a downwardly open outwardly flaring U adapted to embrace and split the skull of said head;
• and
• means for vertically displacing said displaceable blade toward and away from said base blades while maintaining said displaceable blade parallel to said base blades, said displaceable blade being engageable between said base blades, each of said blades having a first face substantially parallel to the displacement direction of said displaceable blade and a second face inclined to said direction and forming with the respective first face a cutting edge, at least one of said base blades being upwardly concave at its cutting edge, said means for displacing including a holder for said displaceable blade having a pressing element with a pressing surface lying transverse to the displacement direction of said displaceable blade, said displaceable blade having a cutting edge spaced in said direction from said surface by a predetermined distance corresponding to the penetration distance of said displaceable blade into said head, said head having an upper face lying at a predetermined angle when said head is resting on said base blades, said pressing surface being inclined to the vertical at substantially the same angle as said face.