Resilient knife guide for cloth spreading machine

In a cloth spreading machine including a frame having a transverse dimension and adapted to travel in a longitudinal path along a table, and spreading means on the frame for spreading a web of cloth longitudinally upon the table, a cutting apparatus comprising:

• (a) a knife blade having a cutting edge and first and second planar surfaces on opposite sides of said cutting edge,
• (b) means mounting said knife blade on said frame for operative cutting movement along a cutting path transversely of said frame,
• (c) an elongated knife guide mounted transversely on said frame for cooperation with said knife blade in said cutting path,
• (d) means on said frame suspending a portion of the cloth web to normally freely hang adjacent said cutting path when said knife blade is inoperative,
• (e) said knife guide comprising first and second parallel elongated cloth gripping surfaces of highly frictional material extending transversely of said frame and spaced apart on opposite sides of said cutting edge, said first gripping surface lying closely adjacent said first planar knife blade surface and said second gripping surface lying closely adjacent said second planar knife blade surface in operative cutting position to grip said suspended cloth web portion between said knife blade and said knife guide while said cloth web portion is being cut by said knife blade.