Manual tool for cutting polymeric belt body

In a manual tool for cutting a polymeric endless power transmission belt body which has a plurality of endless V-belt elements fastened in spaced side-by-side relation by an endless structure to define alternating projections and grooves in said belt body, said tool comprising, a cutting knife for cutting said endless structure to define a plurality of endless belts each having at least one belt element, the improvement comprising a support which is adapted to be disposed in a stationary position, means for fastening said knife at a fixed location on said support, and means for supporting and guiding said belt body during cutting, said supporting and guiding means being supported on said support, said knife cooperating with said supporting and guiding means to provide precise cutting through said structure at the base of a particular groove upon moving said belt body relative to said knife with said knife in cutting engagement with said structure, said supporting and guiding means comprising a pair of members disposed substantially in a rectilinear path with said knife and with said knife aligned therebetween, each of said pair of members having an outer portion disposed in said particular groove together with said knife during cutting, said outer portions defining the sole means which engage said belt body to provide supporting and guiding during said cutting, said particular groove having side walls defined by facing surfaces of an immediately adjacent pair of belt elements and said pair of members comprising a pair of freely rotatable wheels, said wheels being supported for rotation in a common vertical plane with the top surfaces thereof disposed substantially in a horizontal plane and further comprising means urging said belt body toward said horizontal plane, said means urging said belt body toward said horizontal plane comprising a freely rotatable roller supported for movement toward and away from said horizontal plane and spring means for yieldingly urging said roller and belt body toward said horizontal plane, said knife having cutting edge means disposed to face in a direction opposite from the direction of movement of said belt body, said cutting edge means being inclined at an acute included angle with said horizontal plane while intersecting same on opposite sides thereof thereby causing said belt body and structure to feed downwardly toward the base of said cutting edge means upon moving of said belt body relative to said knife with said knife in said cutting engagement.