A device for cutting a sheet of fibrous or similarly severable material along a straight line, said device comprising:
- a rectangular housing, said housing including at least first and second opposed vertical side panels spaced from each other, and a planar transverse top panel spanning the upper edges of said side panels,
- means to support said housing above a ground surface,
- a rectilinear slot in, and extending through, said top panel and extending substantially perpendicular to and between said first and second opposed vertical side panels, said slot being defined by a pair of opposed edges in the top panel,
- a rectilinear rod extending between and supported by, the first and second side panels, said rod being disposed parallel to, and below, said slot,
- carrier means on, and reciprocally slideable along said rod between said first and second side panels,
- a cutter element supported by said carrier means, said cutter element having a blade extending upwardly from said carrier means to a vicinity of said slot wherein said cutter element is below and aligned with said slot,
- a portion of said top panel of the housing, including said pair of opposing edges, being downwardly depressible for at least a predetermined distance on each side of said slot wherein said opposed edges are depressed below at least part of said cutter element during cutting,
- powered means to drive said carrier means in a first direction from a first position on the rod adjacent the first side panel, to a second position along the rod away from the first side panel and toward the second side panel and for driving the carrier means back in a second direction opposite the first direction along the rod to the first position of the carrier means,
- means to provide driving power to the powered means,
- control means, said control means having an upwardly extending actuator element disposed in a vicinity of an end of the slot adjacent the first side panel, said control means being connected to the means to provide power to the powered means to drive the carrier means in its first direction when and only so long as downward pressure is applied to the actuating means, and otherwise said control means applies power to the powered means to drive the carrier means in the second direction to its first position and to maintain it in said first position,
- a rigid arm pivotably connected to the second side panel adjacent to and moveable toward the first side panel in line with the slot, said arm being pivotable between a first position removed from the slot, and a second position parallel to the slot wherein the rigid arm is in abutment with and depressing said pair of opposed edges edges of the top panel which define the slot, and with an end of the rigid arm remote from its pivot in contact with the actuating element of the control means;
- whereby when a sheet of fibrous or other severable material is placed over the slot and the rigid arm is pivoted down on to the portion of the material covering the edges of the top panel defining the slot, to depress said portion of the material and at least said portion of the top panel therebelow, and dispose the end of the rigid arm to contact and depress the actuating element of the control means, power is applied to drive the carrier means and its cutting element in the first direction to sever the fibrous material above and along the slot so long as the rigid arm is held down to depress the actuating element of the control means, but when said rigid arm is elevated out of contact with the actuating element, the carrier means with its cutting element is driven back in the second direction to its first position.