Apparatus for dividing a bundle of sheet material into a number of smaller bundles of sheet material

An apparatus for dividing a bundle of sheet material into a number of smaller bundles of sheet material of a predetermined thickness comprising:

• a platform having a front and a back on which, in use, the bundle of sheet material to be divided is placed on one of its edges;
• a back wall adjacent the back of the platform against which, in use, the bundle of sheet material is placed;
• a recess in the platform;
• a sliding member moveable from the front to the back of the recess along an axis and pivotable from side to side about the axis and having a portion which extends above the platform;
• a finger protruding rearwardly from the sliding member offset from the axis and having a length equal to the predetermined thickness of the smaller bundles of sheet material, and
• is constructed such that to divide a smaller bundle of sheet material from the bundle of sheet material the sliding member is slid backwards along the axis until the portion of the sliding member which extends above the platform abuts the bundle of sheet material, the sliding member is then pivoted about the axis to lift the finger under a part of the bundle of sheet material such that a smaller bundle of sheet material is lifted upwards and partially separated from the bundle of sheet material such that a user can then readily lift that bundle of sheet material away from the remaining sheet material.