Adjustable powered nutcracker

摘要

A nutcracking apparatus comprising a motor driven rotary roller type cracker member with longitudinal serrations or teeth which engages a nut and forcibly cracks the shell between the roller member and a stationary cracking member comprising a plurality of spaced apart cracking plates having a series of serrations or teeth formed thereon along a curved path. The stationary cracking member is mounted on a support member which is slidable on a bearing member within the apparatus housing and is adjustably positioned by an actuating screw. The adjustable support member includes a gauging jaw mounted thereon which is cooperable with a second gauging jaw mounted on the apparatus housing for gauging the overall dimension of a shell-enclosed nut. Adjustment of the gauging jaws to gauge the overall outer dimension of the nut simultaneously adjusts the width of a space between the cracking members so that for each nut gauged an optimum distance between the cracking members is provided to crack and crush the nut shell without damaging the kernel. The cracking members and drive mechanism therefor are enclosed in a housing having a hood portion with a top opening door for inserting nuts to be cracked into the space between the cracking members. A removable cracked nut receiving hopper is mounted in the housing and engages a normally open switch to prevent energization of the drive motor when the hopper has been removed from the housing.