Improvements in Trimming Attachments for Sewing Machines.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Apr., 1888
Specification Accepted, 6th July, 1888
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Trimming Attachments for Sewing Machines.
I, JOHN WINFIELD DEWEES, of S.E. Corner of 7th and Filbert Streets, in the
City of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, United States of America, Machinist,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention has for its object, to provide a machine attachment, whereby the hem
or welt of a garment, may be closely trimmed, while being stitched on a sewing
machine.
My invention consists in the peculiar construction, and combinations of parts,
hereinafter fully described, having reference particularly to the following points.
1. To the combination with feeding and stitch-forming mechanism, of a cloth-
plate having an open-ended slot or depression to receive that portion of the welt or
hem which is to be trimmed off, and trimming mechanism adapted to operate
transversely to the line of feed.
2. To the combination with the cloth-plate of a sewing machine having intersecting
slots of a stationary shoe or jaw and a movable cutter located in one, of said slots.
3. To the combination with the stitch-forming mechanism of a sewing machine of
trimming devices, comprising horizontal jaws having horizontal cutting edges, one of
said jaws reciprocating in a horizontal plane and designed and adapted to cross the
other or stationary jaw and thereby produce a shear cut.
4. The combination with the stitch-forming mechanism of a sewing machine
and a cloth-plate having a depression or groove plate of two horizontally disposed
trimming jaws, one of which is stationary and the other horizontally movable, the
edges of the jaws being over said groove and arranged and adapted to trim the edges
of the fabric depending in said groove or depression.
5. The combination with the cloth-plate of a sewing machine, and a movable and
stationary trimming jaw of a slide to which the movable jaw is attached and an
adjustable guide and guage on said jaw.
6. To the combination with the stitch-forming mechanism and the feed-bar and
presser-foot of a sewing machine, of trimming devices located in front of said foot

page_text: and presser-bar, said devices being in a horizontal plane and having horizontal cutting
edges with suitable mechanism for operating the movable cutter-jaw horizontally and
transversely to the line of feed whereby the fabric is trimmed by a horizontal cut in
advance of the formation of the stitch.
7. To the provision of a flange skirt or shield, which depends from the cloth-plate
along the line of feed and protects the hook of the machine from contact with the
depending edge of the fabric to be trimmed.
8. To the specific construction and combination of the trimming devices per se and
of the parts by which the necessary movements are obtained therefor.
In the following description I shall first refer specifically and in detail to the
construction of a machine or attachment, wherein the trimming devices comprise a
stationary anvil or block and a reciprocating trimming jaw or chisel, which trims the
fabric by pressure, or by cutting the fabric fed between its end and the face of the
anvil and block, and shall then describe the modified mechanism which includes
horizontal cutting jaws, one of which is stationary and the other movable, and which
operate in the manner of shears, one jaw crossing the other to sever the edges or
superfluous portion of the fabric."
In the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a plan view, Fig. 2 a side
elevation, Fig. 3 a detail perspective, and Fig. 4 a perspective view of cloth-plate and
trimmer, pertaining to the mechanism for trimming by pressure,. A designates the
cloth-plate, B the needle-bar, the main shaft, and E the presser-foot of a sewing
machine of any ordinary or suitable construction. Said cloth-plate has a slot Ď
parallel with the line of feed and opening on that edge of said plate adjacent to the
operator or on the feeding side of the machine. Said slot, is mainly, or for the
greater portion of its length on the left-hand side of the needle hole b, but at or near
its inner end it curves or bends to the right, where it leads into a transverse slot D¹,
which intersects or crosses it as shown. In that arm or branch of the slot D which
is to the left of the slot D there is firmly secured a stationary steel block, jaw or
shoe F, and in the other branch of said slot D' there is fitted a movable jaw or
cutter G, designed and adapted to come into contact with or operate against the fixed
jaw or shoe F, and to effect by pressure or by cutting the trimming of fabric fed
between said jaws. To communicate a reciprocating motion to the jaw G various
means may be employed, one of which is shown in the drawing. H shows a lever
pivoted at on the bed-piece of the machine below the cloth-plate and having a lug
or shoulder which enters the slot D¹ in said cloth-plate. The jaw G has a trans-
verse slot g through which passes a screw securing said jaw to said lever in such
manner that when the latter is rocked the former will be brought against and
withdrawn from the fixed jaw F. The lever, H has at its opposite or rear end an
eccentric pin or pivot I secured by a set screw i and to this pin the connecting rod K
is secured by a ball-joint k. The opposite end of said rod K has a strap which
encircles an eccentric c¹ on the main shaft C. L is a guage and guide, the plate / of
which is slotted, in the usual manuer, for the reception of a set screw , while the
edge or flange 2 is curved as shown.
The operation is simple and obvious. The material to be welted or hemmed and
trimmed is laid upon the cloth-plate being first folded so as to bring the welt on the
under side, the part to be trimmed off hanging down and passing through the slot D,
the rounded edge of the fold resting against the flange of the guide L. Motion being
communicated to the machine the fabric is fed along, the needle passing through the
fabric and the latter being stitched in the usual manner. The edge of the material
below the line of stitching passes between the jaws F and G and is severed or pinched
off by the latter, the severance or separation being effected on a line very close to the
stitching and the severed material or waste dropping beneath the cloth-plate upon the
work table or into any convenient receptacle.
To bring the trimming devices close to the needle in order that they may operate
upon the fabric while the latter is under the presser-foot the feed-bar. M is recessed
or cut into as at m to afford space for the jaws F and G, which cross it as shown.
To take up lost motion or wear of the jaw G the screw i is loosened and the

page_text: eccentric pin I turned to the necessary extent, the set screw i being then again turned
until it becomes fast.
To protect the hook of the machine from contact with the depending edge of the
material to be trimmed, a flange or skirt N is attached to the cloth-plate along the
line of the slot D.
Referring now to the mechanism, including the trimming jaws, having sharp
cutting edges and arranged to cross cach other and produce a shear cut.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a sewing machine embodying my improvements in
trimmers therefor.
Fig. 2 is a perspective of cloth-plate of sewing machine with trimmer.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the cloth-plate of the sewing machine and the trimming
parts thereon, the needle-arm, the eccentric-lever for operating the needle-bar and the
needle-operating lever being shown in cross section and the bridge removed.
Fig. 4 is a plan view of the bed-piece of the machine with the cloth-plate removed,
showing the operative mechanism below the cloth-plate and one of the trimmer-jaws,
the needle-arm and the eccentric-link for moving the needle-operating lever being
shown in cross section.
Fig. 5 is a vertical section through cloth-plate and bridge, showing trimming jaws
and needle in elevation and a piece of fabric being hemmed and trimmed.
In said drawings A¹ represents a sewing machine which is provided with any usual
or suitable stitch-forming mechanism, and comprises a bed-piece B', a cloth plate C",
a needle-arm D³, a needle-operating lever E, a needle-bar F¹, a prosser-bar G³, a
feed-bar G2, a presser-foot H, a main shaft I and the other parts usually pertaining
to a sewing machine.
K' represents a lever fulcrumed on a post K2, which projects from the bed-piece of
the machine and connected at its inner end by a link 2, with an eccentric on the
main shaft I', whereby a vibratory motion in a horizontal plane is communicated to
said lever. Said lever has at its outer end a head ³, which moves in a slot in the
cloth plate Cand in which is fitted a cutting tool IA, which is preferably in the form
of a chisel having an adjusting screw that is fitted in the head and abuts against
the butt end of the chisel, whereby the latter can be adjusted longitudinally in said
head ³. A lateral screw k holds the chisel in its adjusted position. M' represents a
plate fitted in guides or ways m¹ m² on the cloth plate C, and it can be moved in said
guides only as far as the throat-plato m². Said plate M may be moved outwardly or
rearwardly from the guides m¹ m² when a dog or bar N1, which is pivoted on the
cloth plate at n and provided with a handle n' is turned or sprung around to permit
such movement. When said bar occupies the position shown in Figs. 1" and 3" its
free end meets the edge of the plate M and prevents said plate from moving back.
The plate M carries a stock O, fastened by screws o o, which pass through slotted
openings in plate M... Said stock carries a stationary jaw P, fastened in position by
screws p. The jaw P has a beveled cutting edge p', which is arranged relatively to
the cutting edge 12 of the moving jaw L, in such manner that when the jaw L' is
moved the edges of the two jaws will pass one another, producing a shearing cut. The
cloth plate C has a depression in the form of a concave groove (2, into which the de-
pending edge of the fabric to be trimmed off enters, said depression being below the
jaws of the trimmer. This groove is an advantage over the slot on my afore-
mentioned machine, in-as-much as it prevents the cut-off portion of the fabric from
interfering with the working mechanism below the cloth plate.
R represents an L-shaped guide and guage, having an arm r, transverse of the
machine, and parallel with the line of the feed of the latter, and another arm r¹, with
slot, to which enters a set screw passing into plate M³. This gauge forms a
guide for the folded edge of the fabric, and also as a means of adjusting the distance
between the lines of stitching and such folded edge to regulate the width of the
liem.
T represents a plate, which I call a bridge, as it extends partly over the groove C,
in the cloth plate and forms a support for the fabric, being hemmed and trimmed,
preventing the body of the fabric coming in contact with the moving trimming jaw.

page_text: Said plate is supported above the plane of the moving jaw L' upon blocks t, t, fastened
to or made integral with the cloth plate C¹, there being sufficient space between the
adjacent ends of said blocks to permit free movement of said jaw. The plate T is
secured to the block t, t, by the screws t¹, t¹. The inner edge 2 of said plate is parallel
with the line of feed of the machine from the front or operator's side of the latter,
until it comes to the trimmer jaws and thence it curves or turns to the left as shown
the groove, C, having a similar curve or deflection, thus allowing the feed bar to take
hold of the body of the fabric after it has been stitched and trimmed.
In operation the material S to be trimmed and sewed is folded to permit a welt or,
hem, as shown in Fig. 5, the folded or curved edge resting against the side of the
guide R, the depending edge of the fabric s passing outwardly between the edges of
the jaws and entering the groove in the cloth plate the body of the fabric resting on
the bridge T.
As the stitching operation proceeds the moving jaw I vibrates
across the stationary jaw, thereby effecting a severance or trimming of the fabric by a
shearing, cutting action. By having the moving jaw of the trimmer on the outer or
left-hand side of the machine and the stationary jaw on the right, which is the reverse
of the arrangement shown in my afore-mentioned machine the tool of said moving jaw
is readily accessible for adjusting purposes to take up wear, etc.
It will be noted that the arrangement of the jaws is such that the material is
trimmed before being stitched, whereas, in my aforementioned machine the trimming
follows the stitching.
What I claim as my invention is :
1. The combination with the feeding and stitch-forming mechanism of a sewing
machine and a cloth-plate having an open ended slot parallel with the line of feed, of
trimming devices arranged transversely to said feed line and in a horizontal plane,
said trimming device including a jaw or cutter which moves horizontally and trans-
verse to the feed line, and means for moving said jaw or cutter, substantially as shown
and described.
2. The combination with the cloth plate A of a sewing machine having intersecting
slots D and D¹ of a stationary shoe or jaw F and a movable cutter G located in the
slot D substantially as shown and described.
3. The combination with cloth plate A having intersecting slots D, D¹ of fixed shoe
or jaw F and movable jaw G, located in slot D¹, lever H, connecting rod K and
eccentric C connecting the jaw G with the operating shaft, substantially as shown
and described.
4. In coinbination with a stitch-forming mechanism of a sewing machine, a
trimming attachment, comprising a stationary jaw, having a horizontal cutting edge,
located in a horizontal plane, and a moving jaw or chisel, also having a horizontal
cutting edge, and located in a horizontal plane, said moving jaw being adapted and
designed to be moved across the stationary jaw, the edges of both jaws passing,
whereby a horizontal shear cut is obtained, substantially as shown and described.
5. In combination with the stitch-forming mechanism of a sewing machine, a
vibrating lever K, adapted and designed to be moved in a horizontal plane, a cutting
tool or jaw carried thereon, having a horizontal cutting edge and a stationary jaw P
having a horizontal cutting edge p¹, said jaws being located in a horizontal plane and
the moving jaw being adapted and designed to move horizontally past the edge of
the stationary jaw, substantially as shown and described.
6. In combination with the stitch-forming mechanism and cloth plate of a sewing
machine, a slide M³, a cutting tool P, mounted thereon, and having a horizontal
cutting edge pl, moying jaw I, having a horizontal cutting edge and located in a
horizontal planc, said jaws being adapted and designed to effect a horizontal shear cut
and means for vibrating said moving jaw, substantially as shown and described.
7. The combination with the cloth plate of a sewing machine and a movable
trimming jaw L of a slide M carrying a cutter or trimmer jaw P and a pivoted dog-
bar N, substantially as shown and described.
8. The combination with the stitch-forming mechanism, of a sewing machine; of a

page_text: cloth plate C, having a depression or groove plate C and two horizontally disposed
trimming jaws, one of which is stationary and the other is provided with means
whereby it is moved horizontally, the edges of said jaws being over said groove and
adapted to trim the depending edge of the fabric in the latter, substantially as shown
and described.
9. The combination with the cloth plate of a sewing machine and a movable
trimming jaw L of a slide M', having a trimming jaw P and an adjustable guide and
guage R on said slide, substantially as shown and described.
10. The combination with the stitch-forming mechanism, feed-bar and presser-foot
of a sewing machine, of trimming dovices located in front of said foot and presser-bar,
said trimming devices being in a horizontal plane and having horizontal cutting
odges, and having means for imparting a horizontal motion transverse to the line of
feed thereto, whereby fabric to be trimmed and hemmed has its superfluous edge or
part outside the line of stitch removed by a horizontal cut in advance of the formation
of the stitch, substantially as shown and described.
11. The combination with the stitch forming mechanism and the trimming jaws of
a sewing machine, of a cloth plate having a slot for the passage of the depending
fabric and a depending shield or flange to protect the hook of the machine from
coming into contact with the fabric, substantially as described.
Dated this 21st day of April 1688.
JOHN WINFIEL DEWEES.
By Henry Skerrett,
Agent for Applicant.