the Manufacture of Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Sept., 1887
Complete Left, 18th June, 1888
Complete Accepted, 20th July, 1888
the Manufacture of Boots and Shoes.
I, CHARLES LITCHFIELD, of 17, Cannon Street, Wellingborough, in the County of
Northampton, Engineer and Machinist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to punching machines adapted to punch holes in leather and
other soft materials, and has for its chief object to provide such machines with
automatic feed mechanism.
The machine constructed according to my invention comprises a suitable bed or
frame from one side of which projects a horn or work support, while from the top of
the said bed extends a swan-neck similar to that of a sewing machine.
The free end of the said neck or the head is provided with a vertically movable bar,
the lower end of which carries the punch. This punch bar is operated through the
medium of a metal lever by a cam on a horizontal shaft journalled in the base of the
swan-neck. The said head also carries a bar having a presser foot at its lower end
adapted to press the work against the feed wheel.
The feed wheel is supported at the free end of the horn and is serrated or roughened
on its periphery and adapted to be rotated a certain distance at each reciprocation of
the punch bar. This rotation can be effected in any suitable manner but I prefer to
use for the purpose a friction clutch which is oscillated on its axis by means of a crank
operated by a cam on the horizontal shaft through the medium of a suitable lever and
a connecting rod. The length of feed is regulated by means of a set screw which
limits the movement of the lever in one direction.
The block which supports the work during the punching operation is of approxi-
mately the same diameter as and is arranged adjacent to the feed wheel. This block
is made of a metal softer than the punch and in the form of a ring, the space between
the interior of the ring and the shaft or hub carrying the same being filled with
india rubber or provided with other means whereby the block will be enabled to
yield slightly under the pressure of the punch, so as to prevent the latter being
damaged.

page_text: When one point of the periphery of the block becomes worn under the continued
action of the punch, the said block can be turned somewhat so as to bring another
point of the periphery beneath the punch.
One of the lateral faces of the said block is provided with radial notches adapted to
receive a key for holding the said block in any required position.
I wish it understood that I do not limit myself to the details hereinbefore described
as it is obvious that I may vary the same in several respects without departing from
the nature of my invention.
Dated the 16th day of September 1887.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Figure 3 is a sectional view or a detail, anu
Figure 4 is a plan of a portion of the work plate.
a is a bed or frame the upper side of which forms a work support or table and b is
a swan-neck similar to that of a sewing machine. The free end of the said neck or
the head carries a vertically moveable bar c the lower end of which is formed or
provided with a punch d.
The punch bar is operated from an eccentric e on a horizontal shaft ƒ (carrying a
driving pulley f) through the medium of a connecting rod g and a lever h. The
shaft is journalled in bearings in the brackets i, i suspended from the underside of
the work support. The said head also carries a bar ; having a presser foot k at its
lower end adapted to press the work against the feed wheel hereinafter described.
is the feed wheel which is supported beneath the work table on a stud m so as to
project slightly through the same, and which is serrated or roughened on its
periphery as at n and adapted to be rotated a certain distance at each reciprocation
of the punch bar. As shown, this rotation is effected by a friction clutch. This
friction clutch comprises two arms o, o which are provided with notches p adapted
to receive a flange g on the feed wheel, as shown in Figure 2. The said notches fit
loosely over the flange so that by moving their inner ends the flange will be gripped
as indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1, in a well known manner.
The necessary
movement of the arms is effected by means of a disc which is capable of being
rotated upon the stud m, independently of the feed wheel, by means of an arm s
secured to it and acted upon by a cam t on the shaft f, the ends of the arms o, o
being in engagement with notches u, u in the periphery of the disc.
u is a spring which returns the arms o, o to their normal position after they have
been operated to move the feed wheel; and u², u³ are springs which normally hold
the arms in their gripping positions relatively to the flange, but allow them to move
backwards without moving the feed wheel. The springs u', u' are attached to an
arm on the disc r and the spring us to an arm .
vis a screw which allows of regulating the length of feed by more or less limiting
the throw of the arms in its backward direction under the action of the spring u¹.

page_text: to is a brake which bears upon the flange a to prevent the backward movement of
the feed wheel while the arms o, o are slipping backwardly.
Instead of using the friction clutch last described I may employ any other suitable
mechanism for operating the feed wheel.
is a block upon which the work is supported during the punching operation;
the block is of approximately the same diameter as, and is arranged adjacent to, the
feed wheel, and is made of a metal softer than the punch and in the form of a ring,
the space between the interior of the ring and the hub x¹ carrying the same upon the
stud m being filled with an india rubber ring or provided with other means
whereby the block will be enabled to yield slightly under the pressure of the-punch,
so as to prevent the said punch or the block from being damaged owing to the rigidity
of the latter.
When one point of the periphery of the block a becomes worn under the con-
tinued action of the punch the said block can be turned somewhat so as to bring
another point of the periphery beneath the punch.
The lateral face of the said block is provided with radial notches a, figure. 3,
adapted to receive a key y, figure 4, for holding the said block in any required
position.
In order further to reduce as much as possible the wear of the block, I provide
for adjusting the position of the punch d relatively to the said block. For this purpose
the bar c is screw-threaded for a portion of its length and connected to the lever h by
a split nut and a link z¹, the bar c being prevented from moving after it has been
adjusted by tightening a screw 22 so that the nut is clipped tightly upon the thread.
I wish it understood that I do not limit myself to the details hereinbefore
described, as it is obvious that I may vary the same in several respects without
departing from the nature of my invention; and also that my machine is applicable,
not only for punching holes in leather, but also for punching scallops out of the edges
of the same.
Although in the machine hereinbefore described, the punch is operated from a driving
shaft, it is obvious that my improved yielding block is equally applicable to machines
in which the punch is operated by a hand lever.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In machines for punching leather and other materials, the employment of
automatic feed mechanism, substantially as described.
2. In a machine for punching leather and other materials, the employment of a
friction clutch constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as hereinbefore
described for imparting motion to the feed wheel.
3. In a machine for punching leather and other materials, the employment of a
block mounted upon flexible or yielding supports for the purpose specified.
4. In a machine for punching leather or other materials, the employment of a block
in the form of a ring and containing an india-rubber or other flexible ring within it,
substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
5. The improved machine consisting of the parts constructed and combined sub-
stantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawing, and
operating as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Daind the 10th J
1000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicant.