IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRICKING, OR PRICKING AND TRIMMING AT THE SAME TIME THE SOLES OF BOOTS AND SHOES, AND FOR ASSEMBLING THE PARTS OF BOOTS AND SHOES SO PRICKED OR TRIMMED THAT THEY MAY BE SEWN BY HAND
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Morgan-Brown, of the Firm of Brandon and
Morgan-Brown, Engineers and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings,
London, and 1, Rue Laffitte, Paris, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR PRICKING, OR PRICKING AND TRIMMING AT THE SAME TIME
THE SOLES OF BOOTS AND SHOES, AND FOR ASSEMBLING THE PARTS OF BOOTS
AND SHOES SO PRICKED OR TRIMMED THAT THEY MAY BE SEWN BY HAND."
A communication from abroad by Joseph Stanley Turner, of Rockland, in the
County of Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States of America.
PROVISIC L SPECIFICATION left by the said William Morgan-Brown at
the Offies of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th May 1879.
WILLIAM LORGAN-BROWN, of the Firm of Brandon and Morgan-Brown, Engineers
and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings, London, and 1, Rue Laffitte,
Paris. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRICKING, OR PRICKING AND TRIM-
MING AT THE SAME TIME THE SOLES OF BOOTS AND SHOES, AND FOR ASSEMBLING
THE PARTS OF BOOTS AND SHOES SO PRICKED OR TRIMMED THAT THEY MAY BE
SEWN BY HAND." [A communication from abroad by Joseph Stanley Turner, of
Rockland, in the County of Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States of America.]
This Invention of improvements in machinery for pricking, or pricking and
trimming at the same time the soles of boots and shoes, and for assembling the
parts of boots and shoes so pricked or trimmed that they may be sewn by hand,
relates to a mechanism for pricking, or pricking and trimming at the same time
the soles of boots and shoes, and to a method of assembling the parts of the boot or
shoe and sewing it by hand.
In this Invention, after stitching the welt to the lasted shoe, and placing the
outer sole in position thereon, the said outer sole and welt are automatically
operated upon by awls and cutters which act, the former to perforate the welt and
outer sole with a row or series of holes at a uniform distance from the upper or the
edge of the last, and the latter to trim the outer sole and welt at a uniform
distance from the row of holes, the shoe being guided during this operation by a
gauge which bears against the upper upon the last near the welt, or by a channel
gauge or foot having a lip to enter a channel in the face of the outer sole.

page_text: The object of this Invention is to produce a welted shoe having the construction
of parts and stitch common in hand made welted boots or shoes, but a shoe
produced by the method herein described is considered superior to the usual
entirely hand made welted and sewed shoe in that the spacing and line of direction
of the holes through the welt and outer sole, into which the waxed thread is
drawn to unite the welt and outer sole, are more uniform and more nearly parallel.
The most difficult work in the manufacture of a welted shoe by hand, and that
requiring the serv ces of a skilled workman to produce good and saleable work, is
that of making the awl holes properly through the welt and outer sole.
This Invention has for one of its objects to make by machinery these holes through
the welt and outer sole, which being done, the said holes may be readily and easily
filled with thread drawn through them in the ordinary way, but for this operation
boys or unskilled workmen can be employed, they opening the holes made through
the welt and outer sole by means of a hand awl just before drawing in the
threads.
This Invention consists in the employinent in an organized machine of two awls
adapted to simultaneously penetrate the welt and outer sole when combined with
a rest or support for that portion of the sole being operated upon.
Also, in a machine for perforating a welt and outer sole, of two awls adapted to
simultaneously enter and pass through said welt and outer sole, combined with a
rest for the shoe, and a gauge to cooperate with either the upper or the channel, as
hereinafter described, to place the series of perforations at the desired distance from
the upper.
Also, of two awls to perforate the welt and outer sole in opposite directions, as
hereinafter described, combined with a guage adapted to bear upon the upper near
the welt, and mechanism to move the said gauge toward and from the path of
movement of the awls.
Also, in a machine for perforating a welt and outer sole, of a pivotted gauge to
bear against the upper near the welt, and stops to determine the movement of the
fulcrum pins of the gauge toward or from the path of movement of the awls.
Also, in a machine for perforating a welt and outer sole, of two awls and a
support for the boot or shoe, combined with two independent pressers to bear upon
the material at the front and the rear of the awls, and mechanism to raise and
lower the pressers.
Also, in a machine for perforating a welt and outer-sole, of two awls to simul-
taneously enter and penetrate the welt and outer sole, combined with two feet to
support the material, one of the said feet being adapted to yield and remain in the
channel of the outer sole notwithstanding the curvatures in the channel.
Also, in a machine for perforating a welt and outer sole, of a pivotted rest or
foot provided with a shoe-supporting surface and a ledge to enter and open the
channel in the outer solc, combined with a spring to maintain the foot in upright
position, but yet permit it to yield toward and from the centre of oscillation of the
awls.
Also, in a machine to perforate the welt and outer sole of a shoe, of two cutters
or blades to enter from opposite sides and trim the outer sole, or outer sole and
welt, parallel with the series of perforations made therein.
Also, of two curved awls and two curved cutters having substantially coincident
centres of oscillation, combined with a rest or support for the material.
Also, of the combination with mechanism for perforating a welt and outer sole,
and mechanism to trim them parallel with the series of perforations of a channel-
guide and support for the boot or shoe, and a presser to operate as hereinafter
described.
Also, of the combination with mechanism to perforate a welt and outer sole, of
two cutters to enter the sole from opposite sides, and a rest or support for the
material, and a gauge to bear against the upper near the welt to regulate the
distance from the upper of the perforations made by the awls,

page_text: Also, in a machine for simultaneously perforating and trimming a welt and outer
sole, of an awl and cutter having coincident centres of vibration or movement,
combined with mechanism to move the awl and cutter carrier horizontally when
the awl and cutter engage the welt and sole, to feed the boot or shoe forward.
Also, in a machine to perforate a welt and outer sole, of two awls and two
cutters to enter the welt and outer sole from opposite sides to perforate and trim
them, combined with a fixed rest or foot provided with a channel gauge.
Also, of two awis to perforate, and two cutters to trim a welt and outer sole at
the desired distance from the upper, combined with mechanism to operate the awl
and cutter carriers to permit the cutters to almost meet, and subsequently to move
one cutter forward while the other is retracted, to cut that portion of the sole
which rests between the cutters when they nearly approached each other.
Also, of the combination with a perforating awl and a laterally or horizontally
moving carriage to cause the awl to feed the material, of a handle or lever made
movable between adjustable stops adapted to arrest the lever at its two extremes of
movement to produce and ensure a certain length of feed about the fore part of the
boot or shoe and a longer feed at the shank.
Also, of a cutting blade to penetrate the welt or upper side of the sole, combined
with a second cutter to cut into and trim the sole from its wearing face.
Also, in a machine to simultaneously prick holes in, and trim the edge of a sole
or welt on a last, of a curved awl, and a curved cutter to enable the sole or welt to
be perforated and trimmed at its concaved or shank portion.
Also, in a machine to trim soles, of a guage to enter the channel in an outer
sole, and two cutters to enter the sole from its opposite faces or sides, to operate as
hereinafter described.
Also of a cutter to enter and trim a sole combined with mechanism to move
it laterally while in the sole, to assist in feeding the shoe after each cutting
operation.
Also, of a tool for marking the outer sole, after the said sole has been applied or
tacked to a lasted upper or inner sole, to indicate the line upon which the outer
sole is to be channeled, the marking point of said tool being adjustable toward and
from a gauge which bears upon the upper fitted to the last at or near the welt,
and that portion of the tool upon which the marker is mounted being preferably
made vertically adjustable to suit the tool to soles of different thickness.
Also, of that improvement in the art or method of making welted boots and
shoes to ensure a uniform projection of the welt and sole beyond the upper, and a
uniform placing of the thread parallel with the sole and welt edge, which consists
in employing the upper near the welt as a gauging surface to determine the distanco
from the said upper at which a piercing awl and cutter shall operate, the former to
prick the sole and welt at a uniform distance from the upper, and the latter to cut
and remove the uneven unshaped edges of the welt and sole at a uniform distance
from the line of perforations.
Also, of that improvement in the art or method of making welted boots and
shoes, which consists in lasting the upper upon the inner sole, attaching a welt to
the upper and inner sole, applying a piece of leather for an outer sole to the welt
and lasted upper, channeling the outer sole about the toe, ball, and shank of the
foot in a line substantially concentric with the outline of the lasted upper near the
welt, then punching holes through the welt and outer sole, and simultaneously
trimming the welt and the piece of leather for the outer sole at a uniform distance
from the upper, giving the said piece of leather the proper shape for the outer sole,
according to the shape of the last, and then sewing the welt and outer sole together
by threads inserted through the said holes, the different steps being in the order
and substantially as herein before described.
Referring to the Drawings,-
Figure 1 represents an underside view of a sole pricking and trimming machine
constructed in accordance with this Invention.

page_text: Figure 2, a side elevation thereof, the balance-wheel being broken away, the
Figure showing part of a shoe in section.
Figure 3, details to be referred to.
Figure 4, a longitudinal section taken through the awls and cutters, and their
actuating mechanism.
Figure 5, a partial front elevation of Figure 2, the parts being represented as
when grasping a sole, but with the sole omitted.
Figure 6 is a view of a partially punched and trimmed welt and sole viewed
from the welt side, the principal portion of the upper being cut away parallel with
the sole.
Figure 7 is a view of the same shoe taken from the bottom or outer sole.
Figure 8 represents the cutter detached.
Figure 9, a top view of the rests or feet which support the work, and
Figure 10, a view of the marking or cutting gage to indicate the line for or cut
the channel.
The frame work a, a¹, a², may be of any suitable shape to properly sustain the
working parts.
The main shaft b, driven by hand or other power, has upon it a cam-grooved
hub b which receives a roller or pin 62 at the rear end of a lever b³ having its
fulcrum at b, and slotted at its forward end, as at 65, to receive a movable stud or
pin c extended through a slot 2 in a feed regulating lever c', having a handle c²
pivotted at 3, and controlled as to the extent of its movement by the regulating
stops c, c, shown as screws held in ears 4 attached to frame a.
The upper end of stud c has a square head 5 fitted into a ground portion dat
the underside of a carriage d' fitted between guides 7, and having upon it the cars d
which carry the fulcrum pin 8, on which turn the two awl carriers d³, ds, provided
each with a curved awl 10 and a chisel or gauge like cutter 11, see enlarged detail,
Figure 8.
The adjacent awls and cutters begin to enter the material at substantially the
same time.
By shifting the handle c¹, c², the pin c may be moved more or less from the
fulcrum b' of lever b³, and consequently the carriage d', ears d², and awl carriers,
may be moved more or less while the awls and cutters are in the leather to feed
the shoe or boot a greater or lesser distance, according to the distance desired
between the awl holes.
The handle being against one of the stops c³ will regulate the distance between
the awl holes about the toe and ball of the boot or shoe; and arriving at
the shank the handle may be quickly thrown against the other stop c¹, thereby
lengthening the distance between the awl holes made through the edge of the
shank.
The stops being once set for the maximum and minimum distances between the
holes the handle or lever may be quickly changed, and any number of pairs of
boots or shoes may be made with exactly the same spacing at all parts.
By attaching the cutters directly to the awl carriers they always cut the welt
and sole concentric with the holes made by the awls, and a uniform width of
leather is maintained outside the awl holes, which is not the case in regular hand
sewed work wherein the outer sole is trimmed after sewing.
The awls and cutters being in the sole when the shoe is moved horizontally hold
it very securely, and make a feed of great power, but after feeding the shoe the
awls and cutters are withdrawn and returned to their starting point preparatory to
again entering the welt and outer sole, the shoe being then held between the
channel-feet or rests e, e¹, and pressers f, f¹.
The carriers d³, d', held with the awls most separated by springs g, gl, are
provided with anti-friction rollers 12, which are struck by the carrier operating cam-
bar or slide d³, provided with actuating surfaces 13, 14, 15, 16, so shaped sub-
stantially as shown, that as the slide d³ is moved horizontally forward in the

page_text: direction of the arrow, Figure 2, by a groove made in the face of a cam hub dⓇ (it
receiving a pin or roller 17 at the rear end of d³, see Figure 1) the carriers will be
turned to project the awls and cutters through the welt and outer sole.
The awls and knives enter the material at the same time, thereby acting simul-
taneously against the material, and arriving at or near the centre of the material,
or so that their points are quite near each other, the awl and cutter of the carrier d'
are depressed, and the awl and cutter of carrier d³ follow after them until the last-
mentioned cutter passes below the point reached by the cutter of carrier d* in its
previous upward movement.
With the awls and cutters yet in the material the carriers are moved laterally for
the desired distance, according to the length of feed stroke; the rollers then traveling
horizontally in contact with the broad end of d³, and at the end of the feeding stroke
the lower end and upper cutter both start upward together for a very short distance
(the welt and sole denominated the stock being held by the pressers), after which
the lower awl and cutter are depressed, and the upper awl and cutter are fully
elevated and removed from the stock, and moved horizontally to the point from
which they started before feeding the shoe.
These movements of the awls and cutters punch the holes of uniform size and com-
pletely sever the waste material from the sole and welt, and loosen the awls and
cutters so that they may be withdrawn from the stock without sticking, and the
cutting faces or edges coming in contact only with the leather being cut are
not dulled as though but one cutter was used.
The channel feet or rests e, e', are adjustably held by bolts e², es, in a bracket e*
at the front of frame a.
The foot eis held tight by the bolt e³, and at its upper end has a small flat
portion (see Figure 9) preferably provided with a throat 18 and a ledge 19, the
one to permit the passage of the cutters 11, and the other to enter the channel 20,
cut in the outer sole h.
The foot e¹ is free to vibrate about its bolt e², but is held in the proper posi-
tion vertically, or nearly so, by an adjustable U shaped spring e held by a screw
or bolt e', the ends of the said spring pressing against the front and rear faces of the
foot portion e'.
This foot e' has at its top a channel entering projection 22, and on reaching a
curved portion of the channel as at toe or shank of a boot or shoe the foot e¹ is
free to turn on its bolt e², and follow the channel as its direction is changed by
moving the shoe, the projection 22 remaining in the channel all the time, which
would not be the case. if the foot e' was held rigidly.
The cutters and awls work in an arc of a circle between the feet, and the awls
moved in a path coincident with the ledges 19, 22, enter the sole at its lower side
directly at the bottom of the channel.
If desired the feet e, e', may serve only as rests, and one of the presses may be
provided with a channel opener, but in such modification the shoe would be held
with the outer sole uppermost, or the reverse of the shoe ¹, shown in Figure 2.
The pressers ff, which bear upon the welt h², attached to the upper and inner
sole in the usual manner, act also to regulate the distance from the upper at which
the awls and cutters penetrate the welt and outer-sole (and it may be an inter-
mediate filling sole x) for the said combined pressers and gauges are made
adjustable toward and from the path in which the awls and cutters reciprocate.
These gauges f, f, having backwardly extending arms f² connected by a link ƒ³
with a vibrating lever f, pivoted at 5, and connected by an adjustable link fo
with a radius bar f', set in motion by a cam fs so as to automatically raise and
lower the pressers to release or grasp the material at the proper times have their
fulcrum pins i at the end of the shorter arms of the gauge shifting levers i², pivotted
at upon the part a² of the framework, the said levers being connected at their
rear ends by a link or rod ¿ with any suitable treadle controlled by the foot or
hand of the operator.
A strong spring pressing against the rod 2º, which joins the two levers 22 at their

page_text: rear ends, holds the fulcrum pins pressed against the gauge stop 24, and consequently
the acting faces of the gauges are in their backward position or nearest the path
of movement of the awls and cutters, see Figures 2 and 3.
i
By depressing the rear end of the gauge shifting levers the fulcrum pins í are
with the gauges moved away from the path of movement of the awls until they are
stopped by gauge stops 25.
It is obvious that the gauge stops 24-25 may be adjusted as it may be desired
to punch and trim the welt and outer sole at a less or greater distance from the
upper against which the gauges bear.
In operation the shoe is lasted, the welt is attached, and the leather for the
outer sole, and also for the inter or filling sole, if used, is applied, after which the
outer sole is marked and channelled, preferably by the hand tool hereinafter
described as at 20, and placed in the machine, the awls make a series of perfora-
tions through the welt and through the outer and inter soles, entering at the base
of the channel (these holes being shown at Figure 6, 7,) and at the same time the
cutters trim the welt, and inter and outer soles evenly at a uniform distance from
the upper, it being used as a gauge, after which the said holes are filled in with
threads drawn therein as commonly practised in the best of hand work, the stitch
being that known as the cordwainers.
It is obvious in case the channel opener was placed upon the gauges that the
channel could be used as a gauging surface from which to trim the welt and sole,
but in so doing care should be taken to mark the line for the channel by means of
a gauge having its marking point governed by the outline of the upper or last near
the inner sole.
Such a tool is shown in side elevation and partly in section in Figure 10, it being
represented as fitted to a shoe shown in cross section.
Projecting from the handle A is a bar B having a gauge face C suitably shaped
to enter the angle between the upper D and welt h².
The bar B receives within it a rod F made vertically adjustable by means of a
screw G to permit the arm H, carried by the rod and carrying the inarker I and
its adjustable holder J to be raised or lowered according to the thickness of the
inter sole and outer-sole L.
The holder J, slotted at its shank to receive the set screw M, has within it the
marker I, adjustably held in a movable head or plunger N provided with a collar,
and held pressed down for a certain distance by a spiral spring O.
The marker is thus made adjustable horizontally with reference to the gauge C
so as to mark on the face of the outer sole a mark which shall follow the outline of
the upper and last near the welt, the said line being more or less near the centre
of the shoe, according to the thickness of edge wanted for the sole outside the
upper.
The awls and cutters of the perforating and trimming machine will preferably be
made curved so as to better to fit into the shank, but it is obvious that the upper
and lower awls might be made to penetrate the welt and outer sole in angular
directions with relation to each other, so that lines projected forward in the direc-
tion of the movement of said straight awls would cross each other at or near the
centre of the combined welt and sole, viewed as to thickness only.
Heretofore in the manufacture of welted work it has been usual to trim the welt
after it is attached to the inner sole and upper of the lasted shoe, and then the
outer sole, usually shaped by a die, and the inter sole, if one was used, were both
trimmed down to meet the welt, and the welt and sole were united by stitches.
In said operation the workman depends upon his eye alone to determine the
uniform projection of the welt and outer sole from the upper, and much time of
valuable workmen is lost, which, according to this improved plan, is saved.
Simultaneously punching and trimming the welt and outer sole maintains the
sole edge in exact uniformity with the line of stitches uniting the welt and outer
sole.
In preparing a shoe or boot to be sewn by hand according to this Invention it

page_text: will be observed that the edge of the sole is not used as a gauging surface over and
along which the channelling tool is moved to place the channel at its proper posi-
tion in the wearing face of the outer sole, and it is therefore possible to apply to
the lasted shoe, for the purpose of an outer sole, a piece of leather which has not
been sole shaped by means of a die as heretofore common.
Cutting or trimming the edges of the material being sewn on, an ordinary sewing
machine parallel with the line of stitches is not herein claimed; but a common
sewing machine containing a cutter is not adapted to support a lasted shoe and
permit the edge of its sole to be trimmed about the ball and into the shank.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Morgan-Brown in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th
November 1879.
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN, of the Firm of Brandon and Morgan-Brown, Engineers
and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings, London, and 1, Rue Laffitte,
Paris. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PRICKING, OR PRICKING AND TRIM-
MING AT THE SAME TIME THE SOLES OF BOOTS AND SHOES, AND FOR ASSEMBLING
THE PARTS OF BOOTS AND SHOES SO PRICKED OR TRIMMED THAT THEY MAY BE
SEWN BY HAND." A communication from abroad by Joseph Stanley Turner, of
Rockland, in the County of Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States, of America.
This Invention of improvements in machinery for pricking or pricking and
trimming at the same time the soles of boots and shoes, and for assembling the
parts of boots and shoes so pricked or trimmed that they may be sewn by hand,
relates to a mechanism for pricking or pricking and trimming at the same time the
soles of boots and shoes, and to a method of assembling the parts of the boot or
shoe, and sewing it by hand.
In this Invention after stitching the welt to the lasted shoe, and placing the
outer sole in position thereon, the said outer sole and welt are automatically
operated upon by awls and cutters, which act, the former to perforate the welt and
outer sole with a row or series of holes at a uniform distance from the upper or the
edge of the last, and the latter to trim the outer sole and welt at a uniform distance
from the row of holes, the shoe being guided during this operation by a gauge,
which bears against the upper upon the last near the welt, or by a channel gauge or
foot, having a lip to enter a channel in the face of the outer sole.
The object of this Invention is to produce a welted shoe, having the construction
of parts and stitch common in hand made welted boots or shoes, but a shoc pro-
duced by the method herein described is considered superior to the usual entirely
hand made welted and sewed shoe, in that the spacing and line of direction of the
boles through the welt and outer sole into which the waxed thread is drawn to
unite the welt and outer sole are more uniform and more nearly parallel. The
most difficult work in the manufacture of a welted shoe by hand and that requiring

page_text: the services of a skilled workman to produce good and salable work is that of
making the awl holes properly through the welt and outer sole.
This Invention has for one of its objects to make by machinery these holes through
the welt and outer sole, which being done the said holes may be read and easily.
filled with thread drawn through them in the ordinary way, but for this operation
boys or unskilled workmen can be employed, they opening the holes de through
the welt and outer sole by means of a hand awl just before drawing in the
threads.
4
This Invention consists in the employment in an organized machi of two awls
adapted to simultaneously penetrate the welt and outer sole when combined with a
rest or support for that portion of the sole being operated upon.
Also, in a machine for perforating a welt and outer sole, of two awls adapted to
simultaneously enter and pass through said welt and outer sole, combined with a
rest for the shoe and a gauge to cooperate with either the upper or the channel, as
bereinafter described; to place the series of perforations at the desired distance from
the upper.
Also, of two awls to perforate the welt and outer sole in opposite directions, as
hereinafter described, combined with a gauge adapted to bear upon the upper near
the welt, and mechanism to move the said gauge toward and from the path of
movement of the awls.
Also, in a machine for perforating a welt and outer sole, of a pivoted gauge to
bear against the upper near the welt, and stops to determine the movement of the
fulcrum pins of the gauge toward or from the path of movement of the awls.
Also, in a machine for perforating a welt and outer sole, of two awls and a
support for the boot or shoe, combined with two independent pressers to bear upon
the material at the front and rear of the awls, and mechanism to raise and lower
the pressers.
Also, in a machine for perforating a welt and outer sole, of two awls to simul-
taneously enter and penetrate the welt and outer sole, combined with two feet to
support the material, one of the said feet being adapted to yield and remain in the
channel of the outer sole, notwithstanding the curvatures in the channel.
Also, in a machine for perforating a welt and outer sole, of a pivoted rest or foot
provided with a shoe supporting surface and a ledge to enter and open the
channel in the outer sole, combined with a spring to maintain the foot in upright
position, but yet permit it to yield toward and from the centre of oscillation of the
awis.
Also, in a machine to perforate the welt and outer sole of a shoe, of two cutters
or blades to enter from opposite sides and trim the outer sole, or outer sole and
welt, parallel with the series of perforations made therein.
Also, of two curved awls and two curved cutters, having substantially coincident
centres of oscillation, combined with a rest or support for the material.
Also, of the combination with mechanism for perforating a welt and outer sole,
and mechanism to trim them parallel with the series of perforations, of a channel
guide and support for the boot or shoe, and a presser to operate as hereinafter
.described.
Also, of the combination with mechanism to perforate a welt and outer sole, of
two cutters to enter the sole from opposite sides, and a rest or support for the
material, and a gauge to bear against the upper near the welt to regulate the
distance from the upper of the perforations made by the awls.
Also, in a machine for simultaneously perforating and trimming a welt and outer
sole, of an awl and cutter, having coincident centres of vibration or movement,
combined with mechanism to move the awl and cutter carrier horizontally when
the awl and cutter engage the welt and sole to feed the boot or shoe forward.
Also, in a machine to perforate a welt and outer sole, of twc wls and two
cutters to enter the welt and outer sole from opposite sides to perisate and trim
them, combined with a fixed rest or foot provided with a channel gauge.
Also, of two awls to perforate and two cutters to trim a welt a. outer sole at

page_text: the desired distance from the upper, combined with mechanism to operate the awl
and cutter carriers to permit the cutters to almost meet, and subsequently to move
one cutter forward while the other is retracted to cut that portion of the sole
which rests between the cutters when they nearly approached each other.
Also, of the combination with a perforating awl and a laterally or horizontally
moving carriage to cause the awl to feed the material, of a handle or lever made
movable between adjustable stops adapted to arrest the lever at its two extremes of
movement to produce and ensure a certain length of feed about the fore part of the
boot or shoe, and a longer feed at the shank.
Also of a cutting blade to penetrate the welt or upper side of the sole, combined
with a second cutter to cut into and trim the sole from its wearing face.
Also in a machine to simultaneously prick holes in and trim the edge of a sole or
welt on a last; of a curved awl and a curved cutter to enable the sole or welt to be
perforated and trimmed at its concaved or shank portion.
Also in a machine to trim soles; of a gauge to enter the channel in an outer sole;
and two cutters to enter tho sole from its opposite faces or sides, to operate as
hereinafter described.
Also of a cutter to enter and trim a sole, combined with mechanism to move it
laterally while in the sole, to assist in feeding the shoe after each cutting operation.
Also of a tool for marking the outer sole after the said sole has been applied or
tacked to a lasted upper or inner sole, to indicate the line upon which the outer sole
is to be channeled, the marking point of said tool being adjustable toward and from
a gauge which bears upon the upper fitted to the last at or near the welt, and that
portion of the tool upon which the marker is mounted, being preferably made
vertically adjustable to suit the tool to soles of different thickness.
Also of that improvement in the art or method of making welted boots and shoes
to ensure a uniform projection of the welt and sole beyond the upper, and a uniform
placing of the thread parallel with the sole and welt edge, which consists in employing
the upper near the welt as a gauging surface to determine the distance from the
said upper, at which a piercing awl and cutter sball operate, the former to prick the
sole and welt at a uniform distance from the upper, and the latter to cut and remove
the uneven, unshaped edges of the welt and sole at a uniform distance from the line
of perforations.
Also of that improvement in the art or method of making welted boots and shoes
which consists in lasting the upper upon the inner sole, attaching a welt to the
upper and inner sole, applying a piece of leather for an outer sole to the welt and
lasted upper, channelling the outer sole about the toe, ball, and shank of the foot in
a line substantially concentric with the outline of the lasted upper near the welt,
then punching holes through the welt and outer sole, and simultaneously trimming
the welt and the piece of leather for the outer sole at a uniform distance from the
upper, giving the said piece of leather the proper shape for the outer sole, according
to the shape of the last, and then sewing the welt and outer sole together by threads
inserted through the said holes, the different steps being in the order and substan-
tially as hereinafter described.
REFERRING TO THE DRAWINGS,
Figure 1 represents an underside view of a sole pricking and trimming machine
constructed in accordance with this Invention.
Figure 2, a side elevation thereof, the balance wheel being broken away, the
Figure shewing part of a shoe in section.
Figure 3, details to be referred to.
Figure 4, a longitudinal section taken through the awls and cutters and their
actuating mechanism.
Figure 5, a partial front elevation of Figure 2, the parts being represented as
when grasping a sole, but with the sole omitted.
Figure 6 is a view of a partially punched and trimmed welt and sole viewed from
the welt side, the principal portion of the upper being cut away parallel with the sole,

page_text: Figure 7 is a view of the same shoe taken from the bottom or outer sole.
Figure 8 représents the cutter detached.
Figure 9, a top view of the rests or feet which support the work; and
Figure 10, a view of the marking or cutting gauge to indicate the line for, or cut
the channel.
The frame work a, a¹, a², may be of any suitable shape to properly sustain the
working parts.
The main shaft b, driven by hand or other power, has upon it a cam grooved hub
b', which receives a roller or pin 62 at the rear end of a lever b³, having its fulcrum
at b* and slotted at its forward end, as at 65, to receive a movable stud or pin c
extended through a slot 2 in a feed regulating lever c', having a handle c² pivoted
at 3, and controllod as to the extent of its movement by the regulating stops c³, c¹,
shewn as screws held in ears 4 attached to frame a.
The upper end of stud c has a square head 5 fitted into a grooved portion dat
the underside of a carriage d' fitted between guides 7, and having upon it the ears
d, which carry the fulcrum pin 8, on which turn the two awl carriers d³, d, pro-
vided each with a curved awl 10 and a chisel or gauge-like cutter 11. See enlargedl
detail, Figure 8.
The adjacent awls and cutters begin to enter the material at substantially the
same time.
By shifting the handle c¹, c², the pin c may be moved more or less from the fulcrum
64 of lever b³, and consequently the carriage d¹, ears d², and awl carriers may be
moved more or less while the awls and cutters are in the leather, to feed the shoe
or boot a greater or less distance, according to the distance desired between the awl
holes.
The handle, being against one of the stops c³, will regulate the distance between
the awl holes about the toe and ball of the boot or shoe, and, arriving at the shank,
the handle may be quickly thrown against the other stops ct, thereby lengthening the
distance between the awl holes made through the edge of the shank.
The stops being once set for the maximum and minimum distances between the
holes, the handle or lever may be quickly changed, and any number of pairs of boots
or shoes may be made with exactly the same spacing at all parts.
By attaching the cutters directly to the awl carriers they always cut the welt
and sole concentric with the holes made by the awls, and a uniform width of leather
is maintained outside the awl holes, which is not the case in regular hand sewed
work, wherein the outer sole is trimmed after sewing.
The awls and cutters being in the sole when the shoe is moved horizontally, hold
it very securely and make a feed of great power, but after feeding the shoe the awls
and cutters are withdrawn and returned to their starting point preparatory to again
entering the welt and outer sole, the shoe being then held between the channel feet
or rests e, e¹, and pressers f. f1.
The carriers d, dt, held with the awls most separated by springs g, gl, are pro-
'vided with antifriction rollers 12, which are struck by the carrier-operating cam bar
or slide d³, provided with actuating surfaces 13, 14, 15, 16, so shaped, substantially
as shewn, that as the slide d³ is moved horizontally forward in the direction of the
arrow, Figure 2, by a groove made in the face of a cam-hub de (it receiving a pin or
roller 17 at the rear end of do, see Figure 1), the carriers will be turned to project
the awls and cutters through the welt and outer sole.
The awis and knives enter the material at the same time, thereby acting simul-
taneously against the material, and arriving at or near the centre of the material,
or so that their points are quite near each other; the awl and cutter of the carrier d'
are depressed, and the awl and cutter of carrier d³ follow after them until the last-
mentioned cutter passes below the point reached by the cutter of carrier d in its
previous upward movement.
With the awls and cutters yet in the material, the carriers are moved laterally for
the desired distance, according to the length of feed stroke, the rollers then travelling
•horizontally in contact with the broad end of d³, and at the end of the feeding

page_text: stroke the lower and upper cutter both start upward together for a very short
distance (the welt and sole, denominated the stock, being held by the pressers),
after which the lower awl and cutter are depressed, and the upper awl and cutter
are fully elevated and removed from the stock, and moved horizontally to the point
from which they started before feeding the shoe.
These movements of the awls and cutters punch the holes of uniform size and
completely sever the waste material from the sole and welt, and loosen the awls and
cutters, so that they may be withdrawn from the stock without sticking, and the
cutting faces or edges coming in contact only with the leather being cut, are not
dulled as though but one cutter was used.
The channel feet or rests e, e', are adjustably held by bolts e², es, in a bracket e¹ at
the front of fraine a.
The foot e is held tight by the bolt es, and at its upper end has a small flat por-
tion (see Figure 9) preferably provided with a throat 18 and a ledge 19, the one to
permit the passage of the cutters 11, and the other to enter the channel 20 cut in
the outer sole h.
The foot e¹ is free to vibrate about its bolt e2, but is held in the proper position
vertically, or nearly so, by an adjustable Ushaped spring e held by a screw or bolt
e7, the ends of the said spring pressing against the front and rear faces of the foot
portion e¹.
This foot e¹ has at its top a.channel entering projection 22, and on reaching a
curved portion of the channel, as at the toe or shank of a boot or shoe, the foot e¹ is
free to turn on its bolt e², and follow the channel as its direction is changed by
moving the shoe, the projection 22 remaining in the channel all the time, which
would not be the case if the foot e¹ was held rigidly.
The cutters and awls work in an arc of a circle between the feet, and the awls,
moved in a path coincident with the ledges 19, 22, enter the sole at its lower side
directly at the bottom of the channel.
If desired, the feet e, e¹, may serve only as rests, and one of the pressers may be
provided with a channel opener, but in such modification the shoe would be held
with the outer sole uppermost, or the reverse of the shoe ', shewn in Figure 2.
The pressers ff', which bear upon the welt h², attached to the upper and inner.
sole in the usual manner, act also to regulate the distance from the upper at which
the awls and cutters penetrate the welt and outer-sole (and it may be an inter-
mediate filling sole x, for the said combined pressers and gauges are made adjustable
toward and from the path in which the awls and cutters reciprocate.
These gauges ff, having backwardly extending arms f² connected by a link f
with a vibrating lever f, pivoted at f and connected by an adjustable link fo
with a radius bar set in motion by a cam f8, so as to automatically raise and'
lower the pressers to release or grasp the material at the proper times, have their
fulcrum pins at the ends of the shorter arms of the gauge shifting levers 2²,
pivoted at upon the part a² of the framework, the said levers being connected at
their rear ends by a link or rod with any suitable treadle controlled by the foot
or hand of the operator.
A strong spring i pressing against the rod 0, which joins the two levers at their
rear ends, holds the fulcrum pins pressed against the gauge stop 24, and consequently
the acting faces of the gauges are in their backward position, or nearest the path of
movement of the awls and cutters, see Figures 2 and 3.
By depressing the rear end of the gauge shifting levers the fulcrum pins i are
with the gauges moved away from the path of movement of the awls until they are*
stopped by gauge stops 25.
It is obvious that the gauge stops 24, 25, may be adjusted as it may be desired to.
punch and trim the welt and outer sole at a less or greater distance from the upper,
against which the gauges bear.
In operation the shoe
lasted, the welt is attached, and the leather for the outer
sole, and also for the inter or filling sole, if used, is applied, after which the outer
sole is marked and channelled, preferably by the hand tool hereinafter described, as

page_text: at 20, and placed in the machine; the awls make a series of perforations through
the welt, and through the outer and inter soles, entering at the base of the channel
(these holes being shewn at Figure 6, 7), and at the same time the cutters trim the
welt and inter and outer soles evenly. at a uniform distance from the upper, it
being used as a gauge; after which the said holes are filled in with threads drawn
therein, as commonly practiced in the best of hand work, the stitch being that
known as the cord wainers'.
It is obvious, in case the channel opener was placed upon the gauges, that the
channel could be used as a gauging surface from which to trim the welt and sole,
but in so doing care should be taken to mark the line for the channel by means of
a gauge have its marking point governed by the outline of the upper or last near
the inner sole.
Such a tool is shewn in side elevation and partly in section in Figure 10, it being
represented as fitted to a shoe shewn in cross-section.
Projecting from the handle A is a bar B having a gauge face C suitably shaped
to enter the angle between the upper D and welt h².
The bar B receives within it a rod F made vertically adjustable by means of a
screw G, to permit the arm H carried by the rod, and carrying the marker I, and
its adjustable holder J, to be raised or lowered according to the thickness of the
inter sole and outer sole L.
The holder J, slotted at its shank to receive the set screw M, has within it the
marker I, adjustably held in a moveable head or plunger N provided with a collar
and held pressed down for a certain distance by a spiral spring O.
The marker is thus made adjustable horizontally with reference to the gauge C,
so as to mark on the face of the outer sole a mark which shall follow the out-
line of the upper and last near the welt, the said line being more or less near the
centre of the shoe, according to the thickness of edge wanted for the sole outside
the upper.
The awls and cutters of the perforating and trimming machine will preferably be
made curved, so as better to fit into the shank, but it is obvious that the upper and
lower awls might be made to penetrate the welt and outer sole in angular directions
with relation to each other, so that lines projected forward in the direction of the
movement of said straight awls would cross each other at or near the centre of the
combined welt and sole viewed as to thickness only.
Heretofore in the manufacture of welted work it has been usual to trim the welt
after it is attached to the inner sole and upper of the lasted shoe, and then the outer
sole, usually shaped by a die, and the inter sole, if one was used, were both trimmed
down to meet the welt, and the welt and sole were united by stitches.
In said operation the workınan depends upon his eye alone to determine the
uniform projection of the welt and outer sole from the upper, and much time of
valuable workmen is lost, which, according to this improved plan, is saved.
Simultaneously punching and trimming the welt and outer sole maintains the
sole edge in exact uniformity with the line of stitches uniting the welt and outer sole.
In preparing a shoe or boot to be sewn by hand according to this Invention it
will be observed that the edge of the sole is not used as a gauging surface over and
along which the channelling tool is moved to place the channel at its proper position
in the wearing face of the outer sole, and it is therefore possible to apply to the
lasted shoe for the purpose of an outer sole, a piece of leather which has not been
sole shaped by means of a die as heretofore common.
Cutting or trimming the edges of the material, being sewn on an ordinary sewing
machine, parallel with the line of stitches is not herein claimed, but a common
sewing machine containing a cutter is not adapted to support a lasted shoe and
permit the edge of its sole to be trimmed about the ball and into the shank.
Having thus described and particularly set forth the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that
what I claim is,-
1st. In a machine for perforating a welt and outer sole two awls adapted to

page_text: simultaneously penetrate the welt and outer sole, combined with a rest or support
for the shoe while being acted upon by the awls.
2nd. In a machine for perforating a welt and outer sole two awls adapted to
simultaneously enter and pass through the said welt and outer sole, combined with
a rest for the shoe and a gauge to cooperate either with the upper or with the
channel to place the series of perforations at the desired distance from the upper,
substantially as described.
3rd. Two awls to perforate the welt and outer sole in opposite directions, as
described, combined with a gauge adapted to bear upon the upper near the welt,
and mechanism to move the said gauge toward and from the path of movement of
the awls, substantially as described.
4th. In a machine for perforating a welt and outer sole a pivoted gauge to bear
against the upper near the welt, and stops to determine the movement of the fulcrum
pins of the gauge toward or from the path of movement of the awls, substantially
as described.
5th. In a machine for perforating a welt and outer sole two awls and a support
for the boot or shoe combined with two independent pressers to bear upon the
material at the front and the rear of the awls, and mechanism to raise and lower
the pressers, substantially as described.
6th. In a machine for perforating a welt and outer sole, two awls to simultaneously
enter and penetrate the welt and outer sole, combined with two feet e, e', to support
the material, one of the said feet being adapted to yield and remain in the channel
of the outer sole, notwithstanding the curvatures in the channel, substantially as
described.
7th. In a machine for perforating a welt and outer sole, a pivoted rest or foot e¹
provided with a shoe supporting surface, and a ledge 19 to enter and open the
channel in the outer sole, combined with a spring to maintain the foot in upright
position, but yet permit it to yield toward and from the centre of oscillation of the
awls, substantially as described.
8th. In a machine to perforate the welt and outer sole of a shoe, two cutters or
blades to enter from opposite sides, and trim the outer sole or outer sole and welt
parallel with the series of perforations inade therein, substantially as described.
9th. Two curved awls and two curved cutters having substantially coincident
centres of oscillation, combined with a rest or support for the material, substantially
as described.
10th. The combination with mechanism for perforating a welt and outer sole
and mechanism to trim them parallel with the series of perforations, of a channel
guide and support for the boot or shoe, and a presser to operate, substantially as
described.
11th. The combination with mechanism to perforate a welt and outer sole, of two
cutters to enter the sole from opposite sides, and a rest or support for the material,
and a gauge to bear against the upper near the welt to regulate the distance from
the upper of the perforations made by the awls, substantially as described.
12th. In a machine for simultaneously perforating and trimming a welt and
outer sole, an awl and cuter having coincident centres of vibration or movement,
combined with mechanisin to move the awl and cutter carrier horizontally when
the awl and cutter engage the welt and sole, to feed the boot or shoe forward,
substantially as described.
13th. In a machine to perforate a welt and outer sole, two awls and two cutters
to enter the welt and outer sole from opposite sides to perforate and trim them,
combined with a fixed rest or foot, and a movable rest or foot provided with a
channel gauge, substantially as described.
14th. Two awls to perforate, and two cutters to trim a welt and outer sole at
the desired distance from the upper, combined with mechanism to operate the awl
and cutter carriers, to permit the cutters to almost meet, and subsequently to move
one cutter forward while the other is retracted, to cut that portion of the sole

page_text: which rests between the cutters when they nearly approached each other, substan-
tially as hereinbefore described.
"
15th. The combination with a perforating awl, and a laterally or horizontally
moving carriage to cause the awl to feed the material, of a handle or lever made
movable between adjustable stops adapted to arrest the lever at its two extremes of
movement, to produce and ensure a certain length of feed about the fore part of
the boot or shoe, and a longer feed at the shank, substantially as described.
16th. A cutting blade to penetrate the welt or upper side of the sole, combined
with a second cutter to cut into and trim the sole from its wearing face, substantially
as described.
17th. In a machine to simultaneously prick holes in and trim the edge of a sole
or welt on a last, a curved awl and a curved cutter, to enable the sole or welt to be
perforated and trimmed at its concaved or shank portion, substantially as described.
18th. In a machine to trim soles, a gauge to enter the channel in an outer sole,
and two cutters to enter the sole from its opposite faces or sides to operate substan-
tially as described.
19th. A cutter to enter and trim a sole, combined with mechanism to move it
laterally while in the sole, to assist in feeding the shoe after each cutting operation,
substantially as described.
20th. The gauge C to bear upon the upper at or near the welt, combined with
a spring-held rod or marker to mark the outer sole, substantially as described.
21st. The gauge to bear against the upper near the welt, and a device to mark
or channel the bottom of the outer sole, combined with a vertically adjustable
frame to provide for soles of different thickness.
22nd. The gauge to bear against the upper near the welt, and a device to mark
or channel the outer sole as described, combined with a marker holder made
horizontally adjustable toward or from the face of the gauge, substantially as
described.
23rd. That improvement in the art or method of making welted boots and shoes
to ensure a uniform projection of the welt and sole beyond the upper, and a uniform
placing of the thread parallel with the sole and welt edge, which consists in em-
ploying the upper near the welt as a gauging surface, to determine the distance
from the said upper, at which a piercing awl and cutter shall operate, the former to
prick the sole and welt at a uniform distance from the upper, and the latter to cut
them and remove the uneven unshaped edges of the welt and sole at a uniform
distance from the line of perforations, all substantially as described.
24th. That improvement in the art or method of making welted boots and shoes,
which consists in lasting the upper upon the inner sole, attaching a welt to the
upper and inner sole, applying a piece of leather for an outer sole to the welt and
lasted upper, channelling the outer sole about the toe, ball, and shank of the foot in
a line substantially concentric with the outline of the lasted upper near the welt,
then punching holes through the welt and outer sole, and simultaneously trimming
the welt and the piece of leather for the outer sole at a uniform distance from the
upper, giving the said piece of leather the proper shape for the outer sole, according
to the shape of the last, and then sewing the welt and outer sole together by threads
inserted through the said holes, the different steps being in the order and substan-
tially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Morgan-Brown, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twelfth day of November, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN. (L.S.)