IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Fairweather, of the City of Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SEWING MACHINES.”
Sealed the 30th August 1878, and dated the 18th March 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Fairweather at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th March 1878.
WILLIAM FAIRWEATHER, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."
My Invention relates to the Willcox and Gibbs type of sewing machine, and its
object is to adapt such sewing machines, so that they may be readily changed if
desired from their ordinary chain stitch to a double loop stitch, or that known as
the "Grover-Baker" or Lancashire sewing stitch, and my Invention consists in com-
bining with the Willcox and Gibbs machine (having the rotary looper removed)
a pair of bevel wheels, one on the shaft driving one on a stud in which there is u
crank pin that works in a cam slot in a piece secured to a rod parallel to the shaft,
and sliding to and fro in suitable guides.
The front end of the sliding rod. has a worm, upon which can be turned upon
the rod and then adjusted by a screw; this screw worm forms a toothed rack and
gears with a pinion formed or secured upon the lower end of a shaft having its
bearings in a bracket secured to the frame of the machine, and the upper end of
this shaft has a curved needle formed or secured upon it, which has an eye in it
for the lower thread, which passes from the spool first through an eye in a spring,
and then to the eye of the curved needle, this spring taking up the slack thread
during the formation of each stitch.
All the other mechanism of the machine not described is the same as that for the
Willcox and Gibbs chain stitch sewing machine.
In place of the bevel wheels and cam slot a drum cam is or may be placed on the
shaft acting directly upon a bowl carried by an arm from the sliding rod, or acting
FD 677

page_text: first upon a bowl in a lever, one end of which is connected with the sliding rod;
the other or fulcrum end of the lever works on a pin or stud in the frame, or on a
bracket attached to the frame of the machine.
In place of the sliding rod and screw rack a bell-crank lever is or may be used,
one arm having a bowl acted upon by a drum cam on the shaft, the other arm
having a toothed segment upon it in gear with the pinion on the axis of the curved
neodle, the bell-crank lever having its fulcrum on a vertical stud.
My Invention also consists in adapting the machine for certain classes of work
by adding one or more vertical and curved needles, and in connecting and operating
them from the mechanism used when only a single straight and curved needle is
employed, namely, by an arm from the straight needle slide, and by extending the
toothed rack or its equivalent for the curved needle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Fairweather in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 17th
September 1878.
WILLIAM FAIRWEATHER, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineer. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."
My Invention relates to the Willcox and Gibbs' type of sewing machine, and its
object is to adapt such sewing machines, so that they may be readily changed if
desired from their ordinary chain stitch to a double loop stitch, or that known as
the "Grover-Baker" or "Lancashire sewing machine stitch," and any Invention
consists in combining with the Willcox and Gibbs machine (having the rotary looper
removed) a pair of bevel wheels, one on the shaft driving one on a stud, in which
there is a crank pin that works in a cam slot in a piece secured to a rod parallel to
the shaft, and sliding to and fro in suitable guides.
The front end of the sliding rod bas a worm upon it which can be turned upon
the rod, and then adjusted by a screw (or the screw and rod may be turned); this
screw worm forms a toothed rack and gears with a pinion formed or secured upon
a shaft having its bearings in a bracket secured to the frame of the machine, and
the upper end of this shaft has a curved needle formed or secured upon it, which
has an eye in it for the lower thread which passes from the spool, first through an
eye in a spring and then to the eye of the curved needle, this spring taking up the
slack thread during the formation of each stitch.
All the other mechanism of the machine not described is the same as that for the
Willcox and Gibbs chain stitch sewing machine.
In place of the bevel wheels and cam slot a drum cam is or may be placed on
the shaft, acting directly upon a bowl carried by an arm from the sliding rod, or
acting first upon a bowl in a lever, one end of which is connected with the sliding
rod; the other or fulcrum end of the lever works on a pin or stud in the frame, or
on a bracket attached to the frame of the machine.

page_text: In place of the sliding rod and screw rack a bell-crank lever is or may be used,
one arm having a bowl acted upon by a drum cam on the shaft, the other arm
having a toothed segment upon it in gear with the pinion on the axis of the curved
needle, the bell-crank lever having its fulcrum on a vertical stud.
My Invention also consists in adapting the machine for certain classes of work.
by adding one or more vertical and curved needles, and in connecting and operating
them from the mechanism used when only a single straight and curved needle is.
employed, namely, by an arm from the straight needle slide, and by extending the
toothed rack or its equivalent for the curved needle.
Fig..1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a plan view showing so much of a sewing.
machine upon the Willcox and Gibbs type as will be necessary for explaining my
improvements.
a, the frame of the machine; b, driving wheel; 6', driving shaft; c, excentric
connecting rod to work the arm c¹, which actuates the needle slide c²; d, cloth
plate. The above and other parts of the machine not shown or mentioned are the
same as the ordinary Willcox and Gibbs sewing machine, except that the looper
is removed.
"
62 is a bevel wheel on the shaft b, which gears with one e, on a stud in an upright
from a bracket e¹ secured to the base of the frame « by a screw. This bracket has
bearings for a rod f to slide in it, upon which there is secured by a set screw a.
part, with a cam slot in it for the crank pin e to work in, which is screwed in
the wheel 6.
The rod fhas a screw formed upon it that gears with a pinion fixed or formed on
a vertical shaft g¹ in bearings in a bracket g² secured to the framing.
The upper end of the vertical shaft has the curved needle g, which takes the loop.
of the thread in the straight vertical needle when it descends through the cloth.
The thread to supply the curved needle (g) is drawn from a spool on a pin secured
under the cloth plate d, and it passes through a hook or eye in a spring wire g³,
the lower end of which is secured by a screw to the bracket g², which is secured by
two screws to the framing.
The screw worm on the end of the rod f may be formed on a tube, which can be
adjusted on the end of the rod (f) by rotation, and then secured, or it may be solid
with the rod f, as shown, and can be adjusted by rotation by slackening the set
screw in the cam plate f¹, and tightening the set screw when adjusted.
When the machine is to make the Willcox and Gibbs stitch the bracket g and
thus the parts carried by it is removed, and the ordinary "looper" is replaced in
the end of the shaft b'.
When two or more straight needles are to be used, as may be required for orna-
menting certain classes of goods, this additional needle is or may be worked
by a projection from the ordinary needle slide c³, as shown in peculiar dotted line, and
another curved needle (g) is applied on the same bracket (g), but having bearings
for two shafts (g), and the same screw (¹) (but lengthened) is made to gear with
the pinion on each vertical curved needle shaft (9'). In this case there are two
upper threads and two lower threads, one for each of the curved needles.
In certain cases the looper may work as an ordinary Willcox and Gibbs, and
the curved needle or needles is or may be arranged to work in connection with the
additional straight needle or needles.
Fig. 3 is a partial side view, and Fig. 4 a partial plan view, illustrating a modi-
fication of the mechanism for working the curved needle (g).
h is a drum cam on the shaft bl; it acts upon a bowl on a stud in a lever h* having
its fulcrum on a stud in the framing, or on a branch from the bracket carrying the
sliding rod f.
The free end of the lever is slotted and acts upon a pin in a boss secured upon
the rod for the lever may be jointed to the più on the boss and slotted at the
fulcrum end to fit the fulcrum pin.
Fig. 5 is a partial side, and Fig. 6 a partial plan, showing another modification.
is the drum cam on the shaft b¹, which acts upon a bowl on a stud in an arm of a

page_text: bell crank lever i, having its fulcrum on a stud in the framing. The other arm
of the lever has a segment of teeth that gear with a pinion on the curved needle
shaft (g). When there are two or more of these curved needle shafts one pinion on
one shaft is or may be geared with the other pinion on the other shaft by an inter-
mediate or carrier pinion.
The drum cam h is formed so as to let the curved noedle stand a moment in the
position shown in Fig. 2, when the vertical needle after passing through the cloth is
ascending to form the loop in the thread, then the cam is shaped to move the point
of the curved needle through the loop, and then to cease its movement in that
direction and return about the time the vertical needle begins its descent after
arriving at its highest position, the point of the curved needle being brought back
by the cam to the position shown in Fig. 2 about the time the straight needle has
arrived at its lowest position.
I have now particularly described the nature of my Invention, and the mode of
carrying it into effect, and claim as my Invention,-
Firstly. The combination and arrangement of mechanism by which a curved
needle is combined with sewing mechanism of the Willcox and Gibbs type, and so
that the same machine can be readily altered or changed to make either the
"Willcox and Gibbs" chain stitch or the " Grover-Baker or "Lancashire sewing
machine stitch," or arranged so as to sew one line of the former and one or more
lines of the latter stitches simultaneously, or to sew one or more linos of "Grover-
Baker stitches at the same time, substantially as herein-before described, and illus-
trated by the Drawings.
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Secondly. The bevel wheels (63 and e), crank pin (e), and cam slot piece (1), and
the adjustable screw toothed rack (f) for actuating the curved needle (g), substan-
tially as herein-before described, and illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2.
Thirdly. The alternative combinations and arrangements of mechanism for
actuating the curved needle when used in combination with the Willcox and Gibbs
type of sewing mechanism, substantially as herein-before described, and illustrated
by Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Fairweather, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
W
TAIRWEATHER
101