IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PARING, CUTTING, OR TRIMMING THE BRIMS OF HATS
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
We, LEWIS FAIRBURN MARSH, of 39 and 40 Castle Green, Hat Manufacturer,
and HECTOR AYLESBURY of 4 Kings Buildings, St. Andrews Road, Engineer both
in the City and County of Bristol do hereby declare the nature of our Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PARING, CUTTING, OR
TRIMMING THE BRIMS OF HATS to be as follows :-
"
Our invention relates to improvements in apparatus or machines for paring or
cutting the edges of hat-brims in order to make the same smooth and even, and to
bring them to the required width at all parts thereof..
The object of our invention is to provide a machine which will perform this
operation accurately and expeditiously and thus enable the manufacturer to effect
this part of the manufacture with very great economy as compared with the cost
of hand-work as heretofore chiefly practised.
Our invention is carried into practice in the following manner, that is to say, we
provide a standard, forming part of, or being secured to, a suitable base. This
standard has at its upper end a projecting arm at the front end of which there is a
carrier so arranged in suitable guides as to reciprocate vertically under the action
of a cam secured to one end of a horizontal rod whose other end is attached to a
pulley which may be worked by hand, or by the foot, or by steam or other power
in the same manner as a sewing machine is worked. To the lower portion of a
vertical bolt connected with the reciprocating carrier, a knife having a curved edge
is secured, the flat outer face of the said knife resting and sliding against the
turned-in edge of an adjustable guide or supporting piece attached to the front of
the arm in advance of the carrier. The bolt carrying the knife participates in the
up and down motion of the aforesaid carrier but is so arranged that it can be
adjusted to a higher or lower position by means of a cam and lever to which it is
attached, the object of this arrangement being that the knife may be set to work at
a higher or lower level according to the work to be performed thereby. To the
lower front part of the arm a plate is secured at the rear of the knife; a flat spring
is attached to the front face of this plate to impart outward pressure to the edge of
the brim of the bat and thus assist in keeping the same in its proper position as
.

page_text: the paring is effected; and at each end of the said plate there is a roller or loose
sleeve, both of which press upon the upper part of the brim for a similar purpose,
one roller being situated upon that side of the knife at which the brim approaches
the latter, and the other upon the side at which it leaves the same.
.
A very important part of our said machine or apparatus consists in the means we
employ for causing the hat being operated upon to rotate in such a manner that,
notwithstanding the elliptical form of the latter, the edge to be pared or cut will
be automatically presented to the knife at every portion of the ellipse exactly in
the proper position, that is to say in such a position that neither too wide nor too
narrow a piece of the brim may be pared or cut off, but only the exact width to
preserve the proper contour all round the hat brim. To effect this object we
provide a platform upon the base plate, in such a position that the hat-brim when
the hat is connected with the said platform as hereinafter described, may be brought
under the knife as desired. This platform is so arranged-upon the base as to be
capable of sliding thereon to a slight extent in suitable guides, from and towards
the knife, and is provided with a thumb or other screw so that it may be adjusted
to, and secured in, any desired position according to the required circumstances.
The said platform may conveniently consist of a top plate and supporting side
pieces, the latter resting upon the base plate. In the top plate we provide a
longitudinal slot within which there are two screw bolts which are arranged to be
secured tightly by nuts at the bottom of the said plate; the other or upper end of
each of the said bolts carries a wedge-shaped head or block, that is to say, these
heads or blocks are slightly narrower in transverse section at their lower end than
at their upper end, and they are fitted loosely on the ends of the bolts so as to be
capable of revolving thereon. The said heads or blocks, when the bolts are screwed
into position, lie above the slot and fit within grooves (of the same transverse
section as the beads themselves) provided in a cross resting upon the upper face, of
the top plate of the platform, that is to say, one head rests in the groove of one of
the bars of the cross and the other in the groove of the other bar thereof. The
said grooves in the cross are continuous from end to end so that when. motion is
imparted to the said cross as hereinafter described the latter revolves upon the
blocks or heads, which themselves revolve upon the bolts. The cross is thus caused
to describe an elliptical path, the grooves of the cross continually sliding upon the
heads, back and forth, so that sometimes the heads lie on one side of the centre of
the cross and sometimes on the other, as the cross turns around and travels upon
the heads. By adjusting the bolts to different positions in the slot in the top plate
the movement of the cross may be increased or diminished, that is to say, the
ellipse described thereby may be larger or smaller to provide for hats of different
dimensions. At the upper part of the cross I secure an elliptical piece having teeth'
around its edge, these teeth gearing with a worm upon a horizontal rod driven in
any convenient manner from the pulley or otherwise. Thus, when the machine is
working, a continual motion is given to the cross in an 'elliptical path. The worm
teeth are preferably cut upon a tubular piece so that it may be adjusted longitu-
dinally upon the rod to enable the same to be adapted to the position of' the
platform, which, as above stated, can be moved forward or backward. Upon the
upper part of the toothed elliptical piece upon the cross we provide a' socket into
which a ball fits, the said ball being connected to the lower part of a block' or
holder which is designed to hold the hat by being fitted inside the same. The
holder has two adjustable pieces to adapt it to be used with hats' of different sizes.
The ball and socket form a universal joint in a well known manner, and means are
thus provided for tilting the hat into any desired position as the operation of
paring the brim proceeds.
J
J
In some cases, instead of rigidly fastening the platform by means of the thumb
or other screw- as above set forth, we may connect it with spiral or other springs
secured to some convenient part of the machine so that the platform will be, to a
certain extent, self, adjusting; and we may in some cases provide a guide at the
i
E

page_text: rear of the platform consisting of one or more pointed adjustable rods or plates
arranged so that one of these rods will press with its point against a plane elliptical
piece below the toothed elliptical piece herein before described, the object of this
arrangement being to assist, if desirable, in keeping the brim constantly in the
proper position for the operation of the paring knife.
By means of our said invention the brims of hats of all sizes can be pared
expeditiously and accurately, the operating parts being so constructed and arranged
that they can be adjusted to suit different sizes, with the utmost facility.

page_text: COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION,
We, LEWIS FAIRBURN MARSH, of 39 and 40 Castle Green, Hat Manufacturer,
and HECTOR AYLESBURY, of 4 King's Buildings, St Andrew's Road, Engineer, both
in the City and County of Bristol, do hereby declare the nature of our invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR PARING, CUTTING OR
TRIMMING THE BRIMS OF HATS" and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
Our invention relates to machinery or apparatus for paring, cutting or trimming
the edges of hat-brims.
The object of our said invention is to provide for effecting this operation more
accurately and expeditiously and with greater economy than heretofore.
In the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is a plan of one of our improved machines.
Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof, partly in vertical section.
Figure 3 is a front elevation of the said machine with some of the parts
removed.
Figure 4 is a transverse section on the line x, x, Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a side elevation, and
Figure 6 a front elevation, both drawn to an enlarged scale, shewing parts of the
said machine.
Figure 7 is a side elevation, and
Figure 8 a front elevation, also drawn to an enlarged scale, illustrating details of.
the said machine.
Figure 9 is a plan, partly in horizontal section, shewing further details thereof.
Figure 10 is a side elevation, partly in vertical central section, and
Figure 11 a plan, partly in horizontal section, shewing a modification of our
invention.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
A indicates the base-plate. B is a standard secured to the said base-plate and
having an arm B' projecting from its upper end, as shewn.
C is a movable carriage resting on the said base-plate. D is the main or driving
shaft, which is carried in bearings in the standard B and arm B¹. On one end of
this shaft is fixed a pulley E to which motion is imparted, in any suitable manner,.
by means of a treadle arranged beneath the base-plate A. The machine may,
however, be actuated by hand or by steam or other power if desired. On the other
end of the shaft D is fixed an excentric a. F is a bracket which is secured to the
arm B and is forked as shewn. G is a frame which is fitted to slide up and down
in the guide b secured to the bracket F, and to which vertical reciprocating motion
is imparted by means of the excentric u. Between the two jaws or parts of the
fork of the bracket F is arranged a carrier c, on the front of which the guide or
supporting piece d is secured by the screw e. The piece d is bent at its lower end,
as shewn, to form a rest or support for the part of the hat-brim which has to be

page_text: cut, and thus prevent the displacement of the same by the action of the knife
hereinafter described.
The lower part of the sliding frame G extends across the front of the arm B',
and a bolt or rod f is inserted in this part of the said frame and is secured therein
by means of the set-screw g. The said bolt or rod passes through the bracket F.
and carrier c and serves as a joint-pin for connecting these two parts. A hole is
bored in the said rod at its lower end to receive the stem of the knife h, which is
inserted in the said hole and secured by a set-screw. The knife h is bent so that
its edge h¹ is almost in contact with the edge of the support d. The bolt or rod f
is connected with the carrier o by a set-screw i, which passes through a slot o¹ in
the carrier c and is screwed into the said bolt or rod, so that the latter can move
up and down in the said carrier, but is prevented from turning independently
thereof and thus altering the relative positions of the knife h and the support.d.
A rod or har k is attached to the carrier c by screws 1, and is acted upon by a
spring m, whereby it is caused to press upon the part of the hat-brim to be pared
or trimmed, and thus prevent the rising thereof in the upward movement of the
knife.
с
This part of the apparatus operates as follows, that is to say-The shaft D being
made to revolve by means of the pulley E, the excentric a causes the frame G to
move up and down in the guide b carrying with it the bolt or rod f and the knife h.
The carrier c and the support d and rod or bark attached thereto remain stationary,
being prevented from participating in the up and down movement of the frame by
the bracket F, through which the bolt or rod f slides freely. The knife is thus
rapidly moved up and down in front of the support d, which, to some extent, plays
the part of the lower jaw of a pair of shears.
The movable carriage C, which is arranged to slide to and fro between the
guides H in front of the standard B, consists of a casting made with a top plate or
platform and two flanged side pieces. It is mounted on rollers C¹ to facilitate its
movement, and can be clamped at will to the base-plate A by means of the thumb-
nut K and the screw K¹ which is fixed in the said base-plate and projects through
a slot L in the flange C2 of the carriage C.
A plate M having a central socket M¹ is arranged to be rotated upon the
carriage C as hereinafter described. A stem or rod N is fitted in the socket M¹ and
secured therein by a set-screw M. This stem or rod is forked at its upper end and
a cross-bar n is pivotted in the fork at m¹. If preferred this cross-bar is connected
to the said stem or rod by a ball and socket or other universal joint. A "brow"
or oval ring O, of such size as to fit tightly inside a hat, is secured to the cross-
bar n, and the hat to be pared or trimmed is placed thereon. The said brow or
ring is either made in one piece, in which case one of these devices is required for
each size of hat; or it is made in two or more pieces, which are adjustable relatively
to each other, so that it may be employed for several sizes of hats.
The plate M is secured to the top plate or platform of the carriage C by the
following means, that is to say:-An elongated slot o is formed in the said top
plate or platform, and through this slot are passed the bolts p, p'. The bolt P is
provided with a thumb-nut p², so that-it can be adjusted to, and fixed in, any
desired position relatively to the bolt placcording to the shape of the hat-brim to
be pared or trimmed. The bolt p¹ is provided with an ordinary nut. Each of the
said bolts has, at its upper end, a wedge-shaped head or block, that is to say, a head
or block which is slightly narrower in transverse section at its lower end than at
its upper end. These heads or blocks are capable of rotating on the said bolts, and,
when the bolts are in place, the said heads project above the slot o and fit within
grooves or channels q, r formed in the plate M.
groove
The groove or channel q extends from end to end of the plate M, and the
or channel extends across the said plate at right angles to the groove q. There-
fore, when the plate M is rotated as hereinafter described, the grooves q, r slide
backwards and forwards upon the heads of, the respective bolts, and the plate Mis
thus caused to move in an elliptical path, that is to say, it is caused to move ins

page_text: •
such a manner that the edge of the oval or elliptical brim of the hat is always
in the proper position to be pared or trimmed. The bolt p is made capable of
adjustment in the slot o, as above stated, in order that the distance between 'the
bolts p, p may be varied according to the length of the minor axis of the ellipse
formed by the edge of the hat-brim, the major axis of this ellipse being always the
same.
.
It is desirable that, in paring the brim of a hat, the edge of the knife / should
always be tangential to the line of cut. Therefore, to provide for the automatic
adjustment of the said knife according to the continually varying angle of the hat-
brim, as it is moved or fed forward upon the support d, a lever s is fixed on the
lower part of the bolt f. This lever extends backwards and engages with the upper
forked arm of a double-armed levert pivotted at t¹ to the standard B. The lower
arm 2 of the lever t is made parallel- and is fitted to slide between the jaws of a
forked bar or rod u, the other end of which encircles the socket M¹. As the plate M
travels from side to side, while moving as above described; the bar u and lever t are
caused to oscillate upon or about the centre t, thus varying the angle which the
said bar and lever form with the centre line of the machine, on either side alter-
nately, according to the position of the hat-brim relatively to the knife.
This oscillating movement is communicated through the levert to the lever 8
and the bolt f which carries the knife h and the support d. If these levers and
the bar u are of the required lengths and are properly adjusted relatively to each
other, the edge of the knife will always be tangential to the line of cut.
In operating with the machine above described, the hat to be pared or trimmed,
after the brim has been curled, is placed upon a brow or ring O of suitable size,
which is secured to the pivotted bar n with either the back or the front portion of
the hat-brim next the knife, the hat being so placed in the machine that the curled
or turned over part of the brim rests upon the support d. The carriage C is then
moved between the guides H until the edge h¹ of the knife his exactly over the
desired position of the cut, and the said carriage is clamped in this position by the
thumb-nut K. The plate M is then turned by hand or otherwise a quarter of a
revolution, so as to bring one of the sides of the hat next the knife; the nut p² is
slackened and the plate M is caused to slide upon the platform of the carriage C in
either direction until the edge of the knife is over the desired position of the cut at
the sides of the brim; the nut p² is then tightened.
If the machine, thus adjusted, is set in motion, and the plate M and brow or
ring carrying the hat are turned either by hand or by suitable feed mechanism,
such, for example, as that hereinafter described, the brim of the hat will be pared or
trimmed to an elliptical contour dependent upon the adjustment of the carriage C,
plate M and bolt p.
If it is desired to adapt the machine to operate automatically in order to permit.
the employment of an unskilled attendant, or for any other reason, feed mechanism
is applied to the plate M and is arranged to receive motion from any convenient
moving part of the machine. This mechanism may be conveniently and advan-
tageously constructed in the following manner, that is to say:-An elliptical piece
having teeth around its edge is secured to the upper side of the plate M. The said
teeth are geared with a worm upon a horizontal shaft driven in any convenient
manner from the pulley E, or otherwise. By these means, when the machine is
working, a continuous motion will be imparted to the plate M in the desired
manner. The said worm preferably consists of a tubular piece, which is provided
with teeth, and which can be adjusted longitudinally upon the said shaft to suit
the position of the carriage C, which, as above stated, can be moved forward or
backward.
A true oval or ellipse is not always desired for the shape or contour of the
pared or trimmed edge of the hat-brim; in some cases it is necessary to apply a
supplementary device to modify the shape of the figure described by the plate M.
For this purpose, instead of rigidly fastening the carriage C by means of the
thumb-nut K as above set forth, we connect it with spiral or other springs P which

page_text: are secured at P¹ to the base-plate A, as shewn in Figures 10 and 11, so that the
carriage will be, to some extent, self-adjusting. We provide a plate Qof the shape
or contour which it is desired to give to the pared or trimmed edge of the hat-brim,
differing more or less from a true oval or ellipse. This plate is fixed upon the
socket M above the plate M. Upon the part B2 of the standard B is fixed a
bracket R grooved at its upper side to receive the bar S. One end of this bar is
fitted to slide in the groove in the said bracket and may be secured thereto by
the set-screw and thumb-nut at T. This set-screw passes through a slot in the
bar S, so that the latter can be adjusted to project more or less from the bracket as
required. The other end of the bar is rounded and bears against the edge of the
plate Q.
These parts thus combined operate as follows, that is to say, the carriage C, being
free to slide to and fro upon the base-plate A, is drawn by the springs P towards
the standard B, the edge of the plate Q is thus kept continually pressed against
the end of the bar S. Therefore, when the plate M is rotated as above described,
whilst those parts of the said plate which deviate from the true ellipse are passing
the point of the bar S the carriage C will be thrust back in the opposite direction
to that in which it is acted upon by the springs P. In this manner the bat-brim
will be pared or trimmed to a form deviating from the true oval or ellipse
proportionately to the deviation therefrom of the plate Q.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
First. The improved mechanism comprising the sliding frame, the knife carried
thereby, the hat-brim-support and the bar or rod for pressing down the hat-brim
thereon, all constructed and arranged to operate substantially as, and for the
purpose, set forth.
Second. The combination of parts comprising the plate having the longitudinal
and transverse grooves or channels, and the bolts adjustably secured in a slot in
the movable carriage and fitting into the said grooves or channels, substantially as,
and for the purpose, set forth.
Third. The provision of means for automatically adjusting the knife relatively
to the hat-brim to be pared or trimmed, as, and for the purpose, specified.
Fourth. The combination, with the base-plate and the standard supporting the
cutting mechanism, of the carriage arranged to be moved to and fro between guides
on the said base-plate, substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Fifth. The combination of parts substantially as described with reference to
Figures 10 and 11 of the drawings whereby we provide for paring or trimming a
hat-brim to a shape differing more or less from a true oval or ellipse, as above
specified.
Sixth. The improved machine consisting of the parts constructed and combined
substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings and
operating as, and for the purpose, specified.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicants.