Improvements in Machines for Recessing Leather.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Nov., 1896-Accepted, 9th Jan., 1897
[Communicated from abroad by MCKAY NEVERSLIP SOLE COMPANY,
a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Michigan, and
having its principal office at 102 Jefferson Avenue, in the City of Detroit,
Michigan, United States of America.]
Improvements in Machines for Recessing Leather.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
It is the object of this invention to obtain a machine for recessing leather, and
other like soft pliable substance, and especially designed to be used in the
manufacture of shoe soles.
Heretofore shoes have been made having leather soles provided with rubber
wearing faces which are inlaid into the leather. In the practical manufacture of
such shoes, however, the recessing of the leather to receive the rubber has been
found to be a difficult task and so far as applicant is advised no machine has
heretofore been devised that has accomplished this in a satisfactory manner. The
difficulty arises from the fact that the recess must necessarily be cut to an exact
pattern, and to properly secure the rubber therein should be under cut at the
edges. This on account of the soft and pliable nature of the material used cannot
be done with any ordinary tool, which will press the material out of its path and
leave a ragged irregular edge.
The invention consists in the peculiar construction of the tool and cutter
employed; further in the peculiar construction of the clamp for holding the work
and pattern, and further in the peculiar construction, arrangement and combination
of parts as more fully hereinafter described.
In the drawings,
Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the machine showing the rotary cutter in
elevation.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the work and pattern holding clamp.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the detached parts of the cutter.
Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line x Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the cutter and Fig. 6 is a diagram elevation of the
machine.
The machine comprises a bed or table A, a rotary cutter B secured to a
revolving spindle C above the table and mechanism for raising or lowering said
table and cutter in relation to each other.
In Fig. 6 of the drawings, is shown a foot lever A' for raising or lowering the
table, but if desired the table may be made stationary and means provided for
raising or lowering the spindle. The frame of the machine may be of any
suitable construction and is therefore omitted from the drawings.
The cutter B is preferably formed as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4 of the drawings,
in which a is a flattened head of substantially rectangular form and provided with
the upwardly extending securing shank b.

page_text: Upon opposite sides of this bead are formed inclined slots c in which the knife
bara d are longitudinally adjustably secured by means of the clamping plate e
The knife bars d are of a wedge shape cross section, as shown in Fig. 4, one edge
of each engaging with the inclined edge f of the slot ce in which it is secured, the
other edge passing under the inclined edge g of the clamping plate e. h are
studs secured to the head, projecting through apertures i in the clamping plates
and jare nuts upon said studs. kare guide pins on the head passing through
apertures in the clamps.
m are angular flanges at the lower end of the clamping plate e the lower
faces m of which form work bearing surfaces above the inclined cutting edge n
of the knives; all so arranged that the knives are clamped to the head by the
clamping plate e, and may be sharpened when necessary by simply grinding the
ends o and then adjusting the bars longitudinally to bring the cutting edges
the proper distance below the head.
To bring the work in the proper relation to the tool to be operated upon there
is provided the work and pattern clamp illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the
drawings which is constructed as follows:
D is a base plate provided with the upwardly projecting guide pins E. F is a
clamping plate above the plate D, guided upon the pins E which pass through
the apertures G in the plate F.
The central part of this plate is cut away at H to substantially the shape of
the pattern to be cut in the work. To the lower faces of these plates D and F
are secured respectively the bearing plate I and pattern plate J, preferably by a
sliding engagement with the guides D' and F', being locked from disengagement
by the buttons D F at the end of these plates. The pattern J is preferably cut
away to exactly the size and shape of the recess to be formed in the work, and
the plate I is of similar shape but cut somewhat larger to give sufficient clearance
for the tool. K are posts on the opposite sides of the center of the plate D
projecting through apertures L in the plate. F and M are cams formed on the
ends of the bifurcated lever N and pivotally secured to the upper ends of the
posts K. C are springs sleeved upon the pins E between the plates D and F.
The work, such as the shoe sole P, may be secured in this clamp by slipping it
in at one end and between the plates I and D and then turning the lever from
the position in full lines Fig. 2, to the position indicated by dotted lines in the
same figure which will cause the cams M to press the plate D down upon the
work and firmly clamp the same.
Projecting from the table D below, and in axial line with the rotary cutter B
is the guide pin Q, the diameter of which is preferably the same as the distance
between the inclined cutting edges n of the knives d in the plane of the bearing
surfaces m².
In the operation of the machine, the work is first secured in the clamp in the
manuer before described, and the latter is then placed upon the table over the
guide pin Q.
Motion being now imparted to the spindle, the tool is brought into contact
with the work (either by raising the table or lowering the spindle) the knives
cutting into the leather until the bearing surface m comes into contact with the
upper face of the leather. The clamp may now be moved around until the recess
is completely formed, the sides of the pattern coming into contact with the pin Q
to limit the movement so as to cut the recess the exact size and shape of the
pattern. When finished the work may be quickly removed from the clamp,
another blank secured in its place, and the operation repeated.
The arrangement of the bearing surface m' in relation to the knives forms an
important feature of the invention. These surfaces are shown and described as
being formed on the clamping plates e but it is not necessary to limit it to this
structure as it is evident that they might be formed directly upon the head a.
In either case the inclined edge n which forms the under cutting edge of the
tool is beneath the surface m which in the operation of the tool holds the

page_text: material from being pressed up out of the way of said cutting edge, thus
securing a sharp undercut, the exact size of the pattern.
It will be observed that in sharpening the tool, the shape is never altered
and the only adjustment required is the longitudinal adjustment of the knife
bars. As before stated the pin Q is normally the same diameter as the cutter,
but if it is desired to make a slight variation in the size of the recess without
changing the pattern, as for two different widths of shoe, this may be accom-
plished by substituting a slightly larger or smaller pin for the pin Q. Where
a greater variation is made, the pattern and bearing plates J and I may be
disengaged and a smaller or larger size secured in their places.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
The herein described improved machine for recessing leather.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.