IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PARING THE EDGES OF THE SOLES OF BOOTS AND SHOES "
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Cutlan of Cardiff in the County of Glamorgan
Architect for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PARING THE
EDGES OF THE SOLES OF BOOTS AND SHOES
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Cutlan at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th November 1883.
FREDERICK CUTLAN of Cardiff in the County of Glamorgan Architect,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PARING THE EDGES OF THE SOLES OF BOOTS
AND SHOES
〃
To carry out my invention I put the boot or shoe on a last which is moveable in
a bed plate, and can be fixed thereon in a convenient position by a screw or
otherwise. The said last is also adjustable so that it can be adapted to different
sizes of boots and to either right or left; these adjustments are carried out as
follows. At the front part of the last are two plates moving on a pivot near the
toe, the junction of the plates extending down the middle of the sole, in each plate
is an oblique slot, at the heal of the last is another plate pivoted near the heal
which can by means of suitable mechanism be made to move longitudinally, thus
lengthening the last, this latter plate extends for some distance under the former
and carries two pins which fall into the oblique slots above mentioned so that as
the heel plate is drawn out, the two toe plates are made to swing out laterally by
the motion of the pins in the slots, so that the last expands in both directions
at once.
On the same bed plate is a pillar carrying an arm, which is grooved in the
direction of its length, the said arm is hinged to the pillar so that it can be thrown
up when out of use, when in use it extends horizontally over the last.
Sliding upon the arm is a compound carriage which consists essentially of two
plates a sliding block a knife case carrying a knife and an arrangement for
keeping the knife to its work.
The first plate which I call the surface plate slides under the arm and carries
friction rollers which travel in the groove and a sliding piece above the arm to
keep it up in position. The second plate which I call the angular plate is pivoted.

page_text: to the first and has a rotary motion under the same-it has a flange and in the
angle formed by the flange slides a block carrying a friction roller, the block is kept
steady by a rod attached to it which passes through the handle by which the
.operator works the machine, the knife case to which the knife is fixed is pivoted
eccentrically to the sliding block, to the knife case is fixed a pin at a certain
distance from the edge of the knife which serves to some extent to keep the knife
at the proper angle to the work..
The knife is kept up to the work by a weight and cord, the cord being
attached to the sliding block and passing horizontally between two pulleys fixed
to the underside of the angular plate whence it passes under the arm and over a
pulley on the pillar to the weight.
At the end of the arm is a set screw for regulating the radius at the toe of
the boot
To work the machine, the operator, having made the necessary adjustments of
the knife and the boot sole, takes the handle and moves the compound carriage
along the arm, thus giving the required longitudinal motion to the knife, which at
the same time acquires the necessary lateral motion to accommodate itself to the
varying width of the sole by the motion of the sliding block, which motion is at
right angles to the pull on the handle on reaching the toe, the whole lower part
of the compound carriage is swung round thus bringing the knife to bear on the
edges of the toe and the paring operation is then completed by sliding the whole
carriage back along the arm for the required distance.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Frederick Cutlan in the Patent Office on the 14th May 1884.
FREDERICK CUTLAN of Cardiff in the County of Glamorgan Architect
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PARING THE EDGES OF THE SOLES OF BOOTS
AND SHOES
"
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation Figure 2 a back view
of the machine Figure 3 is a plan of the last Figure 4 is a front end view of the
arm C in section with tool carriage. Figure 5 is an inverted plan of the carriage
with part of arm C. and Figure 6 is a like view of the tool holder on an enlarged
scale. Like letters represent like parts.-A is the frame which carries the
standard B to which is pivoted the slotted arm C. D is a part of the last rigidly
secured to the bed plate E; D₁ is the other portion of the last arranged to slide
in or upon E. The mechanism shown and consisting of the rack D' upon the last D¹
pinion D³ and lever D', with segmental rack D' and spring pawl Do, is suitable for
the purpose
.Secured to the heel a top of D¹ is the plate D7 having the receeding slots D³ (dotted
in Figure 3) and secured to the toe of D by a rule-joint are the two plates F F fitted
with pins F1 F1 which fit in the slots Ds. It will thus be seen that as the part D¹
is drawn back it takes the plate D7 with it the slots D acting upon the pins FI
and opening the two plates F as shown in Figure 3*. It will thus be seen that the
boot or shoe is firmly gripped inside lengthwise by the withdrawal of the heel
portion and sideways by the opening of the plates F.
Upon referring to Figure 4 it will be seen that there is a channel down the
middle of the arm C in which are friction rollers G secured by pins G' to the
sliding plate H to which is pivoted the revolving plate I actuated by the handle J.
Through J passes the rod K (having the knob K₁ to prevent its being drawn out)
secured to the tool-carrier L which has the projecting guide L' and hook L' to
which is secured the cord or equivalent M (Figures 4. 5 and 1) which passes over
the pulley N and carries the weight 0.
Pivotted to L by the pin P is the knife plate Q to which is secured the knife R;
Figure the fence S slides in suitable guides upon Q and is adjustable by the
screw S¹. When set the fence and knife move together and by reason of the
position of the pin P adapt themselves to the contour of the work the knife
edge R¹ always facing the portion to be cut and the fence regulating the depth of
the cut as will be well understood.
The operation of this machine is as follows, the boot or shoe to be operated upon
is placed upon the last D and the portion D' is retracted thus fixing it securely as
previously explained. The operator then brings down the arm C (which owing to
the position of the pulley N is normally kept raised by the weight O) by the
handle J and rounded end of plate H which serves as a second handle until the
guide L rests upon the sole to be operated upon the position is then that shown in
Figure 4. The tool carrier L is constantly pressed against the work W by the
cord M which passes round either of the pulleys T or T¹ according to the position of
the carriage. In Figure 5 it is round T but if the handle J were on the opposite
side of C the cord would go round T¹; when the machine is at rest the normal
position of the handle J is in a line with the length of arm C and the cord then
passes free between the pulleys using neither of them
Therefore by the action of the weight O through the cord M the knife R is
constantly held to its work notwithstanding its constantly changing form so that
the workman has merely to pull it round as he requires it and supply the power.

page_text: 3
The object of the screw U is to regulate the position to which the carriage is
brought by the operator
Reasonable modifications can of course be made in the details of this machine;
as for instance the arm C might be solid and square in section and the carriage be
constructed to slide upon it.
Having now described the nature of my said invention and the manner of
performing the same what I claim and desire to protect under the herein before in
part recited Letters patent is
First In a last the combination of the plate D7 secured to the movable portion
thereof and having diverging slots D8 with the plates F jointed to the fixed portion
of the last T having pins F gearing with the said slots substantially as and for the
purpose set forth and shown.
Second The combination with the arm C of the weighted cord M whereby the
tool carriage is guided and controlled substantially as described and shown
Third, The method substantially as set forth of keeping the knife up to its
work by means of the weighted cord M.
Fourth. The combination with the knife plate Q of the knife R fence S and
pivot pin B the whole constructed and operating substantially as and for the
purpose set forth and illustrated.
Fifth. The moveable tool carrier L controlled by the cord M and provided with
the projecting guide L¹ substantially as and for the purpose specified
Sixth. The complete compound carriage substantially as described and for the
purpose specified
Seventh. The adjustable screw U for the purpose specified
In witness whereof I the said Frederick Cutlan have hereunto set my hand
and seal this thirteenth day of May in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty four.
F CUTLAN (L.S.)