An Improved Tool for Shaving Leather and Scraping or Smoothing Wood.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 7th July, 1899'
Complete Specification Left, 31st July, 1899-Accepted; 2nd Sept., 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Tool for Shaving Leather and Scraping or Smoothing
Wood.
I, JAMES JONES BRYANT, of Britannia Square, Nailsworth, in the County of
Gloucester, Tanner and Currier, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to an improved hand tool for skiving or shaving leather
and which is also applicable for scraping or smoothing cross-grained, knotty, and
hard wood such as oak or mahogany, which by means of this tool may be brought
to a smooth surface much more effectually than by a plane or ordinary scraper.
The invention as applied for skiving leather has for its object to provide a
reversible or double-edged knife capable of being adjustably guided in its opera-
tion so as to ensure a true continuous cut being made and avoid liability of injury
to the work, the tool being adapted to work upon a horizontal slab or table with
a degree of efficiency equal to or greater than that of the ordinary currier's
knife working on the ordinary inclined beam whereby the disadvantages inci-
dental to the stooping position over the beam are avoided and the operator can
more easily operate and supervise the working of the tool.
The tool is equally adapted for light calf skins kip or shoe butts, strap or
harness leather, and its operation may be quickly learnt and may be controlled
with a degree of accuracy attainable only by the highest degree of skill with
the ordinary currier's knife.
The invention consists in the combination with a cutter formed of a flat stecl
blade having two opposite cutting edges, of a slotted holder constructed as here-
after, described, in which the blade (together with a suitable backing plate) is
clamped by means of set screws so that the two opposite edges of the blade project
from the holder in position to be brought either the one or the other into opera-
tion at will, the holder being provided with handles at the opposite ends by
which the tool is held, and with a forwardly (or rearwardly) projecting cantilever
arms carrying guide bars adapted to take a bearing on the surface of the work
in advance of the knife and thereby to ensure the maintenance of the latter at
a constant pitch or inclination to the work and so govern its cutting action as
to enable a continuous shaving of leather to be removed at each cut.
One or both of the guide bars is adjustable by means of guide plates and
clamping screws, so as to compensate for diminished breadth of the blade by
grinding and enable the pitch or angle of the blade relatively to the surface of the
work to be readily varied as may be required.
The cutting edges of the knife are ground or rubbed and turned over in ordinary
way of setting a currier's knife, and the same construction of holder and the
same form of cutting.edge would be employed in the case of a wood working tool.
The tool is adapted to be worked either by a pushing or a pulling stroke as may
be preferred.

page_text: An Improved Tool for Shaving Leather and Scraping or Smoothing
Wood,
I, JAMES JONES BRYANT, of Britannia Square, Nailsworth, in the County of
Gloucester, Tanner and Currier, 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:-
My invention relates to an improved hand tool for skiving or shaving leather
and which is also applicable for scraping or smoothing cross-grained, knotty, and
hard wood such as oak or mahogany, which by means of this tool may be brought
to a smooth surface much more effectually than by a plane or ordinary scraper.
The invention as applied for skiving leather has for its object to provide a
reversible or double-edged knife capable of being adjustably guided in its opera-
tion so as to ensure a true continuous cut being made and avoid liability of injury
to the work, the tool being adapted to work upon a horizontal slab or table with
a degree of efficiency equal to, or greater than, that of the ordinary currier's
knife working on the ordinary inclined beam whereby the disadvantages inci-
dental to the stooping position over the beam are avoided and the working of the
tool can be more easily supervised and controlled.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification wherein are illustrated an improved skiving tool having one fixed,
and one adjustable, guide bar; Figures 1 and 2 being respectively an end eleva-
tion and a cross section of the tool as used with different adjustments. Figure 3
is a face view of the tool as seen when looking in the direction of the arrow 3,
Figure 2. Similar letters of reference denote like parts in all the figures.
The invention consists in the combination with a cutter A formed of a flat
steel blade having (preferably) two opposite cutting edges a a', of a slotted holiler
13 in the slot of which the blade (together with a suitable backing plate C) is
clamped by means of set screws D the blade being of greater breadth than the
holder so that the two opposite edges a al of the blade project from the holder B
in position for use at will. The holder B is provided with handles E at the
opposite ends by which the tool is held and worked and with a pair of cantilever
arms which project (at right angles to the plane of the blade) from that side
of the holder towards which the cutting edges of the blade are directed, and which
carry guide bars G G adapted to take a bearing on the surface of the work in
advance of the knife and parallel to the cutting edge thereof so as thereby to
ensure the maintenance of the knife at a constant forward pitch or inclination
to the work and so govern its cutting action as to enable a continuous shaving to
be removed at each cut. One (or both) of the guide bars is adjustable in order
to enable the pitch or angle of the blade relatively to the surface of the work,
to be readily varied as may be required and to compensate for diminished breadth
of the blade by grinding.
The drawings illustrate a tool having one fixed guide bar G and one adjustable
bar G, the adjustable guide bar G₁ being fixed to end plates g fitted to slide in
guide grooves g across the arms F and secured in position by set screws and
nuts passing through slots g in the plates g. In Figure 1 the tool is shewn
as in use with the guide bar G¹ not extended, whilst in Figure 2 the bar is
shewn extended so as to bring the blade A perpendicular to the surface H of
the work. The length of the cantilever arms F is such that the pressure with
which the guide bars G bear on the work is comparatively small.
The cutting edges a a' of the knife are ground or rubbed and turned over in

page_text: the ordinary way of setting a currier's knife, both of the turned-over edges being
directed towards the same face of the blade, that is in the direction of the canti-
lever arms F. The same construction of holder and the same form of cutting edge
would be employed in the case of a wood-working tool. The tool is adapted to
be worked either by a pushing or a pulling stroke as may be preferred, e e being
depressions in the back of the holder B, to accommodate the thumbs or fingers
of the operator (according as a pushing or pulling stroke is used) whereby to
assist in steadying the action of the implement. The blade might, of course,
be single edged, with a corresponding diminution of advantage.
The tool above described is equally adapted for light calf skins, kip or shoe
butts, strap or harness leather, and its operation may be quickly learnt and may
be controlled with a degree of accuracy attainable only by the highest degree of
skill with the ordinary currier's knife.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A tool for skiving or shaving leather or for scraping or smoothing wood;,
consisting of a cutter blade in combination with a holder adapted to clamp the
blade with the cutting edge projecting therefrom, said holder being provided
with forwardly projecting cantilever arms carrying a guide bar parallel to the
cutting edge of tlie blade substantially as specified.
2. A tool for skiving or shaving leather or for scraping or smoothing wood,
consisting of a cutter blade having its longitudinal edge turned over and for-
wardly directed like a currier's knife, in combination with a holder adapted to
clamp the blade with the cutting edge projecting therefrom, said holder being
provided with end handles and forwardly projecting cantilever arms carrying a
guide bar parallel to the cutting edge of the blade substantially as specified.
3. A tool for skiving or shaving leather or for scraping or smoothing wood,
consisting of a cutter blade having its opposite edges formed like those of a
currier's knife in combination with a holder adapted to clamp the blade with
the forwardly-directed cutting edges projecting equally or unequally from oppo-
site sides of the holder, said holder being provided with end handles and with
forwardly projecting arms at the opposite sides of which cross bars are mounted
parallel to the cutting edges of the knife, one of said cross bars being adjustable
towards, or away from, the other cross bar substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
Dated this 31st day of July 1899.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.