IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES, AND IN MACHINERY TO BE USED
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Greenwood, of Leeds, in the County of
York, Engineer, and John Keats, of Leck, in the County of
Stafford, Boot Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES, AND IN MACHINERY TO BE USED
"
Sealed the 22nd December 1869, and dated the 11th October 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Greenwood and
. John Keats at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition, on the 11th October 1869.
We, THOMAS GREENWOOD, of Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer,
and JOHN KEATS, of Leek, in the County of Stafford, Boot Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES, AND IN MACHINERY TO BE USED
THEREIN," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to improvements in the mode of and
machinery for preparing the soles, insoles, and welts of boots and shoes
preparatory to their being applied to uppers in the manufacture of boots

page_text: and shoes; and, secondly, to improvements in the sewing machine used
to connect these parts together, the object being to facilitate the sewing
of boots and shoes and to avoid bad work caused by the want of skill or
inattention of the attendant in guiding the boot under the action of the
needle.
It will be convenient to describe, first, the preparation of the parts
used to form the welt boot, and the peculiarity of the sole of the pump
or single sole boot, before explaining the nature of the machinery used
in carrying out this the first head of our Invention.
The outer sole having been cut or stamped out to the required shape
as usual is first chamfered at the waist by being passed under a fixed
knife instead of being pared by hand as usual. The next thing is to cut
the channel on the grain side of the leather to receive the line of sewing;
this channel extends (near the edge) from one side of the waist, thence
round the toe to the other side of the waist. The operation is effected
by passing the sole under the action of a fixed inclined knife. The third
operation is to pare the flesh side of the sole near the edge; this is
effected by passing the sole under the action of a fixed horizontal knife.
These three operations complete the outer sole.
The insole having been cut to shape, but somewhat larger than is
commonly required for the insole of a given sized boot, it is submitted to
an L shaped fixed knife, being traversed past it so that the knife will
make a right angled cut all round the insole (that is, partly vertical and
partly horizontal) so as to produce a broad flange, through which the
stitches for connecting the welt and upper to the insole are passed.
To facilitate the passage of the needle through the insole it is channelled
all round on the flesh side in the direction of the flange cut. This
channelling is also made by passing the insole under the action of a fixed
knife.
The advantages of preparing the insole in this way are that it will not
when made up show a turned up edge within the boot, and that, a wide
flange will be produced by this mode of cutting without a wasteful
expenditure of leather, the increased width offering facilities for sewing
the boot on the machine by preventing the boot from slipping off the
post. A further and most important advantage is that the stitches
connecting the insole with the welt will be in line with the under
surface of the insole, and thus when the outer sole is removed (for
repairing the worn boot) the boot will not expand laterally or get out of
shane

page_text: The pump sole is flanged in the same manner as the insole, its edge
being virtually pared during the operation of cutting the flange. This
mode of forming the flange effects a material saving in leather.
In order to facilitate the sewing together of the insole, welt, and upper
we channel the welt so as to form a rib or shoulder on its face, and at
the inner edge thereof, which rib enables the workman to guide the boot
under the action of the needle and ensure the stitches following each
other in proper line.
In practice we employ three machines for effecting the chamfering,
channelling, paring, and flanging operations above described; theso
machines all possess the same characteristics, that is to say, they are each
provided with nipping rollers, which serve to pass the leather through
the machine. A small top roller capable of vertical adjustment serves to
determine the level of the traversing leather and consequently the depth
and level of the cut made in the leather, while a roughened driven wheel
bites the leather and gives it tho required propulsion. A fixed knife of
a sectional form corresponding to the cut to be made projects into the
course to be taken by the leather; the knife is thus caused to enter tho,
leather, and the leather being moved forward the knife will effect the
desired cut therein. In two of the machines the roughened wheel is
placed below the knife, and in the third machine it is above the knife;
these arrangements are adopted to provent injury to the face of the.
leather. To enable the machine to do the different kinds of work
required of them tho knives must be changed to suit the several,
operations. This may be readily done by slackening a binding screw
which holds the knife in its place, the knife being held up to its work by.
a bracket arm attached to the frame of the machine.
Our improvements in the sewing machine relate to the post or support
for the work. Instead of making the post vertical as heretofore we
incline it towards the attendant and thus gain moro room than heretofore
for the manipulation of the boot when presenting it to the action of the
needle or looper. On the top of the post we apply what we term
stitching caps to form guides, over which the soles or welts are moved
during the sewing process. These stitching caps are removable and
changeable at pleasure to suit the work in hand. They are plates
secured to the post by a clamping screw and shaped so as to project a
little beyond the course of the needle or looper, and thus form a support
for the work. They are pierced to allow of the looper passing, through
•

page_text: them, and on their face they carry a rib or shoulder, upon or against
which the channelled portion of the sole or of the welt is pressed. So
long therefore as contact is maintained between these parts regularity of
sewing will be secured.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Thomas Greenwood and John Keats in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 11th April 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, THOMAS
GREENWOOD, of Leeds, in the County of York, Engineer, and JOHN
KEATS, of Leek, in the County of Stafford, Boot Manufacturer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto us, the said Thomas Greenwood and John Keats, Her
special licence that tve, the said Thomas Greenwood and John Keats, our
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we, the said
Thomas Greenwood and John Keats, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES,
AND IN MACHINERY TO BE USED THEREIN," upon the condition (amongst
others) that we, the said Thomas Greenwood and John Keats, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our, or
their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Greenwood, on behalf of

page_text: said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention relates, firstly, to improvements in the mode of and
machinery for preparing the soles, insoles, and welts of boots and shoes
preparatory to their being applied to uppers in the manufacture of boots
and shoes; and, secondly, to improvements in the sewing machine used
to connect these parts together, the object being to facilitate the sewing
of boots and shoes and to avoid bad work caused by the want of skill
or inattention of the attendant in guiding the boot under the action of
the needle.
It will be convenient to describe first the preparation of the parts
used to form the welt boot, and the peculiarity of the sole of the pump
or single sole boot, before explaining the machinery used in carrying
out the first head of our Invention.
In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings we have shewn in several
views the mode of preparing and putting together according to our
Invention the parts of which boots and shoes are composed.
The outer sole having been cut or stamped out to the required shape
as usual the first step in our improved mode of manufacture is to
chamfer the outer sole at the waist, as shown at a, a, Fig. 1, and in the
cross section at Fig. 1. This waist chamfering we effect by passing
the sole under a fixed knife as herein-after explained instead of paring
it to shape by hand as usual. The next operation is to cut the channel
on the grain side of the leather to receive the line of sewing. This
channel is shewn at b, b, Figures 1 and 1b, and it extends (near the
edge) from one side of the waist at 6* to the toc, then round the toe to
the other side of the waist at 6**. This operation is effected by passing
the sole by mechanical means, as herein-after described, under tho
action of a fixed inclined knife. The third operation is to pare or skivę
the flesh side of the sole near the edge, as shewn in plan view at Fig. 2,
and in cross section at Fig. 2. This is also effected by passing the sole
under the action of a fixed knife, as herein-after explained. These three
operations complete the outer sole.
In the preparation of the insole we cut it to shape by a stamping
press or other equivalent means, taking care to cut it somewhat larger

page_text: than is commonly required for the insole of a given sized boot. The
insole blank thus provided, as shewn at Fig. 3, we submit to an
shaped fixed knife, as herein-after explained, traversing the same past
the knife so that the knife will make a right-angled cut all round the
insole (that is, partly vertical and partly horizontal), as shewn at c, c, in
the cross section (Fig. 3") of the insole; we are thus enabled to produce
a broad flange, through which the stitches for connecting the welt and
upper to the insole are passed. To facilitate the passage of the needle
through the insole we next channel it all round on the flesh side in the
direction of the flange cut, as shewn at d, d, Fig. 3. This channelling
is also made by passing the insole by mechanical means under the action
of a fixed knife, and when the channelling is completed the insole will
present the appearance shewn in plan view at Fig. 3b, and in cross
section at Fig. 3°.
The advantages of preparing the insole in this way are that it will
not when made up shew a turned-up edge within the boot, and that a
wide flange will be produced by this mode of cutting without a
wasteful expenditure of leather, the increased width offering facilities
for sewing the boot on the machine by preventing the boot from
slipping off the supporting post. A further and most important
advantage attendant on this mode of preparing the insole is, that the
stitches by which the insole is connected with the welt will be in line
with the under surface of the insole, as illustrated by the sectional
diagram Fig. 4, and hereafter more particularly referred to. Thus when
the outer sole is removed (for repairing the worn boot) the boot will
not expand laterally or be liable to get out of shape as has been the case
where the outer edge of the insole after sewing was doubled inwards.
It should be remarked that the soles before they are submitted to the
sewing operation will require to have their flanges bent up that the
needle may pass properly through the leather. Thus the outer sole,
after having been channelled as above described, has the flange turned
up, as shewn in the plan and cross sectional views Figures 1° and 1",
and the inner sole has its flanges turned up, as shewn in the cross
section Fig. 3. The raising of these flanges is effected by hand, a tool
being inserted in and run along the cuts, and the leather being at the
time soft with moisture it will retain the shape into which it is pressed
by the turning-up tool.

page_text: The pump sole we flange around its edge on the grain side in the
same manner as the insole, its edge being virtually pared during the
operation of cutting the flange.
Fig. 5 shews the pump sole in cross section prepared according to our
Invention; Fig. 5 shews the flange turned up; and Fig. 5b shows the
sole moulded to prepare it for stitching. This mode of forming the
flange effects a material saving in leather.
In order to facilitate the sewing together of the insole, welt, and
upper we also channel the welt so as to form a rib or shoulder on its
face, and to the inner edge thereof, as shewn at Fig. 6. This rib with
the aid of the improved stitching caps to be hereafter described will
enable the workman to guide the boot under the action of the needle of
the sewing machine and ensure the stitches following each other in
proper line.
In practice we employ distinct machines for effecting the chamfering,
channelling, paring, and flanging operations above described, but these
machines all possess the same characteristics, that is to say, they are
each provided with nipping wheels, which sorve to pass the leather
under the action of the knife and through the machine. A small top
roller, capable of vertical adjustment, serves to determine the level of
the traversing leather, and consequently the depth and level of the cut
made in the leather. A fixed knife of a sectional form corresponding
to the cut to be made projects into the course to be taken by the leather;
the knife is thus caused to enter the leather, and the leather being
moved forward the knife will effect the desired cut therein.
In Sheet II. of the Drawings a machine is shewn fitted for channelling
the outer sole, and serving to illustrate the construction of all the
preparing machines. Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine; Fig. 2
is a plan view, and Fig. 3 is a front or end view of the same.
Mounted in bearings on a fixed bed is a horizontal shaft A, to one end
of which is keyed a wheel B for supporting the leather under operation.
Above this wheel is mounted a pressing wheel C which is keyed to a
horizontal shaft supported in a rocking frame D that has for its axlo
the horizontal shaft E; this shaft is mounted in bearings on standards
cast with the bed of the machine. Attached to the front of the rocking
frame is a pendent rod F leading down to a treadle, upon which the
attendant rests his foot for the purpose of bringing down the pressing
wheel into action. A spring (not shewn in the Drawing) is provided

page_text: for lifting the pressing wheel out of action when the attendant removes
his foot from the treadle. The rocking frame E is fitted with a bracket
arm G which is adjustable thereon; this bracket arm carries the knife H
which is to operate upon the leather, and which is made fast thereto
by a clamping screw. In advance of the knife and carried by the
bracket arm G is an adjustable pressing roller I, beneath which the
leather is passed to be cut. This roller is made adjustable to suit
the various thicknesses of leather submitted to the machine, and
when properly adjusted with respect to the knife it will ensure the
maintaining of a uniform depth of cut throughout the operation, whether
of chamfering, paring, or channelling. The wheels B and C serve to
move the leather up to and pass it under the action of the fixed knife,
and for this purpose they are both driven; and to ensure a proper bite
of the leather one or other of these rollers is ribbed or roughened. In
this example the lower roller is the roughened roller, the under side of
the leather being the flesh side.
The driving of the wheels B and C is effected in the following
manner-K is the main driving shaft fitted with fast and loose band
pulleys, and also provided with a hand wheel K' for starting the machine
and getting the knife into the leather. This shaft carries a worm 1
which gears into a worm wheel 2 on the shaft E, and thus a slow
motion is imparted to that shaft. On the end of the shaft E is a spur
wheel 3, which through an intermediate spur wheel 4 drives a spur
wheel 5 keyed on the shaft of the wheel O. A second spur wheel 6 on
the shaft E gears into a spur wheel 7 on the shaft of the wheel B, and
thus drives that wheel. The gearing for these wheels is so arranged that
the wheels, although of different diameters, will have the same surface
speed. When the knife has been worked (by the aid of the hand wheel)
into the leather the attendant by shifting the driving band on to the
fast pulley will set the machine in action, and he will then have merely
to guide the leather under the action of the knife.
Sheet III. shews on an enlarged scale parts of machines similar in
construction to that just described, but each being specially arranged for
the different duties of chamfering, paring, or skiving and channelling.
Fig. 1 shews the machine fitted for chamfering the waist of outer soles
which operation is illustrated at Fig. 1, Sheet I.; Fig. 2 shews the
machine fitted for channelling the sole on the grain side (as illustrated
also in the same Figures) for the reception of the line of stitches by

page_text: which it is to be connected to the boot; Fig. 3 shews the manner of
fitting the machine for paring or skiving the flesh side of the sole, which
operation is illustrated at Figs. 2, Sheet I. The preparation of the
insole in the manner illustrated in Figs. 3, Sheet I., is effected by
the machines shewn at Figures 4 and 5, Fig. 4 being used to make
the outer flange and Fig. 5 to cut the inner channel. The machine
shewn at Fig. 4 also serves to prepare the pump sole in the manner
illustrated at Fig. 5, Sheet I. Fig. 6, Sheet III., shews the machino
arranged for preparing the welt, which is channelled to form a rib at
one edge (as shewn at Fig. 6, Sheet I.) for the purpose that will be
readily understood when explaining the action of the sewing machine.
This welt is prepared in long lengths which are wound upon a reel, and
may be drawn off as required for use.
In the chamfering and channelling machines the roughened wheel it
will be seen is placed below the knife, and in the paring or skiving
machine it is above the knife; this arrangement is adopted to prevent
injury to the face of the leather.
It will now be understood that to enable the machines to do different
kinds of work the knife H and pressing roller I must be changed to suit
the operation required to be performed. This may be readily done by
removing the bracket arm G and replacing it by another fitted with a
suitable knife and roller. The use of this pressing roller, whereby the
depth of the cut is determined, materially facilitates the preparing of
the leather, as the production of good work is less dependent on the
attention of the workman when it is employed than if it were absent
from the machine.
Our improvements in the sewing machine relate to the post or support
for the work. Instead of making the post vertical, as heretofore, we
incline it towards tho attendant, as shewn in the sectional elevation,
Fig. 1, Sheet IV., of the Drawings. We thus got more room than
heretofore for the manipulation of the boot when presenting it to the
action of the needle or looper. To the top of the post we adapt what
we term stitching caps to form guides, over which the soles or welts are
moved during the sewing process. These stitching caps are removable
and changeable at pleasure to suit the work in hand. These guides are
secured to the post by a clamping screw, and shaped so as to project a
little beyond the course of the needle or looper, and thus form a support
for the work.

page_text: In Fig. 1 the inclined post is shewn as fitted with the improved
stitching cap or guide, which cap is represented detached and in plan
view at Fig. 2. A is the stitching cap pierced with a hole a to allow of
the looper or hooked needle B passing down through it to receive the
laps of looping thread and to form the chain stitches on the back of the
work. On the face of the stitching cap and transverse thereto is a rib
or shoulder a¹, upon or against which the channelled portion of the sole
is shewn at Fig. 1 as pressed while the sole is being sewn to the welt.
A somewhat similar stitching cap is used for guiding the boot under the
looper when the welt is being sewn to the insole and upper. This
operation is illustrated at Fig. 3.
.
It will now be understood that so long as contact is maintained
between the channelled leather and the cap regularity of sewing will be
secured, the rib or flange (formed by channelling the leather) sliding
against the shoulder of the cap as the work is fed forward, and thus
preventing zig-zag stitches or stitches out of line.
A modification of the stitching cap above described as used when
sewing on the welt to the upper is shewn as applied to a post at
Figures 4 and 5, Fig. 4 being an elevation of the post as seen when
looking at the end view of the machine, and Fig. 5 being a plan of
şame.
The welt A (shewn in red at Fig. 5) is drawn by preference from
à reel containing a considerable quantity of properly prepared leather,
as described with reference to Figs. 6, Sheet I. An adjustable tension
is applied to this reel, which is placed conveniently at the side of the
machine. This welt rests upon a suitably curved stitching cap B. A
small sliding piece C guides the welt and keeps it in position before it
comes under the stitching hook D. Another guide E is attached to the
top of the stitching cap for the purpose of holding the welt down upon
it and preventing its rising and getting out of position, and the stitching
сар B and guide E are made fast to the top of the post by a clamping
screw. The sliding piece C slides in a rocking piece F, and by means of
a spring G forces the welt up into its proper position. The rocking
piece F rocks on a centre H on the left side of the post, and a spring I
attached to it serves also to force the welt into position, so that by the a
action of the two springs G and I the welt is firmly held in its place.
By means of these springs the same guides are made applicable to
various widths and thicknesses of welt. If during the action of stitching

page_text: the welt to the upper it is required to take the welt out of the guide,
this can be done by lifting the rocking piece F by means of the lever K
and drawing back the sliding pieco C by means of the pin L; by doing
this the walt is released and will drop out of its guides.
The use of our improved means for guiding the work under the looper
will be best explained by reference to Sheet I.
Fig. 4 shews a welt being sewn to the upper and insole guided by the
improved stitching cap. Before however this is commenced the lasted
upper and insole are pinned together as usual, as shewn at Fig. 4, and
the welt is then applied, it being pressed into close contact with the upper
by the aid of the raised rib on the cap. When these parts have been
stitched together they are pressed into the position shewn at Fig. 7, and
the projecting edges of the insole and upper are pared off, as indicated
by the dotted lines in the Figure.
The next operation is to attach the outer sole, the mode of effecting
which is illustrated at Fig. 8, the stitching cap serving as already
described to facilitate this operation. When the stitching is completed
the stitches are covered in by turning back the raised flange, and the
edges of the sole and welt are trimmed down as usual.
For sewing the pump solc boot the lasted upper and sole are first
pinned together, as shewn at Fig. 9, and then taken to the sewing
machine, where the stitching cap will ensure the proper guiding of the
work under the looper, as indicated at Fig. 10 of Sheet I.
Having now set forth the nature of our Invention of "Improvements
in the Manufacture of Boots and Shoes, and in Machinery to be used
therein," and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, wo
wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent we claim,―
First. Cutting the flange c on the edge of insoles and pump soles,.for
the purpose above explained.
Secondly. Channelling welts in the manner and for the
described.
purpose above
Thirdly. Adapting to the machines used for preparing the soles,
insoles, and welts of boots and shoes the means above described for
regulating the cut of the fixed knife.

page_text: Fourthly. Giving the post of the sewing machine the inclined position
as described, and applying thereto stitching caps constructed and
operating as above explained.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Greenwood, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Eleventh day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
THOMAS GREENWOOD. (L.S.)