IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING TEXTILE AND OTHER MATERIALS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER MACHINERY
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING TEXTILE
AND OTHER MATERIALS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO
OTHER MACHINERY."-A communication from abroad by William
Frederick Jobbins and Albin Warth, both of New York, United
States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 17th October 1874.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING
TEXTILE AND OTHER MATERIALS, PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE
TO OTHER MACHINERY," a communication, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in that class of cutting

page_text: machines which I term "overboard" machines, and which are so
constructed that the entire cutting mechanism can be made to follow
the lines of the pattern to be cut out, while the material from which
the pattern is to be cut remains stationary on the cutting board.
My present improvements consist partly in the arrangement of a t
cutter bar, a u shaped presser bar, and a feed bar in the interior of a
standard, which rises from a platform, and carries a handle for turning
the standard, and another handle for governing the position of the
presser bar and of the feed wheel, which is attached to the said presser
bar in such a manner that the entire cutting and feed mechanism is:
condensed into the smallest possible space. The said standard is guided
in the end of a tubular arm, which forms the bearings for the driving
shaft that imparts a reciprocating motion to a slide, which engages with
a sleeve fitted on the standard inclosing the cutter bar, the feed bar, and
the presser bar, and made to catch over a nose projecting from the
cutter bar, so that the standard can be freely turned in either direction
without throwing the cutter bar out of gear with the driving shaft.
The arm which supports the standard inclosing the cutter bar, the
presser bar, and the feed bar extends from a head, which has its bearings
in a carriage that can be made to travel along the cutting table by :
means of an endless belt. The said tubular swivel head forms the
bearings for a shaft, on which are mounted two pulleys, one to receive
motion from the driving belt of the carriage, and the other to transmit
the motion by a belt and guide pulleys to the driving shaft of the
cutting mechanism in such a manner that by the action of the carriage
and the swivel head the cutting mechanism can be made to act on any
portion of the material secured to the cutting board.
On the upper end of the feed bar is secured a head, which connects
by a rod with a bell-crank lever that turns on a pivot, and one arm of
which carries a friction roller that bears against a cam plate secured to
the cutter bar. When the cutter bar rises the bell-crank lever swings
out, and the feed bar is raised, causing the feed wheel to revolve, and
the material to be cut is carried in under the knife, or the machine is
carried toward the material.
If desired the platform may be fastened to the cutting board, and for
this purpose I have provided the same with short feet, which can be
made to engage with sockets formed in a plate, that is, secured to the

page_text: cutting board by a nut or by other suitable means. If the platform is
thus secured the material to be cut is carried to the knife by the action
of the feed wheel, and the direction of the cut must be governed by
turning the work according to the contour of the pattern.
5 According to a modification of this Invention I employ a carriage,
which is acted on by a belt that receives a continuous motion. The said
carriage is provided with a head containing a tubular swivel standard
and a shaft, from which motion is transmitted to a working machine
secured to the swivel standard in such a manner that said working
machine can be moved or allowed to move the whole length of the
travelling belt without interrupting its motion, while said working
machine can be swung at the same time in any desired direction, and its
operation is thereby materially facilitated.
The motion of the carriage may be continuous or intermittent, and its'
motion may be produced by hand or by the action of the mechanism.
On this carriage is secured a head which turns on a tubular foot or
pivot, and is arrested in the required position by a spring catch fitted in
a suitable socket secured to said carriage, and which engages with a
notched diso firmly secured to the head. From this head extends a
tubular standard, which swivels freely in a socket formed on the head
for its reception. From the side of this swivel standard projects a socket
for the reception of an arm or rod, which supports the working machine,
and through said swivel standard extends a solid shaft, on which are.
mounted two pulleys. One of the pulleys is mounted on a shaft, which
carries a second pulley that connects by a belt with a pulley mounted on
the driving shaft.
If motion is imparted to said driving shaft the travelling belt receives
acontinuous motion, and if the pulley in the head is brought in contact
with this travelling belt the pulley shaft receives a continuous revolving
motion, while the carriage can be moved the whole extent of said belt
without stopping the motion of the shaft.
Instead of arranging the carriage on a single guide rail I place the
same on the side of the table. The carriage runs between two rails, one.
of which is secured to the floor and the other to the edge of the table.
From the side of this carriage projects the head, which forms the bearing
for a shaft that extends up through a tubular standard, which swivels in
suitable brackets secured to the carriage. On the said shaft are mounted

page_text: pulleys, and the head carries other pulleys adjustable for the purpose of
regulating the tension of the travelling belt. This belt receives motion
from the driving shaft in any suitable manner, and as the same is carried
through between the pulleys in the manner previously described it
imparts motion to the shaft or to the carriage.
On the lower end of the said shaft I secure an endless screw, which
meshes in a worm wheel mounted on a shaft that extends through the
carriage, and carries on its inner end an eccentric, which connects by a
strap with a lever, to the upper end of which is secured a pawl. This
pawl can be thrown in gear with a rack secured to the edge of the table,
and if the travelling belt is so adjusted on the pulleys that it imparts
motion to the shaft the said lever receives an oscillating motion, and by
the action of the pawl and rack a step-by-step motion is imparted to the
said carriage.
On the worm wheel shaft is also mounted a pulley, and another pulley
is secured on a stud fastened in the carriage. Round these two pulleys
may be extended a belt, the ends of which are firmly secured to the legs.
of the table, and as the first of the last-mentioned pulleys receives a slow
motion the carriage is caused to travel along automatically on the side
of the table.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 17th April 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventeenth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give :
and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her special licence
that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert Lake, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with
and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter. during

page_text: 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 MACHINERY FOR CUTTING TEXTILE AND OTHER MATERIALS,
PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE APPLICABLE TO OTHER MACHINERY,”
a communication to me from abroad by William Frederick Jobbins and
Albin Warth, both of New York, United States of America, upon the
condition (amongst others), that I, the said William Robert Lake, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, 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 William Robert Lake, do hereby
declare the nature of the 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 accom-
panying Drawing forming a part of this Specification :—
This Invention relates to improvements in that class of cutting
machines which I term "overboard" machines, and which are so
constructed that the entire cutting mechanism can be made to follow
the lines of the pattern to be cut out, while the material from which the
pattern is to be cut remains stationary on the cutting board.
The present improvements consist partly in the arrangement of a
cutter bar, a U shaped presser bar, and a feed bar in the interior of a
standard which rises from a platform and carries a handle for turning
the standard, and another handle for governing the position of the
presser bar and of the feed wheel which is attached to the said presser
bar in such a manner that the entire cutting and feed mechanism is
condensed into the smallest possible space. The said standard is guided
in the end of a tubular arm which forms the bearings for the driving
shaft that imparts a reciprocating motion to a slide which engages with
a sleeve fitted on the standard inclosing the cutter bar, the feed bar, and
presser bar, and made to catch over a nose projecting from the cutter
bar so that the standard can be freely turned in either direction without
throwing the cutter bar out of gear with the driving shaft.
the

page_text: wheel G and the protector H. This protector crosses the front edge of
the knife and acts as an indicator to shew the line of the cut. The feed
wheel turns on a pin c which is secured in the presser bar, and it is
depressed upon the material to be cut by a spring & acting through
a lever I on the presser bar; said lever has its fulcrum on a pivot e,
Figure 1, secured in an arm J projecting from the standard B, and to
this arm is fastened a handle K that serves to turn the standard together
with the entire cutting mechanism. In the arm J is secured a set
screw the head of which catches over the edge of the lever I and
prevents the same together with the presser bar from following the
action of the spring & beyond the desired point. By adjusting this
set screw the distance of the fced wheel G from the surface of the
platform A or from the surface of the foot of the standard B can bo
regulated. By depressing the end of the lever I the feed wheel is
raised.
In the channel formed by the U shaped presser bar E is situated the
feed bar L, Figures 2 and 3, which is depressed by the action of a
spring . To the lower end of this feed bar is pivoted a hook pawl h
held in gear by a spring i, with a ratchet wheel j secured to the side of
the feed wheel G, and a stop pawl k prevents the retrograde movement
of the feed wheel. On the upper end of the feeding bar is secured a
head 7, which connects by a rod m with a bell-crank lever n, o, that turns
'on a pivot p, and the arm o of which carries a friction roller that bears
against a cam plate M secured to the cutter bar D. When the cutter
bar rises the bell-crank lever n, o, swings out in the direction of the
arrow near it in Figure 2, and the feed bar is raised, causing the feed wheel
to revolve in the direction of the arrow marked on it in Figure 2, and
the material to be cut is carried in under the knife or the machine is
carried toward the material. When the cutter bar descends the feed bar
falls back and the pawl h takes a fresh hold. The cam plate M is adjust-
able on the cutter bar for the purpose of increasing or diminishing the
feed motion.
In the foot of the standard B I mount one or two rollers ",", Figure 4,
which are opposite the feed wheel, and if two of such rollers are used I
place them so far apart that the feed wheel presses the work between
them, and a correct feed is insured.
The standard B extends up through eyes 8, 8, formed in a bracket N,
which is secured to the end of a tubular arm O, through which extends

page_text: 0
the driving shaft P. On the end of this shaft is secured a disc t, which
connects by an eccentric wrist pin u and rod with a slide Q, Figures 1
and 3, that moves up and down between guides in the bracket N. This
slide is provided with two lips a³, a', which stand across a flange b' on
the upper end of a sleeve R fitted loosely on the standard B, so that
when the slide Q receives a reciprocating motion the sleeve R is com-
pelled to move with it. From the cutter bar extends a nose c¹, which
projects through a slot in the sleeve, so that by the action of the shaft P,
slide Q, and sleeve R a reciprocating motion is imparted to the cutter
bar. At the same time the sleeve is compelled to turn round with the
standard B whenever this standard is turned; but if the sleeve turns its
flange b¹ remains in gear with the lips of the slide Q and the motion of
the slido is transmitted to the cutter bar whatever may be the position of
the standard. The arm O is secured in a head S, Figure 5, which rises
from a carriage T, that moves on a guide rod U secured to the cutting
board V. Through the head S extends a vertical shaft W, on which are
mounted two pulleys d³, e¹, one of which engages with a belt f' stretched
over pulleys g¹, h¹, secured on spindles ",", whose bearings are fastened
to the cutting board. The spindle also carries a pulley ¹, which con-
nects by a belt with a pulley m¹ mounted on the main shaft X. In
the head S are secured two tension pulleys n¹, n¹, and a spring catch o¹,
which is fastened to the carriage T, and engaging with a notched disc p¹
in the head S serves to adjust said head according to the tension desired.
As the belt f¹acts on the pulley d¹ it imparts to the vertical shaft W a
revolving motion, and this motion is transmitted to the driving shaft P
of the cutting mechanism by a belt q', which passes over guide pulleys &¹
mounted on the said driving shaft, Figure 1. By this arrangement the
cutting mechanism can be moved over any portion of the cutting board
without throwing it out of gear with the belt f¹, and the cutting edge of
the knife can be made to follow the sinuosities or contour of any pattern
that may be marked on the material placed on the said cutting
board.
If desired the belt f1 can be so adjusted that it imparts to the
carriage T a sliding motion on the rod U, while the vertical shaft W
remains stationary, and begins to move only when the carriage is kept
stationary against the action of the belt, and in this case the cutting
mechanism is carried automatically over the cutting board.
The carriage T instead of being guided on a rod U, as shewn in
The carriage T instead of being guided
on a rod U,
as shown in

page_text: Figures 5 and 6, may be arranged on the side of the cutting board, and
made to run on guide rails v², v², see Figures 7 and 8, and one of which
is fastened to the floor, and the other to the edge of the cutting board.
In this case the head S is fastened to the side of the carriage, and the
belt f¹ acts on the pulley d¹ in the manner previously described.
If desired a step-by-step motion may be imparted to the carriage by
means of a pawl a², see Figures 8 and 9, which acts on a toothed rack 6ª
secured to the side of the cutting board, the said pawl being secured
to a lever c² which receives an oscillating motion by an eccentric ď
mounted on a shaft e* that extends through the carriage T, and on
which is secured a worm wheel ƒ geared in an endless screw g³ on the
vertical shaft W. The said pawl can be made to act on the rack b²
in either direction; or if it is desired to impart to the carriage a con-
tinuous motion, or to retain the said carriage in a stationary position
it can be thrown out of gear with the rack.
.
On the shaft e³ is also mounted a pulley h³, and another pulley "³ is
secured to a stud fastened in the carriage. Around these two pulleys
extends a stationary belt j³, the ends of which are fast to the feet of
the cutting board, and as the pulley receives a slow revolving
motion the carriage is caused to move along on the belt *. When
this belt is used the pawl a³ must be thrown out of gear with the
rack b².
For certain classes of work the platform A may be taken off; the
foot C of the standard B will in this case move under the material to be
cut; or the material may be moved over the said foot.
If desired the platform A may be fastened to the cutting board, and
for this purpose I have provided the same with short feet t, Figure 4,
which can be made to engage with sockets u¹ formed in a plate Y that
is secured to the cutting board by a nut or other suitable means. If
the platform is thus secured the material to be cut is carried to the
knife by the action of the feed wheel, and the direction of the cut
must be governed by turning the work according to the contour of the
pattern.
If desired the head S may be firmly secured to the carriage T so
that the cutting machine is carried along by the carriage in a rectilinear
direction over the cutting board. The arm O which carries the cutting
machine may be either rigid or jointed.

page_text: According to a modification of this Invention I employ a carriage
acted on by a belt that receives a continuous motion, the said carriage
being provided with a head containing a tubular swivel standard, and
a shaft from which motion is transmitted to a working machine secured
to the swivel standard in such a manner that said working machine can i
be moved or allowed to move the whole length of the traveling belt
without interrupting its motion, and can be swung at the same time
in any desired direction, and its operation is thereby materially
facilitated.
The motion of the carriage may be continuous or intermittent, 1
and may be produced by hand or by the action of the mechanism.
Figure 10 is a plan or top view of a machine embodying these
modifications of my Invention; Figure 11 is a similar view of the same
shewing a different arrangement of the driving mechanism; Figures
12, 13, and 14 are elevations of portions of the same.
The parts not shown in Figure 12 are the same as those shewn in
Figure 5, and those parts not shewn in Figures 13 and 14 are the same
as those shewn in Figures 7, 8, and 9.
V designates a table to which are secured brackets for supporting the
guide rails U of the carriage T. This carriage may be constructed in
the form of a simple tube which slides freely on the rail U, or it may be
furnished with friction rollers bearing on the guide rail to facilitate its
motion; or it may be constructed in the manner shown in Figures 13
and 14 which are herein-after more fully described. On this carriage is
secured a head which turns on a tubular foot or pivot, and is arrested in a
the required position by a spring catch o¹ fitted in a suitable socket
secured to the said carriage, and which engages with a notched disc p¹
firmly secured to the head, see Figure 5. From this head extends a
tubular standard S which swivels freely in a socket formed on the head for
its reception. From the side of this swivel standard projects a socket for a
the reception of an arm or rod Z, which supports the working machine
as will be presently more fully described, and through the said swivel
standard extends a solid shaft W, on which are mounted two pulleys d', e¹.
The pulley d² is situated inside of or close to the head in the plane or
line of a belt f¹, which is passed over two pulleys g³, h³, secured to the
table V. One of the pulleys is mounted on a shaft which carries a
second pulley ¹ that connects by a belt with a pulley m² mounted on

page_text: the driving shaft X. If motion is imparted to the said driving shaft the
belt f¹ receives a continuous motion, and if the pulley d¹ in the head is
brought in contact with this travelling belt, the shaft W receives a
continuous revolving motion, while the carriage T can be moved the
whole extent of said belt without stopping the shaft W.
The working machine attached to the swivel standard S may be,
for instance, a drilling machine and motion is transmitted to this drill.
by a belt q' running from the pulley e¹ on the shaft W, to a pulley
on the driving shaft of the drilling machine. By means of the
travelling belt and the carriage T the drill can be moved over the whole
surface of the table V, and it can be turned in either direction by means
of the swivel standard without throwing it out of gear with the travelling
belt. I am therefore enabled to drill holes in a heavy piece of metal at
many different places without being compelled to move the work. In
the same manner a mortising machine may be secured to the swivel
standard, and mortises can be produced in heavy picces of timber at
various places without moving the timber. In order to insure the
action of the travelling belt f¹ on the pulley & I have mounted in the
head two other pulleys n¹, n', on either side of the pulley d. If the
travelling belt is carried through between the pulleys n², d³, n', as shewn
in Figure 10, the shaft W is turned round without fail, and at the
same time the carriage can be moved on its guide rail U without
destroying the connection between the travelling belt and the shaft W.
By turning the head on its foot the tension of the belt f' on the
pulleys n', d, n³, can be increased or decreased as required. If the
travelling belt strained to a proper tension is carried over the pulleys n³,
d', n¹, in the manner shewn in Figure 11, it serves to carry the
carriage T along the guide rail U without imparting motion to the
shaft W; but when the carriage T is retained in a stationary position,
the shaft W is turned and the motion of the travelling belt is transmitted
to the working machine. By this arrangement I am enabled to move
the carriage T together with the working machine along the table V by
the action of the travelling belt, and when I desire to impart motion to .
the drill or other tool secured in the working machine, all I have to do
is to retain the carriage in a stationary position.
Instead of arranging the carriage T on a single guide rail, as shown in

page_text: table, as shown in Figures 13 and 14. In these Figures A represents
the table, and T is the carriage running between two rails v', v¹, one of
which is secured to the floor and the other to the edge of the table.
From the side of this carriage projects the head S which forms the
bearing for the shaft W, that extends up through the tubular standard &
fitted with swivels in suitable brackets secured to the carriage T. . On
the shaft W are mounted pulleys d, e¹, and the head S carries pulleys
as at n', n', Fig. 11, the supporting plates of which are adjustable for
the purpose of regulating the tension of the travelling belt f¹. This belt
receives motion from a driving shaft in any suitable manner, and as the 1
same is carried betweeen the pulleys n', d', n¹, as previously described, it
imparts motion to the shaft W or to the carriage T. On the lower end
of the shaft W, as shewn in Figure 8, I secure an endless screw g³
which meshes in a worm wheel f" mounted on a shaft e³ that extends
through the carriage T and carries on its inner end an eccentric; the latter 1
connects by a strap with a lever, to the upper end of which is securod a
pawl a². This pawl can be thrown in gear with a rack 6ª secured to the
edge of the table, and if the travelling belt f' is so adjusted on the
pulleys n¹, d¹, n', that it imparts motion to the shaft W, the lever
receives an oscillating motion, and by the action of the pawl a³ and 2
rack b² a step-by-step motion is imparted to the carriage.
"
On the shaft e is also mounted a pulley ², and another pulley is
secured on a stud fastened in the carriage. Around these two pulleys
may be extended a belt whose ends are firmly secured to the legs of
the table, and as the pulley h² receives a slow motion the carriage T is 2
caused to travel along automatically on the side of the table, keeping
the pulley & of the shaft W constantly in gear with the travelling belt.
While the belt is used the pawl a² must be thrown out of gear with
the rack 6. The swivel standard can be secured in position by a set
screw or pin, so that an arm which carries the working machine becomes a
rigidly connected to the head.
.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondents, and the manner of performing the
same, I wish it understood that I claim,―
First. In a machine for cutting textile and other materials, a cutter bar,
a feed bar, and a U shaped presser bar arranged within a standard
supported by a foot or platform, and guided in eyes on the end of a
supporting arm, as above described and for the purpose specified.

page_text: Second. The handle K in combination with the standard B con-
taining the cutter bar, the U shaped presser bar, and the feed bar,
all constructed and operating as above described and for the purpose
specified.
Third. The sleeve R with its circular flange b¹ in combination with the
standard B, the cutter bar D having the projection c¹and the reciprocating
slide Q fitted within the bracket which supports the standard B, as
above set forth and for the purpose specified.
Fourth. The cam plate M and bell-crank lever n, o, in combi-
nation with the cutter D and feed bar L contained in the standard B,
as above set forth and for the purpose specified.
Fifth. The combination of the cutting mechanism herein described
with a carriage which can be moved along the edge of the cutting board,
and from which motion is transmitted to the cutting mechanism in the
manner set forth.
Sixth. The belt f¹ running over pulleys secured to the cutting board
in combination with a head S supporting the tubular arm O with the
cutting mechanism and containing a vertical shaft, which transmits
motion to the driving shaft of the cutting mechanism in the manner
above described.
Seventh. The combination of a plate Y with the platform A which
supports the cutting mechanism and with a cutting board V as above
set forth and for the purpose specified.
Eighth. A carriage which is actuated by a travelling belt f¹ and
provided with a head containing a tubular swivel standard, and a shaft
from which motion is transmitted to a drill or mechanism adapted
to be connected with said swivel standard in the manner herein
described.
Ninth. The combination of a travelling belt f¹, carriage T, a head,
and a shaft W for operating a drill or other mechanism in the manner
above set forth.
Tenth. The tension disc p' and spring catch o¹ in combination with a
head containing pulleys n', d', n', and with the shaft W, carriage T,
and travelling belt f¹, as above described and for the purpose
specified.

page_text: Eleventh. The pawl a³ and rack 6'in combination with the carriage T,
head S, and travelling belt f¹, as above set forth and for the purpose
specified.
Twelfth. The stationary belt ; in combination with the carriage T,
head S, and travelling belt f¹, as above described and for the purpose 5
specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.
Witness,
HY. JAS. NOONE.
W. ROBT. LAKE. (L.S.)