IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Frederic Gardner, of Farquhar Road, Upper
Norwood, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN SEWING MACHINES." A communication from abroad by Gordon MoKay, of
Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
aled the 18th July 1879, and dated the 19th March 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Frederic Gardner at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th March 1879.
CHARLES FREDERIC GARDNER, of Farquhar Road, Upper Norwood, in the County
of Surrey.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES." [A communication from
abroad by Gordon McKay, of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.]
This Invention relates to improvements in sewing machines which work with
two needles and two shuttles, that is to say, such machines as have duplicate sets of
sewing or stitching mechanism. The needle and presser-foot of one set are mounted
in a fixed head formed on the arm of the frame in the usual manner, and the
corresponding shuttle race and feed-devices are attached to the frame below the
cloth-plate. But the other needle and presser-foot, and the shuttle-race. and feed-
device are fixed or mounted on adjustable or moveable supports so that the distance.
between the two needles may be increased or diminished as desired. The said
Invention is designed to provide such machines with means for effecting the adjust-
ment of the movable part or set of the mechanism in a more convenient manner
than has heretofore been practicable.
For this purpose. I construct and arrange the parts of my improved sewing
machines as follows, that is to say:-I connect with the fixed head, which forms
the support and guide for one needle and its adjuncts, a moveable or adjustable
head, which is provided with four or any other suitable number of strong pins,
studs, or rods, that project and slide through holes formed in the fixed head.
These pins or rods afford a firm support and also serve as guides for the adjustable
head, and permit the same to be moved to or from the fixed head while keeping
the needles and other duplicate parts in the proper relation to each other. The
moveable or adjustable shuttle race is supported with a capability of similar adjust-

page_text: ment on rods or bars whose ends are secured in lugs or projections fixed or formed
on the underside of the work supporting plate. The most important novel feature
of this Invention consists in the combination or connection of the said movable or
adjustable head and shuttle race with each other, in such a manner that they may
be adjusted simultaneously nearer to or farther from the fixed head, and without
any care or attention on the part of the operator to maintain or restore the correct
relative position of the moveable parts to each other. This result is effected by
the following arrangement, that is to say:-The shaft by which the needle-bars
have their vertical reciprocating movement imparted to them (hereinafter termed
the needle-bar shaft) extends from the rear end of the machine through a hole or
bearing in the fixed head into the movable head, and its end is secured in the latter
by a screw or other device which will permit it to turn freely in the said moveable
head without any sliding or end wise movement in or through the latter. The said
needle-bar shaft is also fitted to rotate in and slide through a bearing at the rear
end of the frame, behind which bearing it has fixed on it a lever or arm from which
a connecting rod extends to a crank on the driving shaft of the machine, arranged
below the bed or base-plate. The said lever or arm has to be secured on the needle
bar shaft in such a manner that it may be made loose thereon, when required, to
permit the said shaft to slide through it in adjusting the movable head and shuttle-
race. And I prefer for this purpose to form the boss of the said arm to serve as a
cramp whose jaws enclose the said shaft and are provided with a screw whereby
they may be tightened or slackened on the same.
The said bess should be provided with a stud or feather fitting into a longitudinal
groove in the said shaft to prevent any change in the angular position of the said
arm thereon in the adjustment of the machine.
The said needle-bar shaft projects through this clamping boss, and near its
extremity has a groove turned in and around it. Into this circular groove is fitted
the forked end of a vertical bar. This bar extends down through a slot or aperture
in the base-plate, and its lower end is connected to a rod or bar which extends and
is attached to the adjustable shuttle-race, or a plate or piece whereon the same is
mounted. About midway between the ends of the aforesaid vertical bar the same
is provided with a boss which is tapped with a screw thread or is fitted with a
screw-nut. Through this screw boss or nut is passed a screw whose ends are fitted
to turn freely in vertical portions of the frame of the machine, but the said screw
is restrained from sliding or endwise movement. Its outer extremity is provided
with a head which preferably has holes drilled in its periphery for the insertion of
the point of an implement for turning the said screw.
It will be obvious that by turning the said screw in one or the other direction
the adjustment of the moveable head and shuttle-race to or from the fixed head
and shuttle race will be effected.
The end of the driving shaft near the shuttle mechanism is provided with a
crank, from which a rod or link extends to a pin or stud attached to the shuttle-
carrier in the fixed shuttle-race. The required to and fro movement of this
shuttle-carrier is thus imparted to it by the driving shaft. And I connect the said
shuttle carrier with the shuttle-carrier in the adjustable race by means of a pair
of cross-bars pivotted together at the centre, and connected at their ends to the
shuttle-carriers in such a manner as to keep them in the required position relatively
to each other and the needles, while permitting them to approachi or separate from
each other in the adjustment of the machine.
The feed-devices are operated from the driving shaft through the medium of the
following mechanism:-A short shaft extends through or across the two shuttle
races and is supported to turn freely in suitable bearings so that it will rotate
freely but will not be capable of endwise movement. One bearing for this short
feed-shaft is formed or fixed on the plate on which the adjustable shuttle-race is
mounted, and this bearing slides on the said shaft in the adjustment of the said
shuttle race. The end of the said short shaft, adjacent to the driving shaft, is

page_text: provided with a socket extending across or transversely to the axis of the said
shaft, and is fitted with an adjustable pin which is connected to an excentric on
the driving shaft. The said short shaft is also provided with two arms arranged to
engage with two sliding bars, on which are fixed the feed-devices, which are pieces
projecting up through the plate below the needles, with their upper surfaces
roughened in the ordinary manner. The connection between the said sliding bars.
with the arms on the short shaft is effected by means of pins on the bars projecting
into slots in the arms, which slots are formed to produce the required endwise and
up and down movements of the feed-devices. The boss of the arm that operates
the feed of the adjustable needle and shuttle is so fitted on the shaft as to allow
the latter to slide through it so that the feed-device may move with the said needle
and shuttle in, the adjustment of the same.
The aforesaid transverse socket connected by the adjustable pin to the excentric
on the driving shaft affords convenient means for varying the extent or length of the
feed movement. For this purpose I form the said pin with a head, which is fitted
to work in a groove extending across the end of a lever fulcrummed to the underside
of the base or bed, and whose rear end is connected with an adjusting screw
projecting through the base-plate. By turning this screw the said lever is moved
to adjust the said pin in its socket, and thereby increase or diminish the extent of
the movement imparted by the said excentric to the feed-shaft.

page_text: .
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Frederic Gardner in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
19th September 1879.
CHARLES FREDERIC GARDNER, of Farquhar Road, Upper Norwood, in the County
of Surrey. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING-MACHINES." A communication from abroad
by Gordon McKay, of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
This Invention relates to improvements in sewing machines which work with
two needles and two shuttles, that is to say, machines that have duplicate sets of
sewing or stitching mechanism. The needle and presser-foot of one set are mounted
in a head formed on or attached to the fixed arm of the machine in the usual manner,
and the corresponding shuttle race and feed devices are supported in or by
immovable bearings below the cloth plate. But the other needle, presser-foot,
shuttle-race, and feed-device are carried or mounted in adjustable or movable
supports, so that the distance of one needle and shuttle from the other needle and
shuttle may
be increased or diminished as desired. The said Invention is designed
to provide such machines with ineans for effecting the adjustment of the adjustable
sewing or stitching mechanism in a more convenient manner than has heretofore
been practicable. The manner in which I carry the said Invention into practice
may be clearly understood by the aid of the accompanying Drawing, which I will
now proceed to describe.
Figure 1 is a plan or top view of a machine constructed according to this
Invention.
Figure 2 is a side elevation, and
Figure 3 is a front elevation of the same.
Figure 4 is an underside view of the said machine.
Figure 5 is a transverse vertical section on the line x, x, and
Figure 6 is a transverse vertical section on the line y, y, Figure 2.
Figure 7 is a plan of a portion of the work plate with parts of the same
removed, and
Figure 8 is a plan of the shuttle carriers detached; these two Figures are drawn
to an enlarged scale.
Figure 9 is a side elevation of portions of the said machine with the base plate
in section.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing.
A represents the base or stand of the machine, and A' is the fixed arm which
supports the various parts of the said machine arranged above the cloth-plate. a is
the driving shaft; b, b', are the needles; c, c¹, are the presser-feet; and d, d', repre-
sent the shuttles. I connect with the fixed head A2, which forms the support and
guide for the needle b and its adjuncts, a movable or adjustable head A3 which is
provided with four or any other suitable number of strong pins, studs, or rods e
that project from the head A³ and slide through holes formed in the fixed head A³.
These pins or rods e afford a firm support and also serve as guides for the adjustable
head A³, and permit the same to be moved to or from the fixed head A2 while
keeping the needles, the presser-feet, and other duplicate parts in the proper relation
to each other; f represents the stationary shuttle-race, and f¹ the movable or adjus-
table shuttle-race. The latter is supported with a capability of adjustment. With
the head A³ on fixed rods or bars g whose ends are secured in lugs or projections A
fixed or formed on the underside of the base or work-supporting plate A. The most
important novel feature of this Invention consists in the combination or connection
of the aforesaid movable or adjustable head A3 and shuttle race f¹ with each other
in such a manner that they may be adjusted simultaneously ncarer to or farther

page_text: from the fixed head A³ and shuttle race f without any care or attention on the part
of the operator to maintain or restore the correct relative position of the needles,
shuttles, and other operative parts to each other. This result is effected by the
following arrangement, that is to say :-The shaft h, by which the needle-bars 62, 63,
have their vertical reciprocating movement imparted to them (hereinafter termed
the needle-bar-shaft) extends from the rear end of the machine through a bearing /*
in the fixed head A2 into the movable head A³, and its end is secured in the latter
by a screw h¹ or other device which will permit it to turn freely in the said movable
The said
head without any sliding or end wise movement in or through the same.
needle bar shaft h is also fitted to rotate in and slide through a bearing h** at the
rear end of the arm A¹, beyond or behind which bearing it has fixed on it a lever or
arm from which a connecting rod i extends to a crank a¹ on the driving shaft a
of the machine, the said driving shaft being arranged below the base-plate A, as
shewn. The said lever or arm 2 is secured on the needle-bar-shaft h in such a
manner that it may be made loose thereon when required to permit the said shaft
to slide through it in adjusting the movable head A3 and shuttle race f¹ and I
prefer for this purpose to form the boss of the said arm h³ to serve as a cramp,
whose jaws enclose the said shaft and are provided with a screw h³ whereby they
may be tightened or slackened on the same. The said boss is preferably provided
with a stud or feather fitting into a longitudinal groove in the said shaft to prevent
any change in the angular position of the arm h² thereon in the adjustment of the
machine. The aforesaid needle-bar-shaft projects through this clamping boss, and
near its extremity has a groove h4 turned in and around it. Into this circular groove
is fitted the forked end of a vertical bar j. This bar extends down through a slot
or aperture in the base plate A, and its lower end is connected to a horizontal rod or
bur / which extends and is attached to the adjustable shuttle race f¹, or, as shewn,
to the plate or piece f* whereon the same is mounted. About midway between
the ends of the aforesaid vertical bar the same is provided with a boss j¹ which is
tapped with a screw thread or is fitted with a screw nut. Through this screw boss
or nut is passed a screw whose ends are fitted to turn freely in vertical portions of
the arm A¹ of the frame of the machine, but the said screw is restrained from sliding
or endwise movement. Its outer extremity is provided with a head ', which, pre-
ferably, has holes drilled in its periphery for the insertion of the point of an imple-
ment for turning the said screw. It will be obvious that with the parts arranged
as above described, by turning the said screw in one or the other direction the
adjustment of the moveable head A³ and the shuttle race f¹ to or from the fixed
head A and shuttle race f will be effected.
The end of the driving shaft a near the shuttle mechanism is provided with a
crank a³, from which a rod or link m extends to a pin or stud f2 attached to the
shuttle carrier f³ in the fixed shuttle race f. The required to-and-fro movement of
this shuttle-carrier is thus imparted to it by the driving shaft a, and I connect the
said shuttle-carrier f³ with the shuttle-carrier f', in the adjustable race f¹, by
means of a pair of cross bars f³ pivotted together at the centre at fe, and connected
at their ends to the shuttle-carriers f³, f4, in such a manner as to keep them in the
required position relatively to each other, and the needles while permitting the one
to approach or separate from the other in the movement of the parts, and during
the adjustment of the machine as above described.
The feed devices are operated from the driving shaft a through the medium of
the following mechanism, namely, a short shaft n extends through or across the
two shuttle-races f,f¹, and is supported to turn freely in suitable bearings n', n²,
so that it will rotate freely, but will not be capable of end wise movement. The
bearing n for this short feed shaft is, preferably, formed or fixed on the plate f* on
which the adjustable shuttle race f' is mounted, and this bearing slides on the said
shaft in the adjustment of the said shuttle race. The end of the said short shaft n
adjacent to the driving shaft is provided with a socket n*, extending across or
transversely to the axis of the said shaft, and is fitted with an adjustable pin n³
which is connected to the arm or rod of an excentric a³ on the driving shaft a.

page_text: The said shaft n is also provided with two arms no, no, arranged to engage with
two sliding bars o, o¹, whereon are fixed the feed-devices, which are pieces
projecting up through the plates A* below the needles with their upper surfaces
roughened in the ordinary manner. The connection between the said sliding bars
o, o, with the arms on the short shaft is effected by means of pins o² on the bars
projecting into slots in the said arms n, n³, which slots are formed to produce
the required endwise, and up and down movements of the feed-devices.
boss of the arm n5 that operates the feed of the adjustable needle and shuttle
b, d, is so fitted on the shaft as to allow the latter to slide through it, so that the
feed-device may move freely with the said needle and shuttle in the adjustment of
the same while retaining its proper position relatively to the other parts of the
mechanism.
The
The aforesaid transverse socket n*, connected by the adjustable pin n³ to the
excentric a³ on the driving shaft, affords convenient means for varying the extent
or length of the feed movement. For this purpose I form the said pin n³ with a
head no, which is fitted to work in a groove extending across the end p* of a
lever p fulcrummed to the underside of the base plate A at p¹, and whose rear end
is connected with an adjusting screw a projecting through the said base plate. By
turning this screw the said lever p is moved to adjust the said pin in its socket n*,
and thereby increase or diminish the extent of the movement imparted by the
excentric a³ to the feed shaft n.
Having thus fully described the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I wish it understood that I do not limit the application of my Invention
to a sewing machine, constructed precisely as shewn in the accompanying Drawing,
with respect to the arrangement and means for operating the needles, the shuttles,
the feed-devices, and other ordinary parts of such machines. Neither do I limit
myself to the precise details of construction and arrangement of the parts or devices,
whereby I effect the objects of my Invention as such details are capable of various
obvious modifications, without any departure from the principles of the said
Invention, and I claim,―
First. In a sewing machine the combination of the unadjustable sewing or
stitching mechanism with the adjustable sewing or stitching mechanism in such a
manner that the distance of one needle and shuttle from the other needle and
shuttle may be increased or diminished as desired, and the adjustable mechanism
may be all moved together without requiring any care or attention to retain or
restore the parts thereof to their proper relative positions for the purpose specified.
Second. The combination of parts comprising the fixed or stationary head and
shuttle race, and the unadjustable stitching mechanism carried or supported thereby,
and the adjustable head and shuttle race which carry the adjustable stitching or
sewing mechanism, and which are supported on pins, rods, or bars that permit
their adjustment or movement toward or from the said fixed head and shuttle race,
substantially as set forth and for the purpose specified.
Third. The driving shaft and the horizontal rod or bar connected by the vertical
bar, which is arranged in combination with a screw or other suitable device, in
such a manner that by the manipulation of the said screw or other device, the
simultaneous adjustment of the movable head and shuttle race, and the mechanism
carried thereby will be effected, substantially as set forth.
Fourth. In combination with the said vertical bar and adjusting screw, the arm
with the cramping boss or other suitable means för permitting the end wise adjust-
ment of the said needle-bar-shaft without disturbing its connection with the
driving shaft, as and for the purpose specified.
Fifth. The pivoted cross-bars which permit the adjustment of the adjustable
shuttle-carrier, with regard to the other shuttle-carrier while maintaining the
proper relative position of the shuttle, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
Sixth. The combination of parts comprising the adjustable and unadjustable
stitching mechanism below the work-plate and the devices, whereby the adjust-

page_text: ment or movement of the said adjustable mechanism with regard to the unad-
justable mechanism is permitted without disconnecting any of the parts of the
said adjustable mechanism from the means for imparting the required movements
to the same, substantially as set forth.
Seventh. The sewing machine with the unadjustable stitching mechanism and
the adjustable stitching mechanism arranged in combination with each other
and with the other parts of the machine, substantially as described and as shewn
in the accompanying Drawing for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Frederic Gardner, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
C. F. GARDNER. (L.S.)