IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TRIMMING THE HEELS AND SOLES OF BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1877

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 TRIMMING THE HEELS AND SOLES OF
BOOTS AND SHOES." A communication from abroad by James Henry Busell,
of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, Machinist.
Sealed the 8th September 1877, and dated the 5th April 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Coinmissioners of Patents on the 5th April 1877.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TRIMMING
THE HEELS AND SOLES OF BOOTS AND SHOES." A communication from abroad
by James Henry Busell, of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America,
Machinist.
This Invention relates to that class of heel and sole trimming machines in which
a rotary cutter is used to reduce the edge of the heel or sole, and especially to the
arrangement of the cutters and the gauge or guide, and it consists, first, in the use
in combination with a rotary cutter for reducing the edge of the heel or sole of a
rand knife arranged to revolve in unison with the edge trimming cutter, and
adapted to be moved transversely to the said edge trimming cutter, or in a
direction at right angles to the axis of revolution thereof, and a rand guide or disc
secured to said rand knife and adapted to revolve therewith, and be moved
transversely to its axis of motion, so that the path of revolution of said rand knife
and rand guide may be either concentric or excentric to the path of revolution of
the edge trimming cutter, for the purpose of adapting the length of that portion of
the rand knife which projects beyond the periphery of the edge trimming cutter
upon the side next to the boot or shoe to the depth of the rand or the projection of
the sole beyond the upper.
The said Invention further consists in forming in the outer radial face of the
edge trimming cutter a recess or groove in combination with a rand knife placed in

page_text: said recess transversely across the axis of said edge trimming cutter, and a thin
circular disc secured to the said rand cutter and adapted to revolve therewith in
unison with the edge trimming cutter, but in a variable path either concentric or
excentric to the path of revolution of the edge trimming cutter.
The said Invention further consists in mounting the edge trimming cutter upon
a hollow shaft in combination with a small central spindle located in the hollow
part of said shaft, and connected therewith by means of a pin, set screw, or other
suitable device at its rear end, the said spindle being made for the greater part of
its length of considerably smaller diameter than the hollow in said shaft, so that its
front end, upon which is secured the said rand knife and rand guide, may be casily
moved into a position excentric to the hollow shaft, the said spindle, which should
be made of steel, springing for the purpose.
My Invention further consists in forming upon the inner face of the rand guide
and around its outer edge a slight rib or lip projecting past the sharp outer ends
of the rand knife to protect the upper from being cut thereby.
The said Invention further consists in the use for trimming or bevelling the
outer portion of the botton surface of the sole of a ring cutter surrounding the rear
portion of the edge trimming cutter and adapted to revolve therewith, but free to
be moved in the direction of the length of the cutter shaft, said ring cutter being
pressed toward the surface of the sole by a light spring. The said ring cutter is
provided with two lugs projecting inward from the inner periphery of the ring,
which lugs fit between two teeth of the cutter, thereby compelling the ring cutter
to revolve with the shaft and cutter, while at the same time by a slight pressure of
the boot or shoe sole against its inclined face it may be forced away from the rand
guide and the rand cutter a distance equal to the thickness of the sole to be
trimmed, the aforesaid spring being sufficiently stiff to hold the cutter up to the
sole with just sufficient force to trim off the feather edge.
If it is desired to bevel the outer edge of the tread surface of the sole, the cutter
may be perfectly adapted to produce the desired result by giving to its cutting face
the proper shape.
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
4th October 1877.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR TRIMMING
THE HEELS AND SOLES OF BOOTS AND SHOES." A communication from abroad
by James Henry Busell, of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America,
Machinist.
This Invention relates to that class of heel and sole trimming machines in which
a rotary cutter is used to reduce the edge of the heel or sole, and especially to the 4
arrangement of the cutters and the gauge or guide, and it consists, first, in the use
in combination with a rotary cutter for reducing the edge of the heel or sole of a
rand knife arranged to revolve in unison with the edge trimming cutter, and
adapted to be moved transversely to the said edge trimming cutter, or in a
direction at right angles to the axis of revolution thereof, and a rand guide or disc 4
secured to said rand knife and adapted to revolve therewith, and be moved
transversely to its axis of motion, so that the path of revolution of said rand knife
and rand guide may be either concentric or excentric to the path of revolution of
the edge trimming cutter, for the purpose of adapting the length of that portion of
the rand knife which projects beyond the periphery of the edge trimming cutter 5
upon the side next to the boot or shoe to the depth of the rand or the projection of
the sole beyond the upper.

page_text: The said Invention further consists in forming in the outer radial face of the
edge trimming cutter a recess or groove in combination with a rand knife placed in
said recess transversely across the axis of said edge trimming cutter, and a thin
circular disc secured to said rand cutter, and adapted to revolve therewith in
unison with the edge trimming cutter, but in a variable path either concentric or
excentric to the path of revolution of the edge trimming cutter.
The said Invention further consists in mounting the edge trimming cutter upon
a hollow shaft in combination with a small central spindle located in the hollow
part of said shaft, and connected therewith by means of a pin, set screw, or other
suitable device at its rear end, the said spindle being made for the greater part of
its length of considerably smaller diameter than the hollow in said shaft, so that its
front end, upon which is secured the said rand knife and rand guide, may be easily
moved into a position excentric to the hollow shaft, the said spindle which should
be made of steel springing for this purpose.
My Invention further consists in forming upon the inner face of the rand guide
and around its outer edge a slight rib or lip projecting past the sharp outer ends of
the rand knife to protect the upper from being cut thereby.
The said Invention further consists in the use for trimming or bevelling the
outer portion of the bottom surface of the sole of a ring cutter surrounding the rear
portion of the edge trimming cutter, and adapted to revolve therewith, but free to
be moved in the direction of the length of the cutter shaft, said ring cutter being
pressed toward the surface of the sole by a light spring, as herein-after described.
In the accompanying Drawing Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine
ombodying this Invention; Figure 2 is an end elevation, and Figure 3 is a longi-
tudinal central section of the same.
Figure 4 is an elevation, and 5 is a sectional plan of the edge trimming cutter
and the rand cutter detached from the other parts, and showing their position
relatively to each other; Figure C is an elevation; Figure 7 an end view, and
Figure 8 a central longitudinal section of the ring cutter detached.
Figures 9 and 10 show details of the rand cutter, and Figures 11 and 12 show
details of the rand guide.
Figures 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 are drawn to an enlarged scale.
A is the head of the supporting frame designed to be bolted to the top of n
column of suitable height to bring the cutters into convenient position for operation;
it is provided with the two boxes A1, A2, in which is mounted the hollow spindle
or shaft B, having secured to its front end the cutting tool C, and provided with
the pulley D by means of which and a belt (not shown) rotary motion may be
imparted to the cutter C.
E is a small steel spindle, whose rear end is enlarged to fill the chamber in the
shaft B to which it is secured by the set screw a, so as to revolve therewith. The
spindle E projects through the front end of the shaft B, and has a bearing in the
lower end of the inclined rod F, which in its turn is mounted in bearings on the
frame F¹ pivoted at b to the stand G, and secured in position by the clamping
screw b¹.
The rod F is provided with the spiral spring c adapted to force the said rod
downwards with sufficient force to spring the spindle E, and throw its front end
into a position excentric to the axis of the shaft B, so that the rand guide and rand
cutter secured thereon (to be hereafter described) will project below the lower front
side of the cutter C a distance equal to the depth of the deepest rand or the greatest
projection of the sole.
The cutter C is provided with a series of spiral chisel-shaped teeth, and has
formed in its front end the recess or groove d, extending across the entire diameter
thereof, in which groove plays the rand knife e as it is moved into a position excentric
to axis of the shaft B. The rand knife e is formed, as shown in Figures 9 and 10,
and is secured to the front end of the spindle E in such a manner as to be compelled
to revolve therewith.
His a circular disc of steel, made slightly convex upon its outer face and flat

page_text: upon its inner face, and provided with a slightly projecting annular rib f around its
outer edge, within which the rand knife e is placed, with its straight side resting
against the flat back face of said disc, as shown in Figure 3, the disc H and the
rand knife being clamped together and secured to the spindle E by the nut g. The
disc H has two openings h, h, through it, directly opposite the two cutting edges of
the rand knife e for the delivery of the chips or shavings cut thereby.
To cut away what is known as the feather edge on the bottom of the sole, a ring
cutter I is used. This cutter is formed to surround the edge trimming cutter C,
and is adapted to revolve therewith while it is free to be moved endwise on the
shaft B, upon which it is loosely fitted by means of the hub I¹ and triangular
plate I, to which the ring cutter I is attached by the studs i. The ring I has its
outer surface made conical or inclined towards the front ends of the machine, and
has formed on its front end a series of teeth or cutters i, as shown in Figures 6,
7, and 8.
Jis a spring surrounding the shaft B between the hub I¹ of the ring cutter I,
and the end of the box A, and serving to force the ring cutter along the shaft B
towards the rand guide to the position shown in Figures 1 and 3.
The ring cutter I is provided with two lugs projecting inward from the inner
periphery of the ring, as shown in Figures 7 and 8; these lugs fit between two
teeth of the cutter C, thereby compelling the ring cutter to revolve with the shaft B
and the cutter C, while at the same time by a slight pressure of the boot or shoe
sole against its inclined face it may be forced away from the rand guide and the
rand cutter a distance equal to the thickness of the sole to be trimmed, the spring J
being sufficiently stiff to hold the cutter I up to the sole with just sufficient force to
trim off the feather edge.
If it is desired to bevel the outer edge of the tread surface of the sole, the cutter I
may be perfectly adapted to produce the desired result by simply giving to its
cutting face the proper shape.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it
understood that I claim,-
First. In a heel or sole trimming machine the combination of rotary edge
trimming cutter adapted to revolve about a fixed axis and a rand knife and rand
guide, both mounted upon and adapted to revolve about a moveable axis, as above
described and for the purposes specified.
Second. The combination of the hollow shaft, the cutter C, the spring spindle,
the knife or cutter c, and the rand guide, all arranged and adapted to operate, as
above described and for the purposes specified.
Third. The combination of the hollow shaft, the cutter C, the spring spindle, the
rand cutter, the rand guide, the rod, and the spring, all arranged and adapted to
operate, as above described and for the purposes specified.
Fourth. The combination of the cutter provided with the recess or groove, and
adapted to revolve about a fixed centre, and the rand knife and rand guide secured
together and adapted to revolve in unison with the said cutter, but about a variable
axis, as above described and for the purposes specified.
Fifth. The circular rand guide provided with the annular rib or lip, as abovo set
forth and for the purposes described.
Sixth. The rand guide provided with the annular rib and the openings in com-
bination with the rand knife, arranged and adapted to operate, as above described
for the purpose specified.
Seventh. In combination with a rotary edge trimming cutter the ring cutter
mounted upon and adapted to revolve with the shaft, and to be moved endwise
on the said shaft to adapt it to the varying thickness of the sole, as above
described.
Eighth. The ring cutter provided with a lug or lugs in combination with an edge
trimming cutter provided with a groove or grooves between its cutting teeth to
receive the said lugs, as above set forth and for the purposes specified.

page_text: Ninth. The shaft, the cutter C, the ring cutter I, and the spring constructed,
combined, arranged, and adapted to operate, as above set forth and for the purposes
specified.
Tenth. The combination of an edge trimming cutter adapted to revolve about a
fixed axis, a rand knife, and a rand guide, both mounted upon and adapted to
revolve about a moveable axis, and the yielding ring cutter, all arranged and
adapted to operate as above set forth and for the purposes specified.
Eleventh. A machine for trimming the heels and soles of boots and shoes which
embodies the various devices and combinations of parts above described, and shewn
in the accompanying Drawing, and operating as above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
17K DADT Th