IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1884

page_text: We THOMAS CHADWICK, Managing Director, and THOMAS SUGDEN, Foreman, of
the firm Bradbury & Co Limited, of Wellington Works, Oldham, in the County
of Lancaster, Sewing Machine Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO SEWING MACHINES," to
be as follows:-
We have found that there is irregular stitching in Sewing machines when they
are driven at a high speed arising from the unbalanced mass or weight of the
needle bar or slide which causes strain and vibration owing to the rapidity at which
the needle bar or slide, has to reciprocate, its mass having to be brought to rest
and started into motion again many thousand times per minute.
Our improvements will be advantageous in Sewing Machines in general, having
needle bars or slides but more particularly so in such as have needle bars or slides
which, cannot be conveniently counter-balanced and, which are intended to be
worked at high speeds-as the wear and tear of the parts and power required will
be considerably reduced and the work done by the machine greatly improved.
The object of our invention is to make the needle bars or slides of as little
weight as possible consistently with the required strength to resist bending or
lateral vibration and our invention consists in making them of thin cylindrical
tubes.of metal, so far as our present experience goes we prefer to make them of
solid drawn tubes of steel-We insert a solid part to close each end and form the
solid part at the lower end to receive and have the needle secured in or to it-The
needle bars are or may also be formed of tubes made into square or other sections
than circular.
The needle bars or slides according to our invention are or may also be solid but
of a cross shape, T, H, U, V, or other sections, which will give strength; for example
the needle bar may be formed out of a solid square or round bar, with parts cut
away leaving longitudinal ribs to resist bending or may be forged or formed of
metal, rolled or drawn into the desired sections to give lateral strength with the
least weight of metal.
Dated this twenty third day of January 1884.

page_text: We THOMAS CHADWICK, Managing Director and THOMAS SUGDEN, Foreman of
the firm Bradbury & Co Limited of Wellington Works Oldham in the County
of Lancaster, Sewing Machine Manufacturers do hereby declare the nature of
said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN OR APPLICABLE TO SEWING MACHINES and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
We have found that there is irregular stitching in Sewing Machines when they
are driven at a high speed arising from the unbalanced mass or weight of the
needle bar or slide which causes strain and vibration owing to the rapidity at which
the needle bar or slide has to reciprocate, its inass, baving to be brought to rest and
started into motion again many thousand times per minute.
Our improvements will be advantageous in Sewing Machines in general having
needle bars or slides but more particularly so in such as have needle bars or slides
which, cannot be conveniently counter-balanced and which are intended to be
worked at high speeds as the wear and tear of the parts and power required will
be considerably reduced and the work done by the machine greatly improved.
The object of our invention is to make the needle bars or slides of as little
weight as possible consistently with the required strength to resist bending or
lateral vibration and our invention consists in making them of thin cylindrical
tubes of metal, so far as our present experience goes we prefer to make them of
solid drawn tubes of steel-We insert a solid part to close each end and form the
solid part at the lower end to receive and have the needle secured in or to it-The
needle bars are or may also be formed of tubes made into square or other sections
than circular.
The needle bars or slides according to our invention are or may also be solid but
of a cross shape or section or of T, H, U, V, or other section swhich will give
strength, for example, the needle bar may be formed out of a solid square or round
bar with parts cut away leaving longitudinal ribs to resist bending or may be
forged or formed of metal rolled or drawn into the desired sections to give lateral
strength with the least weight of metal.
Fig 1 is an outside view of a tubular needle slide according to one modification
of our invention; fig 2 is a view at a right angle to fig 1, and fig 3 is an end view
of the same.
Figs 4, 5 and 6 are views corresponding respectively with figs 1, 2 and 3,
illustrating another modification of needle slide according to our invention, and
fig 7 is an end view of the same.
Figs 8, 9, 10 and 11 are views corresponding respectively to figs 4, 5, 6 and 7,
illustrating another modification of our invention.
Figs 12 and 13; figs 14 and 15; and figs 16 and 17 illustrate other sections of
needle slides according to our invention.
;
The needle slides a shown by figs 1, 2 and 3 and figs 4, 5, and 6, and figs 8,
9 and 10 have each a cross part b attached with a cam slot for a bowl to work in
which is on a crank pin, to give up and down motion to the needle slide which
arrangement is similar to that in many well known Sewing Machines.
The needle bar shown by figs 1, 2 and 3 is made by preference of a drawn steel
tube with a plug at each end secured in the tube by a pin and by brazing or in
any other convenient manner.
The plug at the lower end is formed to receive and hold the needle-The cam
slotted part b is secured on the bar a by two screws b¹ which are screw tapped
through the metal of the two sides of the tube and in the boss b² on the part b.

page_text: In the modification shown by figs 4, 5, 6 and 7 the needle slide bar a is in the
form of a cross in cross section and the cam slotted piece b is or may be secured to
it by two or more screws 61 passing through caps 63 that clamp the cam slotted
piece to the slide bar a.
The lower end of the slide bar a is formed to receive the needle in any
convenient manner and which needle may be secured by a clamp c as shown in
fig 5-The slide ways in the end of the Sewing Machine arın for the slide a to
move up and down in, are made by grooves; a T groove in one part, say in the
face at the end of the arm, and a simple groove in the end plate or cap secured to-
the end of the arm carrying the needle slide and other parts.
Figs 8, 9, 10 and 11 illustrate a needle slide of T section-The cam slotted part b
is secured to its flat face b* by two or more screws b¹.
The cam slotted piece 6 has or may have guide ribs 64 at each end to fit and work
in guiding grooves b³ in the face of the end of the sewing machine arın (see fig 10)
and the front rib a¹ of the T needle slide a is or may be made to fit a groove in
the entire length of the cap or plate x usually secured on the front end face of the
sewing machine arın.
Thus arranged the needle slide a will be supported and guided, both front and
back and laterally and will not be liable to be bent in working.
Fig 12 is a side view of part of a slide bar and fig 13 is a cross section, and
figs 14 and 15 and figs 16 and 17 views respectively-corresponding to figs 12
and 13 of other sections of needle slides which are or may be used according to
our invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed We declare that
what we claim is :-
The construction of needle slides for Sewing Machines of tubular or of any of the
other cross sections herein before mentioned, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
PETER J. LIVSEY,
Agent.