IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR PARING OR SKIVING LEATHER
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Douglas of Kingswood, in the County of
Gloucester for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR PARING
OR SKIVING LEATHER
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Douglas at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th June 1883.
WILLIAM DOUGLAS of Kingswood in the County of Gloucester, "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINES FOR PARING OR SKIVING LEATHER,'
The first part of this invention consists in the method of adjusting the lower
feed roller relatively to the knife. The bearings in which the said roller is
carried rest upon wedges which are connected one to the other and are capable
of adjustment longitudinally below the bearings by means of an adjusting screw.
The roller is raised or lowered, and the depth of cut governed, by adjustment of
the wedges.
The second part of this invention relates to the guide by which the leather is
guided to the knife and enabled to turn as required. A bar or plate, having the
end nearest the rollers curved towards the knife, is secured by a screw or bolt to
the frame and is capable of adjustment on the screw or bolt relatively to the rollers.
The bar or plate may be readily removed and replaced.
The third part of this invention consists in the method whereby undue cutting
of leather, when of a thickness greater than that for which the knife is adjusted,
is obviated, the degree of inclination of the knife being capable of alteration as the
thickness requires. The knife holder is pivotted to the frame, and, extending
upwards from the barrel through which the pivot pin passes, is a pin carrying a
conical collar adjustable vertically and having the smaller end uppermost. Bearing
gainst the collar is an anti-friction roller carried in an arm extending from the
bearing of the uppermost roller.

page_text: A spiral spring, one end of which is attached to the frame and the other end to
the top of the pin carrying the conical collar, tends to maintain contact between
the antifriction roller and the collar.
As, in the passage of leather of a thickness greater than that for which the
knife is adjusted the upper roller is raised, the antifriction roller moves upwards
on the conical collar, and the knife holder is thus raised proportionately.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Douglas in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th December 1883.
WILLIAM DOUGLAS of Kingswood in the County of Gloucester, IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINES FOR PARING OR SKIVING LEATHER
The first part of my said invention consists in the method of adjusting the lower
feed roller relatively to the knife. The bearings in which the said roller is carried
rest upon wedges which are connected one to the other and are capable of
adjustment longitudinally below the bearings by means of an adjusting screw.
The roller is raised or lowered, and the depth of cut produced by the knife
governed, by adjustment of the wedges.
The second part of my said invention relates to the guide by which the leather
is guided to the knife and enabled to turn as required. A bar or plate, having the
end nearest the rollers curved towards the knife, is secured by a screw or bolt to
the frame and is capable of adjustment relatively to the rollers.
The third part of this invention consists in the method whereby undue cutting
in skiving or paring leather of a thickness greater than that for which the knife is
adjusted, is obviated, the degree of inclination of the knife being capable of
alteration as the thickness of the material requires.
The knife holder is pivotted to the frame of the machine. A screw extends
upwards from the barrel through which the pivot pin passes and carries a conical
collar which is capable of adjustment vertically on the said screw and has the
smaller end uppermost. Bearing against the cone is an anti-friction roller carried
on an arm extending outwards from the bearing of the upper feed roller. A spiral
spring, one end of which is attached to the frame and the other end to the screw
carrying the conical collar, tends to maintain contact between the collar and the
anti-friction roller. As, in the passage of leather of a thickness greater than that
for which the knife is adjusted, the upper roller is raised, the antifriction roller
moves upwards on the face of the cone, and the knife holder is thus tilted
proportionately.
And in order that my said invention may be properly understood I now proceed
more particularly to describe the same with reference to the accompanying sheet
of illustrative drawings and the figures and letters marked thereon.

page_text: Fig. 1. on the accompanying sheet of drawings represents a view, partly in
section, of one side of a leather paring or skiving machine constructed in accordance
with my said invention.
Fig. 2 is an elevation of the other side, Fig. 3, a part plan, and Fig 4 an
elevation of one end.
The bearings a, carrying the lower feed roller A, rest upon the wedges B
connected by the rod or tie b. The wedges B are capable of adjustment
longitudinally below the bearings a of the lower feed roller A by means of the
adjusting or set screw C working in the bracket c attached to or forming part of
the frame. Accordingly as the set screw C is operated to move the wedges B in a
backward or forward direction, the bearings a are raised or lowered and the
position of the lower feed roller A relatively to the knife D is regulated. The
depth of cut produced upon the leather is thus governed. A graduated scale
engraved on the wedges B indicates the degree of depth to which the knife is
adjusted to cut. The bearings a are maintained in close contact with the upper
faces of the wedges B at each end of the machine in the manner shown, in the part
section of one of the standards of the frame, at Fig 1. A bolt k, extending
upwards through the wedge B, is caused by the spiral spring K encircling it to
exert a downward strain upon the bearing a to which it is screwed.
My said invention relates, secondly, to the guide d by which the leather is
guided to the knife D and enabled to turn as required. This guide, consisting of a
bar or plate having the end nearest the rollers A and E turned towards the
knife D, is preferably placed at an angle with the horizontal axes of the roller
bearings and is adjustable relatively to the rollers by means of the screw or bolt i
extending through a slot formed in the framing. As, by the friction caused by the
leather, the curved end of the guide d wears, it may be moved towards the rollers.
It may be readily withdrawn, removed or replaced.
My said invention relates also to the method whereby undue cutting in skiving
or paring leather, of a thickness greater than that for which the knife D is
adjusted, is obviated. The knife holder D¹ is carried on a pivot pin F attached to
the frame, and from the barrel through which the pivot pin F passes, extends
upwards the screw G carrying the cone g adjustable vertically upon the screw G.
Bearing against the cone g is an anti-friction roller carried on the arm H
extending outwards from the bearing e of the upper feed roller E which is fluted
or grooved, as usual.
The spiral spring 1, connected at one end to the screw G and at the other to the
pin L formed on or secured to the frame, tends to maintain contact between the
cone g and the anti-friction roller h. The usual flat spring M, the tension of which
is regulated by the set screw m, rests at one end upon the bearing e of the roller E,
as shown.
The angle or degree of bevil imparted, in skiving or paring, to the edge of the
leather is regulated by the position of the cone g relatively to the anti-friction
roller h, the knife being thereby tilted accordingly. This angle or degree of bevil
remains constant with the same thickness of material but varies with a greater
thickness. Yielding to the pressure due to the increased thickness of leather the
upper feed roller E with its bearing e rises, the bearing e' at the opposite end of
the machine being also free to move in its bed to permit the rising action of the
roller E. The anti-friction roller is thus moved upwards and backwards, and
the degree of inclination of the knife, previously determined by adjusting the
cone g upon the screw G, is automatically altered accordingly by the action of the
spiral spring pulling the cone g after the anti friction roller h.
The angle or degree of bevil produced in cutting is consequently less acute with
thicker material, and hence undue weakening by skiving or paring of the edges of
any part of the leather is obviated.
To prevent damage to the material in process of being cut, and injury to the
operator, a guard or shield s is attached to the knife holder D' as shown.
Having now described my said invention and the mode in or under which the

page_text: same is or may be used, I claim as the invention secured to me by the herein before
in part recited Letters Patent.-
First. The arrangement for adjusting the lower feed roller relatively to the
knife by means of the wedges placed below the bearings of the roller and operated
by an adjusting screw or its equivalent, substantially as herein before described and
shown on the accompanying sheet of drawings.
Second. The movable guide adjustable as described and preferably placed at
an angle with the horizontal axes of the feed rollers to obviate impediment in
manipulating curved or angular portions of the material being operated upon
Third. The arrangement for adjusting the degree of inclination of the knife
and the automatic alteration thereof for the purpose specified, substantially as
herein before described and shown upon the accompanying sheet of drawings
Fourth-The guard or shield situated at one side of the knife to obviate injury
to the material being operated upon or to the operator.
In witness whereof I, the said William Douglas, have hereunto set my hand and
seal this fourth day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and eighty three.
WILLIAM DOUGLAS. (L.S.)