Year: 1886

page_text: Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
In the accompanying drawings—
Fig. 1 is a plan view with the cover of the machine thrown back.
Fig. 2 is a front elevation.
Fig. 3 is a rear elevation.
Fig. 4 is an end elevation from the right of Fig. 1.
Fig. 5 is an end elevation from the left of Fig. 1.
Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section on line x-x Fig. 1.
Fig. 7 is a transverse section on line y-y Fig. 6.
Figs. 8 and 9 are opposite side views of the knife block and opener detached.
Fig. 10 is an end view of the opener.
Fig. 11 is a top view of the same.
•
The object of my invention is the construction of a compact, simple and durable
machine for utilizing irregularly shaped and small scraps or pieces of leather, by
lessening their thickness and increasing their superficial area, and it consists in a
series of devices, arranged as hereinafter set forth, for first trimming the irregularly
shaped piece to a straight edge at one side; then splitting it, except along the straight
edge where a narrow hinge is left; then opening the flaps or halves of the split piece
until they are in the same plane, substantially; then pressing them while so open or
spread, causing them to remain in this position, and forming a single flat piece having
two or more times the area of the original unsplit piece. I will describe
my invention
as embodied in the machine shown in the accompanying drawings, using like letters
of reference to indicate like parts.
The frame part A is of a suitable box shape to support the working parts of the
machine and to enclose and protect the same, and is supported on legs B. A driving.

page_text: shaft C, journalled in supports S, secured to either end of the frame, is provided at
the end with fast and loose belt pulleys E. Inside these pulleys and outside the
frame A, a pinion F is secured to the driving shaft C. A similar pinion F¹ is fast on
the shaft Cat the other end of the machine. On the main shaft C, and secured
thereto, is the bevelled pinion G which meshes with a bevelled gear H, fast on the
shaft of the presser roll g, set at right angles to the main shaft and which operates a
series of rolls which are set at right angles to the main feed rolls, and which will be
hereinafter more fully described.
The pinion F is in mesh with a train of gears J, K, L, and the corresponding
pinion Fat the other end of the machine is correspondingly in mesh with a similar
train of gears J, K see Figs. 4 & 5. The gear L' is in mesh with a large gear M
which is fast on the shaft N of one of the feed rolls N', while the gear K at the other
end of the machine is in mesh with a large gear M fast to the shaft P of the companion
feed roll P. The number of gears in the trains at either end of the machine which
actuate the feed roll shafts P, N, is obviously unessential, but I prefer the number
shown. The shafts P and N are journalled in adjustable boxes set in slots in the
ends of the frame A, see Figs. 1, 5, and 6. These slots are larger than the combined
width of the boxes which are of a size to bring the feed rolls, P¹, N¹, very near
together when the boxes are in contact, and between the boxes and the ends of the
slot, the spiral springs p, are set, one end of each spring bearing against the block,
and the other end being provided with a cap y, see Figs. 4 and 5. These springs act
to resist the separation of the rolls.
As will be obvious, it is important that, when the feed rolls P¹, N¹, separate, to
admit a thick piece of leather, they both move from the centre, and both slide an equal
or proportionate distance from the splitting knife. To insure this, I have provided
equalizers at either end of the machine, which consist of the arms t, see Figs. 4 and 5,
which are journalled at their upper ends to either end of each of the feed roll boxes,
and at their lower ends are pivoted, on the same pivot, to a vertical sliding block u,
set in a vertical slot in the end of the frame of the machine and having a rod u pro-
jecting from the lower end through a hole in the frame. The lower end of the rod u
is provided with a cap or nut n³ and a spiral spring us encircles the rod between the
frame and the nut. This spring acts to draw the block u downward and consequently
to prevent the rolls P¹, N¹, from separating. The upper ends of the equalizers may
be pivoted directly to the shaft P, N, but I prefer to pivot them to the boxes as shown
and above described. The ends of the equalizers are split, as at 6, and provided with
clamping screws to take up the wear as it occurs. As the feed rolls are separated by
the entrance between them of a thick piece of leather, forcing the laterally sliding
blocks of their shafts apart, the vertically sliding blocks u of the equalizers must rise,
and they cannot rise unless the laterally sliding blocks of the shafts of both feed rolls
move apart or outward; consequently when the feed rolls are separated, the blocks u
rise, and both rolls move outward or away from the splitting knife an equal or pro-
portionate distance.
The top of the machine is provided with a cover O, hinged thereto, at S¹ see Fig. 1,
and this cover has within it and hinged to the same shaft a small cover or lid 03 in
which is journalled a shaft which carries a third feed roll R¹ and also a gear R, which
when the cover is closed is in mesh with the gear S fast to shaft N. The cover O is
held down by thumb screws p and the smaller cover 03, which carries the roll, is held
down to cover O by the rod po which is provided with a cap p' and spiral spring p°³.
This spring allows the cover 03 and consequently the roll R₁ to yield upwardly as
thick or uneven pieces of leather pass through. The cover 03 is also provided with
an inclined table U, see Fig. 7, on to which the pieces of leather to be split are placed,
in order to be conveniently fed into the rolls R, P¹, N¹. On the cover 0³ is also
secured in a suitable support V the trimming knife W which acts as the irregular
piece of leather is fed between the rolls R¹ and N¹, to straighten the edge at one side
of the piece before it is carried down on to the splitting knife. The trimming knife
may, if desired, be separated from the cover and secured directly to the guide block
upon which its lower end rests. The feed rolls R¹, P¹, N¹, are preferably corrugated

page_text: or grooved on their surface as shown, in order to better feed the leather forward, and
they are also slightly larger in diameter at the end toward the trimming knife W, in
order that the leather, as it is fed forward, may be crowded slightly against the
trimming knife and against the edge guide a as it passes the end of the splitting-
knife b. The edge guide a is fast to a support c, see Fig. 6 which is mounted on a
cross-piece d resting on the base of the frame of the machine. The guide a may be
set vertically, that is, parallel with the ends of the feed rolls, or, it may incline slightly
away from the feed rolls at its lower end, if it is desired to get a greater space at that
point between it and the splitting knife and thus ease the stock as it passes downward
and cause it to feed more freely. The splitting knife b is set vertically and its edge
projects between the feed rolls P¹, N', see Fig. 7 so as to receive the piece of leather
to be split directly from the nip of the rolls. The splitting knife is mounted on a
support or small frame e which rests on the bed of the main frame A, the shank of the
knife being bolted as at a¹, Fig. 6 to the upper part e¹ of the support e. The bolt a¹
passes through the vertical slot in the knife to permit of its vertical adjustment.
For the purpose of setting and supporting the knife evenly with its edge parallel with
the axes of the feed rolls I provide the wedge shaped block C¹ on which the knife
rests. The inclined edge of this block rests against a corresponding incline of the
support e and the block C¹ may be set up this incline by means of the set screw cl
acting in the inclined slot c¹¹. To provide for the adjustment of the knife so as to
bring the splitting edge nearer to one of the feed rolls P¹, N¹, than to the other, as is
necessary when the leather is not to be split centrally, and also to provide for the
adjustment of the knife nearer to or farther from the edge guide a, in order to leave
a greater or less width of hinge at the unsplit edge of the piece of leather, I have
provided a cross shaped piece, shown in section at d¹, Fig. 6. The arms d' of this
cross-shaped piece project downward below the other portion, and lie in a correspond-
ing groove in the bed of the frame, see Fig. 6 while, the other portion of the piece at
right angles to the arms lies above the bed of the frame and is received in a slot fon
the under side of the knife and opener-support e. One end of the arm & is in contact.
with an adjusting screw g¹, Fig. 2, which projects through the front of the frame, and,
by turning this screw, the piece d¹, and the knife supported thereon, may be moved,
and its edge set at any point between the feed rolls P¹, N¹, as desired. Another
adjusting screw h¹, Fig. 2 is set in the end of the frame, and projects into the knife
and opener-support e, and, by turning this screw, the support e slides on the piece d¹
and on the bed of the frame, and the knife and opener may be adjusted, simul-
taneously, toward or from the edge guide a.
Directly at the end of the splitting knife and under the edge guide a, an opener f¹
is secured to the knife-support e. This opener is narrowed at its upper end nearest
the edge of the knife b, so that, it is but little broader than the edge of the knife and
it flares downwardly until at its lower portion it presents a flat surface.
The object of the opener is to receive the piece of leather which has been split to a
hinge at the edge, immediately after it has passed the knife, and open and spread the
flaps or halves, and the upper narrow part of the opener, entering between the flaps
of the split piece, the piece is carried downward over it and the flaps as they pass over
the increasing flare of the opener, are opened and spread outward into the same plane
and are thus presented in a flat sheet or piece to the pressing rolls g, h, directly
beneath the opener and are by these rolls pressed and set in the same plane, thus
forming a flat piece having twice the area of the unsplit piece.
g
The rolls and h are mounted on shafts, journalled in boxes i, set in the frame A,
and are slightly larger in diameter at the central portions in order to exert a greater
pressure on the stock at the unsplit or hinged part. Between the boxes of the shaft
of roll h and the adjacent face of the piece j" are set spiral springs j³ which tend to
hold the boxes against the boxes of the shaft of the companion roll g, so that, if the
piece j" be moved toward the boxes the pressure of the rolls on the leather passing
between them will be increased. In order to do this I have provided a sliding piece ?¹
which has two inclined or wedge-shaped flanges & Fig. 6 upon it, one at either end
which flanges act against reversely inclined slots, cut in the adjacent face of piece j

page_text: 11
which bears against the frame. On the other side of the sliding piece is a piece j¹¹
which lies between the sliding piece and the boxes of the shaft of roll h. An adjust-
ing screw, set in an arm on the front of the frame of the machine see Fig. 2
screws into a projection from the end of the piece i¹ and furnishes a means of moving
the piece relatively to the other pieces j₁₁. As the piece ¹ is moved toward the
front of the machine the wedge-shaped flanges on it force it towards, and the piece;"
against the boxes of the shaft of roll and so prevents the roll from moving farther
away from its companion roll g than is desired, when the stock is passing through and
thus any degree of pressure can be readily obtained. The shaft of roll g carries the
bevel gear H, which as previously described is driven by the bevel pinion G fast on
the main shaft C of the machine. Inside the bevelled gear H on the same shaft, is
set the gear j, see Figs. 1 and 3 which meshes with the pinion k which is fast on the
shaft of the carrying roll I, see Fig. 6 which is journalled in boxes m set in an upright
portion of the cross piece d, see Fig. 2 and which are adapted to slide laterally in said
upright part, thus allowing the carrying roll to be adjusted relatively to the face of
the opener. The carrying roll is adapted to yield as thick pieces of leather pass it, by
reason of the spiral springs j placed behind the boxes of the shaft of the roll, and
bearing rearwardly against a cap j' which is actuated by an adjusting screw j³ set in
the frame. By setting up this screw the requisite pressure of the carrying roll,
against the stock may be obtained. To prevent the roll from touching the opener and
also to insure a better adjustment a set screw * set in the frame bears against the
other side of the journal boxes of its shaft, see Fig. 2. The carrying roll I is also
corrugated or grooved and acts on the stock passing the opener f, to insure its
passage of the leather over the opener from the splitting knife to the pressing rolls.
This roll is desirable lest very small pieces of leather should stick in the machine
after passing the feed rolls P¹, N¹.
The upper feed roll R¹ is provided with a cover A' see Fig. 2 secured to the
cover of the machine which serves to protect the roll, as also to protect the
operator.
The cover O³ and the upper feed roll R¹ are not essential to the operation of the
machine but are a convenience to enable the operator to feed the piece of leather into
the machine from the table U.
The operation of the machine is as follows; a piece of leather is laid on the table U
and fed between the feed rolls. As it passes the rolls, it is trimmed by the trimming
knife, to a straight line at one edge, which edge is held against the guide a, while the
piece is forced upon the splitting knife which splits it, except, along the straight edge
where a hinge or unsplit portion is left. The piece of leather then passes on to the
narrow end of the opener, which gradually opens or separates the flaps of the piece
into the same plane. The carrying roll acts as the leather passes the opener to carry
it down and insure its entering the presser rolls which press it and smooth it into a
flat piece. From the presser rolls it drops into a chute or receptacle placed below to
receive it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to be my
foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is
1. In a leather splitting machine the combination with suitable feed rolls of the
vertical splitting knife, the flaring opener, and the vertical edge guide, substantially as
shown and described.
2. The combination in a leather splitting machine provided with suitable feed rolls
of the vertically set splitting knife, the vertical edge guide, and a horizontal presser
roll or rolls set at right angles to the feed rolls, substantially as described.
3. A leather splitting machine provided with three feed rolls as P¹, N³, R¹ adapted
to receive the leather as it passes into the machine from a horizontal or inclined table
and feed it past a trimming knife set at the ends of the rolls, then turn it downwards
and feed it on to the vertically set splitting knife, in combination with trimming and
splitting knives and a suitable edge guide substantially as set forth.

page_text: 4. In a leather splitting machine the combination with suitable feed rolls of a
splitting knife, an edge guide, an opener and a carrying roll, substantially as
specified.
5. In a leather splitting machine the combination with the splitting knife feed rolls
of a splitting knife, an edge guide, an opener, a carrying roll and one or more presser
rolls, substantially as and for the purposes specified.
6. In a leather splitting machine, the combination with the splitting knife feed
rolls having sliding journal boxes, of the equalizer arms pivoted at their upper ends to
the shafts of said rolls, and, at their lower ends to vertically sliding blocks each block
being controlled by a spring as u whereby the feed rolls are separated under the same
tension, insuring the uniformity of their action, substantially as specified.
7. In a leather splitting machine the combination with the main shaft C, having the
gears F and F and the beveled pinion G of the feed rolls N' P¹, their shafts N and P
connected by gearing with the said gears F and F1; the presser roll set at right
angles to the rolls N and P1; a shaft by which the said presser roll is carried, and the
bevelled gear H on the said shaft, substantially as set forth.
8. In a leather splitting machine the combination with the feed rollers N¹ P¹, of the
vertical splitting knife, its adjustable support e and the adjusting block C³, substan-
tially as described.
9. In a leather splitting machine the presser rolls g, h, the shaft of roll h having
sliding journal boxes provided with springs j³ in combination with the adjusting
piece provided with wedge-shaped projections acting in reversely inclined slots in
the frame, and adjusting screw, whereby, by moving the piece the pressure of the
rolls may be increased or diminished, substantially as set forth.
10. In a leather splitting machine the combination with the feed rolls and edge
guide of a splitting knife and opener, secured to the same support, whereby their
adjustment relative to said guide may be accomplished simultaneously, substantially as
set forth.
11. In a leather splitting machine the frame A having a hinged cover o³ in which is
journalled the shaft of the upper feed roll R', said cover being provided with a bolt pa
having a spring p by which proper tension of the roll R¹ is obtained, substantially as
shown and described.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.