Improvements in the Manufacture of Rotary Cutters and in Means for Controlling the Action of such Cutters.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Mar., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 10th Dec., 1831-Accepted, 16th Jan., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Rotary Cutters and in Means
for Controlling the Action of such Cutters.
We ARTHUR KEATS, Machine Maker, and CHARLES HORATIO KEATS,
Engineer, both of Marston Road, Stafford in the County of Stafford, and CHARLES
HENRY LLOYD, Machinist, of Lovatt Street Stafford aforesaid, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The objects of this invention are, first, to secure, in a simple and efficient manner,
the proper rake for the blades of rotary cutters, and secondly, to control the action
of rotary cutters, when applied to the paring of boot heels, by providing shields
or guards which will protect parts of the work from contact with the revolving
cutter blades.
Supposing it to be desired to form a cutter for shaping boot heels, we give to
the blades the requisite profile shape, and bend down one end of the metal forming
the blade at right angles, or thereabouts, to constitute a tang.
Having chamfered off the cutting edge, we place four or more of these blades in
a chuck in a lathe, to bring them to shape. The face of the chuck we groove
tangentially forward, to receive the tangs of the blades, and we then proceed to
finish the shaping of the blades by means of a turning tool.
When brought to the required shape, we remove the blades from the lathe, and
sharpen them in the usual manner. They are then ready to be inserted in the cutter
holder, which is provided with radial grooves to receive the tangs. This change of
direction of the grooves of the cutter holder from those of the lathe chuck, provides
for the blades being set at a proper uniform rake, and on their being clamped in
the holder, they will retain this set position.
To ensure the proper radial position of the blades, the holder is fitted with pins,
which will enter holes drilled in the tangs of the blades, and thus facilitate their
radial adjustment. It will be readily understood that the grooves in the chuck
may be radial, and the grooves in the cutter holder tangential, without affecting
the result desired.
of the cutter.
66
In applying the rotary cutters to the shaping of boot heels, it is the practice, as
is well known, to provide an adjustable guard to protect the upper from the action
A projection from this guard enters the crease of the boot, and
facilitates the turning, by the attendant, of the boot, as the shaping of the heel
proceeds. In ladies" boots, however, which are made with what are known as
pitched heels," the crease rises on one side from the front to the back of the
heel, and correspondingly descends on the other side to the lower level. This form
of crease renders it desirable that the guard should be capable of moving laterally,
as the boot heel is turned by the attendant, to regulate the amount of cutting edge
that shall be presented to the varying height of heel. To this end we propose to
mount the adjustable guard in its support, so that it will yield (through its
projecting guide which enters the crease) laterally to the curves of the heel seat,
and thus expose the amount of cutting edge required, the pressure of a spring
serving to effect the return movement, and cover up a portion of the cutting edge,
thus limiting the breadth of cut to suit the varying depth of heel.
As a further means of controlling the action of the rotary cutter, we now propose
to fit the adjustable rest against which the boot heel is pressed by the attendant,
with an adjustable guard, in lieu of the flange commonly employed, the main object
being to provide a compensation for wear of the guard, by simply readjusting
the same.

page_text: A further advantage is that means are provided for increasing or diminishing
the depth of the flange or guard to suit the thickness of the metal tip applied
to the heel, and so to protect the cutter from injury by coming into contact
with the tip.
Dated this 10th day of March 1801
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Rotary Cutters and in Means
for Controlling the Action of such Cutters.
ARTHUR KEATS, Machine Maker, and CHARLES HORATIO KEATS, Engineer,
both of Marston Road, Stafford, in the County of Stafford, and CHARLES HENRY
LLOYD, Machinist, of Lovatt Street, Stafford, aforesaid, 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 :-
The objects of this invention are, first, to secure in a simple and efficient manner,
the proper rake for the blades of rotary cutters, and secondly to control the action
of rotary cutters when applied to the paring of boot-heels, by providing shields or
guards which will protect parts of the work from contact with the revolving
cutter blades.
Supposing it to be desired to form a cutter for shaping boot heels, we give to the
blades, by stamping or otherwise, the requisite profile shape, and bend down one
end of the metal of which the blade is formed, at right angles or thereabouts, to
constitute a tang for attaching the same to its holder.
That edge which is to form the cutting edge, we chamber off, and we place
some two, three, four, or more of these blades together in a chuck in a lathe, for
the purpose of bringing them to shape by the action of a turning tool. The face
of the chuck we groove tangentially forward, to receive the tangs of the blades,
and we thereby cause the profile of the blades to form a circle. When the blades
are thus set in the chuck, we proceed to finish them by means of a turning tool, and
when the blades are finished off, we remove them from the lathe, and sharpen them
in the usual manner.
They are then ready to be inserted in the cutter holder, which is provided with
radial grooves to receive the tangs. This change of direction of the grooves of the
cutter holder from those of the lathe chuck, provides for the blades being set at a
proper uniform rake, and on their being clamped in the holder, they will retain this
set position.
To ensure the proper radial position of the blades, the holder is fitted with
pins which will enter holes drilled in the tangs of the blades, and thus facilitate
their radial setting.
In applying rotary cutters to the shaping of boot-heels, it is the practice, as is
well known, to provide an adjustable guard to protect the upper from the action
of the cutter. A projection from this guard enters the crease of the boot, and
facilitates the turning, by the attendant, of the boot, as the shaping of the heel
proceeds.
In ladies' boots, however, which are made with what are known as "pitched heels,"
the crease rises on one side from the front to the back of the heel, and correspondingly
descends on the other side to the lower level. This form of crease renders it
desirable that the guard should be capable of moving laterally, as the boot heel
is turned by the attendant, in order that it may determine the amount of cutting
edge that shall be presented to the varying height of heel.
To this end, we mount the adjustable guard in its support, so that it will yield
(through its projecting guide which enters the crease) laterally to the curve of the
heel seat, and thus expose the amount of cutting edge required, the pressure of a

page_text: spring serving to effect the return movement, and cover up a portion of the cutting
edge, thus limiting the breadth of cut to suit the varying depth of heel.
As a further means of controlling the action of the rotary cutter, we fit the
adjustable rest, against which the boot heel is pressed by the attendant, with an
adjustable guard, in lieu of the fixed flange or lip with which the adjustable rest is
usually formed or fitted, the object being, not merely to provide a compensation for
wear of the guard, by readjusting the same, but also to increase or diminish the
depth of the flange or guard, to suit the thickness of the metal heel plate, or top
lift, of the heel, and so to protect the cutter from injury by coming into contact
with the heel plate, or the shaped top lift from being acted upon by the cutter.
In the accompanying drawings, the novel construction of rotary cutter, and the
mode of making it, is clearly illustrated.
We have also shown so much of a heel-paring machine, with the cutter applied,
as will serve to explain the means whereby we are enabled to present a boot heel
to the cutter, and at the same time protect the upper from injury by the cutter,
and the cutter from injury by the heel plate.
Figs. 1 show in two views a tangentially grooved chuck, to which are fitted
four cutter blade blanks shaped up ready for being turned. These cutter blades,
it will be seen, form a circle around the chuck, and it is by means of a turning
tool that the blades are brought to shape and finished in the lathe.
A A are the cutter blade blanks, formed with tangs, which fit the tangential
grooves or recesses in the chuck B. These grooves or recesses are provided with
pins, which enter corresponding holes in the tangs a, and thus ensure the ready
adjustment of the blades in the chuck. A collar on the lathe spindle beirs against
the tangs, and holds them fast in place when the chuck is secured to its spindle.
The blades, when finished by the turning tool, are removed from the chuck, and
placed in the holder shown in side view at Fig. 2 and edge view at Fig. 3, one of
the blades A being shown in position in the holder C at Fig. 3.
This holder C, it will be seen, is grooved or recessed radially at c, and the radial
grooves are fitted with pins e corresponding to the pins of the chuck, and
serving, like them, to facilitate the insertion of the blades in place. By this change
of position of the grooves c, relatively to those of the chuck B, for the reception of
the blade tangs, an unvarying rake is ensured to the blades forming the rotary
cutter, as shewn in the end view Fig. 4 and in side view at Fig. 5, where the cutter
is represented as applied to the cutter spindle, the blade tangs in the grooved ends
of the cutter holder being pressed tight by a binding nut 1 on the end of the cutter
spindle against a collar 2 on the cutter spindle. The elevation of the cutting
edge provides a free space between the blades for the passage of the chips and
parings.
Fig. 6 shows in plan view so much of a heel-paring machine as will serve to
explain the nature of the improvements which we use when adapting the rotary
cutter to the paring of boot and shoe heels, and Fig. 7 a front view of the same
parts.
In these figures, D is a sleeve casting formed with a flange which is made fast
by bolts to the main framing of the boot and shoe paring machine. This sleeve
casting D forms a bearing for the spindle E, which extends outward_from_the_boot
paring machine, and carries, at its extremity, the rotary cutter C. The sleeve
bearing D is cast with a socket D₁ for the reception of a trunnion projecting from
a horizontal casting D², and held fast in position by a binding nut d. A second
trunnion on the outer end of this casting D2 forms a hinged pin for a guide F,
which carries the heel-seat crease-guard G, used to partially cover the rotary
cutter. This guard is free to rock to and from the rotary cutter C, and it is also
free to yield laterally to the pressure of the boot heel, to accommodate itself to the
irregular form of the crease at that part.
The boot-heel, when brought under the action of the cutter, bears against an
adjustable rest block H, fitted with a curved guard H', which is also adjustable.

page_text: In
As this rest will not yield to the pressure of the boot heel, the guard G, which
is furnished, at its edge, with a guide rib g, wedge-shaped in cross section (to enter
the crease), must yield as the depth of heel presented to the guide increases.
thus retiring, the guard allows an increased breadth of cutter to act upon the heel,
and as the depth of heel decreases, the guard returns to its starting position.
These lateral movements of the guard G are provided for by mounting it in the
guide F, as shewn in the drawings. Projecting laterally from this guard G, is a
square slide G', which fits a square socket in the hinged guide F, and carries a
screw G2 that passes completely through the guide F. F' is a hollow screw tapped
into the guide F, and through it passes the screw G³, which is retained in place
by a nut g¹.
Strung on the screw G², is a coiled spring G³, which bears at one end against.
the hollow screw F', and at the other end against a fixed piece connected to the
guard G. Made fast to the hollow screw 1, is a handle F, by turning which,
the screw tapped into the guide F serves to regulate the pressure of the spring G³
upon the guard G, yielding as the guard is pressed back during the shaping of
the boot heel, and returning the guard to its normal position as the back pressure
of the heel decreases.
As boot-heels vary in their contour, as well as in their depth, it is necessary
that the guard G should have a second motion, which will allow of the movement
towards and from the cutter, for the purpose of enabling it to maintain a uniform
distance from the cutting edge, whatever may be the contour of the blades.
It 15
for this purpose that it is fitted to a hinged guide, but to control its movement to
and from the cutter, a fixed cam I is provided, having a contour corresponding to
the contour or profile of the cutting blades.
This cam is carried by a bracket extension of the casting D2, and the guard G
is fitted with a bowl g², which bears against the face of the cam I. As, therefore,
the guard G is moved to the left, under the pressure of the boot heel, it will, by
reason of the shape of the cam Í, be free to move towards the cutter, and thus
maintain the same relative position to the edge of the blades, whatever may be
the contour of the cutting edges.
Referring now to the adjustable rest II, with its curved guide H', it will be seen
that it is carried by a compound-bracket H2 H3, bolted fast to the sleeve casting D.
This compound bracket admits of the adjustment of the rest I to suit varying
depths of heel, and also of its adjustment at right angles, to bring it into position
for the paring action. This guard H' is adjustable for the purpose of covering
any thickness of heel plate, and thereby preventing the rotary cutter from striking
against that plate and becoming injured.
The guard H' consists of a curved plate fitted into V grooves made in one side
of the rest block. A rearward extension h of this plate, is bent round at right
angles, and is forked to embrace a screw A', which is tapped into the rest block.
This screw is furnished with a pair of collars which embrace the fork, and by
simply turning this screw, the guard H' will be slidden forward or backward, so as
to cover the heel plate, and leave the lifts composing the heel exposed to the action
of the rotary cutter.
It is also useful when the heel plate is replaced by a top lift of leather, which,
being stamped out to shape before it is applied to the boot or shoe, requires no
paring, and must therefore be protected from the action of the rotary cutter.
To facilitate the presentation of the work to the cutter, a horizontal rest K is
provided, the same being carried by a horned extension of the casting D.
With respect to the construction of the cutters, it will be obvious that the grooves
in the chuck may be radial, and the grooves in the cutter holder tangential, without
affecting the result desired.
It will also be obvious that rotary cutters constructed on this principle may be
employed for other uses than the shaping of boot heels, the shape of the cutting
edges conforming to the character of work required to be produced,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The manufacture of rotary cutters as above described, with reference to
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5 of the drawings.
2. In connection with heel paring machines fitted with rotating cutters, an
automatically adjustable shield for controlling the advance of the work to the
cutter, and the action of the cutter upon the work, as above described.
3. In heel paring machines, the construction of adjustable rest, with an adjustable
guard, as described, for protecting the cutter from contact with the heel plate or
top lift.
Dated this Oth day of December 1901
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicants.