PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SHAPING, CHANNELING, AND FEATHERING THE SOLES OF BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS · PATENT to Charles Frederick Gardner, of Bishopsgate
"In-
Street Within, in the City of London, for the Invention of
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SHAPING, CHANNELING, AND FEATHERING THE
SOLES OF BOOTS AND SHOES."-Partly a communication from abroad
by Lyman Reed Blake, of Paris, France.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Frederick
Gardner at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 19th January 1875.
I; CHARLES FREDERICK GARDNER, of Bishopsgate Street Within, in
the City of London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SHAPING, CHANNELING, AND FEATHERING
THE SOLES OF BOOTS AND SHOES,” partly a communication, to be as follows:
Thi Inventio relates to improved machinery for rounding or
cutting to a given shape the pieces of leather or other material intended
to forma the soles of but or shoes, and for cutting the channel in them,
and for feathering their edges.
"

page_text: The piece of leather to be “rounded” into the shape of the sole is
applied to a template or form plate in connection with a knife or knives,
caused to operate in such a manner that the sole is cut to the form of
the template, and the feather edge and channel are cut in conformity:-
with it.
These objects may be accomplished in either of two ways, namely,-
First. by causing the knife to move around a stationary template;
second, by causing the template to move past the edge of a knife,
stationary in relation to the motion of the template.
If a stationary template with a knife moving round it be used the
said machine is formed with a plate or table in or near the middle
of which the template is placed, and upon it and securely held down by
suitable mechanism I apply the sole to be rounded..
Around the template and conforming in a general sense to the shape
of a sole there is formed in the table a track or slot. This track serves to
guide a block which, actuated by an endless chain or other suitable
means, is made to travel round the said template. The endless chain
derives its motion by means of a shaft and gearing from a crank or other
suitable mechanism. The said block is guided by rollers fixed to it, and
which run in the track, and besides controlling the direction of its
motion also keep it all times in a position perpendicular to the direc-
tion of that part of the track it is passing over.
A carriage upon which the knives or cutters for shaping, channeling,
ar feathering the sole are mounted is attached to this block, but in such
a manner that it is free to slide upon the said block, in a direction per-
pendicular to that of the track. This carriage is constantly pressed up
to the edge of the aforesaid template by a spring, and the result of the
combination of the movements imparted to the carriage by the travelling
block on which it is mounted, and by the spring and template is
that the knives or cutters follow a path exactly conformable to the
shape of the template, though not necessarily coinciding with it.
some cases the channel is required to be at a greater distance from the
edge of the sole in some parts than in others. This necessity is provided
for by allowing the channeling cutter to receive a motion independent
of that of the edge cutter, and derived from a secondary template,
varying as may be required from the sole rounding template.
In

page_text: the
If a template moving past the edge of a knife or cutter be used,
machine is formed with a plate or table upon which rests and travels a
flat block or carriage for the reception of the template, and the sole to
be operated upon. This carriage is of the general form of a sole, and
a recessed track or cam groove is formed in it on the under side and
parallel to its edge. Into the groove a small roller running on an
upright pin, fixed to the table enters, and the said roller serves to guide
the movement of the carriage. A rack is formed around the edge of the
carriage, into which a pinion placed in the proper position relative to
the upright pin is geared. This pinion is in connection with a strap and
gearing, terminating in a handle or other suitable mechanism and
transmits motion to the said carriage. The template is firmly attached
to this carriage, and upon the said template the sole to be rounded is
laid and held in close contact by means of a roller pressing on it. The
surface of this template is studded with small spikes or projections, which
entering the under surface of the leather compel it to move with them.
::
The knife for rounding the sole is mounted near the end of a lay
block which slides lengthwise in the frame of the machine, and in a
direction perpendicular to that of the movement of the part of the
carriage passing the knife. It is continually pressed towards the
carriage by springs, so that a gange or guide piece which is attached
to it is made to bear against the edge of the template. And as the edge
of the template travels past it the block and the rounding knife receive
such a motion from the guide piece that the knife describes a figure con-
formable to the template though not necessarily coinciding with it.
On the end of the block, just in front of the said knife the aforesaid
roller is mounted. It thus partakes of the movement of the knife and
follows the countour of the edge of the sole, holding it pressed down as
it passes the knife.
The sliding block is capable of being raised to allow the leather to be
introduced and removed, and is held down to its work by a strong spring.
Just beside the rounding knife is the feathering cutter so fixed as to
receive the same motion. The channeling cutter is placed on the said
sliding block very near the roller, but it is attached in such a manner
that it can, if desired, receive an independent movement from a sub-
sidiary template to meet those cases in which the channel is required
to vary in its distance from the edge at different parts of the sole.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Frederick Gardner in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 19th July 1875.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
FREDERICK GARDNER, of Bishopsgate Street Within, in the City of
London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of January, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of ler reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Charles Frederick Gardner, Her special
licence that 1, the said Charles Frederick Gardner, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Charles
Frederick Gardner, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
· thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SHAPING, CHANNELING, AND FEATHERING
THE SOLES OF BOOTS AND SHOES,” partly the result of a communication to
me from abroad by Lyman Reed Blake, of Paris, France, and partly
of Invention and discovery made by me, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Charles Frederick Gardner' my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under or their,
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
or
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Frederick Gardner, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
accompanying Drawings forming a part of this Specification.
66
"
This Invention relates to improved machinery for rounding or

page_text: cutting to a given shape the pieces of leather or other material intended
to form the soles of boots and shoes, and for cutting the channel in them
and for feathering" their edges.
66
"
The piece of leather to be "rounded into the shape of the sole is
applied to a template or form plate in connection with a knife or knives
caused to operate in such a manner, that the sole is cut to the form of
the template and the feather edge and channel are cut in conformity
with it.
These objects may be accomplished in either of two ways, namely,
first, by causing the knife to move around a stationary template; second,
by causing the template to move past the edge of a knife stationary in
relation to the motion of the template.
L
In Sheet 1 of the accompanying Drawings Figure 1 is a longitudinal
section of a machine embodying the first part of my Invention; Figure
2 is a half plan; Figure 3 is a transverse section; Figures 4 and 5 shew
detached portions of the said Invention.
The machine is formed with frame or table A in or near the middle
of which there is a track or slot B conforming in a general sense to the
shape of a sole. The template (' is placed over the middle of the table
symmetrically with the track. It rests upon a stand D suitably elevated.
The piece of leather to be shaped is laid upon the template and it is held
fast especially round the edges by means of a dic or pressure plate B*,
firmly pressed down upon it. The die nearly, but not necessarily, exactly
resembles the form of the template and is practically a little smaller. A
few points on the under side of it aid in preventing the leather from
displacement while being operated upon. The track or slot B serves to
guide a block E which, actuated by an endless chain F or other suitable
means, is made to travel round the said template. The endless chain
derives its motion by means of a shaft G and bevel gearing H from a
crank or hand wheel I or other suitable mechanism. The block is
guided by rollers K fixed to it, and which run in the track B, and
besides controlling the direction of its motion also keep it at all times in
a position perpendicular to the direction of the part of the track it is
passing over. A carriage L upon which the knives or cutters M, M³, for
shaping, channeling, or feathering the sole are mounted, is attached to
this block, but in such a manner that it is free to slide upon the block

page_text: in the direction perpendicular to that of the track. This carriage L is
constantly pressed up to the edge of the template by a spring N, and
the result of the combination of the movements imparted to the carriage
by the travelling block on which it is mounted and by the spring and
template, is that the knives or cutters perform a path conformable to the
shape of the template though not necessarily coinciding with it in size.
The block E is formed with flanges a at its two sides upon which,
between guides, rests and runs the said carriage or plate L. The
spring X is fixed to a pivot B in the side of the said block, and plays in
the hollow between the block and the carriage. To the under side of
the said plate there is attached a bent lever a which oscillates on a
pivot b. One end of this lever carries a roller against which the end of
the spring N takes, and the other end of said lever rests against a pin
placed in one of the holes c at the back of the plate. The order of these
holes is such that by moving the pin from one end of the row to the
other, the tension of the spring is either increased or diminished, as the
case may be. On the top of the block pivoted at d is fixed a lever e
which has a pin fon its under side. This lever takes against a pin g on
the top of the carriage, and is so arranged that by drawing it back the
carriage is also drawn back against the spring, and if the pin f is allowed
to drop into the hole, the carriage is effectually retained in this
position until the pin is released. At the front end of the plate there
are formed jaws i between which is hung on a pin a block j, capable of
adjustment and fastened by suitable set screws. There is a hole in the
end of this block in which the knife M is placed, and in which it is held
by a small pin passing half way through its stem. The knife M is free
to revolve within certain limits in this socket. It is formed with a stock
M*, which has a flat side to it; this flat side lies against the template and
as the knife is carried round on its carriage, the flat side always keeps
the blade of the knife which lies behind the centre of the stem fairly in
the direction of the cut it is required to make.
The endless chain passes round two sprocket wheels R, R', which are
carried on bridges S, S', bolted to the under side of the table. One of
these bridges S' has the bolt holes slotted, and by means of the screw T
its position can be slightly adjusted at will so as to take up any wear or
slackness of the chain. The said chain is actuated by bevel wheels H
fixed respectively on, the pin of the sprocket wheel 12 and the driving
shaft G. At one part of the chain there is a long link fixed to it, which

page_text: carries a pin W, that engages in the block E and carries it along. This long
link allows the pin W to follow the sinuosities of the track. The die B
is carried on the under side of the top cross bar of a frame X, the two
end members of which X, X, are guided by passing through eyes Y
formed in the frame A. The under member of the frame X is connected
to any ordinary mechanism by which it can be drawn down forcibly and
so retained until it is released. A treadle furnished with a catch, into
which it is engaged at will, serves this purpose well. On the rods X', X³,
are springs Z, which by the collars raise the frame and die some
machine is standing or while
distance above the template while the
leather is being introduced.
If it is desired to feather the edge of a sole the knife suitable for
rounding is taken out of the machine, and one similarly constructed, but
with the blade shaped suitably for feathering, is placed in the machine.
In this case care must be taken that the die is sufficiently smaller than
the sole to allow the feather to be taken off.
When it is desired to channel a sole the apparatus shown in Figures 4
and 5 is employed, by means of which a sole can be rounded and channeled
at one operation. In this modification of my Invention the carriage L*
is substituted for the carriage L, to which it is precisely similar, except
that it carries a lever working on a pin m, which is pressed by a
spring n adjustable at n' by a set screw. On the end of this lever a
plate o with an eye at its end is fitted. This plate carries in an inverted
position the channeling knife M', which is formed on the same principle
as the rounding knife M. With this apparatus the top die has to be
made to serve as a template for the channel, and it does not necessarily
conform to the shape of the sole. To admit of its being uncomformable
the lever is provided with means for a certain amount of endwise
motion independent of that of the carriage L*. This provision is made
by a slot in the eye of the lever, and the carriage respectively serves to
press the said lever always towards the template. The set screw 9 serves
to adjust the depth to which the channel knife M' is allowed to penetrate*
the sole.

page_text: The said machine is constructed with a frame A, part of which forms
a plain flat table B, upon which rests and travels a flat block or
carriage C for the reception of the template 1 and the sole E. This
carriage has the general form of a sole, and a recessed track or groove F
is formed all round it on its under side; the configuration of the track
conforms to that of the carriage, as shewn in Figure 8. In this track a
small roller G works, which runs on an upright pin H fixed in the
table B. In conjunction with the pinion I this roller serves to control
the movements of the carriage C. Round the edge of the carriage there
is formed a rack J, into which the pinion I gears. This pinion is placed
immediately opposite the pin II; and imparts a kind of revolving motion
to the carriage, which motion is defined by the roller G working in the
track F. The bevel wheel K is cast on the pinion, and gears with the
corresponding wheel L on the driving shaft M, which receives motion
from a crank handle or other suitable mechanism. The template D is
laid on this carriage, and is firmly attached to it, and upon the said
template the sole E is placed. Its surface is studded with a few points,
which entering the substance of the leather cause it to move with
them.
The frame of the said machine is formed with jaws N1, N2, in which a
long slide B is free to work endwise within certain limits defined by the
length of the slot in the jaw X, to which the slide is jointed by the pin O.
The ends of the spring P are fixed to the frame at Q and the slide at R,
and draw it continually towards the carriage.
There is a guide S which slides in the jaw N', and is kept in its place by
the pin T. One end rests against the template D and the other is
formed with a slot into which enters the curved arm l', the curve of the
arm is struck from the centre O, so that any difference in the height of
the free end of the slide shall not effect the relative positions of the slide,
and the guide S in an endwise direction. On the end of the slide there
is fixed a plate V which carries a roller W, that running on the sole keeps
it close to the template I). Near the end of the slide and in such a
position that it may lie close to it is fixed the rounding knife X. It is
clear that if the knife is fixed on the slide in a proper position relative
to the guide S when the machine is set in motion, the said knife will
receive such a movement through the intervention of the guide S and
the slide B*, that it will exactly follow the outline of the template.

page_text: shaped as herein described, and which is provided with a spring or other
suitable means for keeping it in the proper position with regard to the
said template as the knife travels around the saine.
shaped as herein described, and which is provided with a spring or other
suitable means for keeping it in the proper position with regard to the
said template as the knife travels around the same.
.
Third. The peculiar shape of the knife or cutter m³ as herein set forth
and for the purpose specified.
Fourth. The channeling apparatus constructed, as shown in Figures 4
and 5, and operating in combination with the other parts of the machine,
as herein set forth.
Fifth. A machine for shaping, channeling, and feathering the soles
of boots or shoes, constructed with the parts and devices shewn in
Sheet 1 of the Drawings, comprising the fixed template and adjustable
die, the knife mounted in a carriage which is guided around the template
by a peculiarly formed slot or track, and operated by an endless chain
or other suitable means arranged in combination together and with the
other parts of the machine, as herein set forth.
Sixth. In a machine for shaping, channeling, and feathering the
soles of boots or shoes, the travelling or revolving template provided
with means for holding the leather upon it, and arranged in combination
with a fixed knife or knives.
Seventh. The template mounted upon the carriage which is formed
with a slot or track of the peculiar configuration above described, and
which is guided by a stud or roller projecting into the said slot while the
template is turned by the rack and pinion, and the knife or cutter is
kept in contact with the template by a spring or springs as above set
forth.
Eighth. The channeling apparatus constructed, as shewn in Figures 9
and 10, and operating in combination with the other parts of the said
machine, as herein set forth.
Ninth. A machine for shaping, channeling, and feathering the soles
of boots or shoes, constructed with the template mounted on the moving
or revolving table, arranged in combination with the roller for holding
the leather upon the same, and provided with a slot or track and guide
roller or stud and operated by bevel wheels or other suitable means, and
arranged to operate in combination with a stationary knife which is kont

page_text: up to the said template by springs and with the other parts of the
machine, as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Frederick Gardner, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Nineteenth day of July,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
five.
Witness,
JAS. EDWARDS,
S, Southampton Buildings,
London.
C. F. GARDNER. (L.S.)