IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SEWING SAILS AND HEAVY WORK OF A LIKE CHARACTER
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Coignard, of Nantes, in the Republic
of France, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
SEWING SAILS AND HEAVY WORK OF A LIKE CHARACTER."
Scaled the 11th January 1876, and dated the 29th October 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Coignard at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th October 1875.
I, JOSEPH COIGNARD, of Nantes, in the Republic of France, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR SEWING SAILS AND HEAVY WORK OF A LIKE CHARACTER," to be as
follows:
-
This Invention has for its object improvements in the construction
of sewing machines for sewing sails, tarpaulins, sacks, and other goods
with one or two seams, and which are manufactured of strong canvas
or other similar heavy textile fabric.
One part of these improvements consists in imparting an axial motion
to the eye of the shuttle during the action of the machine, so as to

page_text: the bracket arm; the outer ends pass through slots in the upper end of
the needle bar. These slots have adjustable stops, the position of which
determines the moment of the descent of the take up, the limit of its
rise being adjusted by screws carried by a fixed standard. The supply of
thread for the two needles is drawn through disc and other tension
apparatus from bobbins mounted on a horizontal axle on the bracket
arm of the machine. Around the periphery of the 'bobbin is passed a
strap or band acting as a break, one end being attached to the bobbin
standard, and the opposite end to a helical spring which is secured to
a slotted slide, the piston of which may be adjusted so as to put any
desired amount of tension on the bobbin.
The automatic feed which forms a portion of this Invention is
constructed in the following manner :-A longitudinal shaft is mounted
in bracket bearings bolted to the side of the machine, and has keyed
on it at various portions of its length chain wheels, over which pass
endless chains which traverse grooves formed in an adjoining table, and
return over tension pullies carried at the opposite end of the said table.
At one end of the longitudinal chain wheel shaft is keyed a ratchet
wheel, which is operated by a pawle or click carried by a lever hanging
loose upon the shaft and operated by a connecting rod from a cam on
the main shaft. The amount of the rocking action of this lever carrying
the pawle is adjustable, so as to vary the amount of motion given to the
ratchet wheel and chains which it operates. The intermittent motion
thus given to the chains is applied to move the work under the needles
in the following manner :-Any suitable number of hinged screw clamps
are secured to one end of the fabric to be sewn, and the rods which
form the tail ends of these clamps are passed through holes in a cross
bar and clamped thereto by a hand clamp or thumbscrew. This cross
bar is laid upon the chain table at right angles to the chains, and is
provided on its under side with projections which take into the links of
the chains. On motion being communicated to the ratchet wheel the
chains will draw the fabrics to be sewn near the sewing machine table
and beneath the action of the needle with an intermittent motion so as
to space the stitches with regularity, when a length of seams equal to the
length of the adjoining table or reach of the chain is completed the clamps
are shifted on the work and another stretch of feed is commenced. When
joining two fabrics together with an overlapping seam and with two
parallel lines of sewing I provide a guide to regulate the width of the

page_text: lap, and this I attach in a central position to the table of the sewing
machine in advance of the needle. Against this guide the attendant
may push the work to be sewn as it is drawn forward by the feed.
This guide is composed of three plates which overlie each other; the
distance which the top and bottom plate is from a central line is
determined according to the amount of overlap required.
In order to allow of the sewing of two sacks simultaneously with a
single line of sewing to cach, I employ a modification of the feeding
apparatus above described, consisting of two or more longitudinal bars
which overlie the feeding or drawing chains. These bars are secured
together so as to form a frame by means of cross bars; the two central
longitudinal bars carry hinged catches which can be made to engage
themselves with the coupling pins of the chain links, and are secured
in place by a sliding bolt or plate attached to each bar. Hinged clamps
constructed so as to slide laterally on the outermost cross bar take hold
of the sacks at suitable distances apart and are secured thereto by set
screws.
In order to hold the two edges of the sacks to be sewn the required
distance apart edge guides or clamps are employed, which are carried
or slide upon a central rail placed in a groove on the table of the
machinc.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Joseph Coignard in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 27th April 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
COIGNARD, of Nantes, in the Republic of France, send grecting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of October, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Coignard, Her special
licence that I, the said Joseph Coignard, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Coignard, my exc-
cutors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and

page_text: 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 SEWING SAILS AND HEAVY WORK OF A LIKE CHARACTER,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Coignard,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Coignard, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):
This Invention relates to a novel arrangement of sewing machine
mechanism (suitable for sewing the heaviest class of work) wherein two
needles and two shuttles are employed for sewing two scams simul-
For the
taneously either in the same or in two different articles.
purpose of producing overlapping seams, the width of which may con-
stantly vary, one of the needles and the corresponding shuttle are made
capable of lateral adjustment towards and from the plane of motion of
the other necdle and shuttle. In order to feed the work up to the
needles an arrangement of endless chains fitted with clamping or
gripping pieces is used. These clamps are made capable of attachment
to any part of the endless chains, so that by their readjustment on the
chains when they have got to the end of their traverse they will be
ready to take up and draw forward a fresh length of work under the
action of the needles. Guides are also provided on the table of the
machine for determining the exact position of the seams in the
work.

page_text: Fig. 1, Sheet I., is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the machine;
Fig. 2 is a transverse section, the left-hand half of the Figure showing
the mechanism for giving motion to the shuttle, and the right-hand half
of the mechanism for adjusting the distanco apart of the shuttles and
their races.

page_text: Referring now to Sheet I. of the Drawings I will proceed to explain
the construction of the shuttle races, tho means for driving and adjust-
ing the shuttles, and the means for adjusting one or both of the shifting
races. The races consist of castings, which are L shaped in cross
section, and are provided with lugs, by which they are bolted to the
main framing. The right-hand shuttle raco n¹ is shown as permanently
fixed to the framing, but the left-hand shuttle race n is made adjustable
to provide for the shifting of the vertical plane of motion of the
shuttle N to adapt it to the lateral shifting of the adjustable needle. The
shuttles N and N' lie in the cradles n³, n³, which are made fast to the
reciprocating carriage B. This carriage is supported by means of dove-
tails on its upper side entering rebated guides on the under side of the
two shuttle races. In order, however, to allow of the shuttle N follow-
ing the adjustment of its race the cradle of that shuttle instead of being
connected directly to the carriage B is secured to a shifting dovetail
piece B*, which is made fast by bolts b to the carriage. And to facilitate
this adjustment the piece B* is mounted in a dovetailed recess &¹ made
transversely of the carriage. If thought desirable this adjustable
arrangement may be adopted for both shuttles. A reciprocating motion
is given to the carriage B for the purpose of operating the shuttles
through the crank B' on the main driving shaft H' of the machine.
The adjustment of the race n is effected by means of transverse
screws V, which have their bearings in the fixed race and the frame of
the machine, and are secured against endway motion by washers pinned
to them at their outer ends.
The adjustable race is threaded to receive the thread of these screws,
the rotary motion of which will give the race a lateral traverse to adjust
its position to that of the needle above it. The outer ends of the screws
are fitted with bevil pinions, into which take pinions fitted at opposite
ends of a transverse shaft. This shaft is provided with a third bevil pinion,
into which takes a bevil pinion carried by a loose stud V° (see Figures 2
and 3) supported in the table of the machine. A square socket is made
in this loose stud to receive a winch handle V³, by turning which the
screws V may be simultaneously moved, and caused to shift the position
of the race laterally as desired.
The mode of fitting the vertical needles is shown in Figures 5 to 10
inclusive, where the holder of the needle A is represented as adjustable
while the holder of the needle A' has no lateral adjustment. In these

page_text: Figures C' is the needle carrier, on the face of which both needles A
and A' are mounted. This carrier C receives motion from the excentric
pin c upon the revolving disc c' working in the slot of the cam plate c*
fixed upon the needle carrier. The lower end of the needle carrier has
a lateral expansion for the reception of the needles and their fittings.
The needle A¹ is placed in a semi-cylindrical groove A², and is gripped
in place by means of a screw bolt A³ (see Fig. 9), through which it
passes. The laterally adjustable needle A is secured to the needle
carrier by means of a sliding clamp. C is a square mortice made in
the carrier C', and covered at the back by the square plate C³, having
two horizontal slots C, C+, formed in it. D is a slide fitted in the
mortice, which may be clamped when adjusted in the desired position
by the screws d, d. The position of this slide is adjusted by the
screw D³, which passes through the tapped
screw being held from turning by the key
of the slide D a half-round recess is made to receive the stem of the
needle A, and placed over this recess
corresponding recess on its inner face.
in place by the nut d³ of a screw bolt
the needle to pass through.
hole D' in the plate D, the
and plate d'. In the face
is a clamping plate A*, with a
This clamping plate is secured
pierced with a hole to allow
In some cases it may be desirable to make both needles adjustable
laterally. To provide for this the traversing screw should be made right
and left handed, so that by turning it the needles may be made to
advance towards or recede from each other. A similar modification may
be provided for adjusting both shuttle races to correspond to the lateral
adjustment of the needles.
The delivery of the needle threads from the bobbins is effected by the
following arrangement:-The bobbins E carrying the needle threads are
furnished with a break constructed in the following manner :-e is a piece
of catgut attached at one end to a fixed point e', and at the other end
through a coiled spring e to a slide e³. This slide is capable of being
drawn down over the square stud e by means of the tightening screw e³,
so as that the tension of the gut on the bobbin may be varied at will.
From the bobbins the threads pass through the guide F and between
the tension plates F', round the adjustable tension rod F, and through
the guide eyes f, to and over the pulley at the end of the "take-up
lever" F³, and thence through suitable guide eyes direct to the needles.
The "take-up" lever F³ is pivotted at f', and its end is hinged to a

page_text: connecting rod f³ jointed to a powerful spring f* secured to the bracket
arm. F', F', are stops, which are adjustable in the slots of the needle
bar C through which the take-up levers pass, for the purpose of deter-
mining the time of the lever's motion. F' is a fixed stop for determining
the limit of the lever's motion. G is the presser foot operated by the
spring G¹, and raised from the work by the thumb-piece G³, which
carries a cam g acting upwards under the lug g'.
I will now describe my improved mechanism for feeding the work
and the means for operating the same in connection with the sewing
mechanism proper, remarking first that motion is given to the sewing
machine through the fixed belt pulleys H on the shaft H', by which
the shuttle carriage B is operated. H* is the belt shifting fork, which
is operated by the handle H' and the rod H' enclosed in the tube H³.
Motion is transmitted to the needle bar C by the spur gearing h, h³, h³,
and the motion for the feed mechanism is transmitted from the shaft H¹
to the shaft H³, which is mounted in brackets attached to the side of
the machine, and carries a set of chain wheels constituting a portion of
the feed mechanism.
On the face of the spur wheel h is a cam h³ (see Fig. 2), against
which runs a bowle h' carried by the sliding rock lever h³.
The opposite
end of this rock lever is jointed to the two rock levers h³, h³, which
carry the pawles P, and it serves to give to them a reciprocating motion.
The bowle of the rock lever being held up against the cam h³ by means
of the spring the pawles h° enter the teeth on the periphery of the
wheel, which is keyed fast on the shaft H2. 7 is a retaining pawle
pivotted to a bracket on the frame and acting upon the opposite side of
the wheel h. The chain wheel shaft H thus receives an intermittent
motion, the extent of which is determined by an adjusting screw h
acting on a projection " on the under side of the reciprocating lever h³,
and thus the length of the stitch is regulated. The shaft H' carries four
tooth chain wheels K, K, over which endless chains K', K³, K³, K', pass
from tension pulleys mounted in fixed supports L, L, attached to one
end of a feeding table M. The tension of the chains is regulated by the
screws L', L', which act on the sliding bearings of the chain wheels.
Grooves are made in the face of the table M to receive the chains and
These chains are
allow of their running below the surface of the table.
employed to carry forward the work to be sewn, and to them is
temporarily attached a cross bar, which is furnished with a series

page_text: of grippers, within the jaws of which one end of the fabric to be fed
forward is inserted.
O (see Figures 17, 18, and 19,) is a bar lying transversely of the
chains, and of a length corresponding to the width of the feeding
table M (sec Figures 17, 18, and 19). This bar is temporarily connected
to each of the chains by the hooks o', o, which enter between the links
and are caught by the joint pins k, k. At suitable positions in the
length of this bar are holes to receive the rods or stems (see Fig. 19)
of the grippers, which take hold of the cloth or canvas to be sewn, and
the clamps are connected to the bar o by a vertical slide P*, through
which the stem P passes. The slide P* is formed with a screwed end P³
to receive the hand or wing nut P'.
The gripper for clamping the work has a fixed jaw P³ and a hinged
jaw Po; a hinged staple p' provided with a set screw p³ is employed to
close the movable jaws upon the work to be fed.
The operation of this feeding mechanism is as follows:-Four, six, or
eight grippers holding firmly in their jaws the ends of the canvas to be
sewn are securely fixed to the bar O, which is then geared with the
chains of the feed table; the chain shaft He will draw forward the chains,
the bar, the grippers, and the canvas intermittently with perfect
regularity, and thus ensure the production of good work. When one
stretch of work is completed the grippers are to be released and the
bar o brought back to its first position near the chain shaft H* by
turning the hand wheel H°, the work may then be again gripped and
another stretch of work done.
When joining two pieces of canvas together by overlapping the work
guide (shown at Figures 13, 14, and 15) is employed. This guide is
formed of three plates which overlie each other and are held together
by screws passing through slots. The lowest portion J is rectangular
in shape, and carries on its face a projecting transverse guide or tenon J'. ;
A spring J is attached to the under side of this plate, which is fixed on
the table of the machine by screws which pass through the slots J², J³, J².
The second part J' is a plate with portions cut out at J, J, and has a
mortice J' fitting over the tenon or projection J'. This plate is attached
to the former and to the table of the machine by screws J', and is not a
movable. The upper plate J' slotted at J' is fixed to the plate J' by two
screws J10, J¹, and may be moved parallel to the plate J' by first
loosening the screws J". This plate is furnished at its under side with

page_text: a projecting lip or spring J". The guide thus constructed is placed on
the table of the machine near the needles. The plate J' may be con-
sidered as a fixed plate, and to it the upper and lower plates are to be
adjusted to suit the width of lap desired in the work. The plate J
is regulated by making it slide on the screws J'. In the same way the
upper plate J may be adjusted by sliding it on the screws J10, J. The
canvas as it leaves the guide is pressed by the springs J'and J".
When sacks are to be sewn in this machine a table is provided
having a groove on a central line, between the two needles, as shown at
Fig. 20, Sheet III.
A modification of the draught feeding and gripping apparatus
R is
adapted to this class of work is shewn at Figures 21, 22, and 23.
the transverse bar, the traverse of which by means of the chains serves
to carry forward the work. This bar is provided with arms Q which
overlie the chains, and are fitted with tumbler catches q for engaging
with the link pins of the chain; these arms also carry catches q¹ that are
hooked on to the link pins of the chains. The catches q' are attached to
springs that extend rearwards to meet and underlie the tails of the
tumbler catches q. The arms Q are each fitted with a slide, the object
of which is by its endway movement in advance to tip the tumbler
catches and cause them to engage with the chains. By moving the
slides in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 22, this motion of the tumbler
catches will take place. When however a reverse motion is given to
the slide the tumbler catches q will be lifted out of gear of the chains
by the upward pressure of the springs that carry the catches q'. To the
transverse bar R is bolted a second transverse bar S, the latter being
fitted with tongues that enter slots made to receive them in the bar R,
and being detained in place by clamping screws; the bar S is rebated at
its opposite edges to form guides for the grippers T, T, and U, U, which
are thus free to be adjusted laterally to suit various widths of sacks;
these two grippers T and U are shown in section and plan views at
Figures 21, 22, and 24, 25, and 26, the two central ones T are slotted at t
to allow of the needles piercing the portion of the work within the
grippers so as to commence the seam at the end of the sack;
the movable sliding plate or latch t¹ is for the purpose of opening or
closing the hinged jaw of the gripper when necessary. The outside
grippers U are also furnished in a similar manner with a sliding plate or
latch for opening or closing the upper or hinged jaw.

page_text: The jaws may be made adjustable to receive varying thicknesses of
material by means of the screw π', Fig. 22, and stop screws u³, u³, are
employed to adjust the closing of the jaws according to the thickness of
the canvas being gripped.
In order to guide the work and to grip the rear ends of the two sacks
being sewn the following contrivance is employed:-A guide bar formed
of two longitudinal strips of plate iron X, X, united by a block of iron X'
fits into a longitudinal central groove of the table, and attached to this
bar is a double flanged rail S'. On this rail is fitted so as to be capable
of sliding thereon grippers or work holders, one of which is shown in
section, Fig. 30, it is formed of two portions Y and W united by a
locking bolt Z. A guide I, Figures 32, 33, and 34, is also mounted on
this double flanged rail S', this guide is for the purpose of keeping the
edges of the sacks or other work being sewn at the required distance
apart. If the sacks require to be further apart a rectangular frame I' 1
may be placed over the guide, as shown at Fig. 32.
The complete apparatus being prepared and arranged, as shown at
Fig. 20, and the sacks placed in the grippers, as shown in red lines, the
machine on being set to work will draw forward the feeding apparatus
and sacks attached thereto with a regular intermittent motion. The 2
guide I will press against the presser foot, and when the bolt Z of the
gripper, Fig. 30, strikes against the guide I the upper portion Y of the
gripper will be unlatched and thrown from the lower part by the
spring y, so that the ends of the sacks will be capable of being drawn
under the needle, leaving behind the piece W. It is desirable that the 2
attendant should hold the work as near the guide I as possible.
A machine intended to be employed for sewing sacks only might be
much smaller and less powerful than a sail cloth machine, but my
system of lateral adjustment of the shuttles and needles admits of
adaptation to the sewing of sails, tents, tilts, and sacks, as may be g
desired.
Having now described the nature of my Invention of "Improvements
in Machinery for Sewing Sails and Heavy Work of a like Character,"
and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to
be understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I 3
claim,―
MI
1

page_text: or races to the laterally adjustable needle or needles, and for adjusting
the shuttle or shuttles relatively thereto laterally on the carriage, for the
purposes above set forth.
Second. The arrangements of apparatus above described for feeding
the work up to the needles.
Lastly. The arrangements of guides above described for determining
the width of the lap in lapped work.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Coignard, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of April, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
six.