IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1871

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LETTERS PATENT to Martin Benson, of 9, Southampton Buildings,
London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."
A communication from abroad by Fredrick Macklin Willson, of
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Martin Benson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st May 1871.
65
I, MARTIN BENSON, of 9, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
MACHINES," a communication from abroad by Frederick Macklin Willson,
of Hamilton, County of Wentworth, Province of Ontario, Canada, to
be as follows:-
:-
My Invention relates to a machine for sewing with a needle and shuttle,
and consists in the particular structure, combination, and arrangement
of its mechanism, by which a machine is produced reliable in its move-
ments, compact and durable in its working parts. The machine may
be worked by a belt from a treadle or otherwise, or by hand; it is made

page_text: '
for mounting on a suitable constructed table, and consists of a stand
with a bed plate and hollow jib, or projecting arm, in which hollow arm
a shaft is fit and made to revolve in suitable bearings, through the
medium of a pulley and belt attached to one end of the shaft, and
the other end of the shaft is provided with a disc and crank pin; this
pin is made to work in a grooved plate attached to the needle bar, by
which the bar receives its motion for working the needle. The end
of the arm in which the needle bar works is made forked shape, and the
edges of the needle bar are V-formed and fit into the inside of the prongs
of the forks in grooves of a similar V-shape; the arm is split back a
suitable distance from the forked part of it, and made so the prongs
of the fork can be closed by springing them together by set screws or
otherwise, for taking up the wear after being used. By the use of the
V-shaped edges of the needle bar it is prevented from having any undue
lateral motion in any direction, and is a reliable and simple mode of
adjusting and fitting the bar.
Another portion of my improvement is the manner of working the
shuttle, which is made to move in the segment of a circle by being
properly held in a basket. The motion for moving the shuttle is taken
from an eccentric attached to the horizontal shaft inside of the hollow
arm; the said eccentric is made to work in a bent forked horizontal
lever; this lever is attached to the top of a vertical spindle, and the
spindle is supported in any suitable manner to prevent its moving
lengthways up and down. To the lower end of this spindle which
extends down below the base plate of the machine there is an arm
firmly attached, which has a free horizontal motion through the required
extent of space, and to the opposite end of this lever the shuttle basket
is attached for carrying and working the shuttle. The shuttle lever
works under the base plate of the machine, and may be made of any
shape to suit the adjoining parts of the machine. The feed motion for
moving the material to the needle is also worked by an eccentric
attached to the shaft on the inside of the hollow arm. This eccentric
works a piece which combines the double function of a rod and lever.
The rod or vertical motion is for placing and separating the feed from
the material being served, which has the same vertical movement at all
times, and the lever or horizontal motion is for feeding the material
to the needle and regulating the length of the stitch. This latter object
is accomplished by having a slot cut in the rod attached to and worked
by the eccentric, and in this slot a moving pivot is placed and is attached

page_text: to the standard of the machine by a screw or any other analogous means
capable of being adjusted, and by moving this pivot up in the slot
in the rod the length of the stitch is increased, and by moving it down
it is shortened.
The feed plate is worked by a horizontal lever attached to the under
part of the base plate of the machine; this lever is so attached and
pivoted to the base of the machine that it moves up and down and
horizontal at the same time, and is worked by the rod attached to the
eccentric. The up-and-down motion is for placing and separating
the feed to and from the material being sewed, and the horizontal
motion is for feeding it to the needle and regulating the length of stitch,
as before stated.
Another portion of my improvement is fitting the driving wheel on
a tapered stud or bearing for adjusting it, in order to obtain a steady
but at the same time free and easy motion. The stud is attached to
the side of the frame or table by any suitable means, the large end
of the stud projects outward with its end turned to a center point. The
hub of the wheel is provided with a plate attached to it by screws, and
the centre of this plate bears on the centre of the stud, and by drawing
the wheel on the stud through the medium of the screws and plate it
can be adjusted on the stud to run perfectly steady, and may be driven
by the least possible power; or the small end of the stud may project
outward, and the driving wheel adjusted on it by a screwed nut on the
end of the stud and collar between the hub of the wheel and inside of
the nut.
Another portion of my improvement is working the treadle plate on
adjustible centres in brackets made moveable or firmly attached to the
treadle bar, by which the angular position of the treadle can be placed
in any position to suit the operator, and in the meantime admits of its
being worked by the least possible power.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Martin Benson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 29th November 1871.

page_text: WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Martin Benson, Her special licence that I,
the said Martin Benson, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Martin Benson, my executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 SEWING
MACHINES," a communication to me from abroad by Frederick Macklin
Willson, of Hamilton, County of Wentworth, Province of Ontario,
Canada, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Martin
Benson, 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 Martin Benson, 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:-
My Invention relates to a machine for sewing with a needle and
shuttle, and consists in the particular structure, combination, and arrange-
ment of its mechanism, by which a machine is produced reliable in its
movements, compact and durable in its working parts. The machine
may be worked by a belt from a treadle or otherwise or by hand.
It is made for mounting on a suitable constructed table and consists
of a stand with a bed plate and hollow jib or projecting arm, in which
hollow arm a shaft is fit and made to revolve in suitable bearings
through the medium of a pulley and belt attached to one end of the
shaft, and the other end of the shaft is provided with a disc and crank
pin; this pin is made to work in a grooved plate attached to the needle
bar, by which the bar receives its motion for working the needle. The
end of the arm in which the needle bar works is made forked shape,

page_text: and the edges of the needle bar are V-formed and fit into the inside of
the prongs of the forks in grooves of a similar V-shape; the arm is split
back a suitable distance from the forked part of it, and made so the
prongs of the fork can be closed by springing them together by set
screws or otherwise, for taking up the wear after being used.
use of the V-shaped edges of the needle bar it is prevented from having
any undue lateral motion in any direction, and is a reliable and simple
mode of adjusting and fitting the bar.
By the
Another portion of my improvement is the manner of working the
shuttle, which is made to move in the segment of a circle by being
properly held in a basket; the motion for moving the shuttle is taken
from an eccentric attached to the horizontal shaft inside of the hollow
arm, the said eccentric is made to work in a bent forked horizontal
lever, this lever is attached to the top of a vertical spindle, and the spindle
is supported in any suitable manner to prevent its moving lengthways
up and down; to the lower end of this spindle, which extends down below
the base plate of the machine, there is an arm firmly attached which
has a free horizontal motion through the required extent of space, and
to the opposite end of this lever the shuttle basket is attached for
carrying and working the shuttle. The shuttle lever works under the
base plate of the machine, and may be made of any shape to suit the
adjoining parts of the machine. The feed motion for moving the
material to the needle is also worked by an eccentric attached to the
shaft on the inside of the hollow arm. This eccentric works a piece
which combines the double function of a rod and lever, the rod or
vertical motion is for placing and separating the feed from the material
being sewed, which has the same vertical movement at all times, and
the lever or horizontal motion is for feeding the material to the needle
and regulating the length of the stitch. This latter object is accom-
plished by having a slot cut in the rod attached to and worked by the
eccentric, and in this slot a moving pivot is placed and is attached to
the standard of the machine by a screw or any other analogous means
capable of being adjusted, and by moving this pivot up in the slot in the
rod the length of the stitch is increased, and by moving it down it is
shortened.
The feed plate is worked by a horizontal lever attached to the under
part of the base plate of the machine; this lever is so attached and
pivoted to the base of the machine that it moves up and down and

page_text: horizontal at the same time, and is worked by the rod attached to the
eccentric. The up-and-down motion is for placing and separating the
feed to and from the material being sewed, and the horizontal motion
is for feeding it to the needle and regulating the length of the stitch as
before stated.
Another portion of my improvement is fitting the driving wheel on
a tapered stud or bearing for adjusting it in order to obtain a steady
but at the same time free and easy motion. The stud is attached to
the side of the frame or table by any suitable means, the large end of
the stud projects outward with its end turned to a centre point. The
hub of the wheel is provided with a plate attached to it by screws, and
the centre of this plate bears on the centre of the stud, and by drawing
the wheel on the stud through the medium of the screws and plate it
can be adjusted on the stud to run perfectly steady, and may be driven
by the least possible power, or the small end of the stud may project
outward and the driving wheel adjusted on it by a screwed nut on the
end of the stud and collar between the hub of the wheel and inside of
the nut.
Another portion of my improvement is working the treadle plate on
adjustable centres in brackets made moveable or firmly attached to the
treadle bar, by which the angular position of the treadle can be placed
in any position to suit the operator, and in the meantime admits of its
being worked by the least possible power.
In order to give a fuller understanding of the aforesaid Invention
reference will be made to the accompanying Drawings forming part of 2
this Specification, and to the figures and letters of reference made
thereon. Similar letters are made to refer to corresponding parts of the
Drawings.
Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the machine mounted on a
table; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the machine drawn separate from a
the table, with a portion of its frame removed to show the arrangement
of its mechanism; Figure 3 is a view of the under portion of the
machine; and Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the machine
through the top of the frame and in line with the shaft for giving
motion to the needle and other parts of the machine.
A represents the table supported by the legs B, B, and on which the
machine D is mounted; S is a treadle for working the machine. The
treadle is made to vibrate on centres in the adjustable sockets o, o, on
3

page_text: the treadle rod q, q. The shaft of the machine is worked by the
treadle through the medium of the connecting rod d, fly wheel c, and
cord 1, as represented in Figure 1. The pulley or driving wheel c is
mounted on a tapered stud attached to the leg B of the machine, as
represented in section, and for purposes before mentioned. The motion
of the parts for feeding the material to the needle and working the
shuttle are actuated by the shaft f. The eccentric on the shaft works
the rod k attached to the lever n, which gives an up-and-down motion
to the lever n and a horizontal movement at the same time. The up-
and-down motion is for placing and displacing the feed in contact with
the material being sewed, and the horizontal motion is for moving or
feeding it to the needle. The horizontal motion of the lever n may be
increased or dimished for regulating the length of the stitch by moving
the screw or stud x up and down the slot in the machine represented in
Figure 2. The eccentric g is made to give a vibratory motion to the
spindle J for working the shuttle R through the medum of the lever m.
The lever m is screwed to the lower end of the spindle J, as shewn in
Figure 3, the shuttle has a segmental motion and is carried in a shuttle
basket attached to the end of the lever m. The needle bar P is worked
by a crank pin attached to the shaft f, but not represented; the edges
of the bar are made V-shaped and work in grooves of a similar shape
in the frame arm D of the machine, as represented at a, a, Figure 4.
The end of the arm D is forked and made sufficient flexible to spring
together by means of the screws v, v, for adjusting the prongs a, a, to
the wear of the needle bar P, as before stated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Martin Benson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-eight day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.