Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Fleshing, Shaving, Grounding, and otherwise Treating or Finishing Hides or Skins.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Jan., 1891-Accepted, 7th Mar.. 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Fleshing, Shaving,
Grounding, and otherwise Treating or Finishing Hides or Skins.
We, WILLIAM ROBERT PULLMAN, of Westbrook and Salgasson Mills,
Godalming, in the County of Surrey, Leather Manufacturer, and HARRY SMITH,
of the same place, Foreman, 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:-
Our invention relates to improvements in machinery or apparatus for performing
upon green or manufactured, or upon partly manufactured hides or skins operations
for the proper finishing of the same, such as grounding, paring, fleshing, shaving,
frizing, reducing, staking, and levelling.
The object we have in view in this our said invention is to provide efficient and
economical machinery or apparatus so as to dispense with the necessity of using
skilled and expensive hand labour, and to enable of operations such as above
enumerated being performed with much greater rapidity than heretofore and con-
sequently at a reduced cost but with a result closely resembling that of hand labour.
For this purpose we provide a suitable framing or foundation, which, by
preference consists of two side-frames properly stayed or bolted in a firm position
at a convenient distance apart, and on these frames are arranged bearings for
carrying the two ends of a barrel or perch roller capable of rotation; this barrel
or perch roller is provided with a longitudinal slot or opening having a lid or cover
which may conveniently be hinged: one of the edges of the hide or skin to be
operated upon is inserted therein, and firmly held in position by the cover closing
upon it suitable devices are provided by means of which the cover is opened and
firmly closed down and we so arrange that suitable gearing shall cause this barrel
or perch roller to slowly revolve and wind the hide or skin round it while being
operated upon by rapidly working knives or cutters; and the bearings carrying the
barrel or perch roller are fitted into vertical slides in order to allow of the whole
being freely moved up or down as hereinafter described. We also provide a tension
bar over which the hide or skin may be strained to the proper degree of tension
and held thus either by hand or other means. On the strained surface of the hide
or skin between the barrel and the tension bar we cause the knives or cutters
to act, and in order to effect this we arrange in front of the tension bar, and
in suitable bearings, a shaft to which is imparted by means of cams, eccentrics,
or other suitable device, a rapid rocking motion: from this rocking shaft extend
several arms the outer extremities of which carry a flat knife or cutter, which,
in consequence of the rocking shaft has a certain radial or vibratory motion;
and we also cause the shaft (and with it the knife) to have a little motion
endwise, as hereinafter described, by means of screw bearings; and we sometimes
use two such flat knives or cutters working on the hide or skin alternately as
hereinafter set forth. Moreover we provide for the use of a rotary knife or '
cutter which may be arranged in any convenient manner but preferably is
mounted on a long shaft carried in bearings pivotted on the shafts or studs of
the barrel or perch roller; this rotary knife or cutter is brought down on to
the surface of the hide or skin when the flat knife or cutter is moved backward
and upward by the manipulation of certain gear, and the same gear brings the
various knives or cutters into position for sharpening as hereinafter described :
when the flat knife or cutter is working the rotary cutter is stopped and vice versa,
and we provide proper gear for effecting this result also.
The shaft on which the rotary knife or cutter is mounted has a long groove or
keyway, in which the key of the cutter is free, so that the cutter with the box
or guard covering it may be easily pushed along the shaft, so as to act on any desired

page_text: portion of the hide or skin. This box or guard is fitted with a glass cover so that
the operator can see through; also on the top is a gauge to which the knife or
cutter blades can be sharpened and set up, and this gauge is so arranged that it can
be kept up out of the way when not in use, or can be readily let down over the
cutters when it is desired to adjust them after sharpening.
The rotary knife shaft may be driven in any convenient manner, but we prefer to
drive it by means of friction, that is to say, on one end of it we provide a friction
pulley having an india rubber tyre, which, when in work, presses against the
periphery of a friction pulley on the cam or eccentric shaft for driving the vibratory
Hat knives. In order that the vibratory flat knife and the rotary knife shaft may
always be parallel to the barrel or perch roller and tension bar we arrange that the
gear for manipulating them shall be in duplicate one set being at either end of the
machine, and connected together by a mitre or bevel wheel shaft or other suitable
device so that the two sets act simultaneously on the turning of a handle by the
operator, which arrangement we will presently describe. The shaft or spindle from
which motion is imparted to the cutters or knives is mounted in proper bearings,
and carries on its' outer end (between the said bearings) a driving pulley, and on
its' inner end a friction pulley whose interior is coned corresponding to a cone on
the eccentric or cam for working the vibratory flat knife which cone
may be
covered or faced with leather or other similar material as shewn on the drawings.
The cam or eccentric may be conveniently made in one piece with its' driving
cone, and we provide between them a journal or neck which runs in a kind of
bearing or support; this support we use for the purpose of pushing the friction
cone in and out of gear, and we make its' lower portion in the form of a slide,
one end of which is pressed against by a spring for pushing it out of gear, and
the other end by a roller for putting it into gear: we also provide on the roller
end of this slide an inclined plane or wedge for allowing the spring to act:
now when the rotary cutter is in use, the friction pulley shaft (on which the
eccentric is mounted) is running at the same high rate of speed, but the eccentric
is idle, and to ensure this we provide the interior of the eccentric and cone piece
with chambers fitted with a number of small hard steel balls which alone rest on the
shaft by this means we reduce the tendency of the shaft to rotate the eccentric and
cone piece. The eccentric is provided with a grooved collar or a sliding block, and over
this collar or sliding block the fork or crutch on the end of the rocking shaft is passed,
and by this means we obtain a proper vibratory motion for the flat knife: imme-
diately beyond the fork the rocking shaft is turned to a larger diameter than its'
remainder, and on this part we cut a quick running screw thread, the result being
that we get a certain motion endwise, and thus obtain a kind of draw cut on the
surface of the hide or skin. This screwed portion is provided with a bushed
bearing, and the other end of the rocking shaft may be a plain bearing: we,
however, sometimes also make this a screw bearing. Both bearings are formed in
suitable brackets the lower portions of which are provided with slides and slide
screws working in nuts on their under sides, similar in arrangement to that of an
ordinary lathe on the front end of each of the slide screws we provide a toothed
wheel which gears into a pinion mounted on a short shaft carried in bearings under-
neath the sliding support of the eccentric piece, and on the other or rear end of this
short shaft is a mitre wheel gearing into its' fellow on the end of a long shaft
running almost the entire length of the machine, and working the duplicate gear.
In front of the pinion on the short shaft is a lever, hand wheel, or similar device
for working the two sets of gearing.
On reference to the drawings it will be observed that this pinion also engages
another toothed wheel which is on the end of the shaft for raising and lowering the
rotary cutter this shaft is really made in two pieces connected by an ordinary
universal or ball joint coupling which we use for the reason following:
:-we prefer
that the vibratory flat knife shall work on the hide or skin when the barrel or
perch roller is at its' highest, and the rotary knife when at its' lowest position, but
we so arrange that the rotary may be raised or lowered when required without

page_text: regard to the position of the barrel or perch roller: the second portion of the shaft
for so doing has a worm or screw on its' further end, and is kept always in gear with
a worin segment cut on the under part of the pivotted bearing for the rotary cutter
shaft at each end of the machine, and proper swivel worm boxes with bearings for
the shaft ends are fitted to the vertically sliding blocks in which the barrel or perch
roller has its' bearings. On further reference to the drawings it will be seen that if
a few turns are given to the short pinion shaft by means of the lever, handle, or
hand-wheel, the result will be that simultaneously the vibratory flat knife is stopped
as the eccentric piece is thrown out of gear by means of the friction clutch release
arrangement, the rocking shaft is drawn back and the knife turned upward into
position for sharpening and leaving a clear way for the rotary cutter which is
brought down on to the surface of the hide skin, and is driven by reason of the tyred
pulley on its' shaft being pressed against the periphery of the friction pulley whose
interior has hitherto been driving the vibratory flat knife by means of the cone on
the eccentric piece. The barrel or perch roller may be raised and lowered by a
treadle motion of any ordinary construction and which needs no description, or by
means of any other suitable arrangement, but we prefer in some cases to use the
special device shewn on the drawings wherein we employ a long shaft running the
entire length of the machine; between the side frames, at either end of this shaft
we fix a lever carrying a roller which comes directly under the block containing the
bearing for the barrel or perch roller, and in the centre of this shaft we provide a
worm segment which is in gear with a suitable worm, and operated by a hand wheel
immediately in front of the machine or in some other convenient position for the
operator. Mounted on the right hand side frame of the machine is a smaller frame,
hereinafter called the gear frame, having a slot or opening through which extends
one end of the shaft or stud of the barrel or perch roller, and we provide here a
spur wheel, or it may be a friction pulley, or similar device, fitted securely on the
extended end of the shaft or stud aforesaid, and at the top and bottom of the gear
frame we provide other similar spur wheels or friction pulleys, so that whether in
the high or low position the barrel or perch roller may be driven at the same rate
of speed, and in the same direction, by one or other of the wheels or pulleys on the
gear frame which are connected to each other by chain wheels and chain as shewn
on the drawings. The spur wheel or friction pulley and chain wheel at the top of
the gear frame is shewn as being in one piece with a worm wheel and another
toothed wheel the motion which is imparted to this gear set is transmitted in the
first instance to the worm wheel from a worm mounted on a vertical shaft whose
lower end is provided with a bevel or a screw gear wheel as shewn on the drawings
engaging with a similar bevel or screw gear wheel on a shaft (hereinafter called the
countershaft) driven by a band from the main shaft of the machine as shewn ; proper
driving pulleys being employed in all cases.
And by a modification of our invention we sometimes use a compound or double
acting vibratory flat knife arrangement in which two such knives are brought to
bear on the surface of the hide or skin in lieu of the single arrangement afore-
mentioned; for this purpose we provide two eccentrics with forked or crutched
straps to receive sliding blocks or bushes fixed on the ends of the two shafts on each
of which are mounted arms whose outer extremities carry flat cutters or knife
blades; one of the shafts may be solid, and the other is of a semi-tubular form
through which the first mentioned shaft passes: we also provide two screw bearings
in this arrangement which is hereinafter fully described.
Suitable means, preferably clutch devices, are provided so that the flat knife
slide screws and the rotary cutter worm shafts can be worked independently, at will
of the operative. Also in front of the machine we provide a seat for the greater
convenience of the operative.
Moreover in the rear of the machine we provide a second barrel or perch roller
and an emery roller parallel to it, such emery roller being by preference constructed
in the manner shewn on the drawings, that is to say, a core of wood covered with
an emery compound, and mounted on a shaft running in anti-friction roller bearings

page_text: and at a high rate of speed. The barrel or perch roller however revolves slowly
and is similar in construction to the other barrel or perch roller on the front portion
of the machine. The object we have in view with this device is to soften, stone, or
finish the skin after it has been acted upon by the knives or cutters aforementioned,
and we will particularly describe the arrangement hereinafter.
We also provide for the sharpening and setting up of the knives or cutters in the
following manner, riz. :-
On the top of the eccentric shaft main bearing, and also the top of the bearing
for the short pinion shaft at the other end of the machine, we construct slide beds
transversely of the machine and short levers for moving the slides contained therein
to and fro brackets or blocks having bearings for the ends of a shaft are mounted
on the slides in any convenient manner, and we prefer to fix securely on each of the
said slides two pillars over which pass lugs or bosses on the bearing blocks, so
arranged that they can be lifted up and down on the said pillars, and (if needful,)
taken right off if desired or they may be raised to the top of the said pillars and
retained in that position by suitable means such as by passing cottars or pegs through
holes or grooves cut through them, so as to be out of the way of the knives or
cutters. The drawings shew this sharpening arrangement in position for acting on
the knives or cutters, and resting on set screws by means of which we are enabled
to adjust the pressure of the grinding wheel on the edges of the knives or cutters
aforesaid. The bearing blocks are connected and kept rigidly in a fixed position
relatively to each other by a light inverted T iron or other suitable staying device,
on the underside of which we provide a rack having teeth cut to a fine pitch
preferably. The bearings contained within the blocks are provided with proper
means for taking up the wear on the ends of a long light shaft which they
carry this shaft has a small friction pulley mounted on one of its ends directly
over the friction driving pulley on the eccentric or cam shaft, and rapid rotation is
imparted to it through an intermediate pulley having an india rubber tyre which is
itself driven by the friction pulley on the eccentric or cam shaft in the same manner
as the rotary knife shaft: we also provide the shaft (hereinafter called the buff
shaft) with a long groove or keyway by means of which we are enabled to drive
the buff or grinding wheel at any point, and consequently sharpen the knives or
cutters throughout their length. The buff or grinding wheel we securely fix on a
socket or sleeve mounted on the shaft, and running in a suitable bearing formed in
the carrier which is arranged to hang down from the T iron or other stay piece,
and sliding thereon in the interior of the socket or sleeve we provide a key that
shall fit the groove or keyway in the shaft, and we sometimes, in lieu of an ordinary
key, employ small hard balls, as shewn in the drawings, so as to minimize the
friction as the buff holding device is being drawn along the shaft: we also employ
fitted in the interior of the holder a small pinion rotated by a small lever or hand
wheel, and gearing into the aforementioned rack on the underside of the stay piece,
and so we are enabled to move the buff or grinding wheel from end to end of the
buff shaft, and consequently sharpen the entire length of the knife or cutter: proper
driving gear arrangements are provided for the machine throughout.
Our invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which,
Fig. 1 is an end elevation of the machine shewing the various driving arrange-
ments but with most of the details and the sharpening device removed in order to
avoid confusion.
Fig. 2 is a partly sectional elevation shewing the gear for rotary cutter and for
raising and lowering the front barrel or perch roller by means of the hand-wheel
and worm, but with the sharpening device and other details mostly removed.
Fig. 3 is a sectional front elevation of the screw bearing, and its' slide, the
friction driving pulley, the fork, and eccentric with the sliding support and method
of putting the friction cone in and out of gear; also part of the flat knife and
rocking shaft, the tension bar, and part of the mitre shaft for transmitting motion
to the similar gear on the other end of the machine; the dotted circles and lines
shew the gear wheels. The sharpening device is here also removed.

page_text: Fig. 4 is an end elevation in section through the short pinion shait shewing the
screw bearing (but with the fork removed) the eccentric support, mitre gear,
and tension bar; the flat knife is also shewn, but the arms carrying it are removed.
Fig. 5 is a plan of the screw bearing and its slide, the eccentric support, and
method of putting the friction cone in and out of gear, and the mitre gear for
transmitting motion to the similar arrangements at the other end of the machine.
Fig. 6 is an end view of the fork on the rocking shaft, the flat knife and arms
for carrying it, and the eccentric in section through the chamber containing the
anti-friction balls.
Fig. 7 is a front view of the flat knife shewing the method of adjustment and
taking up wear.
Fig. 8 is a front elevation partly sectional shewing the construction of the barrel
or perch roller, and method of raising or lowering the same, also the gear for
rotating it, the rotary cutter shaft and controlling device for it, and the tops of the
two side frames with the gear frame are also shewn.
Fig. 9 is an end view shewing the construction of the barrel or perch roller.
Fig. 10 is an end elevation of the rotary cutter in its' box or guard and the gauge
to which the blades may be sharpened and set.
Fig. 11 is a front elevation of the same.
Fig. 12 is a part longitudinal elevation of the barrel or perch roller shewing a
modification of the arrangements for fastening the lid or cover down on to the edge
of the hide or skin.
Fig. 13 is a front elevation (viewed from the rear of the machine) of the rear
barrel or perch roller with one of its bearings, the toothed wheel rotating it, and
the clutch.
•
Fig. 14 is a sectional face view of this clutch.
Fig. 15 is a sectional front elevation (also viewed from the rear of the machine)
of the emery roller, one of its' anti-friction bearings, the slide for adjustment, and
top of one of the side frames.
Fig. 16 is a partly sectional front elevation of the sharpening device.
Fig. 17 is an end elevation of the same.
Fig. 18 is an elevation taken in section through the centre of the buff carrier.
Fig. 19 is a plan of the sharpening attachment.
Fig. 20 is a sectional front elevation of the compound or double acting vibratory
flat knife arrangement.
Fig. 21 is an end elevation, and
Fig. 23 is a plan of the same.
Fig. 22 is an end view of the two knives, and the method of attachment to their
respective shafts.
Land L' are the two side frames rigidly tied or stayed by the three stay bolts 12
and the girder and having light brackets extending from their fronts for the
support of the seat T which may be full length of the machine: p³ is one of two
plummer blocks, or other bearings carrying the main driving shaft R, and is
one of two pedestals or stands on which the said bearings rest: F is the gear
frame mounted on the side frame L. The barrel or perch roller A is carried in
bearings formed in the blocks which are free to slide vertically in V shaped
uprights on the top of each side frame. At either end of the shaft ¹ is an arm
or lever r, having a roller e at its extremity on which the bearing blocks / rest, and
in the centre of the said shaft is the worm segment n³ in which gears the worm n²
the shaft of which is turned by means of the hand-wheel n' immediately in the
front and centre of the machine, and is carried in a bearing n attached to the
girder from the bracket in which this bearing is formed extend two lugs
terminating in bosses or cheeks, one on each side of the worm segment n³, this serves
to steady the shaft and prevent the said worm segment ³ from moving out of
its' place. By turning the hand-wheel the shaft is partially rotated bringing
the roller ends of the levers v₂ up or down and consequently raising or lowering the
bearing blocks / as desired.

page_text: And we sometimes, by a modification of our invention instead of this method
employ an ordinary treadle motion, and connect the treadle and bearing blocks
by a vertical rod for raising and lowering the bearing blocks which however
needs no description.
The barrel or perch roller A is of a hollow pattern with solid ends bored to
truly fit the studs or short shafts S which are fitted with keys corresponding with
keyways in the ends of the barrel or perch roller A, and then pressed tightly into
their places, or they may be fitted into the said ends in any other convenient
manner, or may be cast in. We provide the barrel A with a longitudinal slot or
opening, on one of the edges of which we hinge a cover a¹ and on the other edge
we form a ledge having a groove or flute corresponding to a lip or tenon * on the
under-side of the cover a¹, in order that we may the more effectually nip the
edge of hide or skin to be operated upon on reference to the drawings Fig. 9
it will be seen that the hide or skin is represented thus held in position, and
hanging down from the barrel. Inside the barrel A we arrange two springs c¹ one
at either end, and connected to each spring is one end of a small rod c² whose other
end is attached to the cover a¹; and at each end of the said barrel is a boss
or lug which is bored and threaded to receive a quick pitched screw, having
on its outer end a lever a and on its' inner end a locking cam ²; in the drawings
the said cams are shewn extending over and pressing on the cover a¹ thereby
nipping the skin in the groove aforementioned; by turning over the said lever a
the locking cam is drawn backward by the screw until clear of the cover a¹
and the springs c automatically push the cover a open, when the skin can
readily be taken out the relative positions of the levers a and covers a¹
when open are shewn in the drawings by dotted lines. And by a modification of
our invention we sometimes employ, in lieu of this, another device for nipping
the skins, as shewn in Fig. 12 wherein we cut a screw thread on the solid ends of
the barrel A to fit a corresponding screw thread in the boss of a hand-wheel a*
which said boss is on its' inner face coned out or countersunk to a corresponding
cone formed partly on the barrel A and partly on the end of the cover a¹ at each
end of the said barrel A, thereby effectually nipping the skin. Immediately
outside the bearings in the blocks and pivotted on the studs S are the swing
brackets win the upper part of which are end bearings for the rotary cutter
shaft and the stud at the right hand or driving end is extended so as to pass
through the slot S2 in the gear frame F2 to carry a spur wheel Y¹ which, when
the barrel is at its' highest position gears into a similar spur wheel Y rotating on a
stud u secured in the gear frame F; but when the said barrel A is at its' lowest
position the said spur wheel gears into a similar spur wheel Y2 rotating on a
stud u² secured in the lower portion of the gear frame F2 and the said two spur
wheels Y and Y2 are connected and driven at an equal speed by a chain passing
over the chain wheels Z and Z: the means by which motion is imparted to these
wheels is hereinafter described. In suitable bearings contained within the bracket N
we fit a shaft e called the eccentric shaft: there are two bearings, one of which is
shewn, viz. the main bearing, but the auxilliary bearing outside the driving pulley P2
is not shewn, the arm extending from the bracket N and supporting the said auxilliary
bearing being broken off in the drawings. The flanged pulley P2 has a high speed
transmitted to it by a band from a driving pulley P¹ on the main shaft R*, and is firmly
keyed or otherwise fixed on the eccentric shafte between the two bearings aforesaid;
and on the inner side of the main bearing is a friction driving pulley E which may
conveniently be turned solid on the eccentric shaft e having its' interior coned out;
the shafte is extended from this pulley E and we make it of a diameter a little
smaller than the eccentric piece which we place on it consisting of a long eccentric X
and a friction cone D with a journal or neck between them. In the interior
of the said eccentric piece are chambers or pockets to contain a number of hardened
steel balls which bear on the shaft e, and we thus reduce the friction and the
chance of the flat knife working when not required, that is to say, when the rotary
cutter or the sharpening device is in operation, the eccentric shaft e being in motion

page_text: the whole time. The friction cone D is turned to suit the interior of the friction
driving pulley E and covered with leather or other suitable material: the eccentric
is provided with a grooved collar or roller C³ which rotates in the fork on the
end of the shaft b, the result being that a rocking motion is imparted to the
said shaft, and behind the said fork we make the shaft of a larger diameter than
the remainder of its length, whereon we cut a quick pitched screw thread corre-
sponding to a similar thread cut in the interior of a bush G³ securely fixed in the
eye of a sliding bracket G by which device we give an endwise as well as a rocking
motion to the shaft at certain distances apart we fix on the rocking shaft a
number of curved arms K' to the outer extremities of which is attached a flat
knife K (provided with slots k for adjustment) so that the said knife is made
to give a succession of quick shaving cuts to the surface of the hide or skin
operated upon. The support el for the journal in the eccentric piece has a foot on
which we form a slide 2 fitted in a bed in the slide bracket H, and on one end of
this foot is a lug extending downwards, the face of which is partly an inclined
plane, and partly straight: on reference to the drawings Figures 3. & 5. it will be
seen that there is a small roller 2 on the underside of the base of the sliding
bracket G and in contact with the straight part of the lug aforesaid, while the
other end of the foot of the support is pressed against by a spring 3, the object
being that when the sliding bracket G carrying the rocking shaft is drawn
backward the inclined plane will allow the spring to push the support carrying
the eccentric away, thereby putting the vibratory flat knife K out of gear, so that
the rotary cutter may be brought to bear on the surface of the skin, and as the
fork is always on the eccentric, it follows that the knife K is turned upward at
the same time, and brought into position for sharpening. The bracket G is fitted
to a slide S on the slide bracket H, and on its underside has a nut N2 and a
screw for moving it to and fro. The shaft is carried in a bearing & and has an
universal or ball-joint coupling gt by means of which it imparts its' own movement
to the worm shaft whose further end is provided with a worm w², and has a
bearing in the swivelling worm box w the pin of which passes through the bearing
block. The worin 2 gears into a segment cut on the underside of the rotary
cutter swing bracket w. On the front end of the shaft is a spur wheel g similar
to the spur wheel g² on the front end of the screw q' and centrally between and
gearing into these two wheels is a pinion g' on the end of a short shaft which
passes through a bearing underneath the sliding support and on the rear
side of this bearing we provide this short shaft with a mitre wheel m; also we
employ a handle, or lever S, or a hand-wheel, on the end of the said short shaft $5
by means of which it may be rotated, and in front of the two spur wheels g², we
provide clutches of a similar construction to that used for the barrel or perch roller
on the rear part of the machine, and which we will presently describe. The fore-
going description of the knife and cutter controlling arrangements applies, as it
stands, only to the right hand or driving end of the machine, but, with the excep
tion of the eccentric and friction clutch devices, it also applies to the other or left
hand end of the machine, where we provide gear precisely the same, the two sets
being connected by means of a long shaft m² having at each end a mitre wheel in¹
corresponding to and gearing into the mitre wheels m on the rear ends of the two
short shafts and y thus it will be obvious that on turning the handle or lever S,
the vibratory flat knife K will be drawn back and turned upward, and the rotary
cutter shaft will be drawn down, parallel to each other and to the barrel or
perch roller A on the top of the girder i we fix the slide brackets H from the
rear of which extend the bearings for the long mitre shaft m² and the caps or
covers of the said bearings h are formed by the feet of the brackets 2 which
support the tension bar device. The tension bar F may be of any form, but we
prefer to use an angle iron whose upper edge is made somewhat sharp so as to
enable of the skin being drawn better over it: the said tension bar is supported at
each end by brackets 2 and we provide for its' adjustment vertically in the
following manner; on its' face, that is to say facing the barrel or perch roller A

page_text: we rivet or otherwise fix strips f which hang down over the faces of the
brackets 2 and in their lower ends are slots through which pass screws i
which we loosen so as to enable us to lay thin packing pieces fs under the angle
iron tension bar F and so raise it to the required level, when the screws i, are
tightened so as to keep the said tension bar firm. The tension bar F is preferably
placed at an angle, as shewn on the drawings, as it is found that much better
results are obtained than would be the case if it was arranged perfectly upright.
The rotary cutter shaft b³ is carried in end bearings similar to those used for
the sharpening buff shaft I and is provided with the same set screw device s² for
adjustment and taking up wear: these bearings as shewn on the drawings are
formed in the interior of the bosses on the upper parts of the swing brackets w¹
and extending from behind the said bosses are short arms with other bosses through
which we pass the ends of a tie-bolt * so as to firmly stay the swing brackets w¹ in
their proper relative position to each other: the tie-bolt also acts as a guide for
the rotary cutter box, therefore, hereinafter we term it the guide rod. On one end
of the rotary cutter shaft 3 and immediately over the friction driving pulley E
we provide a friction pulley 6 having a tyre of india rubber or similar suitable
material, which, when the cutter is in operation presses against the periphery of the
aforesaid friction pulley E, thereby receiving rapid rotation.
Along nearly the entire length of the shaft 3 is groove or a keyway f, to receive
the key in the interior of the rotary cutter K³.
We do not confine ourselves to the particular curved shape of the rotary cutter blades
shewn on the drawings but we use this blade by preference; almost any known
description of rotary cutter can be used so long as a sufficiently keen edge to the
blades can be obtained, and they are arranged spirally along the hub as in the case
of a lawn mower cutter drum: the cutter, therefore, needs no further description.
Also mounted on the shaft 3 is a guard or cutter box V having bosses one on either
side of the rotary cutter and fitted with bushes or liners V2 screwed in as shewn,
or otherwise fixed in position: the two sides of the said guard are tied together
by two tie-bolts d₁, and d₂, and by a narrow web on its' lower part cast in one piece
with the said sides, the said web having formed on it the boss through which the
guide bar passes; the upper part of the guard is left open in order that a
curved sheet of glass; may be let in, so as to enable the operative to see through.
Swung on the tie-bolt d₁, is the gauge consisting of two light links or arms, one at
either end outside the guard sides, and attached to the said links or arms is a small
rod having formed on it a chisel edge to which the cutter blades may be
set up after sharpening the said blades being provided with slots for that
purpose, similar to those in the vibratory flat knife, as shewn in Fig. 7.
The said gauge may be kept up out of the way as shewn in the drawings by
any suitable means such as a small snap spring or catch, or may simply be
nipped so as to move stiffly on the tie-bolt d,; the dotted lines shew its' position
when in use.
On the top of the main bearing for the eccentric shaft and also on the top of the
bearing for the short pinion shaft y at the other end of the machine are slide beds N¹
and N wherein are fitted the slides of the blocks M M₁ carrying the sharpening
attachment rising from, and securely fixed in the said blocks are pillars t, having
at their tops the forks or crutches t₁, there are two such pillars to each of the blocks
aforesaid, and they are truly turned to fit in the lugs or sockets formed on the sides
of the bearing blocks, which are capable of being raised and lowered on the said
pillars. The two bearing blocks are securely tied together at their tops by a light
inverted Tiron I, having cut on its' underside a long rack I, of somewhat finely
pitched teeth. About the centre of the blocks are bearings e* for the ends of the
buff shaft I provided with set screw adjustments e consisting of set screws and lock
nuts with washers interposed between the points of the said set screws and the bushes.
Truly fitted in these bearings at its' two ends, is a long light shaft I called the
buff shaft, having cut along nearly its' entire length a groove, or flute, or keyway,
and on the right hand or driving end of this shaft we provide a friction pulley E

page_text: driven at a high velocity by an intermediate friction pulley E, fitted with a tyre of
india rubber or similar suitable material, and rotating on a pin fitted between the
links 92 and 931 these two links hang down from the buff shaft I and are mounted
one on either side of the small friction pulley E.; the intermediate friction pulley
may, however, be carried in any other convenient manner.
The said intermediate friction pulley E3 is driven by the periphery of the friction
driving pulley E precisely in the same manner as the similar pulley on the rotary
cutter shaft aforementioned.
Suspended from the flange of the inverted Tiron tie-bar, and sliding on it, is
the buff carrier U having on its lower portion a boss, bored and lined, or bushed,
to receive the buff holder which revolves within it, and is kept in position by
a collar on one side of the said boss and by lock-nuts and washers on the
other.
On the right hand end of the holder we mount a small emery wheel or buff u
and hold it securely in its' proper position between washers of leather or other
suitable material by means of lock-nuts as shewn on the drawings.
In the interior
'4
of the holder we form a chamber or groove in which we place a key, or a number
of hard steel balls t, corresponding to the groove or keyway in the buff shaft and
retain the same in their place by means of a key t whose outer end is threaded to
correspond with the end of the holder, a slot being formed in the said end of the
holder to receive it; it follows, therefore, that the lock-nuts employed to retain
the holder endwise in its' bearings also keep the said key in place. In the upper
part of the buff carrier U and immediately beneath the inverted T iron tie-bar we
form a pocket within which we fit a small pinion 2 gearing into the rack I2,
mounted on a small shaft and rotated by the operative by means of a lever or
handle, so that the buff with its' carrier can be moved to any position lengthwise
on the buff shaft I for sharpening the knives or cutters: extending from the rear
and on top of the right hand bearing block is an arm ', and a similar arm 2 extends
from the eye of the link between these two arms, and attached to them, we
place a spring z by which means we keep the intermediate friction pulley E, pressed
well down on to the friction driving pulley E. On the main bearing brackets N
and N, and directly under the front of the slides N¹ and N2 are two lugs between
which, pivotted on studs or pins n we fit the eyes of small levers h, having rollers n
within the chambers n, in the sliding blocks M and M₁, this device enables us to
move the sharpening attachment to and fro to act on the knives and cutters which
is sufficient for horizontal adjustment, and the set screws t, effect a similar purpose
vertically. By a modification of our invention we sometimes employ a compound
or double acting vibratory flat knife arrangement wherein we provide two
eccentrics X and X2 fitted with straps having forks and ² thereby imparting
a rapid rocking motion to two distinct shafts, each of which is connected to a flat
knife or cutter. For this purpose we provide a screw bearing G1 and G2 at either
end of the machine, and contained within the eyes of the sliding brackets; and we
fit securely in these eyes bushes G, and G, whose interiors are cut with a quick
acting screw thread as in the former arrangement herein described. The eccentric X²
rotates in a strap having a fork or crutch 2 in which we fit a sliding bush or
block C2 on the end of the screw B¹; this screw corresponds to the bush G, and
on the other end of the said screw on the inner side of the bearing G we fit the
end of a semi-tubular shaft having rivetted or otherwise fixed to it a number of
arms K³ whose outer extremities carry the flat knife K2: passing through and
fitting freely in the eyes of the said arms K3 and the screw B' each of which is
bored for the purpose is a solid shaft, to the left hand end of which we securely
fit a socket B, the outside of which is threaded to correspond with the quick acting
screw thread cut in the interior of the bush G, and we fix on this shaft also the eyes
of a number of arms K' whose outer extremities carry a flat knife K. On the right
hand end of the said shaft 6 we firmly fit a sliding block or bush C¹ arranged to
slide in the fork x'. The whole is made to slide on slide brackets H as in the
arrangement for the single acting vibratory flat knife herein-before described and
4
B

page_text: for this purpose the slides S and S are provided in the bases of the screw bearing
brackets. Moreover we provide means for softening, stoning, or finishing the
surface of the hide or skin after it has been acted upon by the knives and cutters
aforesaid, as follows;-on the stud u in the gear frame F we cause to rotate a spur
wheel gearing into another spur wheel O' which is an intermediate; the said
intermediate wheel O' is also in gear with a similar spur wheel O2 on the end of the
stud S¹ of the second barrel or perch roller A' in rear of the machine.
It must be borne in mind that Figures 13. and 15. are elevations looking on the
rear of the machine, so that Figure 13. shews the left hand end of the barrel or
perch roller A., and Figure 15 shews the right hand end of the emery or stoning
roller ; the grooved driving pulley, however, may be mounted on either of the
ends of the shaft on further reference to the drawings it will be seen that the
spur wheel O' is arranged to run free on the end of the stud S' in order that
the barrel A may not be rotated unless the clutch Q' is pushed into gear with it;
the said clutch Q is keyed on the stud S' and has formed on its' face a number of
jaws or projections as shewn in Fig. 14. between which fit corresponding jaws or
projections on the face of the spur wheel boss. The barrel or perch roller A¹ is
precisely of the same description as the one employed on the front part of the
machine, and is used for the same purpose, and is carried by its' studs S¹ in proper
bearings formed in the slide brackets B, mounted on the side frames L and L'.
Also on the slide brackets B, we form slides B, for the bases of the brackets 03
carrying the anti-friction roller bearings, for the ends of the emery roller
shaft Suitably bored for the purpose is a long roller R of wood into which is
pressed tightly the shaft r, and on each end of the said roller R we secure a dished
collar or ferrule immovably fixed to the shaft by means of a key and set screw as
shewn on the drawings; one of the said dished collars or ferrules may have the
grooved driving pulley 2 formed in one piece as shewn. The ends of the roller
shaft are carried between the rollers 1, and passed beyond them through a clear
hole in the bracket 03, and on the said ends we place spring washers kept in
place by pinned collars; by this means we give the shaft a little freedom but
prevent positive end play.
The slide B, is provided with a mut threaded to correspond with a screw which
may be operated by a small hand wheel 76, or other suitable device. Toward the
rear of the machine and on the right hand or driving end side frame L we provide
a bearing R, for a countershaft R carrying a pulley P on the inner side of the
side frame, and driven by a band from a driving pulley P³ on the main shaft R',
and contiguous to it we provide another pulley about the same diameter, by
preference grooved to correspond with the small pulley on the emery roller shaft,
which it drives. On the outer end of the countershaft R we mount a screw gear
wheel engaging a similar wheel Z³ on a vertical shaft W' which we call the
worm shaft; the said worm shaft is supported in two ordinary bearings and
and one step bearing, having the set screw adjustment ; on the top end of
worm shaft W is keyed a worm W gearing into the worm wheel W2 by which
means a slow rotation is imparted to the wheels W, Y, Z, and O on the stud u,
and is from them transmitted to the two barrels or perch rollers A and A'.
do not confine ourselves to the screw gear wheels Z, Z³, for revolving the worm
shaft Wand may use bevel or other gear for that purpose. In the gear frame F²
we provide a radial slot through which we pass the stud for carrying the inter-
mediate gear wheel O' so that we are enabled to move the said intermediate wheel
up and out of gear with the other wheels when it is not required to use the
rear side of the machine; and also that we may keep it in gear by dropping it
should the brackets B. carrying the barrel or perch_roller A' and the emery roller R
be drawn backward to the ends of the side frames L, L'. The main shaft R4 may
be driven by a band through which is transmitted motion to the pulley P. We may
use any suitable description of gear for starting and stopping the machine.
We
The hide or skin to be operated upon by the knives or cutters having been secured
in the barrel or perch roller A by one of its' edges, is laid over the tension bar F

page_text: and firmly grasped in the hands of the operative; the knife or cutter having been
brought to bear, the machine is started, and the skin is drawn slowly against the
edges of the said knife or cutter, and wound on the barrel or perch roller A. until
the whole surface of the skin has passed under their action; and should it be
found that one such pass has not sufficiently treated the skin, the barrel or perch
roller A may be put out of gear by raising or lowering, when the skin may be
unwound by turning over the said barrel or perch roller in the reverse direction, it
may then be put into gear again, and the operation repeated.
When it is desired to use the emery or stoning roller, the hide or skin should in
like manner be secured by one of its' edges in the barrel or perch roller A' which
is then put into gear by means of the clutch; and by the operative holding and
pressing the skin against the revolving emery roller R a softening and finishing of
the surface of the skin is obtained: the skin is in this case also wound on the
barrel A' and its' surface travels in a direction contrary to that in which the emery
roller is running.
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. An improved machine or apparatus comprising one or more vibratory flat.
knives or cutters, a tension bar, and barrel or perch roller, with means for
manipulating the same, for dressing and finishing hides or skins, substantially as
set forth.
2. The rotary cutter device, capable of being raised and lowered, in combination
with the tension bar and perch roller or barrel substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
3. The device consisting of a barrel or perch roller, and a stoning or emery roller,
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
4. The method of raising and lowering the perch roller or barrel, substantially as
set forth.
5. The employment of a worm and worm segment in combination with a shaft
having an universal coupling for raising and lowering the rotary cutter, substantially
as specified.
6. The means whereby the knives or cutters whether vibratory or rotary are
controlled and are caused to work or cease from working on the hide or skin,
and also whereby they are moved out of the way of each other, and brought
into position for being sharpened and set, substantially as set forth.
7. The employment of shafts to which a rocking or oscillatory motion is imparted
for the purpose of giving a vibratory motion to the flat knives or cutters, substan-
tially as set forth.
8. The employment of the screw bearing device for giving an endwise or longi-
tudinal movement to the rocking shaft, substantially as set forth.
9. The improved forms of revolving barrel or perch roller, as and for the purposes
herein set forth.
10. In a hide or skin dressing machine the means whereby rotation is imparted to
the perch rollers, substantially as herein specified.
11. The improved construction of stoning or emery roller, with its' anti-friction
bearings, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
12. In a hide or skin dressing or finishing machine the means whereby the tension
bar may be adjusted, substantially as set forth.
13. The improved device by means of which the barrel or perch roller is rotated
whether at its high or low position, substantially as specified.
14. The improved form of rotary cutter box, having a glass top, and a gauge to
which the cutter blades may be sharpened and set, and being mounted free to slide
along a revolving shaft, substantially as and for the purposes specified.
15. The improved device for sharpening and setting the knives and cutters,
substantially as specified.

page_text: 16. The combination of the various devices set forth in the drawings and described,
and constituting an improved machine for dressing and finishing hides or skins,
substantially as specified.
Dated this 3rd day of January 1891.
WILLIAM ROBERT PULLMAN.
HARRY SMITH.
Chas. F. Hayes,
30, Manbey Grove, Stratford, Essex, Agent for Applicants.