Improvements in Rotary Trimming Machines, chiefly designed for Trimming the Soles of Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Cate of Application, 26th May, 1896-4ccepted, 11th July, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rotary Trimming Machines, chiefly designed for
Trimming the Soles of Boots and Shoes.
I, AMBROSE STEVENS VOSE, of 13 High Street, Boston, Massachusetts,
United States of America, Mechanic, 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:-
This invention relates to rotary trimming machines and is herein shown as
embodied in a machine for trimming the edges of the soles of boots and shoes, to
which purpose this invention is particularly well adapted, as will be described.
This invention has for one of its objects to provide a machine with which the
edges of the soles of boots and shoes may be trimmed in a more efficient and
uniform manner as will be described.
The invention further has for its object to provide a machine capable of trimming
in the proper or desired manner, soles of varying thickness, whereby the capacity
of the machine for handling the work is greatly increased.
In accordance with this invention, the machine is provided with an automatically
adjustable sleeve provided with a rest or guard against which the sole of the boot
or shoe rests or bears while being trimmed, the said guard being provided with
axially disposed slots for the reception of cutting lips on the knives or blades, and
automatically following the contour or shape of the sole, thereby uncovering the
trimming or cutting knives to correspond to the thickness of the sole, and
consequently obtaining a more uniform and finished trimming of the edge of the
said sole.
In accordance with the second feature of this invention, the machine is provided
with a novel construction of head or wheel carrying the cutters or knives, whereby
a single head may be employed with knives having cutting edges of various sizes or
widths, and the said head or wheel co-operates with the automatically adjustable
guard in such manner, as will enable the knives of varying sizes to perform their
work uniformly and to the same degree of excellence, as will be described.
These and other features of this invention will be pointed out in the claim at
the end of this specification.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an edge trimming machine embodying this
invention.
Fig. 2, a detail on an enlarged scale of the right hand portion of the machine
shown in Fig. 1, with parts in section.
Fig. 3, an end elevation of the rotary cutter shown in Fig. 1, removed from its
shaft.
Fig. 4, a section of Fig. 3 on the line 4-4, and
Fig. 5, a sectional detail on an enlarged scale showing the cutter head as
provided with a wider knife than that shown in Fig. 2, and with the sleeve moved
back so as to uncover the said knife.
Referring to Fig. 1, A represents the main shaft supported in a suitable frame-
work A 1, which may be of any usual or suitable construction, the main shaft
being preferably provided with oppositely extended tapering journals, as shown in
British Patent No. 8084 dated April 23, 1895.
The main shaft A, as herein shown, is provided at one end with a cylindrical
extension a, and with a smaller conical or tapering projection a 1, upon which is

page_text: fitted the tapering hub a 2 of the rotary cutter head or wheel A. 2 of a construction
as will be described.
The head A 2 consists of an annular body portion or wheel a 3 provided with a
plurality of inclined slots a 4 (see Fig. 3), and with concaved or substantially
transverse cavities a 5 forming enlargements for the inclined slots a 4, the said slots
receiving within them knives, blades, or cutters a 6 provided at their opposite sides
with cutting lips 2-3 having inclined edges and with an intermediate convexed
cutting edge 4. The inclined slots a 4 extend entirely through or across the body
portion a 3, and are closed at oue side by a ring a 7 fitted over an extension 5 of
the hub a 2, the said ring being secured to the body a 3 by screws, not shown, or in
any other suitable manner. The slots a 4, on the opposite side of the head a 3
,are partially covered by a ring a 8 fitted over an extension 6 of the hub a 2, and
provided with radial. slots a 9 into which are extended laterally projecting pins or
studs a 10 secured to or forming part of the knives a 6. The ring a 8 constitutes.
an adjusting device by which the knives a 6 may be automatically moved into and
out of their slots, so as to adjust their cutting edges with relation to the periphery
of the body a 3.
The body a 3, in accordance with this invention, has its periphery reduced in
diameter from the rear side toward the front side, preferably substantially one-half
its width, so as to form an annular shoulder 12 and a raised curved surface 13,
which latter in practice constitutes the-bed for the rotary cutter, upon which the
edge of the sole rests while it is being trimmed, the reduced portion 14 of the said
bead being so made, for a purpose as will be described. The body a 3 is preferably
made on the opposite side of the raised bed 13 of substantially the same diameter
as the portion 14, so as to form a substantially narrow annular ledge 15 for å
purpose as will be described.
The ring a 7 is made of a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the
head through its reduced portion 14, so that the periphery of the ring a 7 will be
substantially flush with the reduced portion 14, and the said ring is provided with
concavities a 12 forming continuations of the concavities a 5. The extension 6 of
the hub a 2 is screw-threaded on. its interior and is adapted to receive a screw-
threaded nut a 13 provided with a flange a 14 overlapping the adjusting ring a 8,
and adapted to hold the said ring stationary, when the nut a 13 is set up.
The ring a 7 has its concavity a 12 made of substantially the same size as the
concavity a 5, but a little smaller than the concavity a 5, so that when the ring a7
is secured to the body a 3, one wall of the concavity a 12. registers with one wall
of the concavity a 5, while the opposite wall of the concavity a 12 will be out of
line with the corresponding wall of the concavity a 5 and will engage the knifè
and form a side support for its upper end, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.
The rotary cutter or trimmer shown in Figs. 3 and 4 has co-operating with it a
shield or guard b, which protects the upper of the shoe from contact with the
cutting point of the lip 2 of the knife, the said guard or shield and the cutter
head being secured to the tapering projection a 1 of the shaft by a screw b1 or in
'any other suitable manner.
By constructing the cutter head with a periphery of two diameters as represented
in Fig. 4, I am enabled to use on the same head, cutting knives provided at their
opposite sides with lips 2, 3, and having intermediate convexed cutting edges 4 of
varying widths or sizes, for, by reason of such construction of head, I am enabled
to employ an automatically adjustable guard which protects the sole of the shoe
from the cutting lip 3 of the knife, as will be described.
The automatically adjustable guard may and preferably will be made as herein
shown, it consisting of a sleeve 62 adapted to be loosely mounted upon the
cylindrical extension a of the shaft and' recessed at its rear portion as at 63, the
said recess being provided with screw-threads 64, which are. engaged by an
externally threaded sleeve 65 forming practically an adjustable extension of the
sleeve 2, the inner diameter of the extension 65 being substantially the same as
'that of the sleeve 62. The sleeve 62 is provided with an annular radial flange 66,

page_text: which, may for sake of lightness and the passage of chips, be cut out or provided
with suitable openings 67. The radial flange 66 has secured to or forming part of
it a cylindrical extension or axially disposed flange 68, provided with an outwardly
beveled or inclined edge or face 69 preferably corresponding in pitch to the pitch
or bevel of the cutting lip 3 of the knife. The axially disposed flange b 8 has its
inner diameter of substantially the same size as the external diameter of the
reduced portion 14 of the head, so that the said cylindrical flange b8 may fit
substantially snug upon the reduced portion 14 of the cutter, and yet be free to
move axially thereon, the said flange constituting a rest or guard for the sole of
the shoe.
The cylindrical flange 68 is provided with inclined slots 610 shown best in
Fig. 1, and into which extend the cutting lips 3 of the knives, the said cutting'
lips being covered by the said guard when the latter is in what may be termed its
normal position shown in Fig. 1.
The diameter of the sleeve 62 and its extension 65 is substantially the same as
the diameter of the shaft, so that, the said sleeve and extension fit closely upon the
shaft so as to obtain a long bearing for the guard or rest, and prevent oscillation
or tipping of the said guard, which, if permitted, night cramp or bind the guard
on its shaft and consequently prevent free longitudinal movement thereon and
proper trimming of the sole.
It will be understood, that while the sleeve and its extension are fitted closely
or snugly on the shaft to avoid tipping of the guard, the said fit is not so close as
to interfere with the automatic adjustment of the said sleeve and extension on the
shaft longitudinally.
By making the cutter head of two diameters and employing in conjunction
therewith an automatically adjustable guard, which embraces the reduced portion
of the head and moves axially, thereon, knives with cutting edges of varying widths.
may be used on the same head.
By reference to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the convexed cutting edge 4
of the knife is of substantially the same width as the convexed bed 13 of the
cutter head, whereas in Fig. 5, the convexed cutting edge 4 of the knife is much
wider than the bed 13.
!
When the edge of the sole being trimmed is what may be termed narrow, the
cutting lip 3 of the knife is kept sufficiently covered by the automatically adjustable
guard 68, to prevent the edge of the sole being acted upon by its point, and the.
cutting edge 4 of the narrow knife performs its work in the proper manner, the
cutting lip 3 of the knife in practice being sufficiently uncovered so as to trim off.
or bevel the outer corner of the edge of the sole.
If the sole is of irregular thickness, the wider parts of the edge of the sole force
back the guard 68 and uncover more of the cutting lip 3, which latter trims off
or bevels more of the outer corner of the edge of the sole. The face 69 of the
guard 68 is kept in engagement with the outer surface of the sole by the spring c,
which encircles the sleeve 62 and its adjustable extension b5 and abuts against
the bearing for the shaft a.
If the sole to be trimmed is of considerable thickness, the substantially narrow
knives may be removed from the cutter head, and wider knives substituted therefor,"
that is, knives having a wide cutting edge 4 as represented in Fig. 5.
When a narrow knife is used, the guard 68 in its normal position, substantially
covering the cutting lips 3 of the knives, may abut against the shoulder 12 on the
periphery of the head, which shoulder in this case, forms a stop for what may be
termed the forward or outward movement of the guard-carrying sleeve b 2, but:
when wider knives are used on the cutter head, it is desirable that the guard-'
carrying sleeve 62 should be limited in its forward or outward movement before
it reaches the shoulder 12, so that the cutting edge 4 of the wide knife may be
kept uncovered its entire width in the normal position of the guard.
To effect this result, an adjustable stop for the guard-carrying sleeve is.
provided. This adjustable stop may and preferably will be made as a screw-

page_text: threaded rod e3 extended through the radial flange 66 and adapted to engage the
cutter head.
The narrow bed 13 of the cutter head permits wide and narrow knives to be
used on the same cutter head, which is prohibited. in a cutter head in which the
bed or surface upon which the edge of the shoe rests, is made as wide as the said
head, for by reference to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that if the bed 13 is made
as wide as the head and a narrow knife is employed, the point of the cutting lip 3
of the narrow knife would not be covered by the guard, and would in the case a
thick sole edge was being trimmed, cut into the edge itself. In other words,
when the bed 13 of the cutter head is made wide, only one size of knife can be
used with the said head, whereas by making the bed 13 narrow, as herein shown
and described, and making the remaining portion of the cutter head of reduced
diameter so that it may have fitted over it, a guard to cover the cutting lip 3 of
the knife, knives of various sizes may be used on a single cutter head, with the
same efficiency.
In the present instance, the actuating ring a8 is turned by means of a rod d
extended through a hole in the cutter head and through the ring a 7, the said rod
having at one end an enlargement or head dl from which extends an eccentrically
mounted pin d2, which passes into one of the slots in the ring a 8, and in order to
enable the rod d to be easily reached by a wrench or other tool, the sleeve 2 is
provided with a slot or opening d 3 (see Figs. 1 and 2) which extends through the
radial flange & 6.
The guard b B in its movements in opposite directions may be guided by means
of a stud or key, not shown, but which is attached to the sleeve b 2 and enters a
suitable longitudinal slot in the shaft a.
The automatically adjustable guard 8 possesses the additional function of
keeping the inner or stitched side of the sole pressed against the shield or guard b,
which ensures a uniform turning down to the stitch on the inner side of the sole,
by the inclined edge of the lips 2 of the knives or cutters.
The forward movement of the automatically adjustable guard is limited, as
above described, by the cutter head, and its rearward movement is limited,
in the present instance, by the extension 65 engaging the framework of the
machine.
In order that the range of movement of the guard from its outward limit to
its rearward limit may be maintained uniform, that is, the same whether a wide
knife or a narrow knife is used on the cutter head, the extension 5 is provided,
which is capable of being adjusted into and out of the recess 63 in the sleeve b2,
and in this manner, when a narrow knife is used, the extension 65 may be moved
out of the threaded recess 63, whereas when a wide knife is employed, the said
extension 5 will be moved into the said threaded recess.
By means of the narrow annular ledge 15 on the cutter head on the opposite
side of the raised bed 13 from the reduced portion 14, the shield 6 is held locked
in its operative position against radial movement with relation to the cutter head
by the engagement with said ledge of the annular flange 62 on the inner surface
of the shield as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, so that, when the shield is secured to the
shait by the screw b 1, all danger of the shield moving out of a true central position
with relation to the cutter head, is avoided, and consequently all danger of some
of the lips 2 being uncovered more than others is also avoided, and also the
irregular running of the cutter due to the shield bearing in the crease of the
shoe, which irregularity would be produced by such lateral position of the shield,
is avoided.
and
It will thus be seen that the lips 2 on one side of the bed 13 and the lips 3 on
the other side of the said bed, are uncovered uniformly by the shield
guard 68, and therefore, the work or trimming performed is uniform and finished.
The adjustable stop e 3 may and preferably will be provided with a head 50
constituting a handle or thumb piece, and in order to avoid possible movement of
the stop from its adjusted position by the rotation of the guard, a lock for the

page_text: rod 3 is provided, the said lock being shown as a check nut 51, (see Figs. 2
and 5).
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A rotary trimming machine comprising a rotary shaft, a cutter head or wheel
carried thereby to rotate therewith and provided with a periphery of different
diameters to form a bed narrower than the width of the cutter head, cutters or
knives carried by said head and co-operating with said bed, and a guard longitu
dinally movable on the said shaft and embracing or fitted over the portion of the
periphery of smaller diameter, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. A rotary trimming machine comprising a rotary shaft, a cutter head or wheel
carried thereby to rotate therewith and having its periphery reduced in diameter
from one side toward the opposite side for a portion of its width to form a narrow
hed 13, and the reduced portion 14, knives or cutters carried by said head and
co-operating with the said bed, and an automatically adjustable guard fitted over
the reduced portion 14 of the cutter head, substantially as and for the purpose
specified.
3. A rotary trimming machine comprising a cutter head or wheel having its
periphery reduced in diameter from one side toward the opposite side for a portion
of the width of the cutter head or wheel to form a narrow bed 13, slots or openings
in said wheel extended across the periphery of the same and interrupting the
continuity of the bed 13, cutters or knives in said slots having inclined cutting
lips 2, 3, and an intermediate convexed cutting edge 4 co-operating with the bed 13;
and means to secure the said knives to the said head or wheel, substantially as
described.
4. A rotary trimming machine comprising a cutter head or wheel having its
periphery reduced in diameter from one side toward the opposite side for a portion
of the width of the cutter head or wheel to form a narrow bed 13, inclined slots
or openings in the said wheel extended across the periphery of the same and
interrupting the continuity of the said bed 13, transverse concavities a 5 made in
the periphery of the wheel in both the bed 13 and the portion of reduced diameter
and communicating with the said inclined slots, knives or cutters inserted in said
inclined slots, a ring a 7 fastened to the side of the head or wheel of reduced
diameter and provided with concavities a 12 forming a continuation of the con-
cavities a 5 but of smaller diameter, whereby one wall of the concavities a 12
laps by and forms a side support for the knives or cutters, and means to
adjustably secure the knives or cutters to said head or wheel, substantially as
described.
5. A rotary trimming machine comprising a rotary shaft, a cutter head or wheel
carried thereby to rotate therewith and provided with a periphery of different
diameters to form a bed narrower than the width of the cutter head, knives or
cutters carried by said head and provided with lips 2, 3 and the cutting edge 4
co-operating with said bed, an automatically operated axially slotted guard
movable in opposite directions on the said shaft, and a stop to limit its movement
toward the cutter head, substantially as described.
6. A rotary trimming machine comprising a rotary shaft, a cutter head or wheel
carried thereby to rotate therewith and provided with a periphery of different
diameters to form a bed narrower than the width of the cutter head, knives or
cutters carried by said head and co-operating with said bed, an automatically
operated guard movable in opposite directions on the said shaft, and an adjustable
stop carried by the guard and co-operating with the said head, substantially as and
for the purpose specified.
7. A rotary trimming machine comprising a rotary shaft, a cutter head or wheel
carried thereby to rotate therewith and provided with a periphery of different
diameters to form a bed narrower than the width of the cutter head, knives or

page_text: cutters carried by said head and provided with lips 2, 3, and cutting edge 4 co-
operating with said bed, an automatically adjustable guard consisting of the sleeve b
provided with the radial flange b 6 and the axially extended annular flange 68 fitting
over and embracing the reduced portion of the periphery of the cutter head and
provided with axial slots 610 for the reception of the lips 3, and a spring
normally keeping the guard forward toward the narrow bed but adapted to yield
and permit the said guard to move away from the said bed, substantially as
described.
. 8. A rotary trimming machine comprising a rotary shaft, a cutter head or wheel
carried thereby to rotate therewith and provided with a periphery of different
diameters to form a bed narrower than the width of the cutter head, cutters or
knives carried by said head and co-operating with said bed, and a sleeve provided
with a guard and with an adjustable extension loose on said shaft to move axially
thereon, and a spring encircling said sleeve and normally forcing the said sleeve
toward the cutter head, substantially as described.
9. A rotary trimming machine comprising a rotary shaft, a cutter head carried
thereby and provided with knives or cutters, and a sleeve loosely mounted on the
said shaft to move axially thereon and provided with a guard for the said knives,
a second sleeve loosely mounted on the said shaft and adjustably connected to
the guard carrying sleeve to form an adjustable extension thereof, a spring to
move the said sleeves in one direction, and stops to limit the simultaneous
movement of the said sleeves in opposite directions, substantially as described.
10. A rotary trimming machine comprising a rotary shaft, a cutter head or wheel
carried thereby to rotate therewith and provided with a periphery of different
diameters comprising the reduced portion 14, the raised bed 13 and the reduced
portion or ledge 15 on the opposite side of the bed 13 from the reduced portion 14,
cutters or knives carried by the said head and provided with lips 2, 3, and an
intermediate cutting edge 4, a guard fitted over the reduced portion 14 and
provided with slots for the reception of the lips 3, and a shield secured to the
shaft and provided with the flange b20 fitted over the annular ledge 15,
substantially as described.
11. A rotary trimming machine comprising a rotary shaft, a cutter head carried
thereby to rotate therewith and provided with a periphery of different diameters.
to form a smooth reduced portion 14, and a raised bed 13, knives or cutters carried
by said head and provided with the cutting lips 2, 3, and the intermediate cutting
edge 4 co-operating with the raised bed 13, and a sleeve loosely mounted on the
said shaft and provided with a guard embracing the reduced portion 14 and
provided with slots for the reception of the lips 3, and a spring to act on said
sleeve, substantially as described.
12. A rotary trimming machine comprising a rotary shaft, a cutter head carried
thereby and provided with knives or cutters, and a sleeve loosely mounted on the
said shaft to move axially thereon and provided with a guard for the said knives,
a second sleeve loosely mounted on the said shaft and adjustably connected to the
guard carrying sleeve to form an adjustable extension thereof, and a spring to move
the said sleeves in one direction, substantially as described.
Dated this 26th day of May 1896.
D. YOUNG & Co.,
11 & 12 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.