AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR BEAMING HIDES OR SKINS AS WELL AS FOR SCOURING AND SLEEKING LEATHER
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Patrick Lennox,. of Lynn, in the County of
Essex, and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, for
the Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR BEAMING HIDES OR SKINS
AS WELL AS FOR SCOURING AND SLEEKING LEATHER."
Sealed the 9th June 1868, and dated the 11th March 1868.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Patrick Lennox at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 11th March 1868, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, BE IT KNOWN that.
I, PATRICK LENNOX, of Lynn, in the County of Essex, and State of
Massachusetts, United States of America, have invented "AN IMPROVED
MACHINE FOR BEAMING HIDES OR SKINS' AS WELL AS FOR SCOURING AND SLEEKING-
LEATHER," and do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and
exact description thereof, due reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, making part of this Specification, and in which Figure 1
is a side view, Figure 2 a vertical and longitudinal section, Figure 3 a
front end view, and Figure 4 a plan of the said machine..

page_text: The operation of beaming skins as at present practised is well known,
the skins after undergoing the softening process being manipulated
upon a horizontal beam by means of a tool held in the hands of a
workman. This operation is very laborious and requires much time for
its accomplishment.
The object of this Invention is to produce a practical, simple, and
effective machine for performing this operation, and consists in the
employment of a sliding carriage properly suspended by suitable ways
and carrying a beaming or sleeking tool, the necessary reciprocating
movements being imparted to the carriage by the agency of a crank or
equivalent motor; the machine being further provided with a movable
car for supporting the skins and introducing them to the action of
the beaming tool. To enable others skilled in the craft to which my
Invention appertains to understand and use the Invention I will describe
its construction and operation.
As illustrated in the Drawings above referred to A denotes a sliding
carriage properly supported by guides or ways B, B, upheld by a proper
framework C, the necessary reciprocating rectilinear movements being
imparted to this carriage by the agency of a connecting rod D, one end
of which is pivoted to the carriage and the other to the wrist of a crank
applied to the side or making part of a fly wheel E duly supported by
posts F, F, rising upwards from the flooring G, forming part of the
machine, or of the apartment in which the machine may be situated,
the wheel being supported by a horizontal shaft a¹ revolving within the
posts. A perpendicular bar H is fixed to and depends from the sliding
carriage A and has a beaming tool I pivoted to its lower end, a spring
bar J being hinged to the rear side of this tool, and having its other
extremity fixed to the rear extremity of the connecting rod D, as repre-
sented. This spring bar serves the purpose, during the forward movement
of the sleeking tool, to elevate it above the surface of the skin, and
during the rearward movement of the tool to press it down upon and
keep it in contact with the skin as the said tool is being drawn over it
by the action of the crank or fly wheel. The movable car for supporting
the skin is shown at K as composed of a flat rectangular tablet L upheld
by an upright post a which is supported within a truck M and so
as to revolve freely therein. The truck M is composed of a rectangular
frame 6 carrying four or any other suitable number of wheels c, c, c, c,
etc., and being further provided with a circular platform d surmounting

page_text: its truck frame and sustained in position by spiral springs e, e, etc.,
suitably applied, the object of these springs being to form an elastic
bed for the tablet L. For the purpose of reducing friction upon the
tablet L, I apply to the post a a series of radial arms f. f; f, etc., to
the outer ends of which I apply (and so as to revolve freely thereon)
a friction roller g, the disposition and arrangement of these arms and
rollers being such as to support the tablet upon the platform d and allow
it to revolve freely thereon. Two parallel rails h, h, are applied to the
flooring of the machine and in alignment with the carriage A which
they support and guide. Furthermore, the car K may be provided with
a brake to stop and maintain it in any desired position with respect to
the beaming tool, the device to accomplish this object, as shown in the
Drawings, being a catch bar i hinged to the front end of the car and
having a tooth formed upon its inner end or arm to take into a series of
notches j,j,j, formed in the central rail k applied to the floor of the
machine, and midway between the two rails h, h, as before mentioned.
The forward or outer arm of the catch bar i projects beyond the car
truck a sufficient distance to enable it to be readily grasped by the
attendant of the machine. In the operation of the above-described
machine the brake is removed from the rack bar and the car K run
forward beyond the sliding carriage A, and into a convenient position
to receive the skin to be manipulated, which, after being softened by
the usual process, is to be placed upon the top of the tablet or upon a
"bolster" made in the usual manner and applied to it, the skin being
secured at about its middle to the tablet by any proper device, that
shown in the accompanying Drawings being a groove or channel cut
transversely across the tablet and towards its forward end, into which
a clamp bar m is inserted, thus securely fastening this part of the skin
to the tablet. The machine is intended to manipulate one half of the
skin at a time, and the object of securing the skin to the tablet in the
manner above described is to leave one half of it exposed to the action
of the beaming or sleeking tool. The car with the skin fixed upon it
in manner as described is to be run back into a position beneath the
sleeking tool to receive the proper actions of the tool, and there locked
in position by means of the brake. By the backward and forward move-
ments of the carriage A the beaming tool I will press upon the skin
from its centre outwards, the tablet L being revolved about under and
during the action of the tool I in order to subject all parts of it to its
action.
When the skin may have been thoroughly manipulated the

page_text: car is run forward, the skin reversed so as to expose its opposite half to
the action of the machine, after undergoing which it is removed and
a fresh skin substituted.
By the employment of the above-described machine a great amount
of time and manual labor is saved, the skins are reduced to a uniform
and even thickness, and the whole work performed in a more perfect
and thorough manner. Other advantages incident to its use will manifest
themselves to persons conversant with the business. By the employment
of the movable car the skins may be applied to and removed from it,
and subjected to the action of the machine without stopping its move-
ments, a great advantage which would not accrue from the employment
of a fixed table. By the employment of the revolving tablet the necessary
movements of the skin are perfectly guided and controlled. I would
remark here that the joint between the perpendicular bar H and beaming
tool I should be such as to allow the latter to be turned upward in one
direction, but rigid or unyielding in the opposite direction, as shown
in Figure 2.
I claim the combination, with the sliding carriage and mechanism for
imparting a reciprocating motion to the same, of the hinged orp voted
beaming tool and spring, or equivalent mechanism for actuating the
same during the movements of the said carriage, in manner as herein
shown and specified.
Second. I claim the employment of the spring bar J for the purpose
of raising the tool I from off the skin during one movement of the
tool and pressing it down in contact with the skin during the opposite
movement of it, essentially in manner as set forth and explained.
Third. I claim in combination with the above-described arrangement
of parts the movable car K, in manner and to operate as before
described.
Fourth. I also claim the peculiar construction of the car K as com-
posed of the truck frame b, circular platform d, revolving tablet L,
supported by the friction rollers g, g, etc., substantially as before
described.
Fifth. I also claim in combination with the car K the device for
locking it in position, consisting of the catch bar i, notched rail k, as
and for the purposes set forth.

page_text: I have made certain improvements in the above-described machine
which may be said to constitute the second portion of this Specification,
and are described as follows:-
Figure 1 is a side elevation; Figure 2 a vertical central and longitudinal
section of my Invention; Figure 3 is an inner end elevation, and
Figure 4 an under side view of the movable car, to be herein-after
referred to.
The first point of my improvement consists in a novel mode of
effecting the reciprocating rectilinear movements of the beaming tool
carrier, and of raising it above the surface of the operating bed or tablet
of the machine at the proper time.
Second. In a mode of supporting and effecting the vertical movements
of the operating tablet.
Third. In an elastic cushion or bed piece applied to the top of
the operating tablet in manner and for the purpose as herein-after-
explained.
By referring to the accompanying Drawings it will be seen that A
denotes a frame properly constructed for receiving and supporting a
horizontal shaft a upon the inner end of which a balance wheel 6 is
fixed, this wheel having a crank wrist pin c applied to its outer face.
The frame A has a long arm d extending horizontally from it, and toward
the remaining operative parts of the machine a sliding block or carriage e
sliding upon this arm and having jointed to its lower end the beaming
tool holder f, the sliding carriage e being connected to the wrist pin c
by a connecting rod g, and so that revolutions of the balance wheel 6
shall cause a reciprocating rectilinear movement of the sliding carriage e
and tool holder f, the latter being pivoted to one end of an eccentric
rod 7, the eccentric strap i of such rod encompassing a circular block j
fixed to the balance wheel and about the wrist pin c, the arrangement
of the eccentric block j with respect to the wrist pin being such that
upon a forward movement of the sliding carriage and tool holder the
beaming tool shall be raised above or from off the hide or its
supporting tablet, while upon a reverse or inward movement of such
carriage and tool holder the beaming tool shall be maintained in a rigid
and nearly upright position and brought forcibly in contact with the
hide or its tablet. In order to ensure the rising of the beaming tool
from above the hide as it approaches its extreme outer movement the
outer extremity of the horizontal arm d is inclined upward at a small

page_text: angle, as shown at a' in the Drawings. The movable car for supporting
the hide or side of leather is shown at k as comcomposed of a rectangular
or other proper-shaped tablet e' carrying upon its under side and partially
supported by a swivelling post which is upheld by a suitable truck M,
and so as to revolve freely therein. This truck frame M is composed of
a rectangular frame m carrying four or any other suitable number of
wheels c, c, c, etc., and being further provided with a circular platform n
surmounting it and sustained in position by spiral springs 0, 0, 0, 0,
suitably applied and confined, the object of these springs being to form
an elastic or yielding foundation for the tablet e¹. For the purpose of
reducing friction upon the tablet e¹ I apply to its under side, and so as to
rest and roll upon the top surface of the platform n, four or any other
suitable number of castors or rollers p, p, etc. Two parallel rails q, q,
are applied to the flooring of the machine and in alignment with the
movements of the beaming tool, and serve to support and guide the
movements of the movable car k.
My improvement upon the movable car consists in combining the
platform n with the truck frame in such manner as to be enabled to
elevate or depress the forward or inner end of such platform and
supporting tablet in order to more readily introduce the hide to the
action of the beaming tool. In carrying out this portion of my present
Invention I support the inner end of the platform n upon a cross frame o
which extends across the truck frame and between its side rails, as
shown in the Drawings, and I support this cross frame in turn upon the
inner and shorter arm of a lever or treadle p extending along underneath
the truck frame and centrally thereof, and pivoted to a bracket q
depending from the under side of the truck frame, the outer and longer
arm of the lever p extending in advance of the truck frame and into
a position to enable the workman to easily place his foot upon it. After
the hide has been secured to the tablet and the car run forward under
the beaming tool the workman is to place his foot upon the treadle and
depress it, this will elevate the cross frame o and by so doing will also
elevate the inner end of the tablet e¹ and bring it and the hide up to
and in contact with the beaming tool. Were it not for this vertical
adjustment of the tablet much inconvenience would ensue in running
the movable car back and forth beneath the beaming tool, this incon-
venience in fact having manifested itself in the practical use of the
machine described.

page_text: The third portion of my Invention in the order herein-before enume-
rated consists in the application of an elastic apron or cushion & applied
to the upper surface of the operating part of the revolving tablet e¹, as
shown in the Drawings, the apron in this instance being composed of
vulcanized india-rubber. The object of this india-rubber apron is to
prevent the slipping about of the hide upon the tablet and to cause it
to adhere thereto under the action of the beaming tool. I would remark
that in place of the wheels and axles as a means of moving the car k
I have contemplated the employment of sliding ways or guides applied
to the car to slide upon the rails q, q.
First. I claim in a machine for beaming hides or sleeking and dressing
leather actuating the movements of the working tool by means of the
connecting rod g, eccentric rod h, the former being pivoted at one end
to the sliding carriage and the latter to the beaming tool carrier, and
both being connected with the balance by the means above described,
the whole.being arranged and operating as before described.
Second. I claim the application of the elastic apron to the revolving
tablet, in manner and for the purpose as herein-before explained.
Third. claim applying the revolving tablet to the car truck frame in
such manner as to be enabled to adjust its vertical positions essentially
as herein shown and described.
Fourth. I claim the means for accomplishing this vertical adjustment
of the revolving tablet, the same consisting of the cross frame o and
treadle p combined and arranged and operating as before explained.
Fifth. I claim the inclinations of the outer end of the horizontal
beam or guide for elevating the beaming tool, substantially as before
explained.
Sixth. I claim the machine first described as a whole, or in part, or
any alterations or improvements made at any time thereon.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this
10th Tahminmy 1968