IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Magill, of the City of Manchester, in the County
«
of Lancaster, Engineer, for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING
MACHINES."
Sealed the 24th October 1879, and dated the 7th July 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Magill at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th July 1879.
JOHN MAGILL, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."
My Invention relates to an improved combination and arrangement of mechanism,
and consists in a cylindrical shuttle which is closed at one end.
The axis of this shuttle when working is by preference in a vertical position, and
it is made to rotate in a cylindrical shuttle race, at the bottom of which there is a
disc on the end of a short shaft in suitable bearings.
This disc has a projection in it that enters a notch in the end of the shuttle
which is thus rotated with the disc, but the pin in the disc is bevelled to allow the
needle thread to pass under the shuttle.
On the exterior of the cylindrical shuttle a hook or notch is formed, which hook
as the shuttle rotates catches the loop of the needle thread and carries it round
with the shuttle, but the loop slips off the hook when the shuttle has rotated
rather more than half round, and the slack thread is drawn up by the needle.
The shuttle thread is upon a spool which can rotate on a pin in the axis of the
shuttle, and the end of the spool is level with the open end of the shuttle.
The shuttle is caused to make two revolutions to each up and down stroke of the
needle, and is timed so that the hook of the shuttle will catch the top of the needle
thread when down at its lowest position, and then before the hook comes round
again the needle will have ascended so far that the hook will not catch the
thread.
By this arrangement the shuttle passes quickly through the loop of the needle
thread, which can thus be drawn up sooner, and consequently a greater speed can be
attained, while the shuttle thread is kept at a uniform tension as the rotation of the
shuttle puts a drag on the shuttle thread.
The shuttle thread is or may be rotated by bevel wheels, or by spur wheel and
bevel wheels, or other convenient arrangement. The shuttle mechanism above

page_text: described is or may be combined with ordinary needle driving and feed mechanism,
but I prefer to combine, and my Invention consists in combining it, with the
mechanism described below.
The shuttle mechanism is placed under the cloth plate of the machine, and is
driven by a shaft in suitable bearings under the cloth plate, which shaft also works
the feed motion which.is_or_may_be_similar to ordinary feed motions. On the
outside end of the shaft (which-is-the-driving shaft) there is an excentric which
works a rod that-is-jointed with an arm on the end of a shaft in bearings above the
table, and at the other end this shaft has another arm which has jointed to it a rod
that is also jointed-to-the needle-slide. The arm-on-the-oscillating-shaft is arranged
so that when oscillated in its vertical position the needle slide will be at its lowest,
and the arm is caused to move a little past the vertical position to give the lift
to form the loop for the shuttle in the needle tliread, and then make-the back
oscillation.
My Invention also consists in combining the shuttle mechanism herein described
with ordinary mechanism used for shoe making and mending. In this case the
shuttle driver is or may be rotated by spur and bevel wheels combined, or other
suitable mechanism.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Magill in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 30th December
1879.
"
JOHN MAGILL, of the City of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer.
*IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES."
My Invention relates to an improved combination and arrangement of mechanism,
and consists in a cylindrical shuttle which is closed at one end.
The axis of this shuttle when working is by preference in a vertical position, and
it is made to rotate in a cylindrical shuttle race, at the bottom of which there is a
disc on the end of a short shaft in suitable bearings.
This disc has a projection in it that enters a notch in the end of the shuttle,
which is thus rotated with the disc, but the pin in the disc is bevelled to allow the
needle thread to pass under the shuttle.
On the exterior of the cylindrical shuttle a hook or notch is formed (by cutting
away a portion of the surface of the cylinder), which hook as the shuttle rotates
catches the loop of the needle thread and carries it round with the shuttle, but the
loop slips off the hook when the shuttle has rotated rather more than half round,
and the slack thread is drawn up by the needle.
The shuttle thread is upon a spool which can rotate on a pin in the axis of the
shuttle, and the end of the spool is level with the open end of the shuttle.
The shuttle is caused to make two revolutions to each entire or completed up and
down stroke of the needle, and is timed so that the hook of the shuttle will catch
the loop of the needle thread when down at its lowest position, and then before the
hook comes round again the needle will have ascended so far that the hook will not
catch the thread.
By this arrangement the shuttle passes quickly through the loop of the needle
thread, which can thus be drawn up sooner, and consequently a greater speed. can
be attained while the shuttle thread is kept at a uniform tension as the rotation of
the shuttle puts a drag on the shuttle thread.
The shuttle driver is or may be rotated by bevel wheels or by spur wheels and
bevel wheels or other convenient arrangement. The shuttle mechanism above
described is or may be combined with ordinary needle driving and feed mechanism,
but I prefer to combine, and my Invention consists in combining, it with the
mechanism described below.
.
The shuttle mechanism is placed under the cloth plate of the machine, and is
driven by a shaft in suitable bearings under the cloth plate, which shaft also works
the feed motion which is or may be similar to ordinary well known feed motions.
On the outside end of the shaft (which is the driving shaft) there is an excentric
which works a rod that is jointed with an arm on the end of a shaft in bearings
above the table, and at the other end this shaft has another arm which has jointed
to it a rod that is also jointed to the needle slide. The last named arm on the
oscillating shaft is arranged so that when oscillated to its vertical position the
needle slide will be at its lowest, and the arm is caused to move a little past
the vertical position to give the lift to form the loop for the shuttle in the needle
thread, and then make the back oscillation. By a modification the needle slide is
worked from the excentric by a combination of levers without a shaft.
Fig. 1 is a front elevation, and Fig. 2 a side elevation illustrating one modification
of my Invention.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of part of the cloth plate; and Figs, 4 to 10 are detached
views of the shuttle and part of the shuttle driver.
Fig, 11 is a side, and Fig. 12 a back end elevation of another modification of my
Invention.
a, Figs. 1 and 2, is the frame of the machine, to the underside of which a part (a¹)

page_text: is or may be cast or secured to form the shuttle race, and the bearing of the shuttle
driver.
b is the shuttle driver; it is formed by a disc with a stem or short shaft which
_can_rotate_freely in the part a!. This stem or short shaft has a bevel pinion b'
secured upon its lower end which gears with a bevel wheel c¹ twice the size of the
pinion on the end of a.shaft.c.having bearings in parts projecting from the under
side of the cloth plate. -Upon-the-outer-end of the shaft.c the driving pulley c³ and
fly or driving wheel c³ is attached,-which is or may be arranged to work loose so as
not to drive the sewing machine when winding thread for the shuttle spools, as is
well understood. There is also an excentric-d on-the--shaft c for actuating the
needle mechanism by an excentric rod d which is jointed with an arm or lever d³
secured upon the end of a shaft d³ having its bearings in projections from the
framing.
The front end of a shaft d³ has an arm secured to it which is jointed with a
rod d³ that is also jointed with a stud e¹ secured in the needle slide e. This slide (e)
can work up and down in the usual manner, but the stud e¹ has a bowl upon its
end that works in a vertical groove in the framing that resists the lateral pul or
strain of the connecting rod d. The arm d' is shown in Fig. 1 in its extreme
position to the right of a person looking at the Figure, in which position the arm d
has slightly lifted the needle slide e to give the slack thread, but as the arm d' is
moved to the left it pushes the needle slide e to its lowest position again, and then
draws it to its highest position, and then the arm & returns to the position shown
in Fig. 1 so that the needle slide (e) is made to descend to its lowest position, then
slightly ascend, and then descend again to its lowest position, and then ascend to its
highest position for each complete revolution of the crank or excentric.
The needle e2 is secured in the end of the slide e in a well known manner, and
descends into a hole through the cloth plate, and into a hole or groove in the side of
the shuttle race.
The shuttle driver b has a wedge shaped projection 62 upon its upper surface,
as shown in Figs. 9 and 10, which represent two views, one at a right angle to the
other.
This projection (62) on the shutlle driver freely enters an inclined slot 63 in the
lower or closed end of the shuttle shown in Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 8, of which Fig. 4 is a
section; Figs. 5 and 6 are outside elevations of the shuttle, one view taken at a
right angle to the other; and Fig. 8 is a view of the lower or closed end of the
shuttle.
Fig. 7 is a view of the open end of the shuttle.
The shuttle is curved and shaped as shown in the Figures so that the loop of the
needle thread will pass and slip over it freely, and it has a hook or undercut point b
formed upon it by cutting away a part of its cylindrical surface, which-hook catches
upon the loop of the needle thread and causes the loop as the shuttle revolves to
pass over it, and when rather more than half round the loop slips forward and the
-under-side-of-the-loop-passes-up-and-over_the_projection 62_of_the_shuttle_driver
which is then nearest the needle, and the slack thread is drawn up.
The inside of the shuttle has a pin b5 in it which forms the axis of the thread
spool 6º (shown in section in Fig. 2) which is made with a hollow barrel to fit the
pin, the upper end of the thread spool being slightly rounded.
The shuttle is not taken out of its race in ordinary working, but is prevented
from being lifted out by the edge of the cover plate f (see Fig. 3) which just comes
over but does not touch the edge of the shuttle in the position in which it is shown
and secured, but it leaves space when the sliding plate f (shown partly in dotted
line) is withdrawn to insert and withdraw the thread spool, a small hole being
formed in the head of the spool so that it may be readily taken out by a pin or
other pointed instrument.
The thread is wound upon the reel or spool so that in sewing the reel will rotate
as the thread is drawn off in the contrary direction to that in which the shuttle is
driven when working.

page_text: There is a slit in the needle plate f to allow the thread to be readily drawn (in
the line fx, Fig. 3) into the hole in the needle plate through which the needle
passes.
The shuttle makes two revolutions for each up and down stroke of the neodle,
but the point or hook b' on the shuttle can only take the loop of the needle thread
when the needle is at or near its lowest position, as when the shuttle comes round
again after taking the loop the needle is fully withdrawn.
The needle thread passes from the spool through the guide eye g, then to the
tension discs g', and from thence through the fixed eye g², then through the
adjustable eye g³ on the arm d, then through the fixed eye or curl g, then to that
on the upper end of the needle slide, then through the spring nippers of a friction
pad opened and closed by an incline on the needle slide which acts on a wire
projection from the spring of the pad, as is well understood, and the to the eye
of the needle.
The eye or wire g³ on the arm d' serves to slacken and tighten the needle thread
as required, and being adjustable in position by a screw a greater or less amount of
slack thread can be given as may be required,
The feed motion is of ordinary arrangement and is worked by a crank formed on
the shaft C, and the length of the feed is regulated by the handle i, as is well
understood.
The presser foot ; and slide ¹ are arranged in an ordinary and well known
manner.
For high speeds, say 1,500 to 2,000 stitches per minute, it is best to make
the needle slide e the arm d and connecting rod d as strong and as light as
possible.
Figs. 11 and 12 illustrate another modification of my Invention.,
So far as the shuttle mechanism is concerned the only difference between this and
the arrangement shown by Figs. 1 and 2 is in the wheels for rotating the shuttle
driver. The pinion in this case is formed upon or secured to the upper part of the
stem or short shaft.
The shuttle driver may be revolved in either direction, but the point of the
shuttle will have to point and advance in the direction of rotation, and the thread
upon the spool will have to be wound accordingly, that is, so as to rotate when
sewing in the contrary direction to the rotation of the shuttle, as hereinbefore
explained.
The neadle slide in the modification shown by Figs. 11 and 12 is actuated by a
lever same as in the known as the Willcox and Gibbs, except that there is
a bell crank lever and connecting rod arranged between the driving excentric and
the lever connected with the needle slide.
d is the excentric; d, the connecting rod attached at its upper end to one arm of
a bell crank lever k on a stud in a projection from the framing; the other arm of
the bell crank is jointed with a rod that connects it with the short arm of the
lever jointed withe the needle slide e. The movement thus imparted to the
needle slide is the same as that produced by the combination herein before described,
and illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2.
If desired a modification of the arrangement shown by Figs. 11 and 12 may be
combined with that shown by Figs.
and 2.
The shaft d in such a modification is arranged on one side so that the arm d'
will be horizontal at midstroke, aad the end of the arm d is brought close to the
needle slide e, and the two are connected by a short rod. A bell crank lever is
arranged on a stud in the framing at the back, and one arm of the bell crank is
connected with the excentric rod, while the other arm is connected by a rod with
the arm (d) on the back end of the shaft d³.
I have now particularly described the nature of my Invention, and the mode of
carrying the same into effect, and claim as my Invention.
Firstly. The combination with needle mechanism of a cylindrical shuttle rotating

page_text: on an axis parallel with the needle, substantially as herein before described and
illustrated by the Drawings.
Secondly. The combination with needle mechanism of a cylindrical shuttle
making two or more complete revolutions for each stitch or completed up and down
-stroke. of the needle, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the
Drawings.
Thirdly. The combination.and.arrangement of rotary shuttle, and arrangement of
mechanism for working the needle, substantially as hereinbefore described and
-illustrated-by-Figs. 1 to-10-of-the-Drawings.-
Fourthly. The combination and arrangement of rotary shuttle and mechanism for
working the needle, as hereinbefore described and illustrated by Figs. 11 and 12 of
the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Magill, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twenty fourth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.