IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND ROUNDING BOOT AND SHOS SOLES OF LEATHER AND OTHER ANALOGOUS SUBSTANCES
Year: 1865

page_text: PROVISIONALSPECIFICATION left by Nathaniel Henry Felt at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th November
1865. A communication from abroad by John Gillingham Felt, of
Salem, in the State of Massachusetts, one of the United States of
America.
I, NATHANIEL HENRY FELT, of Salem, in the State of Massachusetts, one
of the United States of America, but at present residing in Liverpool, in the
County of Lancaster, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CUTTING AND ROUNDING BOOT AND SHOS SOLES
OF LEATHER AND OTHER ANALOGOUS SUBSTANCES," to be as follows (that is
say):
This Invention consists in certain new improvements in "rounding
machines," reference being had to the annexed Drawings, and letters and
figures marked thereon, of which Figure 1 is a top view; Figure 2 a side
elevation; Figure 3 an edge view of the sliding carriages howing the appen-
dages to its under side. Like parts are indicated by the same letters in all
the Drawings.
The said Invention consists,-
First, in the use of a stationary pattern in combination or connexion with
a travelling cutter.

page_text: Secondly, in combining a yielding cutter with a travelling carriage for
rounding, paring, or cutting out leather and analogous substances to a
pattern, which may be stationary.
Thirdly, in so constructing and arranging the travelling cutter, that its
cutting edge shall substantially correspond with the centre of motion of its 5
shank.
Fourthly, in so forming and arranging the travelling cutter, that while in
operation its edge shall be turned and presented at all times, so as to cut the
material in a line substantially parallel to or in the same plane with the edge
of the pattern.
Fifthly, in so arranging the travelling knife that it may be adjusted to cut
the edge of the leather to any required angle or bevel.
Sixthly, in the combination of a spring with the travelling cutter, for tho
purpose of keeping the latter up to the pattern, and-,
Seventbly, in so constructing the pattern and clamp that one or both of
them may be turned for the purpose of cutting from the strip (heel and toe
alternately) when the pattern is of such a form as to make it desirable.
To enable others skilled in the art to make and use the said Invention I
will now proceed to describe its construction and operation.
A, is a cast-iron table, or stand, provided with legs B. The top of the
table A is flat, and furnished with tracks, or ways C, D, and E, (Figure 1)
raised about one-eighth of an inch above the general surface, and planed or
smoothed so that the frame which carries the rounding knife may slido easily
over them. a¹ is a groove through the top of the table between the track E,
and the form or plate 6' the edge of which is parallel with the track E, and
the surface of which is flush with the same; the form b¹ resting on starts
from a cross bar below the table and held in position by means of the
screws G, G. H is a start projecting from and above the plate 6'; I is a
removeable pattern or guide of the exact contour of the shoe sole, or other
article to be pared or rounded, and against the edge of which the cutter is
pressed. O is a vertical shaft passing through the plate 6 and start H,
its upper end entering a hole in the centre of the pattern I, while its lower
end is provided with a pinion Q; R is a sliding bolt provided with a rack
(as shown by dotted lines in Figure 1), which engages with the cogs of
pinion Q. By sliding out or in this bolt R it is obvious that the shaft O
and the pattern I which rests upon it can be turned, when it is required to
cut the heel and toe alternately. P is a spiral spring, by means of which
the pattern I when not pressed upon from above is lifted up, so as to be free to
turn. d, d', are pins fast in the starts F, F, and projecting up into the holes

page_text: in the pattern I, whereby the latter is held in place; J is the clamp, the
contour of which corresponds with that of the pattern I, the latter, however,
projects slightly beyond the clamp as shown in the Drawings (Figures 1 and
2). The bottom of the clamp (as shown in Figure 2) has around its edge a
row of conical points, the design of which is to press into the material to be
cut or rounded, and prevent the same from slipping. K is a shaft passing
through the centre of the bar S, which rests on the studs T, T, the lower end
of the said shaft entering a hole in the centre of the clamp J, whereby the
latter is raised and turned. The upper end of the shaft K is slotted so as to
receive the lever L, which turns on the fulcrum g'; M, M, are little studs
provided with projecting heads or shoulders, by means of which the lever L
and its appendages are kept down as represented in Figure 2. One arm of the
lever passing under the shoulder of one stud, and a spur from the opposite
arm passing under the shoulder of the stud. U is a chain belt of the ordinary
construction, which passes around the spur pulleys V, V, under the table and
approximately parallel with the groove a' (as represented in Figures 1 and 2).
One of the spur pulleys turns on an axle X fast to a cross piece under the
table, and the other is fast to the top of the shaft W, which also turns in
suitable bearings in a cross piece under the table. Y is a bevel pinion
attached to the lower end of the shaft W; Z is a smaller bevelled pinion fast
to the shaft a', and engaging with the pinion Y; is a crank, and ca handle,
by turning which the chain belt U and its appendages are made to move; d is
the travelling carriage, the shaft of which is shown in Figures 1 and 2, the
under side being smooth and resting on the raised tracks C, D, E. The
inner point of this carriage extends a little beyond the groove a', and it is
provided on its under side with two pins or friction rollers X, X (see Figure
3), which travels in the groove a', thereby guiding the said carriage and
keeping it at right angles to the said groove. Between the said friction
rollers is a pin u projecting downwards through the groove a¹ into a link h¹,
which is attached to the chain U by means of the pivot t, whereby the carriage
will be drawn along around the pattern I by the chain. E is a plate (the
shape of which is shown in Figure 1) which slides on suitable ways on the top
of the sides of the carriage d; m, m, being cleats to keep the plate E. in
place. The sliding plate E is pressed towards the pattern I by means of
the spring n (the shape and position of which are shown in Figure 1), the
said spring being held in place by the set screw o. The free end of this
spring bears against a nib on one end of the lever P, which is attached to the
bottom of the plate by means of the pivot q, more or less tension may be
given to the spring n by moving the lever P, which is held in place, at its

page_text: outer end by the pin r, the latter being inserted in any one of the holes (shown
in Figure 1) on the outer edge of the plate E. t, is a sliding pin held in
place by means of the hasp f, which enters an annular groove in the same,
the object of the said pin being to hold the free end of the spring n, when
pushed in behind it for more conveniently inserting or arranging the rounding
knife. s is a lever, one end of which is pivotted to one of the cleats m, the
free end of the same extending beyond the opposite cleat; j' is a pin, pro-
jecting above the upper side of the plate E, the desire of the said pin being
to operate as a fulcrum for the lever s, by means of which the slide e and its
appendages may be moved back from the pattern I. Projecting from the
under side of the lever s is a short pin, which may be depressed so as to enter
one of the holes in the right hand cleat m (see Figure 1) by means of
which the slide E may be held back from the pattern I. f is a block fitted
into a corresponding slot in the end of the slide E, and confined by the pin g
on which it can be turned, so as to give any required inclination to the round-
ing knife j. h is a set screw the inner end of which rests against the block f,
and prevents it from turning; j is the rounding knife the shank, i, of which
is round and turus freely in its bearings on the end of the block f. The edge
of the knife is intended to be opposite the centre of the round shank i, so that
it may always touch the pattern I. The side of the shank i which bears on
the edge of the pattern I turning and guiding the knife j is slightly concave
so as to always touch the pattern, without rocking on it. k is an arm attached
to the bottom of the shank i of the cutter, and is a rubber or other suitable
spring the action of which arm and spring is to draw the edge of the knife
from the edge of the pattern I, when not forced up by the action of the
spring n. From the above description it is obvious that a strip of leather
or other analogous substance placed upon the pattern I, and confined by the
clamp J will be cut or rounded to the exact contour of the pattern, and at
any required bevel. The Invention is designed more particularly for "round-
ing" boot and shoe soles, all sizes and styles of which may be rounded with
the same machine, by the employment of patterns I of the size and style
required, the spring n in all cases pressing the rounding knife close to the
pattern. When required to cut heel and toe alternately from a large strip
for the purpose of saving stock the pattern I and clamp J may be turned as
described above.