IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPLITTING SKINS AND LEATHER
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Andress Safford, of Boston, Massachusetts, United
States of America, now. of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London, for the
Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SPLITTING SKINS AND
LEATHER."
Sealed the 20th July 1877, and dated the 25th May 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Andress Safford at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th May 1877.
JOSEPH ANDRESS SAFFORD, of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America,
now of No. 8, Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR SPLITTING SKINS AND LEATHER."
This Invention relates to that class of skin and leather splitting machines in
which the skin and leather to be split is fed against the edge of a fixed or stationary
knife, and more especially to the arrangement of the gauge, pressure, and feed rolls,.
and the means for adjusting and controlling the same.
The said Invention consists. in various novel features of construction and combi-:
nation of parts, comprising, first, the combination of a knife placed and secured in a
vertical position with its cutting edge uppermost, a gauge roll placed in front of the
said knife with its axis parallel to but a short distance above the level of the
edge of the said knife, and adapted to be adjusted toward or from the same; also a
pressure roll placed in the rear of the said knife with its axis in the same horizontal.
plane as the gauge roll, and adapted to be forced toward the knife by means of
springs to adapt it to the varying thicknesses of the leather; also a weighted:
pressure roll having its bearing in two radius arms or levers pivoted by their rear
ends to the frame of the machine, the said weighted roll being directly above the
knife, and bearing at its ends upon the gauge roll without coming in contact at any
point with the rear pressure roll, or springs may be used for this purpose instead of:
weights when desirable...
By this arrangement of the knife and the rolls the leather has to be fed into the
machine in a horizontal or nearly horizontal position, and passes partially around
the gauge roll and between it and the rear pressure roll, and is presented to the
Die 77
:

page_text: action of the knife while moving in a downward direction in a vertical or nearly
vertical plane.
This arrangement produces a very beneficial result, for the reason that the passage
of the leather around the curved periphery of the gauge roll, while it is held firmly
thereto by the two pressure rolls, tends to straighten or flatten the leather in the
direction of the length of the rolls, and smooth out any wrinkles that may exist in
the same.
The said Invention further comprises the use of a fixed or stationary plate, with
or without one or more ribs or corrugations upon its upper side placed in front of
the gauge roll, with the upper surface thereof slightly below the level of the top of
the said gauge roll; this plate is in combination with a roll placed just above and
resting on the said plate, and having its bearings in the upper ends of two rods,
which extend downwards therefrom nearly to the floor, and connect at their lower
ends with or rest upon treadle levers. By placing the foot upon the treadle the
said roll may be raised to place the leather beneath it, each of the said rods being
provided with a spring whose tension tends to force the said roll downward and
cause it to press forcibly upon the leather when the foot is removed from the
treadle.
The said Invention further comprises boxes in which the gauge roll has its
bearings upon the side towards the front of the machine, with oblique surface or
surfaces inclined to the axis of the roll, and in the same direction, in combination
with two wedges; the latter are located, one in the housing of each box, and in
contact with the inclined surface of the said box, and are connected by a tie rod or
bar in such a manner that they may be moved as one piece...
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It also comprises an adjusting screw having a bearing in a fixed or stationary
part of the machine, its thread working in a female thread formed in one of the
wedges. All of these parts are arranged in such a manner that by turning the said
screw both wedges will be moved at the same time, and will move both ends of the
gauge roll simultaneously and equal distances.
The said Invention further comprises the use in combination of the gauge roll boxes
having inclined sides, and the two wedges connected, and a screw for adjusting the
same with a pair of springs placed in recesses in the frame beneath the roll boxes,
and bearing against ears projecting downward from the gauge roll boxes. The
tension of said springs will serve to keep the inclined sides of the said boxes always
in contact with the adjusting wedges.
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The said Invention further comprises an arrangement of apparatus in which the
rear side of each of the sliding boxes, wherein the rear pressure roll has its bearings,
has attached to it by means of an axial pin, an adjusting bolt provided near. its
inner end with an adjustable collar in combination with a spring surrounding
said bolt..
This arrangement of parts also includes a slotted ear or hub on the frame of the
machine, and a cup-shaped adjusting nut upon the outer end of said bolt, and adapted
to embrace said slotted ear or hub.
In a modification of this part of the said Invention the said pressure roller has its
periphery covered with india-rubber.
The, said Invention further comprises the following mechanismi in a leather
splitting machine, that is to say -The construction of a knife provided with slotted
holes to receive the binding, bolts, a pair of set screws adapted to bear against the
rear or thick edge of said knife, one at or near either end, and to move the said
knife toward the rolls, and a pair of stop gauges, one at either end of the knife; the 5
said gauges being provided with hooks or projections at their upper ends; which >>
extend over upon the knife a short distance, and serve as stops to limit the move-
ment of the knife upward. The object of these guages or stops is to facilitate the
setting of the knife in the right position after each removal. for sharpening or any,
otlier purpose.
For the production of the best work the edge of the knife should always bear a:
certain relation to the peripheries of the gauge and rear pressure rolls as to height

page_text: and when the knife has once been set in its true position, and the gauges adjusted
so that their hooks shall bear upon the edge of the knife at each end, and firmly
secured in position, if the knife is removed for sharpening or any other purpose;
it may be very readily replaced and secured in its correct position.
The said Invention further comprises the casting in one piece with the tie or bed
girt to which the knife is to be secured, a section of each of the end frames of the
machine adapted to rest upon the top of the supporting legs, and to be secured
thereto by means of vertical bolts, and to form supports for the boxes of the gauge
and pressure rolls and the housings for the same.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Joseph Andress Safford in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd.
November 1877.
JOSEPH ANDRESS SAFFORD, of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America,
now of 8, Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
SPLITTING SKINS AND LEATHER."
This Invention relates to that class of leather-splitting machines in which the
leather to be split is fed against the edge of a fixed or stationary knife, and more
especially to the arrangement of the gauge, pressure, and feed rolls, and the means
for adjusting and controlling the same.
The said Invention comprises, first, the combination of a knife placed and secured.
in a vertical position, with its cutting edge uppermost, a gauge roll placed in front
of the said knife with its axis parallel with but a short distance above the level of
the edge of the said knife, and adapted to be adjusted toward or from the same;
also a pressure roll placed in the rear of the said knife, with its axis in the same
horizontal plane as the gauge roll, and arranged to be forced toward the knife by
means of springs to adapt it to the varying thickness of the leather; also a weighted
pressure roll having its bearings in two radius arms or levers pivotted by their rear
ends to the frame of the machine, the said weighted roll being directly above the
knife, and bearing at its ends upon the gauge roll without coming in contact at any
point with the rear pressure roll.
By this arrangement of the knife and the rolls the leather has to be fed into the
machine in a horizontal or nearly horizontal position; it passes partially around.
the gauge roll and between it and the rear pressure roll, and is presented to the
action of the knife while moving in a downward direction in a vertical or nearly
vertical. plane.
This arrangement produces a very beneficial result, for the reason that the passage.
of the leather around the curved periphery of the gauge roll, while it is held firmly
thereto by the two pressure rolls, tends to straighten or flatten the leather in the
direction of the length of the rolls, and smooth out any wrinkles that may exist in
the same.
.
The said Invention further comprises the use of a fixed or stationary plate, with
or without one or more ribs or corrugations upon its upper side placed in front of
the gauge roll, with the upper surface thereof slightly below the level of the top of.
the said gauge roll; this plate is in combination with a roll placed just above and
resting on the said plate, and having its bearings in the upper ends of two rods,.
which extend downwards therefrom nearly to the floor, and connect at their lower

page_text: ends with or rest upon treadle levers. By placing the foot upon the treadle the said
roll may be raised to place the leather beneath it, each of the said rods being provided
with a spring whose tension tends to force the said roll downward, and cause it to
press forcibly upon the leather when the foot is removed from the treadle.
The said Invention further comprises boxes in which the gauge roll has its
bearings upon the side towards the front of the machine, with oblique surfaces or
surfaces inclined to the axis of the roll, and in the same. direction in combination
with two wedges, one of which is placed in the housing of each box, and in contact
with the inclined surface of the said box. These wedges are connected by a tie rod
or bar in such a manner that they may be moved as one piece.
The said Invention also comprises an adjusting screw having a bearing in a fixed
or stationary part of the machine, its thread working in a female thread formed in
one of the wedges. All of these parts are arranged in such a manner that by turning
said screw both wedges will be moved at the same time, and will move both ends of
the gauge roll simultaneously and equal distances.
The said Invention further comprises the use of the gauge roll boxes having
inclined sides and the two wedges connected, and a screw for adjusting the same
with a pair of springs placed in recesses in the frame beneath the roll boxes, and
bearing against ears projecting downward from the gauge roll boxes. The tension
of the said springs will serve to keep the inclined sides of the said boxes always in
contact with the adjusting wedges.-
The said Invention further comprises an arrangement of apparatus in which the
rear side of each of the sliding boxes wherein the rear pressure roll has its bearings.
has attached to it by means of an axial pin, an adjusting bolt provided near its
inner end, with an adjustable collar in combination with a spring surrounding the
said bolt.
This arrangement of parts also includes a slotted ear or hub on the frame of the
machine, and a cup-shaped adjusting nut upon the outer end of said bolt, and
adapted to embrace said slotted ear or hub.
In a modification of this part of the said Invention the pressure roller has its
periphery covered with india-rubber.
The said Invention further comprises the following mechanism in a leather-
splitting machine, that is to say:-The combination of a knife provided with slotted
holes to receive tlie binding bolts, a pair of set screws adapted to bear against the
rear or thick edge of said knife, one at or near either end, and to move the said
knife toward the rolls, and a pair of stop gauges, one at each end of the knife, the
said gauges being provided with hooks or projections at their upper ends, which
extend over on to the knife a short distance, and serve as stops to limit the upward
movement of the said knife. The object of these gauges or stops is to facilitate the
setting of the knife in the right position after each removal for sharpening or other
purpose.
For the production of the best work the edge of the knife should always bear a
certain relation to the peripheries of the gauge and rear pressure rolls as to heighth,
and when the said knife has once been set in its true position, and the gauges
adjusted so that their hooks shall bear upon the edge of the knife at each end, and
firmly secured in position, if the knife is removed for sharpening or any other
purpose it may be very readily replaced and secured in its correct position by
simply placing the said knife with its edge resting against the stop gauges, and then
securing it by the holding bolts.
The said Invention further comprises the casting in one piece with the tie or bed
girt to which the knife is to be secured, a section of each of the end fraines of the
machine adapted to rest upon the top of the supporting legs, and to be secured
thereto by means of vertical bolts, and to form supports for the boxes of the gauge
and pressure rolls and the housings for the same.
In the accompanying Drawings,-
Figure 1 is a plan of a machine embodying the improvements above set forth;
Figure 2. is a front elevation of the same.

page_text: portion of the lower frame or legs broken away.
Figure 5 is a similar elevation of the opposite end with the driving pulleys cut
away.
Figure 6 is a horizontal section on the line y, y, Figures 3 and 4.
Figure 7 is a section on the line z, z, Figure 6.
Figure 8 is a section on the line, x¹, x¹, Figure 3.
Figures 9 and 10 are a plan and a vertical transverse, section illustrating modi-
fications of the said machine.
A is the knife bed having cast on it and extending across each end thereof a
section B, of the end frame, to the under side of which are bolted the legs B¹, B¹, by.
means of vertical bolts a, a.
The knife C is secured to the bed A in a vertical position with its cutting edge
uppermost by means of the binding bolts b, which pass through slots b' in the
knife, and are secured in the bed A by the nuts b².
C¹, C, are set screws fitted to work in threads formed in the bed A, their upper
ends bearing against the lower edge of the knife, for the purpose of adjusting the
knife vertically, to bring its cutting edge into proper relative position to the rolls.
D, D, are stop gauges bolted to the bed A, one at each end of the knife C, each
being provided with a hook or shoulder d at its upper eud, extending over the edge
of the knife and just touching the same when the knife is adjusted to its true
position, so that when the said knife has to be removed to be sharpened or for any
other purpose it may be readily replaced in its correct position by bringing the edge
of the knife to bear against the shoulders d, d.
E is the gauge roll located in front of the said knife with its axis a short distance
above the level of the edge of the knife, and mounted in the boxes e, e, which rest
upon the ends B of the bed A, and are covered by the housings F, which are
bolted to the top of the end B of the bed A.
G is the rear pressure roll placed in the rear of the knife C with its axis in the
same horizontal plane as the axis of the gauge roll E, and mounted in the
boxes ff; the latter also rest upon the ends B of the bed A, and are covered by
the housings F in the same manner as the gauge roll boxes, all of the said boxes
being so arranged that they may be adjusted toward or from the aforesaid knife.
The boxes e, e, are each provided with an ear e¹, which projects downward from
its under side into a recess cast in the upper side of B, in which is placed the spiral
spring e², one end of which rests against the rear end of said recess and the other
end against the ear e¹, in such a manner that the tension of said springs will tend
to force the gauge roll E away from the knife.
Beneath each of the housings F and directly in front of the box e is placed a
wedge-shaped block g, the inclined side of which bears against a correspondingly
inclined projecting rib ea formed upon the front side of the box e; the two wedge-
shaped blocks g,g, are so connected by the rod gl as to move as one piece when
acted upon by the screw h, having its bearing in the ear of the gib i, and screwing
into the right-hand wedge g, as shown in Figure 6.
A movement of the wedges g to the right forces the gauge roll towards the knife
against the tension of the springs e². The gib i is made fast to the housing F by the
screw j, but in front of the said wedge at the left side of the machine is placed the
gib adjustable by the set screw, for the purpose of accurately setting the gauge
roll to a position parallel to the edge of the knife. The adjusting screw his operated
by the hand wheel h¹.."
The boxes f, f, in which the pressure, roll G has its bearings are each provided
with a pair of ears f¹ projecting from their rear sides; between them is pivotted by
means of a vertical axial pin a screw bolt or rod k provided with an adjustable
collar ¹, and extending backward from the said box in a horizontal direction
through a round conical hub 7 formed on the rear end of a projection of the
i

page_text: housing F, the said hub is slotted at one side to allow the said screw bolt to be
swung to one side to remove it from the hub. A spiral spring surrounds the
rod k between the slotted hub and the adjustable collar k¹; this spring forces the
pressure roll G toward the knife till checked by the cup-shaped stop nut m, which
strikes and embraces the slotted conical hub l, as shown.
H is a pressure roll having its bearings in the levers I, I, which are pivotted
at n to stands n¹ secured to the upper sides of the housings F, and are provided at
their front ends with the weights I, I'; the roll H is placed directly above the
edge of the knife C, and provided at each end with a collar H₁, which rests upon
the gauge roll E, the weight of the roll H and the balls 11 causing sufficient
friction to cause the roll H to be rotated in unison with the gauge roll E.
J is a curved plate extending across the machine in front of the gauge roll E, and
having on its upper surface two raised ribs o, o, immediately above which is located
the roll L mounted in bearings in the upper ends of the rods M, M; the latter
extend downward through the plate J and through stands N, N, and rest upon the
rear ends of the levers O mounted upon the rod P, and having secured to their
front ends the foot board Q, as shown; R, R, are spiral springs surrounding the
rods M, M, and serving to force the roll L downward upon the ribs o, o.
The operation of the said machine is as follows:-If the leather to be split is
comparatively smooth and free from wrinkles it is fed into the machine by being
presented to the pressure roll H and gauge roll Ẹ, in a horizontal or nearly hori-
zontal direction, passing above the roll L, and being fed forward by the rotation of
the gauge roll till it is seized between the rear pressure roll G and the gauge roll,
the leather being wrapped partly around the gauge roll and presenting its edge
vertically to the action of the knife C; the rolls E and G are rotated in opposite
directions and at a uniform and equal rate of speed by suitable gearing from the
driving shaft S.
If the leather to be split is so wrinkled as to make its surface irregular or uneven
the operator places his foot upon the treadle board Q, and raises the roll L when he
places the piece of: leather upon the ribs o, o, of the plate J with its forward end
presented to the action of the rolls E and H.
As soon as the end of the piece of leather has been seized between the rolls E
and H the operator removes his foot from the treadle and allows the roll L to fall
upon the leather, and press it forcibly upon the plate J or the ribs o, o, formed
thereon; this operation ensures the removal of all of the wrinkles as the leather is
drawn into the machine.
In the modifications of this Invention, shewn in Figures 9 and 10, the rear
pressure roll G has its periphery covered with india-rubber to render it elastic, so
that it will more readily accommodate itself to the inequalities in thickness of
different parts of the same piece of leather.
Instead of the pressure roll H, which is used in splitting leather, a curved guide
plate T is used, the same being pivotted at r to the housings F, and provided at
either end with an ear 8, which extends over and rests upon the said housings to
limit the downward movement of the said plate, this device being designed to be
used when splitting certain kinds of leather; the leather passes partially around;
the gauge roll between it and the plate T, till it passes into the bite between the
gauge roll E and the rear pressure roll G.
Having thus fully described the said Invention and the manner of performing
the same, I wish it understood that I claim;-
First. The combination in a leather splitting machine of the knife placed in a
vertical position with its cutting edge uppermost, the gauge roll and pressure roll
located upon opposite sides of the knife with their axes in the same horizontal
plane, and the weighted roll placed directly above the said knife and adapted to be
moved toward or from the roll, according as the leather is thick or thin, and to be
rotated by frictional contact with the gauge roll, or by the leather passing over
the said roll, as, above described.
Second. The plate J with or without the ribs, in combination with the pressure

page_text: roll mounted in bearings in the upper ends of the rods, and the springs adapted to
force the said roll downward, as above set forth and for the purposes specified.
Third. The combination of parts comprising the roll L, the rods, the springs,
and the treadle, arranged and operating as above set forth and for the purposes
specified.
Fourth. The combination of parts comprising the gauge roll E, the sliding boxes
provided with the wedge-shaped projecting ribs, the two wedges connected by the
tie rod and the adjusting screw, all arranged to operate as above set forth and for
the purposes specified.
Fifth. The combination of parts comprising the gauge roll sliding boxes provided
with the wedge-shaped projecting ribs, the wedges, the adjusting screw, the fixed
or stationary gib, and the other gib adapted to be adjusted by the set screw, as and
for the purpose specified.
Sixth. In combination with the gauge roll, the boxes provided with the inclined
ribs, the wedges and adjusting screw, and the springs placed in recesses in the frame,
and acting upon the ears, projecting downward from the boxes to force the said
boxes toward the wedges, as above described.
Seventh. The combination of parts comprising the pressure roll, the boxes, the
screw bolts pivotted to the said boxes and provided with an adjustable collar, and
extending through the round conical and slotted hub, the cup-shaped stop nut, and
the spiral spring, all arranged to operate as above set forth and for the purposes
described.
Eighth. The combination of parts comprising the knife, the set screws, and the
stop gauges, arranged to operate as and for the purposes specified.
Ninth. The bed girt A adapted to receive the knife in a vertical position, and having
cast in one piece therewith a section of each of the side frames of the machine, as
above described.
Tenth. The combination in a leather splitting machine of the double bevelled
edge knife, the gauge roll and the feed roll, for the purpose specified.
Eleventh. The combination of the knife, the gauge roll, the feed roll, and the
auxiliary or pressure roll, which may be placed in fixed or movable bearings, and
may be moved toward or from the said gauge roll by weights or springs, according
as the leather is thick or thin, and may be rotated by frictional contact with the
gauge roll or by the leather passing between the said rolls, as above set forth.
Twelfth. The feed or pressure roll covered with india-rubber, or a yielding com-
position having sufficient friction to feed the leather through the machine as it is
split by the knife, as above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Andress Safford, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
JOSEPH A. SAFFORD. (L.S.)