IMPROVED APPLIANCES TO BE USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Mountain, Thomas Richmond, and
George Duffield, all of Leeds, in the County of York, for the
Invention of "IMPROVED APPLIANCES TO BE USED IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF BOOTS AND SHOES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Mountain,
Thomas Richmond, and George Duffield at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 23rd January
1869.
We, BENJAMIN MOUNTAIN, THOMAS RICHMOND, and GEORGE
DUFFIELD, all of Leeds, in the County of York, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED APPLIANCES TO BE USED
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS AND SHOES," to be as follows:-
Our Invention has for its objects the facilitating the operations of
cutting, bevilling, and finishing the soles and hoels of boots and shoes.
For this purpose to the upper side of a bracket (within which revolves
the shaft of a vertical cutter) we affix a guard placed in such a position

page_text: as partially to encircle the cutter. This guard may be of semicircular
formation and has a notch cut in the centre, whilst the bottom of it
(which clips the cutter shaft) is recessed or hollowed out, so that the
bottom of the cutter which is of ordinary construction is lower than
the edge of the bottom of the notch referred to. The operator in cutting
a sole or heel holds the boot or shoe sole upwards, and rests the upper
edge of the sole or the upper edge of the heel upon the notch edge
referred, and thus has a firm rest whilst pressing the article to be cut
against the cutter. If desired the guard may consist of only one side,
that is to say, one half that already described. When it is desired
to cut the waists of boots, or shoes we prefer to dispense with the
encircling portion of the guard and retain only the bottom or hollowed
portion, the ledge of the same forming a rest as in the previous case.
For bevilling the edges of the soles we use a "mitre" shaped cutter
without guard, but having a washer upon the top of it which answers
the same purpose, and by this arrangement the heads of rivets in the
sole may speedily be reduced level with the same. For cutting the
"breasts" of the heels we prefer to use a horizontal cutter shaft, and
enclose the periphery of the cutter (which is a face one) within an
adjustable guard box, the top of which is flat and provided with a notch
in the centre, in order that as the sole is passed over it the edge of the
face cutter may cut to the bottom of the "breast."
When burnishing the edges of the soles and heels upon a vertical
"burnisher" a guard similar to that first described may be used. To
polish and blacken the soles, however, we use a horizontal rotating disc
burnisher covered with cloth. No guard is requisite in this case.

page_text: the cutter, which is of ordinary construction, is lower than the edge
of the bottom of the notch referred to. The operator in cutting a sole
or heel holds the boot or shoe sole upwards, and rests the upper edge
of the insole or the upper edge of the heel upon the notch edge referred
to, and thus has a firm rest whilst pressing the article to be cut against
the cutter.
If desired the guard may consist of only one side, that is to say,
one half that already described. When it is desired to cut the "waists"
of boots or shoes we prefer to dispense with the encircling portion of
the guard, and retain only the bottom or hallowed portion, the ledge
of the same forming a rest as in the previous case. For bevelling
the edges of the soles we use a "mitre" shaped cutter without guard
but having a washer on the top which answers the same purpose, and by
this arrangement the heads of rivets in the sole may speedily be reduced
level with the same. For cutting the "breasts" of the heels we prefer
to use a horizontal cutter shaft, and enclose the periphery of the cutter
(which is a face one) within an adjustable guard box, the top of which
is flat and provided with a notch in the centre in order that as the sole
is passed over it the edge of the face cutter may cut to the bottom of
the "breast." When burnishing the edges of the soles and heels upon a
vertical "burnisher a guard similar to that first described may be
used. To polish and blacken the soles, however, we use a horizontal
rotating diso burnisher covered with cloth. No guard is requisite in this
In the accompanying Drawings we have illustrated the various
appliances of our Invention to be used in the manufacture of boots and
shoes.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, Figure 2 a plan, and Figure 8 a front
view of a guard A to be used in the operation of cutting the soles and 8
heels of boots or shoes. This guard A is mounted on the upper side of
a bracket, as seen at a, Figure 11, which is a perspective view of a
machine effecting the several operations of cutting, bevelling, and
finishing the soles and heels of boots and shoes fitted with our improved
appliances. Within this bracket revolves the vertical spindle 6 of a 8
cutter c, these being of ordinary construction. The guard A, Figures 1,

page_text: 2, and 3 (which is of the horse-shoe form shown), is placed in such a
position as to partially encircle the cutter c; d is a notch made in the
centro of the guard whilst the bottom e (which clips the spindle 6) is
hollowed out, the bottom of cutter c being lower than the edge f of
notch d. The operator in cutting a sole or heel holds the boot or shoe
sole upwards and rests the upper edge of the sole or heel upon the edge f
of notch d above referred to, and thus obtains a firm rest whilst pressing
the article to be cut against cutter c as before mentioned. These guards
are adjustable by means of set screws z, z, Figures 3 and 11, so that
they will fit any sized cutters made for the machine, and are so con-
structed that the workman cannot damage the uppers or cut his own
fingers. The guard being rigid the edges are pared free from indenta-
tions and are perfectly smooth.
If desired the guard may consist of only one side, that is to say, one
half of that shown in Figures 1, 2, and 8. Figure 4 shows a front
and sido elevation, and Figure 5 a plan of the bottom or hollowed
portion of a guard B to be used for cutting the "waists" of boots and
shoes, for which purpose the encircling portion thereof is dispensed with,
the ledge f forming a rest as in the previous case. Figure 6 shows an
elovation, and Figure 7 a plan of a mitre shaped cutter O to be used
without a guard for bevelling the edges of the soles. g is a washer
secured to the cutter C, as seen, which however answers the purposes
of a guard. By the aid of this cutter the heads of rivets in the sole can
with facility be reduced to a level therewith. Figure 8 is a plan,
Figure 9 a front elevation, and Figure 10 an end view of an adjustablo
box D within which we mount the cutter, as seen in Figure 11, for
cutting the "breasts" of the heels, said cutter which is a face one being
preferably mounted on a horizontal shaft as shown. The top of this
guard box D is provided with a central notch g, Figure 8, in order that
as the sole is passed over it the edge of the face cutter may cut to the
bottom of the "breast" of the heel."
Having described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, we declare that what we claim as our Invention
to bo protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent
is, the several appliances for facilitating the cutting, bevilling, and

page_text: finishing the soles and heels of boots and shoes, together with the
modifications of the same, substantially as shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Mountain, for myself
and on behalf of the said Thomas Richmond and George
Duffield, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-first t
day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight-
hundred and sixty-nine.