IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WIRE NAILS FOR SECURING THE SOLES OF BOOTS OR SHOES, AND IN MACHINERY FOR FORMING AND DRIVING SUCH NAILS
Year: 1881

page_text: "
LETTERS PATENT to Henry Harris Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention of
IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WIRE NAILS FOR SECURING THE
SOLES OF BOOTS OR SHOES, AND IN MACHINERY FOR FORMING AND DRIVING
SUCH NAILS.” A communication from abroad by John Hitchcock and Daniel
Cilley Knowlton, both of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Henry Harris Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th January 1881.
HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF
WIRE NAILS FOR SECURING THE SOLES OF BOOTS OR SHOES, AND IN MACHINERY
FOR FORMING AND DRIVING SUCH NAILS." A communication from abroad by
John Hitchcock and Daniel Cilley Knowlton, both of Boston, Massachusetts,
United States of America.
This Invention relates to nails or sole fastening devices for boots and shoes.

page_text: The frame A is mounted upon a suitable pedestal (not shown) such as is in
common use in pegging and other sole-fastening machines. This frame carries the
main shaft B and the minor shaft C; F is the driver-bar. The wire a is supported
on a reel (not shown), such as is in common use, and its end is carried down through
the eye a¹ in the arm a³, and between the feed wheel a° and feed-lever or arm a¹º,
and also between-the-clamps a³, a, by-which it is held firmly by the stress of the
spring a³, fastened to the arm a², so long as the friction-roll on the arm a³ is not in
contact with the driver-bar F.
It will be seen that the arms a², a6, and spring a³ constitute a compound lever and
clamp, and that a slide acting on the roll on the arm a in one direction, will turn
this compound lever a, a, a, on its fulcrum a', and will also tend to separate the
clamp a on the arm a from clamp a³ on arm a², by tending to turn arm aⓇ on its
fulcrum as; and as soon as this compound lever a², a, as, has been turned far
enough on its fulcrum a to bring the feed-wheel a to bear-on the wire between
it and the segmental arm a¹0 of the feed lever, any further motion of the roll on
arm a will turn the part as on its fulcrum a8, and thereby release the wire from
the clamps as, a³, and leave it ready to be fed by the feed-wheel aº and arm u¹⁰ of
the feed lever.
The compound-lever a², a, a, is actuated by the driver-bar F, which is cut away
at fso as to leave the roll on arm a free from the driver-bar when the bar descends
far enough, and during a portion of the movement of the driver-bar. When the
roll on arm a is free from the driver-bar the wire is firmly clamped between the
parts a³, a; but as soon as the incline at the bottom of the part f strikes the roll
on the arm a, the compound lever a², a; as, is turned on its fulcrum a' far enough
to press the feed-roll a against the feed lever, and the wire is again clamped
between the feed-roll and the feed-lever, and released from the clamps a³, a
The feed-lever a10, alt, is moved in one direction by the grooved-cam a¹¹ cut in
the surface of the driver-cam D, and in the other direction by the spring a¹³, this
grooved cam acting on a wrist on the arm all of the feed-lever a¹º, a¹¹
The extent of the return movement of the arm a¹0 is regulated by the stop-
lever a, which can be set to cause this return movement to be of greater or less
extent and thereby vary the length of the wire pegs. The thumb-screws b, b¹, and
slides 62, 63, are used to determine the throw of the stop-lever a¹.
Two lengths of nails or fastenings are usually all that is necessary, and the
slides 62, 63, are set so that when the stop-lever a¹ is in contact with the slide b²,
the shortest nails or fastenings are cut and driven, and when in contact with the
slide 63, the longest nails are cut and driven. A treadle (not shown) is used in
practice for moving the stop-lever a¹.
The wire is fed down under the cross-piece 9 (a portion of one side of the
driver-bar being cut away, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, to prevent the driver-bar
from interfering with the wire and the stationary cutter d), through the hole in
the stationary cutter d, and into the groove j, hereinafter fully described, in the
cutter J mounted in the cutter-lever d¹, these two holes being in line when the wire
is fed. After the wire has entered the groove j in cutter J, that cutter is moved
on its fulcrum d² to bring the severed wire peg in line with the hole d³ in the
upper cutter d, and also in line with the throat d', and directly under the driver.
The throat d' is secured in the throat-carrier do, and this throat carrier has a
circular recess in it to receive the cutter K and the cutter lever d'and its
fulcrum d. The throat carrier d³, with the cutter-lever d¹ therein, is bolted fast
to the underside of the head G. The cutter d is held firmly in its place by the
set-screw do. The cutter-lever d¹ is moved by the grooved-cam h by means of
the connecting lever h¹, whose fulcrum h² is in the link h³ which is fast to frame A,
as is clearly shewn in Figures 2 and 3. This cam h is fast to the shaft C, which is
revolved by bevel-gearing connecting it with shaft B. The face is held at the
bottom by a dovetail, and at the top by a screw or button, so that it is easily
detached to afford access to the wire-feed mechanism. The upper cutter d, shewn
in detail in Figure 7, has two holes d³ and d' through it, the hole d' receiving the

page_text: wire from the wire feeding mechanism, and the hole d³ receiving the driver. One
under-cutter J, shewn in detail in Figure 6, has a groove j formed in one face,
which is of the size and shape of the wire, except where the wire is to be cut
away, and the other under cutter K has a groove k formed in it, the counter-
part of groove ), these two grooves when brought together forming a receptacle
for the wire. The upper surface of the cutter J forms, with the lower surface of
the cutter d, a pair of shears for severing the wire, it being understood that when
the wire is fed into the device the groove j'is in line with the hole d' of cutter d,
so.that a portion of the wire of the desired length projects through the hole d' into
the receptacle formed by the grooves j and k, which are together when the wire is
fed. When in this position with a portion of the wire protruding through the
hole d' into the chamber j, k, a movement of the cutter J to carry the groove j
towards the groove k² of cutter K will sever that portion of the wire in the
chamber j, k, from that portion in the hole d', and will also cut away from the
severed portion so much of the wire as is in groove k, leaving the severed portion
in groove and carrying the remainder (which has then become the shoe-nail,
shewn in Figure 9) into the chamber formed by the grooves j and k¹, which
together make a groove of the shape of the wire section before a portion of it was
cut away by the edge of the groove k. The driver then descends, forcing the
finished nail from the chamber formed by the grooves j and . The cutter J is
then moved back to bring the groove j into proper relation with the groove k, the
wire is fed forward again, so that a portion of it will protrude into the chamber
formed by the grooves j and k and the operation is repeated, a nail being formed
by simply feeding the wire through the upper cutter and into the chamber formed
by the grooves j, k, and then moving the cutter J so as to force the wire against
the cutting edge of the groove k, and thereby cut away a portion of it. The portion
cut away and left in the groove k passes through a hole directly under that groove,
shewn in Figure 4.
Other forms of nails than that shewn may be formed by my device, the main
novelty of which exists in the chamber formed by the two grooves j and k, which
when together form a chamber to receive the wire, and which also act as cutters to
cut away so much of the short section of wire as is required to be cut away to
give the desired form to the nail.
In practice the groove k is preferably made wider at one end than at the other,
as shewn in the Drawings, particularly in Figure 8, which is a diagram for illus-
trating this, so as to give a shearing cut to the cutting edge k³ of the groove k; if
the groove k were the exact counterpart of groove j, more power would be required
to cut away portions of the section of wire than when the cutting edge acts
successively upon different parts of the wire.
I prefer to clamp the cutter J in its lever d³, as shewn in Figure 3, and to hold
the cutter K between the two abutments k³, k, shewn in Figure 4. This is for
facility of adjustment and also because the cutters d, J, and K require to be
changed for each size of wire.
To the main shaft B, two pulleys S and T are attached; the pulley S is a loose
pulley, and the pulley T has a fly wheel V cast with it or rigidly fixed to it, and is
free to revolve on the shaft except when the clutch X is engaged with the notch Y
on the cam-shaped hub Z of the fly wheel V; this yoke shaped clutch X is securely
fastened to a collar X¹ by means of screws X2 which allow the engaging arm of the
clutch to be moved away from the cam-shaped hub of the fly wheel. The collar
X is rigidly fixed to the shaft B by the screw X*; the spring X³ acts to press the
clutch X towards the cam shaped hub Z of the fly wheel; the lever R is provided
with an inclined end R2 and shoulder R³, and is connected with. a treadle (not
shewn), so that the operator by pressing his foot on the treadle can bring the
end R2 of the lever R near to the hub Z of the fly wheel V; at the next revolution
of the fly wheel and clutch the projecting end of the clutch rides the inclined face
of the end R2 of the lever R, and as it nears the shoulder R³ it is raised out of the
notch Y and is disengaged from the fly wheel, which then turns loosely on the

page_text: shaft; the projecting part of the clutch rides the face of the end R2 of the lever R
and comes in contact with the shoulder R³, which stops the revolution of the shaft.
The machine is again started by raising the foot from the treadle, when a suitable
spring (not shewn) throws the end R2 of the lever R away from the hub of the fly
wheel and out of the reach of the clutch X, the clutch being no longer held by the
lever R is thrown into contact with the hub by the pressure of the spring X5, and
before the fly wheel makes a complete revolution enters the notch Y in the cam-
shaped hub Z, and the pulley and fly wheel are again fast to the shaft. The
purpose of this clutch for connecting the fly wheel and shaft is to adapt the
machine for driving a single nail, and to enable the machine to be stopped readily
and always in the same position.
When the machine is not in use the belt will turn only the loose pulley S, but
when the operator is ready to begin work he shifts the belt from pulley S to
pulley T and puts his foot upon the treadle, or otherwise brings the end R' in the
path of the clutch X, so that the arm of that clutch will be stopped by the
shoulder Rs; pulley T and fly wheel V then revolve until the operator gets the
shoe into position to receive a nail, when he takes his foot off the treadle, or
otherwise releases the clutch X from the control of the stop R³, when the clutch is
pressed upon the cam shaped hub Z and enters the notch Y in that hub, thereby
connecting the shaft B, and the pulley T, and fly wheel V, and starting the
machine. If the operator desires to drive but one nail he keeps the lever R away
from the hub Z until the clutch X enters notch Y, that is to say, until the shaft B
begins to revolve; he then brings the lever R into position to cause its inclined
surface R2 and its shoulder R³ to unclutch and stop the clutch X, the machine
making but one complete revolution before this takes place.
The shoe feed shown in the Drawings is a lever with a feed-foot fast to its lower
end. Its upper end is actuated by an excentric, and it is so mounted upon the
frame A that it is not only oscillated by the excentric but also moved endwise.
This is a well known form of feed, and its construction and operation will be clear
without further description.
The driver bar F slides up and down in ways in the head G which is fast to the
frame A; it is lifted by the cam D and thrown down by spring N in the usual
manner.
The operation is as follows:-The shoe properly jacked or supported (in some
kinds of work it may be held in the hand, but commonly it is supported by the
pegging jack of common construction, too well known to require description) is
presented under the throat; the lever R is then moved to release the clutch X from
the stop or shoulder R³, and shaft B is thereby caused to revolve as soon as clutch X
enters the notch Y. An edge guide serves to guide the shoe as in the ordinary
pegging and nailing machines, and the feed lever feeds the shoe step by step as
usual. But the cutters not only sever a piece of wire of the desired length from
the coil of wire, but in addition shear off from the wire peg that portion of it
which lies in the groove k, as above stated, thus forming the shoe nail shown in
Figure 9, which is a shoe nail or sole fastener made of wire, although the fastening
device may be wire of any suitable form having a straight surface on one side,
from end to end with the opposite side, cut away from a shoulder near the top or
head of the nail, and tapering to the point, as shewn in Figure 9; this will also
be clear from the description of the cutters, by which it is severed from the coil
and shaped.
The chief novelties of this Invention consist in the cutters for severing the sole
fastening from the coil of wire, and for shaping the severed piece; in the shoe-nail
or sole fastening thus formed, and in the combination of such cutters with a driver,
a throat and other mechanism constituting a machine, which not only severs the
wire from the coil and shapes it into a sole fastening, but also drives it. Another
important novel feature relates to the means for stopping and starting the machine,
and consists of the clutch mechanism above described, so constructed that while it
may be set at any moment ready for stopping or starting the machine, it will not
६

page_text: act to start the machine except at one point, nor to stop the machine except at one
point, the machine being always left when stopped, with all the moving parts in a
certain desired relation each to the others.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. The shoe-nail or sole fastening made of wire of any suitable form, and
having a straight surface on one side from end to end, with the opposite side cut
away from a shoulder near the top or head of the nail, and tapering to the point,
substantially as described.
Second. In combination, the cutters d, J, and K, the first of which is formed
with the holes d' and d³ for the wire and the driver, the second with the groove j,
and the third with the grooves k and k¹, the groove k in connection with the
groove j forming cutters for cutting away a portion of the wire to shape the nail,
and the grooves j and ¹ forming a throat from which the finished nail is driven,
all substantially as above described.
Third. In combination with the throat, the driver, the mechanism for actuating
the driver, the mechanism for feeding the wire, and the mechanism for severing
short pieces of the wire, and shaping the pieces thus severed into sole fastenings,
and carrying them under the driver and over the throat, the whole constituting a
machine, substantially as above described for cutting, forming, and driving wire
sole-fastenings, each made of a short piece of wire shaped by cutting away a portion
thereof.
Fourth. The clutch mechanism above described consisting of the shaft and the
fly-wheel with its hub, in combination with the clutch X and lever R, with its
inclined end and shoulder or stop, the whole being constructed and arranged
substantially as and for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Harris Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Third day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
HENRY H. LAKE. (L.S.)