Improvements in Machines for Cutting Leather Shoe- and Boot-laces.
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machines for Cutting Leather Shoe- and Boot-laces.
I, ERNST RAHм of Elberfeld Ernststrasse, Germany, Merchant do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to such improvements in machines for cutting leather shoe
and boot laces from a broad strip of leather so that the breadth of the laces may be
varied, that any number of laces may be cut at the same time and that these laces
will, be all of the, same length; they shall be cut so, that they are not separated
wholly from the strip of leather, but remain united therewith so that a distance of
about an inch or less of leather will not be cut. In order to attain these objects
the machine consists of two rollers driven by hand or power; the, upper one of
these rollers carries a series of circular knives the distance of the cutting edges of
which may be varied and gives the width of the laces to be cut. The lower roller
is, made of wood or other soft material and it has fine grooves provided in its
circumference corresponding exactly with the cutting edges of the knives, so that
these enter a little into these grooves when the machine is at work. The lower
roller is adjustable in a vertical direction, so that its upper edge, will always be in
the same level with regard to, a feed table in front of it and on which the leather
strip to be cut is fed between the rollers. A guide plate in form of a grate being
arranged between the two rollers, in the interstices of which enter the: knives
of the upper roller when in, cutting action. Between said guide and the feed
table the leather strip to be. cut is inserted between the rollers, and the grate
therefore prevents the laces from being raised or taken round with the cutting
roller.
In order to stop the cutting action at any moment the upper roller is so mounted
in the frame of the machine, that it can be raised out of reach of the leather strip
by the action of a hand lever; a second lever actuated simultaneously with the first
named lever fixes the roller in its raised or lowered position by means of a spring
catch engaging with the roller in either of the positions named.
By means of the improved, machine I am enabled to cut leather shoe- and boot-
laces from a broad strip of leather, all of same length, the cutting ending for all the
laces at the same cross line on the strip and they all hang together with a narrow
cross strip which remains uncut.

page_text: Improvements in Machines for Cutting Leather Shoe- and Boot-laces.
I, ERNST RAHM of Elberfeld, Ernststrasse, Germany, Merchant do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention relates to such improvements in machines for cutting leather shoe-
and boot-laces from a broad strip of leather, that the breadth of the laces may be
varied and that any number of laces may be cut at the same time and that these
laces will all be of the same length; they shall be cut so that they are not
separated wholly from the strip of leather, but remain united therewith so that a
distance of about an inch or less of leather will not be cut. The machine is to
perform the cutting of the number of laces without allowing any of them being
wound up accidentally on the knife roller, and the machine to be a self-feeding one,
so as to take in the leather as required.
I attain these objects by the mechanical arrangements represented by the
accompanying drawing wherein :
Fig. 1 is a side view
Fig. 2 is a front view
Fig. 3 a plan
Fig. 4 shows the slotted guide-plate
Fig. 5 and 6 show two cuts through the rollers in and out of action and the path
of the leather,
Fig. 7 shows a strip of leather cut into shoe-iaces.
A table A is preferably used to carry the framing of the machine, and at B a
strong stud is projecting horizontally from the table to carry the rigidly connected
hand fly-wheel D and pinion D' turning both loose on the stud, and by D¹ being
engaged with an intermediate toothed gear E, F, G, the lower horizontal roller H
with close circumferential grooves is put in revolutions, being journalled in the
bearings K of a pair of standards J on the table. These said bearings are
supported and accurately fixed in position in the vertical guidebars of the said
standards J by screws L; in the same standards J above the bearings K are lodged
the excentrically bored bushes S, their smooth round outside being mounted in the
bored bearings of the standards J. The end of the shaft of roller H and the end
of another shaft O, which turns in the excentrically bored brasses S are geared by
means of the pinions M and N. The shaft O is threaded on its part between
the bushes S and has put on it a variable number of circular knives or cutter-discs P,
distanced between themselves by rings or bushes according to the desired width
of the laces, and all kept serrated by the clamping nut Q against the flange R on
the shaft O. This latter can be lifted out or put into contact of the circular
knives with the lower grooved roller by a forked lever T fixed to both the outer
ends of the bushes S by bolts, wedges or rings keyed on the bushes.
The forked lever is operated by handle U by the operator according to the
length of leather to be cut and can be shifted to put the knives out of action at
any moment during the process of cutting, so as to give the shoe laces the desired
length without cutting them off the skin, but leaving them adherent to the same
as is clearly demonstrated by Figs. 5 and 6, where, by shifting the lever T to the
right, Fig. 6, the excentrically bored bush is turned round, lowering the circular
kuives on the shaft, so as to penetrate the leather as shown Fig. 5, and Fig. 6
shows the lever T put to the left, when the excentric bushes will raise the shaft
with its rotary knives out of the work. The rings fastening the lever UT to the ends
of the bushes have each a nose V catching in the side notch of the bead of strong

page_text: springs W fixed alongside of the standards J to the table; a cross shaft Y is
supported by two little columns X in their horizontally bored heads and has at
the ends two horns Z hooking behind the flat springs W just beneath the notched
heads by a handle Y, fixed on shaft Y in the middle, the springs can be pulled
back and so give free the noses V. This combination of noses V and springs W
with pulling back horns Z is a safety arrangement to obviate any unconsiderate
lowering down or lifting of the circular knives.
The said number of circular knives P in their lower position penetrate through
an equal number of slots in a plate fixed with its upper face exactly horizontal
and just flush with the edges of the knives P in their upper position, and with
the surfaces of the distance-rings between the knives in their lower position; the
plate is supported on the right hand by a flat strip laid across the machine on two
angles fixed to the standards J and on the left hand it is fastened to the underside
of a plate 6 extending between the standards and fixed, some height above a
table c, carried on angles fixed to the left of the standards J. Between table c
and plate the leather is introduced to the rollers, which, revolving in the sense
of the arrows in Figs. 1, 5 and 6, by the gearing indicated are bound to take hold
of the leather when the roller P is lowered by means of lever UT and to drag it
along under the slotted plate b, cutting the leather in as many laces as there are
slots for the knives and the exact position of plate b¹ above the table is regulated
by the elastic distance-washers & under the plate and the nuts of the fixing
bolts e, and always regulated so, as to just give passage to the thickness of
leather operated upon, with a small amount of friction; further, in looking at
Fig. 5 it will be seen that the laces are bound to follow the circumference of the
lower roll, there being no passage left for them to pass through the slotted plate b
and to curl up round the knife-roller; the exact position of the lower rolier to the
slotted plate is regulated by the two regulating screw-studs L and the nuts and
lock-nuts thereon, shown Fig. 1.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In a leather shoe-lace cutting machine the combination on a table A carrying
the pivots and hand wheel and gearing D E F G and standards J with suitable
bearings, of a pair of parallel rollers H, O, geared to each other by pinions M N,
the upper one O being a cutter roller with a number of circular knives P and the
lower one H being grooved to correspond with the number and the distances of
the cutters on roller O.
2. In a leather shoe-lace cutting machine the combination on a table A carrying
the pivots and band wheel gearing D E F G of a pair of parallel rollers H, O,
geared to each other by pinions M, N, and the vertically adjustable bearings K for
the lower, and the excentrically adjustable bushes S for the upper cutter roller,
which said bushes S are simultaneously movable in the standards J by a forked
lever T with handle U to the effect of lifting out of, or lowering into the leather to
be cut, the cutter-rollers; and the combination of a stopping device to avoid
accidentally lowering of cutter roller O, which device consists of noses V on
bushes S engaged into the top recess of springs W fixed to the table A and which
noses can be released by pulling back spring W by horns Z on shaft Y with
handle supported by columns X on table A, all substantially and for the
purpose set forth.
3. In a leather shoe lace cutting machine the combination, on a table A with
gearing D E F G and standards J for a pair of parallel rollers H, O, journalled in
bearings K and bushes S adjustable vertically and excentrically, the said bushes S
being simultaneously movable in standards J by a forked lever T to the effect of
lifting out or lowering into the leather to be cut the upper cutter rollers combined
with a stopping device to avoid accidentally lowering cutter roller O, consisting of
noses V on bushes S engaged in or released from notches in the tops of springs W

page_text: +
fixed, to table A, the combination, between the two rollers, of. a table and a
slatted, plate, b fixed, with its upper face to be flush with the edges of cutters of
upper rollers, when lifted; the number of slots in b corresponding to the number of
cutters and the said cutters just fitting in width in the slots, to obviate a curling
of cut shoelaces round the upper cutter roller, but leaving them only to follow
round the grooved roller H downwards, and also the distance, of the slotted plate b
fixed to plate b¹ above table c, on which the leather is laid to be taken in and
dragged, into the. knives by the revolving cutter roller, between b and c, being
adjustable by means of rubber washers, interposed between b and c on the bolts e,
substantially for the purpose as described and set forth.
Dated this 27th day.
ELA
AOBE
E. RAHM,
Per Karl, J. Mayer,
..Agent.