Improvements in Sewing Machines.
Year: 1890

page_text: DI MULTICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by the SINGER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, New York,
United States of America, Sewing Machine Manufacturers.]
Improvements in Sewing Machines.
I, ALEXANDER ANDERSON, Manager of the Singer Manufacturing Company's
Works, Kilbowie, Dumbartonshire do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
It is desirable in making sets of hemmers and other sewing machine attachments
which are to be secured to the presser-foot to have them readily adjustable to the
right or left, without swinging out of line with the feed of the machine.
In making such right or left or lateral adjustment of a hemmer or similar attach-
ment, to bring its guiding edge in proper relation to the line of the needle, it is
desirable that when the proper adjustment has been secured the construction of parts
will be such that after the attachment has been removed from the presser foot it
may be replaced and accurately brought into its former position of adjustment
without special care on the part of the operator. Thus the proper adjustment of the
hemmer or similar attachment having been once secured the attachment may be
removed and replaced without disturbing such adjustment.
It is also frequently desirable in adjusting the work before starting to sew at the
beginning of a hem to have the hemmer below the level of the bottom of the presser-
foot when the latter is raised, so that the cloth may be drawn back and forth to roll
the hem before adjusting the work to. the needle to begin to sew at the end of
the hem.
One object of my invention is to provide a certain novel construction of parts by
which a hemmer or similar attachment may be so secured to a sewing machine
presser-foot as to attain the results above stated.
A further object of my Invention is to provide a trimming attachment for sewing
machines in which the cutter is made in a separate piece from the trimmer lever
and attached thereto whereby I overcome the objection incidental to the use of the
ordinary form of trimmer having the cutter and lever formed in a piece that when
the cutter becomes worn or is broken or otherwise damaged the whole attachment
is rendered useless. By the use of my improved trimming attachment the cost of
maintenance is thus greatly reduced the cutter only being replaced when worn or
damaged.
In carrying the first part of my invention into effect I provide the rear of the
presser foot with a transverse socket into which is fitted one end of a round pin or
bar the projecting end of which is screw threaded and is received in an internally
threaded eye at the rear end of a shank carrying at its forward end the hemmer or
similar attachment. The part of the pin or bar received in the socket of the
presser foot is preferably of less diameter than the other part thereof and is provided
with an annular groove or notch to be engaged by the end of a device or set screw
which retains the pin or bar in its socket. The larger projecting part of the pin or
bar is screw threaded externally and is engaged by an internally threaded eye on
the rear end of an attachment-carrying shank, the said pin or bar being provided
at one end with a nick for the reception of a screw driver by which it may be
turned when necessary. The round pin or bar permits the hemmer at the forward
end of the shank to drop or be depressed below the bottom of the presser foot when
the latter is raised; and to adjust the hemmer or other attachment to the right or
left it is only necessary to turn the pin or bar one way or the other, the set screw
being first slightly loosened to permit of such turning.
In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view partly in section, of the
preferred form of the hemming attachment. Figure 2 is a side view of the same,

page_text: Figure 3 is a detail view of the pin. Figure 4 is a view similar to figure 1 showing
a slightly modified form of the hemming attachment, and Figure 5 is a front view
of the same with the attachment-carrying shank in section.
in
A, denotes a' presser foot provided at its rear portion with a round socket
which is fitted one end of a round pin B, the other or projecting end b, of which. is
preferably of larger diameter than the end in said socket and is screw threaded
externally. The pin B, is provided with an annular groove or notch b', and is
retained in its socket a, by a device consisting preferably of a set screw a¹, the
inner end of which enters said groove or notch. The inner end 62, of the enlarged
portion of the pin B, forms a shoulder or stop and the groove ¹, is at such.distance
from said shoulder or stop that when the latter is in contact with the inner or right
side of the presser foot the said groove is opposite the end of the said set screw.
Thus
on inserting the said pin in place it will always come to the same position of
adjustment without special care on the part of the operator.
C, is the attachment-holding shank or bar to the forward end of which is secured
the heminer or other attachment D, said bar being provided at its rear end with an
internally threaded eye c, receiving the threaded part of the pin B. To adjust the
hemmer or other attachment laterally, or to the right or left, the set screw a¹, may
be slightly loosened and the pin B, may then be turned in its socket by a screw driver
inserted in the nick in its end, thus causing the shank C, to travel to the right or
left, to bring the guiding edge of the attachment in proper relation to the line of
the needle and without swinging the attachment out of line with the feed.
As hereinbefore stated it is sometimes desirable when adjusting the work in com-
mencing to sew a hem to have the hemmer below the bottom of the presser foot
when the latter is raised so that the cloth may be drawn back and forth to roll the
hem. The set screw a¹, does not hold the round pin B, so tight but that when the
presser foot is lifted, as denoted by dotted lines in Figure 2, the hemmer may drop
or be pressed down upon the work plate of the machine to permit the cloth to be
drawn back and forth; and when the presser foot is again lowered upon the work
the parts assume the normal position denoted in full lines in Figure 2, the attachment-
carrying shank being to the right of, or in a different vertical plane from the
presser foot so that the latter will not interfere therewith. Thus the presser-foot
attached hemmer will have all the advantages of a bed plate attached hemmer without
the disadvantages of the latter. Moreover the round pin B permits the hemmer to be
raised when it is desired to pass the material under it to sew a seam while hemming.
In the modification shown in Figures 4 and 5 the construction and arrangements
of parts is the same as is herein before described excepting that the shank C is
arranged to come above the right side of the presser foot, the latter having a notch a²,
to receive said shank. This provides for a positive engagement of the said shank
with the presser foot so that the attachment will be moved up and down therewith
when said foot is raised and lowered, as may be desirable with some classes of work.
From the foregoing it will be apparent that my invention comprises as
essential feature a pin or bar removably secured to the presser foot and provided
with a stop, afforded by the shoulder 62; to ensure that it will be set in its proper
position of adjustment when replaced after removal, combined with an attachment-
carrying shank which is laterally adjustable on the said pin or bar and preferably by
means of the screw adjustment afforded by the threaded portion of said pin or bar
and the internally threaded socket of the said shank.
an
The improved trimmer constituting the second part of my invention is represented
as applied to the bed plate A of a sewing machine in plan at figure 6 in side elevation
at figure 7 and in end elevation at figure 8 sheet 2 of the drawings. The trimmer
lever is centred at Cand vibrated by a cam actuated lever D in the usual way and
it consists of a flat blade B to which the cutter e, which is formed on the end of a
separate strip E, is attached by means of screws F serving to bind together the
blades or strips E and B and which are simply unscrewed to remove and replace
the cutter. The guide F¹ instead of being soldered as usual on the trimmer lever is
secured to the cutter blade by means of screws f, passing through a slot in the guide

page_text: and entering the blade E the screws f, on being slackened permitting of adjustment
of the guide F', but the use of the slot in the guide may be dispensed with in cases
in which adjustment is not required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed (as communicated to me) I
declare that what I claim is :-
•
1. The combination with the presser-foot having the socket, of the pin or bar
fitted in said socket, a device for securing said pin or bar in place and an attachment-
carrying shank adjustably secured to said pin or bar.
2. The combination with the presser foot having the socket, of the pin or bar
fitted in said socket and having an annular groove or notch and a projecting threaded
end, a device for engaging said notch or groove to secure said pin or bar in said
socket and an attachment-carrying shank having an internally threaded eye entered
by the threaded part of said pin or bar.
3. The combination with the presser foot having the socket, of the pin or bar
fitted in said socket, and having an annular notch or groove, a projecting threaded
end and a shoulder or stop, a device to engage said notch or groove to secure said pin
or bar in said socket, and an attachment-carrying shank having an internally
threaded eye entered by the threaded part of said pin or bar.
4. The combination with the presser-foot having the socket, of a pin or bar
having an annular groove and a projecting threaded end of larger diameter than
the other part thereof and the inner end or shoulder of which serves as a stop, a
device or set screw to engage said groove to secure said pin or bar in said socket, and
an attachment-carrying bar having an internally threaded eye entered by the threaded
part of said pin or bar.
5. The combination with the presser foot A, having the socket a, of the pin or
bar B, having the annular groove b¹, the enlarged threaded end 6, and shoulder
or stop 62, the set screw a', and the shank C carrying a hemmer or other attachment D,
and provided with the internally threaded eye c, entered by the said threaded end b,
of said pin or bar.
6. A trimming attachment for sewing machines composed of a vibrating trimmer
lever and a removable cutter secured thereto substantially as described.
7. The combination of the trimmer lever B, cutter blade E and guide F¹ formed
each of separate parts secured together substantially as described.
Dated this First day of March 1890.
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
62, Saint Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agents.