the Manufacture of Boots and Shoes.
Year: 1885

page_text: the Manufacture of Boots and Shoes.
I, CHARLES FREDERIC GARDNER, of Worship Street, Finsbury, in the County of
Middlesex, Managing Director of The English and American Machinery Company
Limited do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
NAILING-MACHINES, CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS
AND SHOES to be as follows:-
"
My invention relates to nailing-machines, chiefly designed for use in the manu-
facture of boots and shoes, and comprises various improvements as hereinafter
specified.
The improved machine has a feed apparatus provided with a hopper or box for
the nails, which are fed in succession from the said hopper or box down a chute
or inclined guide into position to be driven into the work.
The driver and awl are carried by a vertical rod arranged to slide up and down
in suitable guides in a movable head pivotted to the frame of the machine. This
head is oscillated by a cam fixed on a shaft arranged beneath the main shaft, and
driven thereby through suitable gearing. A lever, pivotted to the frame of the
machine and acted upon by a coiled spring, is connected with the said vertical rod
by means of a rod or link having a ball or universal joint at each end. The said.
spring is arranged in combination with a worm-wheel and worm or other suitable
means for regulating its tension. It is so adjusted that it will always tend to force
the said vertical rod downward with sufficient force to drive the nails, and this.
force is slightly augmented by the raising of the said rod as hereinafter described.
The said vertical rod is raised by a projection on a disc, which is fitted excen-
trically on the end of the main shaft so that it will not interfere with the oscillating
motion of the pivotted head. The said projection acts, at each revolution of the
shaft, upon a cross-head fixed on the said rod and working between suitable guides.
The vertical rod is arranged slightly on one side of the centre of the main shaft,
so that the said projection will leave the cross-bead after it has raised the said rod,
and the spring will then force down the said rod to drive the nail. By adjusting
the said worm and worm-wheel, the force of the blow can be regulated.

page_text: The said vertical rod has a head, benea'h which are arranged leather or other
washers to diminish the shock produced by the downward movement of the said
rod under the action of the spring.
The feed apparatus is constructed as follows, that is to say :-A circular hopper
or box is fitted on a shaft which is carried in suitable bearings, and to which rotary
motion is imparted by a belt and pulleys connected by suitable gearing with the
main shaft. The said box is provided internally with vanes or buckets, for elevating
the nails which fall to the lower part of the said box and delivering them upon two
inclined plates, between which they fall into a chute or inclined guide. This chute
or guide is so made that the heads of the nails cannot enter the same, the said nails,
therefore, rest therein with the heads projecting therefrom. The said nails are fed
down this chute or guide to the driver by means of a ratchet-wheel, which is
rotated by a fixed or stationary finger during the rearward movement of the said
chute or guide as hereinafter described.
The chute or guide is connected at its lower end with the lower end of the
pivotted head, and is moved to and fro therewith.
A cam is fixed on the end of the aforesaid lower shaft; this cam acts on a lever
pivotted to the upper part of the chute or guide. At each revolution of the said
cam a finger on the said lever pushes the foremost nail into position to be driven.
This cam has its rear surface so formed that it will operate a lever, which is
pivotted on a horizontal pin or stud fixed in the pivotted head, and which has an
antifriction roller bearing against the back of the said cam. A spring acts upon this
lever and tends to press it towards the cam. The said lever operates the separator
or device for separating the nail to be driven from the nails in the chute or guide.
The two spring fingers are provided for holding up the nail before it is driven.
These fingers are pushed aside by the driver in its descent, and, when the said
driver is raised, the said fingers close together and hold up the next nail fed down.
While one nail is being driven, the awl makes a hole in the work to receive the
next nail, and while the awl is in the work, the pivotted head is moved so as to
feed forward the work. The said head is moved back, before the next nail is driven,
to bring the driver exactly above the horn or work-support.
The horn or work-support is acted upon by a spring which tends to force it
upward. It is made with a cup-shaped extremity so that it will clinch the nails as
they are driven. It is arranged in combination with a treadle and with the locking
devices hereinafter described. The said locking devices comprise a sliding bar
formed with teeth and connected with the treadle; also another sliding bar con-
nected with a lever operated by a cam on the main shaft. This bar carries a pawl,
adapted to engage with the said teeth when not held out of engagement therewith
by an adjustable inclined piece secured by a screw to the frame of the machine.
This cam and lever depress the work-support when necessary and lock it so that it
is held down while the work is being fed forward.
A friction clutch is fitted on the main shaft in combination with the driving
pulley, which is mounted loosely on the said shaft. This friction clutch is arranged
to be put in and out of gear by means of a wedge arranged in combination with a
spring and operated by a treadle, which requires to be held down to cause the
driving pulley to impart motion to the machine, the spring putting the clutch out
of gear when the treadle is released.
An adjustable guide or gauge is provided for regulating the distance from the
edge of a boot or shoe to the points at which the nails are driven into the same.
11
3211 1
T 1

page_text: Improvements in Nailing-machines, Chiefly Designed for Use in
the Manufacture of Boots and Shoes.
I, CHARLES FREDERIC GARDNER, of Worship Street, Finsbury, in the County of
Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
NAILING-MACHINES CHIEFLY DESIGNED FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOOTS
AND SHOES" and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to nailing-machines chiefly designed for use in the manu-
facture of boots and shoes, and comprises various improvements hereinafter set
forth.
My improved machine has a swinging or movable head which carries an awl to
pierce the work and a driver to drive the nails. It also has a feed-apparatus
provided with a hopper or box for the nails, which are fed in succession from the
said hopper or box down a chute or inclined guide. The said chute or guide is
coupled to the said movable head and is arranged to be moved to and fro therewith
as, and for the purpose, hereinafter specified.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved machine.
Figure 2 is an elevation of the left hand side of the said. machine, partly in
vertical central section.
Figure 3 is an elevation of the right hand side of the said machine, partly in
vertical central section.
Figure 4 is a sectional front elevation of part of the said machine, drawn to an
enlarged scale.
Figure 4 is a section on the line ; x, Figure 4, drawn to a further enlarged
scale.
Figures 5 to 15 are different views hereinafter referred to illustrating various
details of construction.
Figure 16 is a plan.
Figure 17 a section on the line x1, x1, Figure 16, and
Figure 18 a section on the line x2, x2, Figure 16, illustrating a modification of my
said invention.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
A is a pedestal or base; A' is a pillar or standard, the lower end of which is
fitted into the base A; B is a head or frame firmly secured upon the upper end of
the said pillar or standard. C is the main or driving shaft, which is fitted to rotate
in suitable bearings in the frame B, and on which is mounted loosely a pulley C¹.
This pulley is provided internally with a conical surface C* and is arranged to be
moved into gear with a friction cone C³ fixed on the shaft C, by means of a
wedge D, and to be thrown out of gear with the said friction cone by a spring D₁
placed upon the shaft C between the said friction cone and the pulley. The said
pulley is to be connected by a belt with any suitable motor. The wedge D is
operated by a treadle D2 coupled thereto by a rod D³. The said treadle requires
to be held down to cause the driving pulley to impart motion to the machine,
the said spring D' putting the clutch out of gear when the said treadle is released.

page_text: D' is a brake-band, which is acted upon by a spring or springs (not shewn),
whereby it is held in contact with the pulley C, and which is used to increase the
resistance to the movement of the machine, so that the said machine may be readily
controlled. E is the movable head, which is arranged to oscillate on a pivot B¹
formed on the frame B.
a is a vertical rod, which is fitted to slide up and down in suitable guides a¹
formed on the head E, and in the lower end of which are secured the nail-driver a³
and the awla, Figures 9 and 10.
The head E is oscillated by an eccentric E¹ (Figure 5) fixed or formed on the
shaft F, which is fitted to rotate in suitable bearings in the frame B, and is geared
with the driving shaft C by means of the toothed wheels F', F2. The said
excentric is fitted to rotate in a bearing E2 in the head E.
G is a lever, which is pivotted upon a pin or shaft G¹ fixed in the frame B. His
a spring, which is carried by the boss H' of a worm-wheel H2 fitted to rotate on the
pin or shaft G¹. One end of this spring is held by a pin or stud H³ fixed in, or
formed on, the worm-wheel H2. The other end of the said spring acts upon the
lever G and tends to press the said lever downward. The said lever acts upon the
vertical rod a through the medium of a rod or strut a', at each end of which is a
ball or universal joint a³.
I is a worm or endless screw, which is fixed or formed on a shaft 1¹ fitted to
rotate in suitable bearings in the frame B and provided with a hand-wheel I². By
turning this hand-wheel in one or the other direction, the tension of the spring H
can be regulated, so that the said spring will exert more or less pressure upon the
lever G.
K is a disc, which is fixed or formed on the end of the driving shaft C, and is
provided with a projection K', which, in each revolution of the shaft C, acts upon
the underside of a crosshead b secured with a capability of vertical adjustment on
the rod a, and fitted to slide up and down between the guides b' formed on the
movable head E. The projection K¹, in each revolution of the shaft C, raises the
rod and thereby compresses or winds up the spring H. The said rod a is
arranged slightly on one side of the centre of the main shaft, as shewn in Figures 1
and 4, therefore, in each revolution of the shaft C, the said projection K¹, after it
has raised the rod a to the requisite extent, moves away from under the cross-head b
and releases the said rod. The spring H then reacts to force down the said rod to
drive the nail. By adjusting the said spring as above described, the force of the
blow can be regulated.
The vertical rod a has a head a, between which and the movable head E are
arranged leather or other semi-elastic washers a7, to diminish the shock produced
by the downward movement of the said rod under the action of the spring H.
L is a drum or box, which forms a part of the feed-apparatus, and which is
designed to receive the supply of nails. This drum or box is made in two
parts L, L. The part L' is fitted on a shaft c which is carried in a suitable
bearing c¹ forming part of a bracket or arm c³ carried by a pin or shaft cfixed in
the frame B. Rotary motion is to be imparted to the shaft c and to the portion L'
of the drum L by means of a belt d and pulleys d', d, which are connected with
the main shaft C by a toothed wheel ³, to which the pulley is attached, and
which is fitted to rotate upon the pin or shaft c³, and is geared with a pinion d
fixed on the inain shaft C.
The part L of the drum L is formed in one piece with the bearing c¹ and
bracket c³, and is furnished with a mouth or hopper L³ through which the nails are
to be introduced. The drum L is provided internally with vanes or buckets e for
elevating the nails which fall to the lower part of the said drum, and delivering
them upon two inclined surfaces or plates e', e² (Figure 6), between which they fall
into a chute, or inclined guide M. This chute or guide is carried in notches L'in
the part L² of the drum, in which notches the said chute or guide is free to slide to
and fro' for the purpose hereinafter specified. The said chute or guide M is so
formed in transverse section that it will receive the shanks of the nails, but the

page_text: heads thereof cannot enter the same; therefore the nails will be supported in the
said chute or guide, with the heads projecting therefrom, as shewn in Figure 5.
The chute is made with an aperture M in its underside, so that any headless or
imperfect nails which are introduced into the said chute will fall therefrom through
the said aperture. The lower end of the chute M is formed with a nose or end
piece M², the upper surface of which is horizontal or approximately so, and which
is large enough to support the lowermost nail or the two lowermost nails; the
lower end of the said chute is, moreover, so constructed that a finger hereinafter
described will cause the lowermost nail to assume an upright position, or will move
the said two nails apart as, and for the purpose, hereinafter specified. A cover f
is provided upon the chute M and is carried by the lugs f¹ formed on the said
chute. This cover is so arranged that, while it permits the nails to slide freely
under it, it will prevent them from leaping out of the chute as they slide down the
same. At the upper end of the said cover f, where the nails leave the feeding
drum L, there is a ratchet-wheel g, which is arranged to be rotated upon a pin or
shaft g (when the said chute is moved as hereinafter described) by the finger g³,
which is pivotted at g to the frame B, and is held in engagement with the said
ratchet-wheel by a spring * The said ratchet-wheel g is so arranged that it will
permit the passage of the nails under it, when they rest in the proper manner in
the chute M, but will throw out or arrest any nails that are transversely or
otherwise improperly placed.
The chute M is coupled, at its lower end, by means of the bracket or arm M³, to
the nose-piece h on the lower end of the movable head E, and is moved to and fro
with the said head. In its rearward movement, the ratchet-wheel g is partially
rotated by the finger g' for the purpose above specified.
A cam (Figures 4 and 7) is fixed on one end of the shaft F. This cam has its
rear surface i so formed that it will operate a lever i pivotted on a horizontal
pin fixed in the pivotted head E. This lever has an antifriction roller i³, which
bears against the back of the cam i. A spring acts upon the said lever and
tends to press it towards the said cam. The said lever operates a separator or
device (Figures 7 and 8), which separates the nail to be driven from the row or
column of nails in the chute M, and pushes the said nail into position to be acted
upon by the driver a².
The cam i also acts on a lever I pivotted at to the cover ƒ of the chute M,
which lever is provided with an antifriction roller that bears against the
periphery of the said cam. The said lever is, moreover, acted upon by a spring 1³,
which tends to keep the said roller in contact with the said cam. In each
revolution of the cam i, a finger on the said lever presses on the heads of the
two lowermost nails in the chute M, thus causing the said nails to assume the
positions shewn in Figures 5 and 11, so that the separator can easily enter
between them.
The separator is wedge-shaped as shewn in Figure 8, and is fixed or formed on
the lever i', whereby it is moved to and fro transversely to the chute M, to alter-
nately open and close the end of the said chute. When the driver a² is down, the
separator is withdrawn from the chute, and the lowermost nail in the chute rests
against the said driver upon the flat nose M², the said nail being impelled forward
by the weight of the column of nails above it. At this time, the finger 1 is pressed
down, by the cam i, upon the heads of the two lowermost nails in the chute. This
finger is, preferably, so formed and arranged that it will bear upon the adjacent
sides of the heads of the two lowerinost nails in the chute, instead of only upon
the lowermost nail therein. The said finger thus moves the shanks of the said nails
apart as above stated. While the said nails are thus held, the separator / enters
between them, and, when the driver has been raised so that it is clear of the head
of the nail bearing against it, the said separator pushes the said nail forward into
the place just vacated by the driver.
Two bent fingers m, Figures 12, 13, 14, are fitted in the nose-piece h for the
purpose of centring and holding up the nail before it is driven. These fingers are

page_text: acted upon by the spring m³ (Figure 4) which is forked and arranged to bear upon
flat surfaces m³ on the said fingers and which tends to keep their extremities in
contact so that they will support a nail when the same has been thrust by the
separator into the space h¹ in the said nose-piece. In the driving of the nail, the
lower extremities of the fingers m are forced apart by the said nail, and are thus
held by the driver a³ until the said driver is raised; the said fingers then move so
that their lower extremities come into position to hold up the next nail that is fed
down by the said separator.
While each nail is being driven, the awl a³ makes a hole in the work to receive
the succeeding nail, and, while the said awl is in the work, the pivotted head E is
moved by the excentric E¹ to feed forward the work, and thus bring the hole
formed by the awl directly over the centre of the horn or work-support N. After
the awl is withdrawn, the said head E is moved back to bring the driver over the
centre of the horn N, and consequently, exactly over the hole in the work, before
the succeeding nail is driven; the work, during such movement, being firmly held
by the operator against a guide or gauge n. This guide or gauge is made adjustable
to permit of varying the distance of the row of nails from the edge of the work,
as desired.
The horn or support N is fitted with a capability of rotation on the upper end
of the rod or shaft N', which is supported in the boss A' formed on the pillar or
standard A¹, through which the said shaft is passed. The said rod or shaft is acted
upon by a spring o which tends to force it upward. It is surmounted by a cap or
block p, upon which the work rests, and which is made with a cup-shaped recess or
cavity in its upper side so that it will clinch the nails as they are driven. The rod
or shaft N¹ passes through the boss A³ at the foot of the pillar or standard A¹ and is
connected to one arm of a lever 9 which is pivotted at q¹ to the base A. The other
arm of the lever q is coupled to the vertical rod r which is formed with rack-teeth
at as shewn. A treadle-levers is pivotted at q' to the base A; the short arm 8¹
of this lever extends beneath the lever q, so that when the treadle is depressed, the
lever q is turned upon its pivot, the rod is raised and the rod N¹ and horn N are
depressed. The said treadle is acted upon by a spring 83 which tends to hold it in
its raised position.
Upon the main shaft C is fixed a grooved cam t, in the groove of which works
an antifriction roller on the end of a lever t pivotted at t to the frame B, and
coupled, by means of the rod t³, to a frame u fitted to slide up and down in
guides u' fixed or formed on the standard A¹.. In the rotation of the shaft C, the
lever alternately raises and lowers the said frame. This frame is provided with
a pawl u², which is held in engagement with the rack 1 by a spring us. Upon the
pillar or standard A', on one side of the sliding rack r¹, is fixed a cam-piece u³,
which is so formed and arranged that when (during each revolution of the main
shaft C) the camt depresses the frame u so as to bring the pawl u³ into contact
with the cam-piece u₁, the said pawl is lifted out of engagement with the rack, and,
as the sliding frame u is raised again, the pawl, leaving the cam-piece, engages with
the sliding rack and lifts the said rack, and, in so doing, depresses the horn N.
Therefore, in each revolution of the main shaft, the said born is depressed by the
cam t and is then released and caused by the spring o to press the work up to
the foot w. The horn is held down in this manuer while the work is being fed
forward.
It is sometimes necessary or desirable to use nails of different lengths, in attaching
the sole to a boot or shoe, for instance, longer nails in the forepart than in the waist.
For this purpose the machine is, in some cases, provided with a double feeding drum
or box L*, as shewn in Figures 16 to 18, that is to say, a feeding drum having two
rotary portions L, and a single stationary part L2 which divides the drum into two
compartments. Each compartment is provided with a mouth or hopper L³. The
long nails are to be placed in one of these compartments, and the short nails in the
other of the said compartments. Each compartment is fitted with a chute M or M*
provided with a separate ratchet-wheel g, lever 1, finger 14 and other adjuncts as

page_text: above described. The separator k is arranged as above described, except that it is
made long enough to leave room for the chutes to be moved towards, and away from,
the lever ¹, to bring either chute into position for feeding the nails to the driver.
The nose-piece h is provided with a covering piece or projection h¹ to close the end
of the chute M* when the latter is moved away from its feeding position. The pin
or bolt y, which couples the chutes to the nose-piece h, is, moreover, made long
enough to allow the bracket or arm M³ to slide to and fro upon it.
According to whether it is desired to feed a long or a short nail into position to
be driven, one or the other of the drums (with its chute and appurtenances) is moved,
by hand, into the proper position, relatively to the driver, by means of a bent lever O,
the nails are then fed down from the said drum as above described. To permit this
movement of the chutes, the shaft c is fitted to slide to and fro in its bearing c¹, the
pulley being secured to the said shaft by a key or feather fitting into a groove
in the said shaft. The lever O is pivotted at O¹ to a bracket 02 firmly attached to
the pillar or standard A'. The short arm of the said lever is forked and fits between
two collars at L' on the boss of the drum L*. The chute that is moved away from
its feeding position is closed either by the covering piece or projection h¹, or by the
body of the separator k, as the case may be, and is thus rendered inoperative.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated
to me by my foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is
First. In a nailing-machine, the employment, in combination with the movable
head carrying the awl and the nail-driver, of the box or hopper, and the chute or
inclined guide fitted to slide to and fro therein and coupled to the said head (with
or without the cover or shield f), all substantially as, and for the purposes, set
forth.
Second. In a nailing-machine, the employment of means whereby nails which are
transversely or otherwise improperly placed in the chute or guide will be ejected
therefrom, as above set forth."
Third. In a nailing machine, the employment of means for moving the two
lowermost nails in the said chute or guide away from each other, as above specified,
to permit the entrance of the separator between them.
Fourth. The separator or device carried by the lever and arranged to be
operated substantially as, and for the purpose, set forth.
Fifth. The combination, with the nose-piece 7, of the bent or curved fingers acted
upon by the spring, substantially as described with reference to Figures 4, 12, 13
and 14 of the drawings, and operating as, and for the purpose, specified.
Sixth. The combination, with the horn or work-support, of a cap or block having
a cup-shaped recess or cavity in its upper side, substantially as, and for the purpose,
specified.
Seventh. The improved machine consisting of the parts constructed and combined
substantially as described with reference to Figures 1 to 15 of the drawings and
operating as, and for the purpose, specified.
Eighth. The modification of my invention wherein I employ a double feed
apparatus, or two sets of such apparatus, substantially as described with reference
to Figures 16 to 18 of the drawings, for the purpose specified.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.