AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR FLESHING, SHAPING, PARING, AND OTHERWISE WORKING HIDES OR SKINS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, &
Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR FLESHING, SHAPING, PARING, AND OTHERWISE
WORKING HIDES OR SKINS." A communication from abroad by Messieurs
Garric, Son, and Terson, trading as such, of Lafalgaylarié, near Mazamet, France,
Tanners.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at. the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 26th October 1878.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR FLESHING,
SHAPING, PARING, AND OTHERWISE WORKING HIDES OR SKINS." [A communi-
cation from abroad by Messieurs Garric, Son, and Terson, trading as such, of
Lafalgaylarié, near Mazamet, France, Tanners.]
The said Invention relates to a machine for the fleshing, shaping, or dressing
and paring of leather, and which may by a simple change of the tool or implement
be applied to otherwise working hides or skins.
This machine is mainly distinguished by the slight width of the tool or
implement, whereby very regular work can be performed upon the whole width of
the skin; moveover the said tool has guides or guide bars freely and automatically
adjustable or moveable for the regulation of the tool, according to the thickness of
leather being operated upon. The regulation or adjustment can also be effected by
hand.
The action of the said machine will be more readily understood by the following
description:-
The said machine is composed of a short cylinder carrying on its periphery steel
plates slightly curved and inclined in the direction of the movement, so as to be
effective in their action; they are fixed on the said cylinder by means of pieces of

page_text: wood, which keep them in position, and allow of their easy removal and replace-
This cylinder with its plates forms the tool or implement.
ment.
The required rotating movement is communicated to the aforesaid tool or
implement by means of two pulleys and a strap or band. A rigid bar connects the
axes of these two pulleys in such a manner that one pulley being eccentric in
-relation-to-the-axis-of-the-governing_pulleys.and of the fly wheel, a backward and
forward movement will be communicated to the axis of the other pulley, and
consequently to the tool, while the latter receives its rotary movement from the
said strap or band.
The suspension of the guide bars of the tool shaft is effected in the following
manner, that is to say-These guide bars are connected to a jointed-parallelogram,
which may be pivoted on two axes, one joint of which is connected to a lever by a
connecting link or rod.
The said lever being pivoted or fulcrummed to the frame it will be understood
that by manipulating its free or outer extremity the operator can at will depress or
raise the said guide bars according to the requirements of the work. Moreover there
are two counterweights, one arranged to slide upon the said lever and the other
upon an arm or prolongation of the same, and these weights permit adjustment or
variation of the position of the guide bars to determine the height of the said tool,
and regulate its pressure upon the leather or skin. If an obstacle presents itself the
said tool will rise automatically, or when working on a part of a skin of slight or
diminished thickness it descends, and consequently continues to work as effectively
as when in its normal position.
The addition of a regulating screw which strikes the extremity of the aforesaid
weighted lever limits the descending movement of the said tool, so that it can never
blunt itself upon the working table. A carriage moving upon rails in a direction
parallel to the axis of the tool presents and holds the skin or leather in the proper
position to be worked. The leather or skin is fixed at one end by means of a clamp,
and at its other end it is coiled upon a roller; it is kept down upon this roller by a
longitudinal wooden bar, and an excentric rod.
I arrange in combination with the said plates a stone for sharpening them in
their places on the cylinder, that is to say, without dismounting them.
By simply changing the said plates this machine may be adapted to the different
processes employed in the manufacture of leather; for instance, the curved plates
previously described may be replaced by straight plates for the shaping by plates
with blunt edges for the grain side, and by plates slightly sharpened for the flesh
side.
The width of skin operated upon being slight the working can be easily regulated,
and the pressure to be exerted upon the work will be regulated automatically by
the above-described arrangement of the guide bars.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th
April 1879.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR FLESHING,
SHAPING, PARING, AND OTHERWISE WORKING HIDES OR SKINS." A cominuni-
cation from abroad by Messieurs Garric, Son, and Terson, trading as such, of
Lafalgaylarié, near Mazamet, France, Tanners.
The said Invention relates to a machine for the fleshing, facing, or dressing and
paring of leather, and which may, by a simple change of the tool or implement, be
applied to working hides, kips, or skins, whether in the hair or limed.
This machine is mainly distinguished by the slight width of the tool or
of implement, whereby very regular work can be performed upon the whole width
of the skin, moreover, the said tool has guides or guide bars freely and automatically
adjustable or moveable for the regulation of the tool, according to the thickness
of leather being operated upon. The regulation or adjustment can also be effected
by hand.
The action of the said machine will be more readily understood by the following
description, and by reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which:
Figure 1 is an end view of my improved machine, and,
Figure 2 is a side view of the same showing the mechanism for controlling the
tool.
The machine is composed of a short cylinder A, preferably of cast iron, carrying
on its periphery steel plates or blades a slightly curved and inclined in the direction
of the movement, so as to be effective in their action; they are fixed on the cast-
iron cylinder A by means of pieces of wood b, which keep them in position and
allow of their easy removal and replacement. This cylinder with its plates forms
the tool or implement.
•
The required rotating movement is communicated to the aforesaid tool or
implement by means of two pulleys B and C, and a strap or band D. A rigid bar c
connects the axes of these two pulleys in such a manner that one pulley C being
excentric in relation to the axis O of the driving pulleys E and of the fly wheel V,
a backward and forward movement will be communicated to the axis of the pulley B,
and consequently to the tool A, while the latter receives its rotary movement from
the strap or band D.
The mode of suspension of the guide bars H, H, of the tool shaft is effected in tho
following manner, that is to say-These guide bars are connected to a jointed
parallelogram, which may be pivoted on two axes o and o¹, one joint d of which is
connected to a lever L by the connecting link or rod e.
The lever L being pivoted or fulcrumed to the frame at f it will be understood
that by manipulating its free or outer extremity the operator can at will depress or
raise the said guide bars H, according to the requirements of the work; moreover,
there are two counterweights P and P¹, one of which is arranged to slide upon the
lever L, and the other upon an arm or prolongation of the same, and these weights
permit the adjustment or variation of the position of the guide bars to determine
the height of the tool and regulate its pressure upon the leather or skin. If an
obstacle presents itself the said tool will rise automatically or will descend when
working on a part of a skin of slight or diminished thickness, and consequently will
continue to work under the same conditions as when in its normal position.
The addition of a regulating screw which comes in contact with the extremity K
of the aforesaid weighted lever L limits the descending movement of the said tool,
so that it can never blunt itself upon the work table T. A carriage M moving upon
rails in a direction parallel to the axis of the tool carries and holds the skin or
leather N in the proper position to be operated upon. The leather or skin is fixed

page_text: at one end by means of a clamp R, and at its other end it is coiled upon a roller Q,
represented in section in Figure 3; the leather or skin is fastened down upon this
roller by a longitudinal wooden rod or bar g and an excentric rod t.
I have shewn in dotted lines in Figure 2 the arrangement of a stone for
sharpening the plates or blades a in their places on the cylinder A, that is to say,
without-dismounting_the_said plates._By_simply changing the said plates this
machine may be adapted to the different processes employed in the manufacture of
-leather; for instance, the curved-plates above described may be replaced by straight
plates for shaping by plates with blunt edges for the grain side, and by plates
slightly sharpened for the flesh sido. The width of skin being operated upon being
slight the working can be easily regulated, and the pressure to be-exerted-upon-the
work will be regulated automatically by the above-described arrangement of the
guide bars.
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 do not limit myself to the precise details of construction and arrangement
above described, but may vary the same, and may construct the said machine of any
suitable dimensions and materials, and I claim,-
:
The improvements in machinery for fleshing, dressing, paring, and otherwise
working hides, kips, or skins as above described, and comprising,―
First. The simultaneous transmission of rotary and reciprocating motions to the
tool by means of a strap and an excentric pulley on the axis of the driving pulleys,
as above described and for the purpose specified.
Second. The mode of suspension of the guide bars allowing the pressure of the
tool upon the leather, and its height above the work table to be regulated as above
set forth, and for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.