IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE CUTTING OR SHAPING OF MATERIALS FOR MAKING GLOVES AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1843

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHRISTOPHER
NICKELS, of York Road, Lambeth, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Eighth day of December, in the seventh year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Christopher Nickels, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Christopher Nickels, my exors, admors, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Christopher Nickels, my exors, adññiors, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR FACILITATING THE CUTTING OR SHAPING OF MATERIALS FOR MAKING GLOVES
AND OTHER ARTICLES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso,
that I, the said Christopher Nickels, shall cause a particular description of the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be enrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will
more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Christopher Nickels, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say):-
My Invention relates, first, to apparatus for cutting out or shaping materials
for making gloves, whereby suitable fixed blades arranged according to the
pattern of gloves desired to be cut are combined with the use of a roller or
rolling surface.
Secondly, my Invention relates to apparatus for holding several layers of
materials so as to be cut at the same time by means of suitable fixed blades
working with a roller or rolling surface, for cutting out materials for the
making of gloves and other articles.
And, thirdly, my Invention relates to the combined using of fixed cutters or
blades with a roller or rolling surface suitably arranged for the cutting out of
woven, looped, or knit, or felted cloths or fabrics for the making of various
articles of dress where large numbers of the same sizes and patterns are
required.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood I will proceed
to describe the means and apparatus employed by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 represents an end elevation of the machinery by which the cutting
apparatus is worked; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the machinery; Figure 3
is a longitudinal section of the apparatus; and Figure 4 is a plan of the bed
on which the frames of knives or cutting edges are carried, and to which the
frames are affixed by screws or other convenient means.
The first part of my Invention, as above stated, relates to the so arranging
bent blades or cutting edges, in combination with a roller or rolling surface,
that suitable materials, such as leather or fabrics for making gloves, may be
cut out thereby with great facility and accuracy, and thus materially cheapen
that manufacture.
Figure 5 shews a plan of a full-sized cutter for cutting out men's gloves,
which is affixed to the bed of wood or other suitable material. Figure 6
shews an edge view thereof; and Figure 7, a transverse section of the same.
I would remark that various patterns of cut are resorted to when making
of gloves. The Drawing shews one arrangement, which will enable a workman
in making others, when for a different pattern of cut, to arrange the cutting

page_text: edges accordingly, and the workman will vary the sizes of cutters according as
materials for different sizes of gloves are desired to be cut. The cutters a, a,
of steel are affixed to a block of wood or other suitable material b, such block
being formed into the shape of the material required for making a glove, and
the blades or cutters a, a, are affixed by the screws and nuts c, c, and the
blades or cutters are thus securely affixed to the block b, and the block b is
secured to the block d by screws e, e, as shown, there being a plate of metal f,
between the back of the blades and the block d, to resist the pressure of the
blades when making the cut. The block d is placed on the bed g of the
machine, and retained in a proper position by studs h, h, entering into holes
formed into the bed of the machine. The bed of the machine consists of a
moving plate g, which moves on and is guided by the rails i, i, of the machine;
the bed or plate 9 having four rollers j, j, which move on the side rails, there
being projections or side plates k, k, affixed on the under side of the plate or
bed 9, which are connected by bolts 1, 1, as shewn, and these projections or side
plates k, k, come against the side rails of the machine and thus ensure the
correct movement of the bed or plate g. The bed or plate g is moved by
means of a screw m, turning in bearings at m¹, the screw having wheels and
handles affixed at the ends thereof in order to give motion to the screw. n is
a female screw, affixed under the bed or plate g, through which the screw m
works, and as it revolves carries the female screw to or fro thereon, thus
moving the bed or plate g with the cutters under the roller.
The Drawing shews the nature of the framing of the machine, which will
readily be understood on examining the same. o is a roller, the axis of which
turns in bearings at p, p; the periphery of this roller is composed of blocks of
wood with the grain of each in nearly a radial direction, and I use the wood of
the lime tree, well seasoned, though I do not confine myself to that material
so long as a suitable roller is combined with proper arrangements of knives or
cutters for cutting materials into shape for making of gloves.
The machine being arranged, as above explained, and a series of blocks
carrying cutters for cutting out materials for making gloves placed on the bed
or plate g of the machine, the materials to be cut are placed evenly over the
knives or cutters and there securely held, when the same are made to pass
under the roller; and as it is important to the process that the materials should
be held smoothly and correctly, I employ a frame or frames for holding the
edges of the materials, and if the material to be cut out is of woven, knit, or
looped fabric, I prefer that the frame (for retaining the edges of the fabric
when the same is drawn smooth and even) should be large enough for holding
pieces of fabric large enough for all the cutters or knives. But in case of

page_text: the using of leather where such large pieces cannot be had, then I have a
.frame for each cutter, which I will now describe.
Figure 7 shews a plan of one of the smaller frames, which is of a similar
construction to the larger ones used, the difference being only in size. Figure 8
is an edge view, and Figure 9 is a transverse section, shewing some pieces of
material introduced and stretched evenly in the frame. 9 is a quadrangular
frame, having a series of points r, r, on to which the material is placed and
there held securely by the side folding rails s, s. In placing materials
into the frames used for holding the same, I cause the first piece to be
placed with its face upwards, the next piece with its face downwards, and so
on, for any number of pieces introduced; hence, when the cut has been
made, each two portions or pieces cut face to face will, when made up with
the proper fittings, form a left and right hand glovė; and it will be seen
that where the hole is formed for the thumb the cutters are arranged for
cutting some of the fittings. The frame containing a number of layers of
material suitable for making gloves is placed over the cutters, and then the bed
or plate is caused to move under the roller, when the cutters will cut through
the materials and into the surface of the roller. It will be readily understood
that by the use of frames holding the material to be cut, great certainty is
obtained in cutting out leather or cloth, whether for the making of gloves or
other articles, and it is the using of frames for such purposes with knives and
cutters with a roller or rolling surface which constitutes the peculiar character
of the second part of my Invention.
I will now describe the third part of my Invention, which, as before stated,
relates to the cutting out cloth by means of a roller or rolling surface combined
with the use of fixed cutters (properly formed for the particular article or
articles), and a frame or frames for holding the cloth or fabric when cutting
out other parts of garments, such as coats, waiscoats, trowsers, and other
articles of dress, where large numbers of the same size and shape are required.
In carrying out this part of my Invention, I cause blades or cutters to be
arranged and fixed according to the shape of article desired to be cut, in a
like manner to that above described when for cutting out parts of gloves, and
I have similar frames for holding the cloth or fabric, and I use a similar roller
and machine for working the same.
I would here remark, in respect to the first and second parts of my Invention,
that although I have described the knives or cutters as being affixed on the
bed or plate g, in place thereof they may be suitably formed and affixed on the
periphery of a roller, in which case I prefer to make the surface of the bed or
plate g of wood with the grain vertical, and I place the frame or frames

page_text: holding the materials to be cut on the bed or plate g or in place thereof the
bed may also be a roller, in which case no frames would be used, and there
should be stretching or holding points on the roller constituting the bed; and
in place of using a complete cylinder or roller, a portion only may be used
with a reciprocating motion in place of a rotatory motion.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would remark, that I do not confine
myself to the precise details shewn, provided the peculiar character of either
part of my Invention be retained. And I wish it to be understood that I do
not claim the using of rollers and fixed cutters generally for cutting purposes;
but what I claim is,―
First, the mode of arranging apparatus for cutting out parts of gloves,
whereby suitable fixed blades, knives, or cutters arranged according to the
pattern of gloves desired to be cut are combined with the use of a roller or
rolling surface.
Secondly, I claim the mode of holding, by means of a frame or frames the
materials when being cut by fixed cutters and a roller for making gloves or
other articles.
And, thirdly, I claim the mode of combining the use of fixed cutters or
blades with a roller suitably arranged for cutting out woven, looped, or knit
or felted cloths or fabrics for parts of various articles of dress where large
numbers of the same sizes and patterns are required.
In witness whereof, I, the said Christopher Nickels, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-four.