A Machine or Apparatus for the Trimming or Shaping of the Edges of Harness-traces and other like Strips or Lengths of Leather.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 27th June, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 17th Jan,, 1891-Accepted, 28th Feb., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Machine or Apparatus for the Trimming or Shaping of the Edges
of Harness-traces and other like Strips or Lengths of Leather.
I, WILLIAM JAMES, of Gilbert Street, Adelaide, South Australia, Saddler, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object, the rounding or the trimming of both edges of
harness traces, and like strips or lengths of leather, at one operation.
Harness traces and the like, which consists generally of two or more thicknesses
of material, united together by sewing, or by riveting, have sharp angles at their
edges, which require to be removed, and this is done, by triming and shaping down,
and thereby making the said edges, semi-circular, or any figure as may be desired,
by means as hereinafter described.
The important features of the machine, consists 1st of á traversing bed, and
accessory parts, to adjust the cutters of one side, to the breadth of a trace or strip
to be edged. 2ndly in automatically adjusting the front cutters to the varying
breadths of the lengths to be trimmed as aforesaid. 3rdly, in means for taking the
cutters out of their acting positions, for the introduction of material to be operated
upon. 4thly, in accessory parts, and in their arrangements, with respect to the
cutters, the front ones of which, are carried upon slides, and are protected by the
acting points of them being hid, on partly concealed, behind guage studs or rollers.
5thly, in arranging the front cutters, upon the same slides, which carry the guage
studs or rollers; so that the said cutters and rollers, remain constant, with respect
to each other.
Mounted and reciprocating upon the top side or bed of a stand framing, supported
preferably by legs, is a carrier, in the form of a slide rest, traversed by a screw,
taking through a screw box of the said carrier; and which said screw, is provided
with a hand-wheel at its outer end, and with the shank of the screw at the junction
of the boss of the said wheel with it, working within the bearing of an upright
bracket, directed from the framing.
The fore part of the carrier, has upright guides, between which a rising and
falling slide, carrying one of the studs or rollers, and a front cutter, works; so as
to bring the acting edge of the cutter, into position upon any thickness "of
material.
To the other end of the bed, opposite the uprights carried by the carrier, are
fixed uprights, with a moveable slide carrying a stud or roller, and front cutter,
alike unto the other slide, of the moveable uprights, as aforesaid.
The rear cutters are carried respectively, upon the fixed upright of the one side,
and the reciprocating upright of the other side, and with the planes of their cutting
edges, coming iminediately opposite the plane of the bed, upon which the material
being operated upon, is drawn.
Thus, the cutters, and gauge rollers, are carried upon opposite uprights and slides,
which when in position, are separated from each other, to the extent of the breadth
of a trace to be operated upon, and with the front rising and falling cutters, disposed
centrally with respect to the machine, and with their cutting points slightly hooded
behind the peripheries of rollers or studs, placed between them, so that as the rollers
come down upon the top side of the material to be operated upon, the cutters are
presented to the upper angle of the edge to be trimmed.
The rear cutters, are adapted to trim the lower angle, or lower portions, of the
edges as aforesaid.

page_text: Disposed longitudinally within a gap of the framing, is a roller, with its periphery
coming on the same plane as the bed, and underneath, or nearly so, the studs or
rollers.
The slides are extended downwards through a central and longitudinal gap, made
in the framing, and take their bearings'upon a lifter, in the form of a cam, whose
axis is supported within bearings, made within the framing, and with its outer end,
provided with a handle, which on being raised, takes the front cutters from out of
their acting positions.
The slides are normally pressed downwards, by means of springs, preferably of
the lever type, consisting of two outwardly directed branches, united together by a
single or double loop coil.
The ends of the branches are connected respectively to a slide, and to the fixed
part of the framing.
It may be observed, that the front cutters, which are opposite to each other, and
rise and fall to the thickness of the material to be operated upon, by the said material
passing first under the rollers, are at some distance from the rear cutters, fixedly
secured to the moveable and fixed uprights respectively.
OPERATION.
Place the front edge of a trace, upon the fore part of the bed, and with its off-
side edge coming against the front upright of the fixed side; then rotate the hand-
wheel, so as to bring the opposite upright of the moveable carrier, up to the near
side or breadth of the trace. This done, force the trace's front end under the
opposite rollers, when the front cutters will shave off the top angle, or the top part
of the opposite edges, and when the said trace is fed forward, beyond the bed, the
rear cutters come into operation, and trim off the lower portions of the two opposite
edges of the trace at the same time.
From this it will be seen, that the pulling of the trace through the machine,
and between the cutters, which are situated above, and below, and are automatically
adjusted to the proper breadth, both edges of a trace are trimmed or rounded off at
one operation.
The slides at the back of the cutters, are gapped with outwardly tapering
openings, to allow the shavings to get well away.
The cutters are curved or shaped, to the figure of the required trace edge.
The cam, when lifted or raised by the handle, holds the slides in a neutral position,
and on the said cam being turned down, the slides are free to bring the cutters in
their proper positions on their work.
The setting of the rear cutters or knives may be performed, by forming within
the uprights, vertical slots, wherethrough pins, taking into the shanks of the cutters,
pass.
Or instead of the adjustment being performed by a screw, a like arrange-
ment may be employed, as with the front cutters, which then act in the reverse
direction.
The partial shielding of the cutter edges behind rollers or guages, prevents the
acting edges of them, from digging into the leather being operated upon.
For all kinds of bevel work, such as breeching seats, loin straps, and the like, I
prefer to employ short studs, but in straight work, I may employ a continuous roller,
bar, or equivalent.
Dated this 26th day of June 1890.
WILLIAM JAMES.
By Henry Skerrett,
Agent for Applicant.

page_text: .
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Machine or Apparatus for the Trimming or Shaping of the Edges
of Harness Traces and other like Strips or Lengths of Leather.
I, WILLIAM JAMES, of Gilbert Street, Adelaide, South Australia, Saddler, 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 has for its object, the rounding or trimming off of both edges of
harness traces, straps, and other lengths or pieces of leather, at one operation.
Harness traces before trimming, consist generally of two or more thicknesses of
leather, united together by sewing, or riveting, and which said lengths have
sharp angles at the upper and lower parts of their edges which require to be
rounded off.
The important features of the said machine, consist 1st, of a traversing bed, and
accessory parts, to adjust the cutters of one side, to the breadth of a trace or strip
to be edged. 2ndly, in automatically adjusting the front cutters, to the varying
breadths of the lengths to be trimmed as aforesaid. 3rdly, in means for taking the
cutters out of their acting positions, for the introduction of material to be operated
upon. 4thly, in accessory parts, and in their arrangements, with respect to the
cutters, two of which are carried upon slides, and the acting cutting edges of them,
protected or guarded by gauge studs, snugs, rollers, or the like. 5thly, in
arranging the front cutters, upon the same slides, which carry the guage studs,
snugs, or rollers, so that the cutters and gauge snugs, or rollers, remain constant,
with respect to each other, on cutting being performed.
Mounted and working upon the bed of a horizontal framing, is a slide rest or
saddle, propelled and repelled by a screw, whose inner end swivels within the end
of the said slide rest, while its outer end passes through a fixed screw box on the
bed of framing as aforesaid, and with a hand wheel at its extreme end.
Two upright guides are directed from the bed of the framing, and each carry a
slide with a cutter, and a guage snug or roller, arranged rearward of the cutters.
One of the guides is carried by the slide rest, and the other is a fixture to the
supporting framing.
Rearwardly disposed cutters, with their acting edges lying in the same plane,
or nearly so, as the bed, are carried by the fixed and upright guides, r.:- one
cutter is upon the fixed guide framing, and the other upon the movable guide
framing, carried by slide rest.
Thus, two pairs of cutters, and two guage snugs or rollers, are carried upon thë
slides, which when in position, are arranged, opposite to each other, and with each
pair of cutters removed from each other to the extent of the breadth of a trace to
be trimmed, and with the front cutters adjustable to the thickness of trace.
The acting parts of cutters are slightly hooded, or fall behind the guage snugs
or the like, so that as the snugs come down upon the top side of the material to be
operated upon, the cutters are presented to the upper angle of the edge to be
trimmed.
:
The rear cutters, are adapted to trim the lower angle, or lower portions of the
edges as aforesaid..
The slides are extended downwards through a central and longitudinal gap, made
in the framing, and take their bearings upon a lifter, in the form of a cam, whose
axis is supported within bearings, made within the framing, and with its outer end
provided with a handle, which on being raised, takes the front cutters from out of
their acting positions.
The slides are normally pressed downwards, by means of springs, preferably of
the lever type, consisting of two outwardly directed branches, united together by
a single or double loop.coil..

page_text: The ends of the branches, are connected respectively to a slide, and to the fixed
part of the framing.
The partial shielding of the cutter edges behind rollers or gauges, prevents the
acting edges of them from digging into the leather being operated upon.
For all kinds of bevel work, such as breeching seats, loin straps, and the like,
I prefer to employ short studs, but in straight work, I may employ a continuous
roller, bar, or equivalent.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, represents partly in longitudinal vertical
section, and partly in elevation, a trace trimmer, or a trace trimming or shaping
machine, constructed and arranged according to my said invention. The said
machine, (as is understood,) is adapted for the taking off of the square edges or
angles of harness traces, or other like lengths of leather.
Figure 2 represents a top side plan of the said machine, showing the positions
of the erect working slides, which carry movable cutters.
Figure 3 represents a transverse vertical section of the said machine, upon the
dotted lines A B (looking from right to left,) Figure 1. This view shows particu-
larly the position of the slide lifting cam, and the positions of the fixed and movable
cutters, with respect to their cognate parts.
Figure 4 represents one of the slides, with cutter at its lower end.
Figure 5 is a section, on the dotted lines C D of the said Figure 4, showing the
exits or clearing spaces for the shavings.
Figure 6 is a front elevation of one of the fixed cutters, and a part of the
framing to which it is attached.
Figure 7 is an underside plan of the cutter and framing part, Figure 6.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several
figures of the drawings.
a is the framing of the machine, and a² the bed thereof, having working upon the
top side of it, a reciprocating slide rest b, traversed by a swivelly connected screw c,
at one end, and carrying at the other end, an upright guide 2, wherein one of a
pair of cutter carrying slides, works. The screw c, works through a screw box a³,
carried by and fixedly connected to, the bed a², and has at its outer end, a hand
wheel, by which the said screw is rotated, and the reciprocating slide rest, or
saddle slide b, propelled or repelled to adjust the cutters to the breadth of a trace,
or other length or piece of leather, whose opposite edges are required to be shaped
or rounded off, as represented in Figure 1. Thus it is, that the upright guide b²,
with its slide rest, and the slide of it, is made to approach or recede to a fixed and
upright guide e, carried by the rear framing of the machine, and within the said
guide, is a rising and falling slide f, alike unto the slide , so that as the said
slides d and fare raised or lowered, the cutters g and h carried by them, are brought
to act upon the top corners or angles of a trace drawn under them.
These slides d and f, besides carrying the inverted cutters, carry guage studs i, i,
which come down upon the top side of the trace, adjacent to the edges, and guage
the depth of slice or cut of the curved acting edges of the cutters.
The guides are extended below the bed of the machine, while the slides d and f
working within them, have lower ends, which when the work is being adjusted upon
the part of the bed a', or between the cutters, the same are raised out of their
acting positions, by the said lower parts of them, resting upon a lifting cam j, which
is directed longitudinally upon the underside of the bed, and parts carried by it,
and works within bearings a, a of the framing, and has a lifting handle a', for
turning the said cam, which when in an erect position, blocks or retains the slides in
their fully lifted positions, and out of the way of the work.
k, k², are stationary cutters, with their acting edges curved alike unto the
movable cutters, and take off the angles of the lower part of the edge of a trace or
piece of leather to be trimmed, and which said stationary cutters, are carried by,
and at the rear of the fixed framing of the guides, while behind the acting edges of
the said both fixed and movable cutters respectively, are clearance spaces l, m, for

page_text: The slides d and are made to automatically follow the thickness of trace, by
means of lever springs o, o, whose ends o², o³, are connected to the framing of the
guides, and to the cutter and guage stud carrying slides respectively.
OPERATION.
Lift the handle a' into an erect position, when the cam j, is rotated, and made to
wipe upon the foot part or lower end of the slides d and f, which on the longer
direction of the cam taking a vertical position, the said slides become lifted, and are
there held and blocked, by the vertical pressure exerted upon the cam.
The hand
wheel is then reversed, and the screw turned, when the slide or saddle rest b is
withdrawn, and with it, the guide 62, carrying the slide, cutters, and guage stud.
This done, place the fore part of the trace, across the bed of the framing, between
the cutters or guides, and with the offside edge coming against, or being presented
to, the inside of the framing of the fixed guide, then rotate the hand wheel of the
adjustment screw, when the slide rest will be propelled, and with it the framing of
its slide, which is advanced up to the near edge of the trace. By now again
changing the position of the handle a', the cam j is turned into its normal position,
when the cutter and stud carrying slides follow the same, until the undersides of the
said studs i,, come and rest upon the outer parts of the top of the trace, in manner
that the cutters are adjusted thereby to cut to a depth only of the acting cutting
edge, so that now by drawing the trace between the cutters, and over the bed a*,
the two opposite edges of the trace are trimmed at the same time, by coming in
contact or being drawn past the acting edges of both movable and fixed cutters, or
the fore and aft cutters, which former are regulated in their cut, by the guage studs,
which take up or follow any inequalities in the edge or thickness of the trace or
material under operation.
The shavings or material removed by the cutting operation, is cleared by the
passing of it through the cut away passages as aforesaid.
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 :-
First :-Trimming or rounding off the opposite edges, or the whole of the angles
of the said edges, of harness traces, strap-like, and other lengths of leather, at one
operation, by two pairs of cutters, part only, or the whole of them adjustable
horizontally and vertically as set forth.
Secondly:-Shaping, trimming, or rounding off the angles of the opposite edges
of harness traces, and other straps, and lengths of leather, at one operation, by two
pairs of cutters, adjustable in manner, and with respect to each other, as described
and set forth in Figures 1, 2, and 3.
:-
Thirdly Carrying the upper and vertically adjustable cutters, by slides, or
their equivalents, working within upright guides, one of which is carried by a
traversing slide rest, constructed and operated as described and set forth in
Figures 1 and 2.
Fourthly:-The combination with the upper cutters, or two pairs of cutters, as
set forth, of guage or distance snugs, studs (or rollers) i, 2.
Fifthly The means herein described for automatically adjusting the cutters,
and bringing the same up to their work.
Sixthly: In a machine for edging or trimming the edges of harness traces, and

page_text: other lengths of leather, the combination with vertically working cutter and guage
carrying slides, of a lifting and holding cam j.
Seventhly-The combination with the cutters, of clearance passages l, m, as
set forth.
Eighthly-The combination with the upper cutters, of the guage snugs, (or
rollers) arranged in manner as set forth, for preventing the material under operation
being dug into by the cutters.
Ninthly-The general construction and arrangement of the parts of the machine
or apparatus, for the trimming or shaping of the edges, or the angles of the edges,
of harness traces, and other lengths of leather, as set forth.
Dated this 10th day of January 10.
WILLIAM JAMES.
By Henry Skerrett,
6, Livery Street, Birmingham, Agent; for Applicant.