IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES, MORE ESPECIALLY IN RELATION TO OVERCAST SEWING
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert McLaren Young, of Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES, MORE
ESPECIALLY IN RELATION TO OVERCAST SEWING."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert MoLaren Young at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 1st June 1876.
ROBERT MCLAREN YOUNG, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster. "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES, MORE ESPECIALLY IN RELATION TO OVERCAST
SEWING."
1. A main shaft supported by two or more frames or columns (standing on a
bed or plate) is driven in any convenient manner.
2. On the end of the above shaft is a disc with a pin on the outside face
giving the needle bar its motion. On the back of said disk is a cam or groove
giving motion to a rocking lever, to the extremity of which is attached the hooker
bar. The said lever working on a pin fixed in one of the frames or columns gives
the hooker its horizontal motion.
3. The needle bar works in guides, and the pin by which it is connected to
disc pin (by means of a connecting rod) passes through the back of the guide and
works a lever which is pivoted at its other extremity by a radial link to a pin in
bracket or column. Near the centre of this bar or lever another lever is pivotted
which connects to the hooker bar near its centre and gives to it its perpendicular
motion.
4. A pin on the side of the hooker bar works in a slot or cam plate which acts
as a guide to it, said guide being bolted to the bed of machine. The lever which
gives the booker bar its perpendicular motion has a slot in its upper end. The
needle having its motion ahead of the hooker the slot on above lever allows the
needle to move past its centre before the hooker and gives the hooker time at top
to receive the thread and at bottom to give it up to the needle.

page_text: 5. A grooved cylindrical cam on the main shaft works a pin on the end of an
arın of a vertical or nearly vertical shaft, giving to the said arm and vertical shaft a
horizontal radial too-and-fro motion. The cam groove being deeper in one part
than another also gives the pin and vertical shaft a vertical reciprocating move-
ment, a spring on the vertical shaft keeping the pin constantly pressing against the
bottom of the groove. A pin adjustable in the slot of an arm on the bottom of the
vertical shaft lifts the feed motion and thus presses on the fabric to be sewn while
it is being carried forward, releasing it however when making the return stroke
below the level of the table. By adjusting the pin in the slot variation in the
distance apart of the stitches is effected.
6. On a bracket or bed of machine are two conical rollers, so placed that their
inside surfaces are parallel to each other, and they are placed perpendicularly over
cach other. The line of stitch to be made runs in line with one side of them. The
bearings in which they run are at the one end, the small end being overhung;
they can be made cylindrical, but I prefer the above, the reason being that they
being small at points allow a short motion for needle and hooker, and being large
at back and hold more thread. A small brush is placed on one or both rollers to
keep them clean and prevent the loose end when the twine is nearly finished from
getting foul of any thing. They are flanged at the points to keep thread from
falling off, and are driven by a belt or cord round pulleys from a pulley on the
main shaft. A screw thread is sometimes chased upon them to assist in screwing
up the thread.
7. A plate is bolted to the main bed which carries the fabric to be sewn. It is
carried around the needle three-quarters of a circle, and prevents the fabric to be
sewn from being drawn down by the needle.
8. On top of the above plate is another plate which acts as a prosser foot to the
feed motion, keeps the thread at right side of needle at top stroke, holds the thread
for the hooker to pick it from the needle; it also passes around the needle three-
quarters of a circle and prevents the fabric to be sewn from being drawn upwards
by the needle when the thread or twine is drawn through; it also extends the
length of the rollers and prevents the thread from taking the fabric with it around
the rollers.
The needle is a plain bar of steel with a notch in its side and slightly swelled
below the notch.
The hooker is a bar of steel, hooked so that it passes a fork on cach side of the
needle when pressed in that direction, and also has a hook on each fork to catch
the thread or twine to be sewn. The forks are tapered to a point, being wedge
shaped, so that they draw the thread into the hook. A latch keeps the thread in
the hooker; it is pressed down by a spiral spring, but on entering the needle a small
bracket on the bed catches a pin on the side of the latch which keeps it open on
top side to receive the thread, and on bottom to deliver it to the needle.
*This machine differs from that described in my Patent, No. 2944 of 1875, in
that in the present one the needle first passes through the fabric to be sewn and
then returns with the thread or twine instead of taking the thread with it the first
time. By first piercing the fabric to be sewn the thread is moro easily drawn through
and leaves a less hole in the stuff to be sewn.
I sometimes wind the thread on a bobbin when a long table is used, and arrange
a knife so as to cut off lengths of thread automatically, the knife being adjusted
to the length of scaun required; except in rare cases however this is not required.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Robert McLaren Young in the Groat Seal Patent Office on the 1st
December 1876.
ROBERT M'LAREN YOUNG, of Manchester, in the County of Lancaster. "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN SEWING MACHINES, MORE ESPECIALLY IN RELATION TO OVERCAST
SEWING."
This Invention consists in improvements on my former Invention protected by
Letters Patent, No. 2944 of 1875.
It is best described by aid of the accompanying Drawings, in which Figures 1 and 2
are elevations; Figure 3, a plan; and Figure 4, hooker; Figure 5, needle; Figure 6,
roller; Figure 7, plate for keeping fabric to be sewn from being drawn upward by
the needle, keeping the thread in position for the hooker and preventing the fabric
being sown from being drawn round the rollers; and Figure 8, the plate for keeping
the fabric from being drawn down by the needle.
1st. An overhead main shaft 1 is supported by two or more columns 2, 2, or
frames standing on the bed plate 3; it is driven by differential cones 4, 5, from a
shaft 6; this shaft 6 is supported by aforesaid columns 2 near the bed 3 on back of
the machine; on the end of shaft 6 are fast and loose pulleys 7, 7, for driving the
machine.
2nd. On the end of main shaft 1 is a disk 8 with a pin 9 on the outside face
giving the needle bar 10 its motion; this disk 8 carries on its back a pin which
lifts the feed motion bar 13 while it is moving backwards.
3rd. The needle bar 10 works in guides 14, and the pin 9 by which it is con-
nected to disk 8 works in a cam plato 15 bolted to the said bar 10; through the
end of the cain plate 15 passos a rod 16 which acts as a guide to the plate 15, and
is also moved up and down by it when the cam plate comes in contact with
shoulder 17.
4. A small grooved block 18 through which the hooker bar 19 (hereafter described)
slides on a small bracket 20 hung on two vertical rods 21, these rods being rigidly
connected to the rod 16, and the rod 16 not moving so far as the cam plate 15
which gives it its motion the needle has moved before the hooker 22 ascends or
decends, and gives the hooker time at top to receive the thread, and at bottom to
deliver it to needle 23, also time to clear the rollers 24 hereafter described.
5th. A cylindrical cam 25 on the main shaft gives to the lever 26 a motion which
through the lever 27 moves the feed motion foot 26 forward when the needle is at
its top stroke or out of the fabric to be sewn, it gets its return stroke by a spiral
spring 28 at the time the feed motion 13 is lifted by pin on back of disk 8 before
described; a spring 29 presses on the feed motion bar 13 and holds the cloth firm
while it is moved forward, said spring also presses down plate 30 while the needle
has it upward stroke, but as soon as it is at top the cam plate 15 moves the lever 31
and draws the lever 32 attached to it from under a small pin 33 atached to feed
motion bar 13, relieves the plate 30, and puts the pressure of spring 29 on feed
motion foot 26 while it moves the cloth; the lever 26 is loose on the spindle 34,
but 27, 35, are fast, so when 26 presses on the pin 31 it moves the feed motion, and
by screwing the pin 36 out or in the pitch of stitch is varied.
6th. On brackets on bed of machine are two conical rollers 24 and 24, so placed
that their inside surfaces are nearly parallel to each other; the one is perpendicalarly
over the other. The line of stitch to be made is in line with one side of them.
The bearings on which they run are at the one end, the small end being overhung.
They can be made cylindrical but I prefer them conical, the reason being that they
being small at their points allow a short motion for the needle and hooker, while
being large at the back end they hold more thread or twine. They are flanged at
their small ends to keep thread from falling off. They are driven by spur
gearing 37 from the shaft 6 at back of machine. A screw thread is sometimes
chased upon these cones to assist in taking along the thread.

page_text: 7th. A plate (Fig. 8) is bolted to main bed 3 which carries the fabric to be sewn,
it is carried round the needle /, of a circle, and prevents the fabric to be sewn from
being drawn down by needle.
8th. On the top of said plate is another plate (Fig. 7) which keeps the thread at
the right side of the needle at top stroke, and holds the thread for the hooker to
pick it from the needle. It also passes around the needle 3/4 of a circle, and prevents
the fabric to be sewn from being drawn upwards when the thread or twine is drawn
through. It also extends alongside the rollers their entire length and prevents the
thread from taking the fabric with it round the rollers.
9th. Instead of the lever described in my Provisional Specification I substitute a 1
shaft 38 supported by two brackets 39, 40, bolted to the bed of the machine, and
driven by bevil gearing 41 and a cross shaft 42 from main shaft 1; on the end of
shaft 38 is a disk 43, a pin 44 on which moves the hooker bar 19, and gives to it
its horizontal motion.
10th. The line of the spindles of thread rollers 24 not being parallel to the shaft 1
from which they receive their motion small bosses 45, 46, are placed on the ends of
the spindles, and a pin on the side of each pinion that gives them their motion
works in slots in said bosses on the universal joint principle.
11th. The belt plate 47 can be screwed along by the screw 48 to vary the speed
of rollers 4 according to tightness of stich required, the tightness of stitch being
regulated according to speed of rollers 24 relatively to that of the needle.
12th. The mode of operating the machine is as follows:-The sacking or other
material to be sewn is laid on the bed of the machine with the edge to be sewn
bearing on a plate 49 and moved forward till the feed motion 26 catches it. The
throad is pressed against inside of needle, and the hooker 22 moving forward at:
top catches the thread and carries it round the fabric to be sewn, letting the one
side fall on top of rollers 24, and the other to fall clear of the end of them to form
the stitch. The hooker then places the thread in the notch of needle 10, which
draws it through the cloth at the same time the hooker 22 is returning to top to
catch thread as before. Just as the hooker has caught thread the feed motion 20
moves the sack forward as much as is required between the stitches. A small pawl 50
on hooker 22 keeps thread from coming out of hooker; the pawl is kept shut by a
spiral spring, but is opened by being caught at top and bottom by a stationary
plate 51 being opened at top to receive the thread and at bottom to deliver it to
needle.
This machine differs from that described in my Patent, No. 2944 of 1875, more
especially in that in the present the needle first passes through the fabric to be
sewn, piercing it and returning with the thread instead of taking the thread with
it, thereby making a neater hole in cloth, and the thread is more easily drawn
through. Instead of the long arm in the above Patent which had to draw the
whole length of thread through at each stitch I have substituted the conical rollers,
they having only to bring through as much as form the following stitch each time,
and also a turn of slack around rollers.
Having now described my Invention, and the best mode known to me of carrying
it into effect, I claim as my Invention to be protected under the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent,-
1st. The combination of the hooker 22, the pawl 50, the spiral spring, and the
plate 51, or their mechanical equivalents, for the purposes described.
2nd. Arranging the mechanisin working the hooker so that while the needle is
near the extreme points of its stroke the hooker shall be motionless, or nearly so,
in the direction of the needle's motion, but moving in a direction approximately
at right angles thereto, and thus have time to receive and deliver the thread.
3rd. The arrangement for driving the hooker, substantially as shown and
described.
4th. The rollers 24 whether cylindrical or conical, for the purposes described.
5th. The combination of a vertical or nearly vertical notched needle with an
approximately horizontal hooker, substantially as and for the purposes described.

page_text: 6th. The general arrangement of sewing machine, substantially as described and
shown in the accompanying Drawings and Specification.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert McLaren Young, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of Novembor, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
Witness,
W. P. THOMPSON,
Patent Agent,
G, Lord Street,
Liverpool.
ROBERT MCLAREN YOUNG. (Ls.)