IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS, MACHINERY, OR APPARATUS FOR WORKING OR PREPARING LEATHER FOR MILL STRAPS OR DRIVING BELTS AND OTHER PUR- POSES, AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SUCH ARTICLES."
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Lee, of Lightcliffe, near Halifax, in the
County of York, Tanner, Currier, and Leather Cutter, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS, MACHINERY, OR APPARATUS FOR WORKING OR
PREPARING LEATHER FOR MILL STRAPS OR DRIVING BELTS AND OTHER PUR-
POSES, AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SUCH ARTICLES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Lee at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 5th August
1864.
I, JAMES LEE, of Lightcliffe, near Halifax, in the County of York, Tanner,
Currier, and Leather Cutter, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MEANS, MACHINERY, OR APPARATUS FOR WORKING OR
PREPARING LEATHER FOR MILL STRAPS FOR DRIVING BELTS AND OTHER PURPOSES
AND IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SUCH ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to the shaving and levelling of leather or
hides, and the object of it is to shave and level a "butt" of leather or a whole
hide at one operation or process by mechanical means. The knife I employ
is constructed in short lengths, set true and fixed in a frame or pair of jaws at
a suitable distance apart from each other, so that when applied to the hide
each knife or part will act thereon independently of the other, shaving the
hide in furrows or strips. The roller on which the hide is supported and
conducted in contact with the knife is formed in swells and recesses to suit
[Price 8d.]

page_text: vpart
attached to a roner
which is capable of sliding endwise, so that when the hide has passed the
knife or knives, shaving it in the several parts or furrows, it can be traversed,
carrying the hide under the knives at other parts to be operated upon in like
manner.
Secondly, the Invention relates to machinery for cutting or paring the ends
or edges of leather taper, so as to be spliced or joined evenly together, and
my improvements consist in applying a roller under the knife, which is sup-
ported upon the ordinary inclined table and raised or lowered thereby, so that
the splicing or cutting is effected against the roller instead of against the
iable as heretofore; also in applying a number of short knives and a roller
with swells and recesses for splicing wide widths of leather. The table is also
capable of sliding or moving either endwise or sidewise, and of being raised or
lowered at either end, so as to regulate for the length of splice and thickness
of cut as may be required.
Thirdly, this part of the Invention relates to the manufacture of mill straps
or driving belts, and consists in joining two sheets of leather with their flesh
sides together by cement, the grain sides forming the outsides or surfaces
thereof, whereby such straps or hells are rendered more durable than here-
tofore. For this purpose I employ two winsels or rollers on which the sepa-
rate sheets, after being cut to the proper breadth and thickness, are wound;
also a chamber, heated by hot-water pipes. steam pipes, or other suitable
heating means, through which the sheets are passed to be prepared to receive
the cement, which is applied by brushes or other suitable means on coming out
therefrom; or heated cylinders may be employed for this purpose; also a series
of pairs of pressing or squeezing rollers, betwixt which the sheets are passed in
succession, and thereby pressed and caused to adhere securely together. Each
pair of the said squeezing rollers has a slightly increased surface speed over
the succeeding pair when in motion, so as to stretch the leather whilst passing
betwixt them. Or instead of these rollers a series of screw or lever presses
may be employed for pressing or squeezing the parts together, which may be
mounted on a slide table and motion given thereto by rack or screw for
drawing the strap forward whilst the pressure is upon it, the strap being then
held by a stationary press or pair of jaws whilst the table is moved back to take
another length, when the pressure is taken off, but I prefer the rollers. The
winsels or rollers have brakes applied to retard their rotation so as to keep the
leathers on the stretch in passing through the hot chamber or over the hot
cylinders. Guide plates are applied. which are capable of being adjusted to
the width of the strap or belt to keep the same in proper position during its

page_text: passage, and carrying rollers are also employed for supporting and conducting
the straps or belt through the machine, which rollers or some of them I
prefer to be heated. I also employ two adjustable knives to two guide plates
to pare or shave the edges of the straps, bringing them to uniform widths as
they pass through the machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Lee in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th
February 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
LEE, of Lightcliffe, near Halifax, in the County of York, Tanner, Currier,
and Leather Cutter, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said James Lee, Her special licence that I, the said James Lee,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
James Lec, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MEANS, MACHINERY, OR APPARATUS FOR WORKING OR PREPARING LEATHER FOR
MILL STRAPS OR DRIVING BELTS AND OTHER PURPOSES, AND IN THE MANUFACTURE
OF SUCH ARTICLES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James
Lee, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Lee, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement and accompanying four Sheets of Drawings (that is to say): --
This Invention relates, firstly, to the shaving and levelling of leather or

page_text: hides, and the object of it is to shave and level a "butt" of leather or a whole
hide at one operation or process by mechanical means. The knife I employ
is constructed in short lengths, set true and fixed in a frame or pair of jaws at
a suitable distance apart from each other, so that when applied to the hide
each knife or part will act thereon independently of the other, shaving the
hide in furrows or strips. The roller on which the hide is supported and
conducted in contact with the knife is formed in swells and recesses to suit
the knife or parts thereof. The hide to be shaved is attached to a roller
which is capable of sliding endwise, so that when the hide has passed the
knife or knives, shaving it in the several parts or furrows, it can be traversed,
carrying the hide under the knives at other parts to be operated upon in like
manner.
Secondly, the Invention relates to machinery for cutting or paring the ends
or edges of leather taper, so as to be spliced or joined evenly together, and
my improvements consist in applying a roller under the knife, which is sup-
ported upon the ordinary inclined table and raised or lowered thereby, so that
the splicing or cutting is effected against the roller instead of against the
table as heretofore; also in applying a number of short knives and a roller
with swells and recesses for splicing wide widths of leather. The table is also
capable of sliding or moving either endwise or sidewise, and of being raised or
lowered at either end, so as to regulate for the length of splice and thickness
of cut as may be required.
Thirdly, this part of the Invention relates to the manufacture of mill straps
or driving belts, and consists in joining two sheets of leather with their flesh
sides together by cement, the grain sides forming the outsides or surfaces
thereof, whereby such straps or belts are rendered more durable than here-
tofore. For this purpose I employ two winsels or rollers on which the
separate sheets, after being cut to the proper breadth and thickness, are
wound; also a chamber, heated by hot-water pipes, steam pipes, or other
suitable heating means, through which the sheets are passed to be prepared
to receive the cement, which is applied by brushes or other suitable means on
coming out therefrom; or heated cylinders may be employed for this purpose;
also a series of pairs of pressing or squeezing rollers, betwixt which the sheets
are passed in succession, and thereby pressed and caused to adhere securely
together. Each pair of the said squeezing rollers has a slightly increased
surface speed over the preceding pair when in motion, so as to stretch the
leather whilst passing betwixt them. Or instead of these rollers a series of
screw or lever presses may be employed for pressing or squeezing the parts
together, which may be mounted on a slide table and motion given thereto by

page_text: rack or screw for drawing the strap forward whilst the pressure is upon it, the
strap being then held by a stationary press or pair of jaws whilst the table is
moved back to take another length, when the pressure is taken off, but I
prefer the rollers. The winsels or rollers have breaks applied to retard their
rotation, so as to keep the leathers on the stretch in passing through the hot
chamber or over the hot cylinders. Guide plates are applied which are capable
of being adjusted to the width of the strap or belt to keep the same in proper
position during its passage, and carrying rollers are also employed for sup-
porting and conducting the straps or belts through the machine, which rollers
or some of them I prefer to be heated. I also apply two adjustable knives to
two guide plates to pare or shave the edges of the straps, bringing them to
uniform widths as they pass through the machine.
In order that my improvements may be clearly understood, and the manner
in which the same are to be performed or put into practical operation, I
herein give reference to 4 accompanying Sheets of Drawings of machinery or
apparatus constructed according to this Invention.
The first part is shewn at Sheet I, which illustrates a machine for shaving
or levelling hides, wherein Fig. 1 is an end elevation, Fig. 2 is a vertical cross
section, and Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the same.
A is the knife or knives, which in this case are in four parts bolted sepa-
rately to a stock or plate B. This stock is hinged to a strong bed plate C.
which is bolted to the framework of the machine D, and is capable of adjust-
ment by set screws E. The back of the knife stock and adjoining edge of the
bed plate are planed true so as to fit and afford a solid or firm bed or bearing
for the knife when shaving. F is a handle for lifting the knife from its bed
and turning it up into position for steeling, whetting, or sharpening it; and
G is a pin rack to hold it up in any desirable position for that purpose; H is
a roller for supporting and conducting the hides under and in contact with the
knife. This roller is formed in swells and recesses corresponding to the parts
of the knife. It is capable of rotating in slidable bearings which rest upon
eccentrics I, fixed on a shaft having a handle attached to one end for turning
it, so as to place the said roller at any desirable distance from the knives; and
K is a pin rack or index plate for setting and holding it in the proper position
for shaving hides to any desirable thickness. The eccentric shaft is also
capable of adjustment by means of set screws L. The hide is attached to a
roller M having a longitudinal groove with a loose filling-up piece N, which is
temporarily held in the groove by a slidable hoop P at each end, which holds
the end of the hide during the operation thereon by the knife. This roller is
capable of being traversed or moved endwise by means the lever R, which

page_text: is hinged on a stud S fixed to the frame and is connected to a pin T which is
slidable in the frame, and which clips the end of the shaft betwixt two collars
fixed thereon. Rotatory motion is given to the roller M by means of a winch
handle U fixed on a shaft V, on which is also a spur pinion W gearing with
a carrier spur wheel X, to which is attached a pinion Y gearing with another
spur wheel Z fixed on the roller shaft, on which is also a hand wheel Z'. It
will now be seen that when a hide is placed betwixt the roller H and the
knife (by first lowering the roller to admit of the hide being pushed between
and then raising it again into proper position), the end being then attached to
the roller M and motion given thereto, when it will draw the hide forward,
winding it thereon, and the knife or knives will shave it on those parts bearing
on the swells only, while the other parts, which, on account of incqualated or
stretching of the hides, will form puckers or folds and enter the recesses and
pass unshaven. The roller H is then lowered, and the roller M with the hide
still attached to it moved endwise; the roller H is again raised and motion
given to the roller M, when the other parts are shaven. The hide is then
turned to the other end in and operated upon in like manner.
The second part of my Invention is shewn in Sheet 2 of the accompanying
Drawings, where Fig. 1 is a front elevation, and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal and
vertical section of a machine for splicing leather.
A is a bed, hinged at one end to the frame, the other resting on eccentrics
B fixed on a shaft bearing in the frame of the machine, and to which shaft is
a handle C for turning the eccentrics so as to raise and lower the bed as
required. D is a carriage capable of sliding on the bed and carries an inclined
table E, which rests at one end upon bearings d (in which it may oscillate
and slide laterally), and at the other upon a wedge F, to which is a screw
spindle Fattached with a hand wheel G fixed thereon, by the turning of
which the inclination of the table may be varied and adjusted as required.
The carriage is caused to slide on the bed by means of a rack fixed on the
under side gearing with a pinion H which is fixed on a shaft having bearings
in the bed, and on which shaft is a hand wheel I for giving motion thereto.
The table is caused to slide laterally by means of the lever handle J, which is
hinged to the carriage and takes on a pin e fixed to the under side of the
table. K is the knife or knives, which is in this case are made in three parts
and fastened by set screws between a pair of jaws L which are fixed to the
frame of the machine. M and N are two rollers which rest one upon the
other on the table and rotate in bearings P, capable of sliding up or down in
the frame. The top roller is grooved or recessed to suit the knives, as in the
shaving machine. R is a jaw hinged to studs S fixed to the table, having

page_text: loops or straps fixed thereto and an eccentric roller capable of turning therein
and in bearings fixed to the carriage. U is a lever handle, by which the
eccentric is turned so as to close the jaw for holding the leather V while being
operated on by the knives and for opening or lifting the said jaw to release
the leather. It will be observed that the edge of the knife is placed over the
centre of the roller M, and that the said roller will have the same amount of
surface speed imparted to it and in the same direction as the table has when
in motion; also that when leather is placed betwixt the roller and knife and
held by the jaw, and motion given to the table in the direction of the arrow,
the leather will be cut taper, according to the inclination of the table, and the
round surface of a roller will give liberty to the end which is being cut off to
bend over it, as shewn, and thus effect a clean cut out, which is not the case
when cutting on a table or flat surface. It will also be seen that by means of
the grooves or recesses in the roller wide widths of leather may be spliced by
machinery, which has hitherto been found impracticable.
The third part of my Invention, comprising machinery for the manufacture
of straps or belts. is illustrated by Sheets 3 and 4 of the accompanying
Drawings, wherein Fig. 1 (Sheet. 3) is an end elevation: Fig. 2 is a side
elevation, partly in section and broken off from Fig. 3 (Sheet 4), which is
also a continuation of the same side clevation: Fig. 4 is a cross section taken
through the line A. B. in Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section taken
through the line C. D, in Fig. 4.
E and E' (Sheet 3) are the two rollers on which the separate straps or
single belis are wound after being cut to the proper widths and spliced end
to end to the lengths required; F are two guide plates which are set to the
width of the strap or belt by the screws G, which have right and left hand
threads so as to operate both plates at the same time in contrary directions;
H, H, and H are rollers for conducting the straps to the heating or drying
chamber I, which is in section in order to shew a series of steam pipes J for
producing the required heat therein; the straps are kept separate in passing
through the chamber by bearing rods or rollers K, which are placed across
the said chamber; L and L are brake pulleys fixed on the rollers E and E';
and M is a brake attached to one arm of a lever N, on which is a weight O
for pressure on the brake, and which weight is caused to move thereon by
means of a cord P, which is wound on the axis of a wheel Q in gear with a
pinion R fixed on the shaft of the roller E', so as to reduce the weight or
pressure on the brake as the straps are taken off; the rollers and the roll
thereby become less in diameter: S is a weight for balancing the lever. From
the drying chamber (Sheet 4) the straps are conducted by rollers T to

page_text: 3
and over or partly around rollers U, which are heated by steam, and from
thence they join together and pass betwixt a series of pairs of nipping or
pressing rollers V. Motion is given to the machine by means of a winch
handle W, or driving pulleys may be applied thereto to be driven by power.
As the two separate straps pass the points or places marked with a °, glue or
other adhesive substance or cement is laid or applied with a brush on their
flesh sides, which are opposite to each other, and which, on passing in contact
with the heated rollers, is equalized and kept hot, so that when passing
between the pressing rollers the two straps are caused to stick and adhere
firmly together. These rollers have a slightly increased surface speed, either
by making each succeeding pair larger in diameter than the preceding pair or
by varying the numbers of the teeth in the gearing X. Pressure is applied
to these rollers by levers Y and weights Y, and the whole of the top rollers
can be lifted simultaneously by means of a lever Z, which is connected by
rods Z' to bars Z extending under the ends of all the levers Y on each side
of the machine. When the two straps are thus cemented together I coil
them on a spindle, which I place on another machine, which is shewn in
longitudinal section at Fig. 6 and in plan at Fig. 7. I place the said coil as
at A, and take the end in the direction of the arrows with the edges in contact
with a pair of knives B, thence to and wind it on to another spindle C; by
this operation the edges are pared off making the strap or belt of uniform
breadth ready for use.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Lee, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Third day of February. One thousand eight hundred and