Improvements in Machines for Stitching together Pieces of Leather and other Thick Material.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Machines for Stitching together Pieces of
Leather and other Thick Material.
I, THOMAS GARE, of Bramhall House, Bramhall Moor, Stockport, in the County of
Chester, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object to provide a machine whereby pieces of leather,
such as the soles in coverings for the feet, belting or other thick material can be
stitched together in staple fashion without cutting the thread for each stitch and thick
thread can be used and short stitches formed without weakening the material, which
renders the stitching much stronger than heretofore has been the case.
In my improved stitching machine the material hereinafter termed the "work" is
placed upon horn-like support which rests upon a spring and is adapted to be lowered
by a foot pedal and locked in position during operation.
Above the said horn or support I employ upon the head of a suitable frame a slide .
or arm, which has an intermittent reciprocal movement imparted by a cam on the
driving shaft mounted in the said head. Upon the said slide or arm is rendered
vertically intermittently movable, a slide carrying an awl hereinafter termned the
"awl slide," which awl serves to feed the work and also to form the holes for the
thread in the same.
The awl I use has a flat or slightly oval sectioned point which forms slit-like holes
in the work which readily close.
Next to the awl slide is mounted in the first named slide a second slide carrying a
driver hereinafter termed the "driver slide," which slide is actuated by a spring and
cam arrangement. Below the said driver is fixed to the first named slide a throat
which guides the driver and has a hole in its side communicating with the lower end
of the said throat.
Above the said throat a passage is formed in the first named slide, or a tube fitted
into the same which leads the thread to the said throat from whence it passes through
the said side or thread hole into the throat across the path of the driver. The sides
of the driver are hollowed out and its free end is forked to receive the thread.
In order to hold the work in position upon the horn or support whilst stitching, a
pressure foot is employed which is attached to a spring lever, actuated by a cam on the
driving shaft.
In order to prevent the stitches from becoming undone as they are formed a
pricker is employed on the presser foot adapted to hold down the stitches successively
and at the same time prick the work and lift with the presser foot whilst the work
is being fed.
".
The thread used is well waxed and whilst passing through the machine warmed
by suitably arranged gas jets.
The operating of the stitching machine described is as follows;-
The work to be stitched is placed upon the horn or support and the latter is locked
in position. After setting the machine in operation the awl moves part of its travel;
then decends part way into the work, moves same laterally the required distance and
when over the tip of the horn or support, descends completely and thus forms a hole
in the work for the reception of the thread.

page_text: During the time the awl feeds the work as described, the presser foot releases the
work, whilst during the full descent of the awl and the insertion of the thread into
the hole formed and the pricking, it holds the work firmly down upon the horn or
support. After the awl has been raised out of the material, the first named slide
moves it back to its normal position and brings the throat over the hole formed in the
work, the driver then descends and inserts the thread into the said hole in loop fashion
and after having assumed its normal position the operation repeats itself.
Dated this 6th day of October 1897.
F. BOSSHARDT & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.
Improvements in Machines for Stitching together Pieces of
Leather and other Thick Material.
I, THOMAS GARE, of Bramhall House, Bramhall Moor, Stockport, in the County of
Chester, Engineer, 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 to provide a machine whereby pieces of leather,
such as the soles in coverings for the feet, belting or other thick material can be
stitched together in staple fashion without cutting the thread for each stitch and
thick thread can be used and short stitches formed without weakening the material,
which renders such stitching much stronger than heretofore has been the case.
And in order that my invention may be more fully understood I have caused to be
appended hereunto two sheets of drawings marked with letters of reference indicating
like parts in the various figures.
'
Figure 1, Sheet I, is a front view, Fig. 2 a side view, and Fig. 2x a detached plan of
the head portion of a machine constructed in accordance with one form of my inven-
tion. Figs. 3, 4 & 6 are detached vertical sections, and Fig. 5 a side view of parts
hereinafter referred to.
Fig. 7, Sheet II, is a side view, Fig. 8 a plan, Fig. 8x a detached plan, and Fig. 9
a front view of a machine constructed in accordance with another form of my inven-
tion. Figs. 10 & 11 are front views of details, and Fig. 12 a side view of a complete
machine with form of head as shown on Sheet I.
In carrying out my invention and referring to Figs. 1 & 2, Sheet I, and Figs. 7, 8,
9 & 12, Sheet II, the material hereinafter termed the "work" a is placed upon a
horn-like support 6 which in some cases rests upon a spring 61 and is adapted to be
lowered by a foot pedal 62 but always locked in position during operation.
Above the said horn or work support I employ upon the head c of a suitable frame
d, see Figs. 1 & 2, Sheet I a horizontal slide e, which has a reciprocating movement
imparted by a cam f on the driving shaft f mounted in the said head. Upon the
said slide is rendered vertically intermittently inovable, a slide g carrying an awl gl
hereinafter termed the "awl slide," which awl serves to feed and also form the holes
for the thread a¹ in the work.
The awl g I use has a flat or slightly oval sectioned point which forms slit-like
holes in the work which readily close.
Next to the awl slide g is mounted in the horizontal slide e, a second vertical slide
h carrying a driver or needle h¹, hereinafter termed the "driver or needle slide,"
which slide is connected to a lever h² under the influence of a spring h³ and actuated
by a cam h secured upon the driving shaft f. Below the "driver or needle
fixed to the horizontal slide, a throat e¹ which guides and supports the "driver or
35 is

page_text: needle" laterally and has a thread hole e, in its side, see more particularly Fig. 3,
communicating with the lower end of the said throat. The throat from its upper
end to the said thread hole is a. fit with the driver or needle and the thread entering
the lower end is not liable to become trapped in the throat by the driver or needle
and consequently always moves freely over the end of the driver or needle and cannot
fail being forced correctly into the hole in the work whilst it also enables the use of
thick thread in proportion to the hole pierced in the work and thickness of "driver
or needle."
Above the throat e¹, a passage is formed in the horizontal slide e, or a tube a³
fitted into the latter, see Fig. 1, which leads the thread a¹ to the throat e¹ from
whence it passes through the slide or thread hole e² into the throat across the path
of the "driver or needle." The sides of the "driver or needle" are hollowed out and
its free end is forked, as shown in Fig. 5, to receive and guide the thread in passing
over it whilst being forced into the hole pierced in the work.
In order to hold the "work" in position upon the "horn or support" whilst
stitching, a presser foot i is employed, which is attached to a lever ¹ made of spring
steel and actuated by a cam f2 on the driving shaft f. This presser foot has a slot ea
for the reception of the throat el which being placed under the influence of springs
rests on the presser foot. To prevent the stitches from becoming undone as they are
formed the underside of the presser foot, see Figs. 1, 3 & 4, is formed or furnished
with a pricker 2 adapted also to hold down the stitches successively and at the same
time prick the work and afterwards lift with the presser foot whilst the work is
being fed.
The said pricker is in the form of a tooth and to effect the said holding down of
the stitches the part 3 of the presser foot between the tooth and throat e¹ is '
roughened or spiked so as to press upon and thereby trap the thread between the
stitch made and the next succeeding one whilst the said tooth pricks and marks the
work at each side of the thread and the latter is forced into the work by the "driver
or needle," h¹, see Figs. 3 & 4.
According to a modification of my invention the pricker 22 and thread trapper i³
may form part of the throat el, e², as shown in Fig. 6, in lieu of part of the presser
foot i.
The thread guided and trapped in the manner described obviates slack thread
between the stitch formed and the succeeding one and thus perinits of forcing the
thread into the hole pierced in the "work" at a tension, which causes the "work"
to be drawn tightly together and therefore to be stitched more securely.
The horn or work support b, in the present instance, is adapted to swivel on a
vertical shaft b³ mounted in the bearings d¹, d² of the standard d and is supported
by a spring b¹ arranged between the lower bearing d2 and a collar d³ secured to the
shaft 63, the said spring lifting the shaft 63 until the collar d³ abuts against the upper
bearing d and thus raises the horn or work support b always to one level at which
it remains locked during the whole operation of stitching. This locking is effected
by splitting one side of the upper bearing d' and drawing the same tight around the
shaft 63 by a screw furnished with a handle k¹.
In order to facilitate the placing of the "work" upon the "horn or work
support" b and the removal therefrom, a foot lever 62 is provided, by which the
shaft 63 can be depressed after having previously been unlocked.
For stitching together some classes of work the arrangement described for depressing
the horn or work support is not essential as it may remain a fixture at all times and
the placing and removal of the work may be effected by raising the presser foot and
thereby the throat by hand but in this case it would necessitate adjusting the driver
or needle and awl relative to the horn or work support to form stitches completely or
only partially through the work.
This arrangement of "horn or work support," i.e. the same remaining stationary
during the whole operation of stitching, together with the presser foot i which is
under the influence of a spring 24 is, an important feature of my invention, as sucli
device permits of driving the thread always through the whole thickness of the work

page_text: irrespectively of its varying thickness which hitherto in this class of machine has not
been the case.
The thread used is well waxed and whilst passing through the machine warmed by
suitably arranged gas jets as is usual in boot sewing machines.
The operation of the stitching machine described is as follows;—
The work to be stitched is placed upon the "horn or work support" and the latter
is locked in position. After setting the machine in operation, the awl moves part of
its travel, then descends part way into the work, moves same laterally the required
distance and when over the tip of the horn or work support, descends completely and
thus forins a hole in the work for the reception of the thread.
The cam is so timed that when the awl feeds the "work" as described, it will
release the presser foot and the latter the work, and that during the final descent of
the awl and the insertion of the thread into the hole formed by the driver or needle,
the presser foot holds the work firmly down upon the horn or support, the trapping
of the thread and pricking of the work taking place whilst the presser foot is upon
the work. After the awl has been raised out of the work, the horizontal slide brings
it back to its normal position and thereby the throat over the hole formed in the
work, the "driver or needle" then descends and inserts the thread into the said hole
in loop fashion and after having assumed its normal position again the operation
repeats itself.
.
Referring to Sheet II, which shows my invention applied in connection with
another form of head, d is the standard, c the head carried thereby, and 6 the horn
or work support. In the head c is mounted the driving shaft f¹ and in front thereof
a vertical shaft c¹ on which are adapted to reciprocate in a horizontal plane two
frames & m extending respectively along the left and right side to the front of the
head c of the machine.
The head c is formed with an arm c² to which is connected a spring c³ the other
end of which is carried by the frame and the latter furnished with an adjustable
screw adapted to abut against the head c under the influence of the spring c³.
In the front end of the frame is mounted vertically movable, a bar h the lower
end of which is furnished with a "driver or needle "h¹ and its upper end jointed to
a lever h² adapted to rock on the head c and actuated by a cam h* on the driving
shaft f¹.
In the present instance, Figs. 7, 8, 8x & 9, the throat e¹ and thread guide e² form
part of the foot t which is formed as pricker and trapper 2, 3, or the former may be
formed independently of the latter and be carried by the frame so as to move with
it laterally and be allowed to rise and fall with the presser foot for which purpose it
is placed under the influence of a spring and formed with a projection t¹ adapted to
rest upon the presser foot, as shown in Fig. 10.
In the latter case the foot t serves as pricker and trapper only and is carried by the
bar n mounted in the front of the frame at the side of the "driver or needle" bar h.
The pricker and trapper bar n is placed under the influence of a spring n¹ which
tends to press the foot i upon the work a, but to facilitate the feeding of the work,
it is raised automatically by means of a projection h³ fixed adjustably on the driver
or needle bar h and adapted to contact with the pin n² carried by the pricker and
trapper bar n.
In the front end of the other frame m is mounted vertically intermittently movable
another bar g, the lower end of which carries the awl g¹ and its upper end is jointed
to a lever o adapted to rock on the head c and actuated by a cam f on the driving
shaft f.
This awl serves to pierce holes in the "work" for the reception of the thread which
forms the fastening and also to feed the "work" and for the latter purpose has
imparted a lateral reciprocating movement, by means of the cam f on the driving
shaft and a lever p which is fulcrumed to the head c, and by means of a pivot q
connected to the lower part of the frame m.
The said lever and frame part, are each formed with a slot p¹ & l¹ respectively, in

page_text: which the pivot q is rendered adjustable and whereby the lateral movement, ¿.e. the
feed by the awl g¹ and thus the length of stitches can be varied at will.
In order to permit the awl g¹ of descending clear of the end of the "driver or
needle throat," the head c is furnished with a cam face r, see Fig. 9, adapted to act
in conjunction with a small roller carried by the awl bar g, so that when the awl
descends the frame m carrying the awl is pushed to the right by means of the said
cam face and roller.
If deemed necessary a vertically adjustable awl steadier 8 may be used, as shown in
Fig. 11.
In order to keep the work firm upon the horn or work support b whilst the awl
pierces and the thread is forced into the work, a presser foot i is also employed,
carried by a bar u mounted vertically movable in the head by a spring and auto-
matically lifted whilst the work is fed by a plate u¹, placed loosely thereon and
adapted to nip it through the action of a lever wo pivoted to the head c and operated
by a cam w on the driving shaft f¹.
In some cases however the aforesaid pricker and thread trapper may be found suffi-
cient to hold the work upon the "horn or support" and thus the said presser foot
may be dispensed with, in which case the "driver or needle throat" and thread guide
will be formed separate from the "pricker and trapper."
66
The machine described operates as follows;-
After the work has been placed upon the "horn or support" and underneath the
presser foot, pricker and trapper," and the "horn or work support" has been locked
in its position, when such is movable, the machine is set in operation which causes
the awl to descend part way into the work. The awl then rises slightly and whilst
still in the work moves laterally and feeds the work forward to the left. When the
awl has arrived over the centre of the horn or work support, its lateral movement is
interrupted and it is caused to descend further and completely pierce the work. The
awl is then raised and the driver or needle jointly with the work pricker and thread
trapper, driver or needle throat and thread guide, are moved to the right again and
the throat brought over the hole pierced in the work.
The "driver or needle" then immediately begins to descend and forces the thread
in loop-fashion into the hole pierced in the work, whilst in the meantime the pricker
has pricked and marked the work at each side of the thread and the trapper has
trapped the latter between the previous stitch and the stitch just formed. The
"driver or needle" then rises and the awl descends again and the operation described
is repeated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim, is-
1st. In a machine for stitching together pieces of leather or other thick material in
staple fashion, a horn or work support which during the operation of stitching always
remains at one level, in combination with a spring presser foot which is raised during
the feeding of the work and when dropped adjusts itself vertically in accordance with
the varying thickness of the work, all substantially as set forth.
2nd. In a machine for stitching together pieces of leather or other thick material
in staple fashion, a horn or work support which is depressable but during the operation
of stitching always remains at one level, in combination with a spring presser foot
which is raised during the feeding of the work and when dropped adjusts itself
vertically in accordance with the varying thickness of the work, all substantially as
set forth.
3rd. In a machine for stitching together pieces of leather or other thick material
in staple fashion, in combination with an awl for piercing and feeding the work and
a "driver or needle" for forcing the thread into the hole pierced in the work, a throat
adapted to move laterally with and support the said "driver or needle" and having
in its side a passage which guides the thread across the path of the said "driver or
needle" lineal with the stitches in the work, all substantially as set forth.

page_text: 4th. In a machine for stitching together pieces of leather or other thick material
in staple fashion, in coinbination with an awl for piercing and feeding the, work, a
"driver or needle" for forcing the thread into the hole pierced, a throat for supporting
the said needle and having a side passage for guiding the thread across the path of
the said "driver or needle" lineal with the stitches, a foot having a tooth and a
roughened or spiked surface between the said tooth and throat, the said tooth being
adapted to prick and mark the work and the said surface to trap the thread between
the stitch to be formed and the previous one, all substantially as set forth.,
5th. In a machine for stitching together pieces of leather or other thick material
in staple fashion, in combination with an awl for piercing and feeding the work, a
"driver or needle". for forcing the thread into the hole pierced, a work pricker and
marker and a thread trapper forned with a throat which supports the said "driver
or needle" and has a side passage for guiding the thread across the path of the said
"driver or needle" lineal with the stitches in the work, all substantially as and for
the purpose set forth.
6th. In a machine for stitching together pieces of leather or other thick material
in staple fashion, in combination, an awl for piercing and feeding the work, a "driver
or needle throat" having a side passage for the thread and a "driver or needle" for
forcing the thread into the hole pierced, which "driver or needle" has hollow sides
and a forked end adapted to receive and guide the thread, all substantially as set
forth.
Dated this 5th day of August 1898
F. BOSSHARDT & Co.,
4, Corporation Street, Manchester, Agents to Applicant.