US1069797A - Last-reshaping mechanism. - Google Patents

Description

M. H. LYONS. LAST RESHAPING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 12, 1912.

1,069,791?! Pa ented Aug. 12, 1913.

TlhlTTE SA FTQ.

MICHAEL H. LYONS, 0F BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

LAST-RESHAPING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 12,1913.

Application filed August 12, 1912. Serial No. 714,540.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, MICHAEL H. LYoNs, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Brockton, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Last-Reshaping Mechanism of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

The constantly changing styles in shoe shapes involves a very heavy expense for the new supply of lasts for each shape and this is a very considerable item in the larger factories where many thousands of lasts are in use.

The prime object of my invention is to provide a mechanism adapted to reshape lasts particularly the toe portions thereof by cutting down extra high toes so that lasts originally formed for such extra high toes can be quickly and easily modified to a normal or desired toe shape and thus the lasts preserved for further usefulness instead of being discarded.

The invention consists essentially in an improved last holding appliance adapted to firmly and securely hold the last between lathe centers with a capability of quick and easy removal and replacement and also of adjustment to the required position.

A; further feature of my improved appliance is that it is adapted to hold the last in a manner so that the tracer which fol lows the model and the cutting tool are not required to have any considerable transversing movement in encircling the work but keep relatively close to the work at all times thereby permitting higher speed of operation.

A further feature of the invention has to do with a guard provision adapted to be fitted to the model last whereby the cutting tool is prevented from chipping into parts of the last that should not be attacked.

The above and other features of the invention will be better understood from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and will be thereafter pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation showing a model last held by my improved appliance; Fig. 2 is an end view of the chuck portion of the appliance; Fig. 3 is a central vertical section thereof; Fig. 4:

is a detail of a backing block employed in the chuck portion; Fig. 5 is a plan of the tail stock or toe dog of the appliance; and Fig. 6 is an elevation of a portion of a last having an abnormally high toe to be reduced.

My improved appliance comprises a chuck portion 1 adapted to be fixed to the live center of a lathe and a toe dog-or support 2 adapted to be applied to the tail stock of the lathe. The chuck portion 1 is composed of an internally threaded ring 3 having an externally threaded hollow block 4 fitted therein. The block 4 has opposite jaws 5, 6 pivoted near the inner end of the block 4 as at 7 8, these jaws having beveled faces 9 at their inner ends adapted to be engaged by an internal bevel 10 at the inner end of the ring 3. Short extensions of the jaws 5, 6 back from the pivot points 7, 8 are engaged by springs 11 fixed at 12 to the central block whereby the bevel faces 9 of the aws are normally held in engagement with the internal bevel 10 of the ring 3.

The outer end of the jaw 5 has a clamping face 13 shaped to fit as nearly as may be the top heel portion of the last and to enable it to securely grip lasts which are more or less broken down I provide a screw bolt 14 with a thumb nut 15 at its outer end threaded through the inner end of the jaw and adapted to engage the last. The jaw 6 has a wide concavecl seating face 16 for the bottom heel portion of the last and the rear end of the last is thus securely clamped between these two jaws as the ring 3 is turned up on the block 4:. The bushing 17 having provision as by the hole 18 for receiving a lathe center is fixed in the hollow block 1 or in a separate ring portion rigid therewith by a screw bolt 19 passing laterally through such block and with its inner end impinging on the bushing. The bushing 17 carries a backing piece 20 having a cut out seat 21 for receiving the end of the last and a squared projection 22 fitting in a recess in the bushing 17 as seen in Fig. 3 with a screw bolt 23 for holding these parts rigidly assembled. The bushing 17 is removable by merely loosening the screw 19 and is adapted to be replaced by other bushings having suitable formations to receive different types of lathe centers adapting the appliance to be used with any kind of a lathe. The bushing 17 is also rotatably adjustable relative to the chuck proper so that the clamping jaws with the last clamped therein can be turned on this bushing to the required extent for properly alining the last to be operated on and the model, and the bolt 19 can then be turned up to hold the bushing rigidly in place. The ring 3 may be provided with spanner holes 24 to receive a spanner or like tool for turning the ring to clamp the jaws against the last. The toe dog 2 has suitable provision for engaging the tail stock of the lathe shown as the socket 25 and it has a beak portion 26 with a short prong or tooth 27 at its end adapted to bite into the toe of the last. A rest 28 having a widened extremity 29 formed to fit the bottom toe portion of the last is pivoted at 30 to ears on the beak portion 26, and adjusting screws 31, 32 are pro vided at each side of the pivot point 30 to permit the rest 28 to be swung through some little angle so that the supporting end 29 thereof may be spaced variable distances from the tooth 27 and also from the axial line of the lathe. This is an important feature since by the simple turning of the screws 31, 82, the toe of the last may be adjusted relative to the axis of the lathe to project its top more or less into the path of the tool as desired so that the toe will be cut down to a variable extent, depending on this adjustment and the relative positioning of the model and last being worked on. I have found that in practice the last used as a model is apt to swell or get otherwise distorted to a small extent and as it is important that the tool should not touch the bottom toe portion of the last being treated in the rotation thereof, I preferably fit a small thickness of leather or other protector pad material as at 33 over the bottom toe portion of the model last so that the tracer is moved a little extra distance away from the last and hence the tool kept safely out of contact with this part of the last being treated.

In Fig. 1, a last model at having a normal toe form 5 is shown, while in Fig. 6 a porti on of a last a is shown with an abnormally high toe b, the normal toe contour to which this last is to be reduced being shown in dotted line at 0.

It will be observed that my improved appliance thus leaves the entire toe port-ion of the last to be worked on exposed so that the tool can attack the same to the best advantage and that the last being firmly held at the very point of the toe by the beak shaped.

toe dog, there are no laterally projecting parts in the path of the tool, requiring it to be moved in and out to clear the same more than the small distance required to clear the bottom toe portion of the last. This feature of construction not only enables the machine to be run much more rapidly but it also permits a single model to be used for tufning both rights and lefts, by reversal of driving connections, and also permits any size or length of last to be operated on withthe use of the same model, i. e. the work can be graded with a proper selection of tool feeding connections. The invention is further advantageous and valuable in permitting the lasts to be fixed in place and removed very rapidly and these several features contribute to make the work of reshaping lasts in the manner described much more expeditious than it has been heretofore.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the kind described comprising a chucking portion having opposite pivoted jaws with gripping faces formed to fit the top and bottom heel portions of a last respectively, means to clamp said jaws to the last, a bushing angularly adjustable relative to said chucking portion with provision for receiving a lathe center, and means carried by said bushing to engage the back of the last.

2. In a device of the kind described,means to hold and rotate a last, comprising a heel chuck to clamp the heel end and to turn the last thereby, in combination with a freely rotatable toe clamp cooperating with said heel chuck to hold the last and having a rigid beak to contact with the extreme toe end of the last, and a movable member adapted to engage the bottom of said last back of the toe end.

3. In a device of the kind described, means to hold and rotate a last, comprising a heel chuck to clamp the heel end and to turn the last thereby, in combination with a freely rotatable member to support the toe portion of the last, having a beak longitudinally extending in the line of rotation of said member and adapted to contact with the extreme toe portion of the last, cooperating with an oscillatory member pivoted to said beak and extending beyond the beak to act as a rest for the bottom of the last, and means to adjust the oscillatory member with relation to said beak.

4-. A device of the kind described comprising a chucking portion adapted to clamp the heel of a last and to be engaged with the live center of a lathe, a toe dog cotiperating with said heel portion to enable the last to be rotated having a beak to engage the toe of the last, and a backing piece pivoted thereto with provision for angular adjustment to bring its work engaging surface a greater or less distance from the axial line of the lathe.

5. A device of the kind described comprising a chucking portion adapted to clamp the heel of a last and to be engaged with the live center of a lathe, a toe dog cooperating with said heel portion to enable the last to be rotated having a beak to engage the toe of the last, and a backing piece pivoted to said beak With adjusting screws at each side of its pivot adapted to hold it at difi erent distances from the axial line of the lathe.

6. A device of the kind described comprising a chucking portion to hold the heel of a last and be engaged in the live center of a lathe, a toe dog cooperating With said heel portion to enable the last to be rotated for engaging the toe of the last, and a last model held by said chucking portion and toe dog With a protector piece carried by the bottom toe portion thereof for the purpose as stated.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my 15 name to this specification, in the presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

MICHAEL H. LYONS.

lVitnesses:

FEED S. SPROGUE, FRANK H. MITE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

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