US1482406A - Skiving machine - Google Patents

Description

Feb', 5 1924.

J. G. NORTON SKI-VING MACHINE Original Filed Jan. .'50 1919 3 Sheets-Sheet 1' /M/E/vrm J. G. NORTON sKIvING MACHINE feb. s, 19245.

fiile@ Jan. so.

l I iinal 1919 `3 Sheets-Sheet 3 am. w@ F Patented Feb. 5, 1924.

JAMES G. NORTON, 0F ELTINGVILLE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR `T0 `ll'.1\Tll-'IL}E'D SHOE MA- CHINERY CRPORATION, OF PATEBSON, `NEW JERSEY, -A CORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEY.

skivrne 1vLACHIi\In` Continuation of application Serial No. 274,042, iiled January 30, 1919. This application filed December 4,

. 1920. Serial No. 428,260.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that 1 JAMES G. Noiz'mN, 'a citizen of the United States, residing at Eltinoville, S. l., in the county of Richmond and Siate of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Skiving Machines, of which, the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to machines for operating upon stock and isherein illustrated as embodied in a machine for eveningr soles, heel lifts and similar articles which" are used in the manufacture of boots and shoes.

In application Ser. No, 274,042, filed in my name, there is disclosed a method of grading heel lifts and similar articles which com prises, in one of its aspects, sorting the lifts into groups the individual members of which have the same thickness-difference, that is, the same difference'v in thickness between their thickest yandtheir thinnest localities, and then running the members of each group through an evening machine which is set, once for each group, so that it will remove from each lift a skivlng the maximum thickness of which is equal to the thickness-difference of the lift. In this wayfthere is produced from each heel lift blank, irrespective of its average thickness as well as ofits thiclmess-diderence, a lift of the greatest possible uniform thickness.

The general object of the present inven tion is to provide al machine of this type. According to one 'feature of the invention the machine has a cutter and two members for directing one by one a series of blanks of uneven thickness to the cutter, meansbeing provided for so adjusting and operating the machine that a series of skivings, of u neven thickness eachv having the samemaXimum thickness will be removed from the blanks of the series. In the illustrative machine the two members which grip and feed the blanks are respectively a gage member and a feed member. The gage member comprises a plurality of pressers the blank-engaging faces of which lie normally in a common plane and a carrier'or block inwhich these pressers are yieldingly mounted. The feed member comprises a second block or carrier in which a series of feed rolls are mounted on fixed axes. In the operation of the machine the gage member is adjusted manually into position such that when a blank is forced against its yielding pressers and fed to the knife by the rolls of the feed member, an uneven skiving of the desired maximum thickness will be removed from each blank, said maximum thickness being equal to the thickness-difference of the blank.

rlhis and other features of the invention, including certain details of construction and combinations of parts, will be described as embodied in` an illustrative machine and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now tothe accompanying drawings,

Figure` l is a side elevation of a machine in which the present invention is embodied;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the machine; 7

Figure 3 is a perspective of the upper blank-engaging or gage member;

Figurel is a perspective of the lower blank-engaging or feed member, and

Figure 5 is a section through the `two members showing a blank in process of bein skived.

eferring more particularly to Figure l,

there is mounted on a suitable bed `formed on the frame of the machine a skiving knife 7 which is held in adjusted position by capscrews one of which is indicated at 9, adjusting screws, oneof which is shown at 1l, being provided for adjusting the knife into proper position. The mounting of the knife is old and'ivell known and will not be described further than to explain that slots in the knife, through which the cap screws pass, permit the adjustment.

Located to engage the upper side of a blank 100 is a gageinember which is urged upwardly at Vall times by springs 15 and maybe adjusted downwardly by turning a hand, wheel 37. Referring ,now more particularlyto Figure 3 with occasional references 4to"liigure's 1, 2 and', the gage member comprisesafcarrier in the form of a block 17 having studs 19, oneat each of its four corners, `-to be received by the upper ends of the coiled spingsllti.` 4Mounted in suitable vertical guide-ways in the block 17 are a plurality of holders 2 1 (see Fig. 5); and

in each holder is rotatably mounted a presser roll 23.,` The stem of each holder 21 extends up through a bore in the block 17 and has threaded upon its upper end a nut 25,`each stem being encircled by a coiled spring 127 which exerts at all times a force to pushits respective carrier 21 and roll 23 downwardly. The nuts 25 limit such downward movement and are so adjusted that, when no blank is being engaged, the lower elements of the rolls 23 lie in a common horizontal plane. Extending upwardly from the block 17 are two slides 27 which are located in suitable guideways formed in the frame of the machine and held in place by plates 29. The upper ends of the slides 27 are beveled as shown and are engaged by wedges 31 formed at opposite ends of a horizontal slide-bar 33, saidA bar having an eye threaded to receive a screw 35 which is held from longit-udinal movement` but may be rotated by means of the hand wheel 37 which is fast to one end of the screw. The springs 15 hold the beveled upper ends of the slides 27 up against the wedges 31 so thatV when the hand wheel is L turned in one direction the upper blank-engaging member comprising the block 17 and rolls 23 is raised and, when the wheel is turned in the other direction, the blankengaging member is lowered. In the operation of the machine, as will presently be explained, when a group of blanks are to be operated upon the members of which each have the same thickness-difference, the upper blank-engaging member is set in such position that the distance from the plane of the cut of the knife to the plane which would contain the lower elements of the rolls 2.3, if said rolls were in their` uppermost positions, is equal to the amount of this thiclmess-difi'erence. `In order to facilitate the adjustment of the upper blank-engaging member, a pointer 39, pivoted at 41 to a stationary cross-bar 43 and having a forked lower end which embraces a pin 45 on the slide-bar 33, co-operates with a scale 46 mounted on the cross-bar. rlhe thickness of soles, heel lifts etc. is commonly measuredin ironsf and fractions thereof, an iron being one forty-eighth of an inch; and the scale and pointer are constructed and arranged to indicate distance in irons from the `plane of the cut of t-he knife to the plane of the lower elements of the rolls 23 when said rolls are in their uppermost positions. Consequently, if the thickness-difference of the member of any given group of blanks is known, all the operator has to do, in order to set the machine for skiving those blanks, is to turn the handwheel until the pointer and scale indicate the amount of that thickness-difference.

The lower blank-engaging member, which for convenience will be referred to as the feed member, comprises a block 47 having unyieldingly mounted therein a plurality of rollsV 49 which `are rotated continuously in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 5, so as to feed the blank to the knife. The block 47 has depending from its under side a generally ll-shaped slide 51, the upright arms of which are slidable in suitable guideways formed in the frame of the machine. EXtending vertically between the horizontal portion or base of the 'U-shaped member 51 and the block 47 and integral with the block and member is a cylindrical brace 53 in which is mounted a heavy spring 55 and a plunger 57, there being driven into the plunger a pin 59 which eX- tends into a slot formed in the cylindrical brace. Vhen a blank is being fed into position between the upper and the .lower blank-engaging members, the lower member is in lowered position as shown in Fig. 1; but before the forward edge of the blank reaches the knife, the lower member is raised so as to grip the blank between the two members and hold it so gripped during the skiving operation, this latter position of parts being ,shown in Fig. 5.

The raising and lowering of the lower blank-engaging members is effected through the plunger 57. The lower end of this plunger is formed with two eyes to receive a pivot pin 61'which also passes through a bore in the upper end of the upper lever 63 of a toggle, the lower end of said upper lever being pivoted at 65 to the upper end of a lower lever 67, said lower lever having a hub in the form of a sleeve 71. This sleeve is pinned at 73 toa rockshaft v75 to the outer end of which is pinned a crank-arm 77, the construction being such that when the crank-arm is oscillated the toggle will be alternately straightened to raise the lower blank-engaging member and broken to permit it to fall. Pivoted to the crank-arm at 79 is a connecting-rod 31 haiving at its upper `end a substantially square opening to receive a cam S2 which is fast tothe shaft 83 to which a driving pulley 85 is fast. Rotation of the pulley will therefore raise and lower the connecting-rod 81 and, through the toggle mechanism, effectraising and lowering of the lower blank-engaging member.

The group of blanks, each of which has the same thickness-diiference, is placed in superposed relation in a magazine 85, which may be of any approved construction. ln order to feed the blanks one by one from the magazine, a feed slide 87 is provided, having on its under side a rack adapted to be actuated by a toothed sector 89 formed upon the upper end of an arm 91. arm is fast to the middle of a rock-shaft 93 toone end of which is pinned an arm 95. A rod 97 is pivoted at one end to the arm and at the other to the connecting rod 81.

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Referring again to the cam 82 as it appears in Fig. l, noting that it moves in the direction indicated by the arrow and ithat its upper face 98 (in the position shown) is struck on a radius about the axis of the shaft 83, its effect upon the feed `slide and upon the lower blank-engaging member is as follows: ln the position shown, it has raised the connecting-rod 8l, with consequent lowering of the lower blank-engaging member, and is holding it raised. 'At the same time, it Vhas swung the connecting-rod part way toward the left and has consequently partially fed a blank into place be- "i" tween the blank engaging'members. It is the leading corner 99 `of `the cam which causes the various movements of the connecting rod 8l. ln the position shown, as has vbeen explained, this `corner is swinging the rod to the left and consequently causing the feeding of a blank while the radial face 98 is maintaining the connecting rod raised and consequently the lower blank-engaging member in lowered position. As the cam v continues its rotation, the feeding of the blank is completed, the radial face 98 holding the connecting-rod 8l raised. Next the leading corner 99 pushes the connecting-rod downwardly thereby raising the lower blank-engaging member to press the blank against the rolls 28 the radial face 98 holding the connecting-rod to the left. The leading corner 99 then swings the connectingrod to the right, thus returning the feedslide to its initial position, the radial face 98 during this movement serving to hold the connecting-rod in lowered position and consequently the lower blank-engaging member in raised position while theysvkiving operation is taking place. The leading corner 99 next moves thel connecting rod upwardly thereby lowering the lower blank-engaging member into the position shown, the radial face 98 maintaining the feed slide in its right-hand positionl during this movement. Thereafter the leading corner 9 9 starts the feeding of a. succeeding blank while the .lower blank-engaging member is held in its lowered position. This completes the cycle which is repeated as long as the pulley is rotated.

The operation of the cam 82 has been described for convenience'through one complete cycle without reference to certain mechanism for locking the loweriblanl-engagging member. After the blank has'been fed into position to be skived and the lower blank-engaging member has been raised to grip and' Vfeed it, it is desirable that said member be locked firmly in its raised posi- .tion` held rigidity against'movement either toward or away from the knife until the skiving has been completed, yand thereafter released sothat it Tdrop into its lowered position.A In order to -'lockthe'"lovver blankengaging member from downward movement during the cutting operation, there are formed in the walls of the guideways in which .the upright arms 5l are vertically slidable, pockets 20 having' downwardly inclined outer walls, and in each pocket is located a roller 22. lll/lith the construction thus far described it will be clear that the lower' blank-engaging member may be freely raised but that the rollers 22 will look it against being loweredy until they are pushed upwardly in their pockets. Extending up into each pocket is a rod 24, the lower end of which is adapted to be engaged by a tappet 26, the stem of which is threaded into the outer end of a lever 28 which is pivoted to the frame of the machine at 80. The inner ends of the -two levers 28 are received in a groove formed in a collar which is part of the plunger 57. lllhen the plunger, and consequently the lower blank-engaging member is in lowered position, as shown, the rollers 22 rest upon the upper ends of the rods 24. YVhen, however, the plunger moves upwardly, the outer ends of the levers 28 move downwardly, thus permitting the upper ends of the rods 24 to be withdrawn from the pockets 20. Under these conditions the rollers 22 form one-way locks which prevent the lower blank-engaging member from moving downwardly; and consequently saidv member remains locked from downward movement in any position to which it is raised until the plunger 5T is moved downwardly whereupon the rods 24C are projected upwardly to free the rollers 22 and permit. the lower blankengaging member to fall. In order to lock the lower blank-engaging member from upward movement during the cutting operation there are pivoted in slots in the upright slides 5l of the lower blank-engaging member two eccentric friction pawls 40, the operative faces of which are arranged to engage at the proper time outer walls 42 of vthe lguideways in the frame of the machine in which the slides 51 are mounted. Through a perforation in the tail of each pawl passes loosely the upper end of a rod LM, the lower ends of these rods being pivoted respectively `to the arms 28. Springs 48 encircle the rods; and'adjusting nuts 50, by turning which the angular' positions of the pawls may 'be varied, are threaded upon the upper ends of the rods above the tails of the eccentric pawls. In the position of parts shown in the figures, the lower blank-engaging member i7 is in its lowered position. Considering now the upward movement of the plunger 57, which is produced by the straightening of the toggle levers 63, 67, this movement may be considered to take place in two stages. In the first stage the blank-engaging member is raised until it presses the blank 100 firmly up against the rolls 23 of the upper blank-engaging member. In the second stage, which is much the shorter one, the blank-engaging member 47 remains stationary while the spring 55 is compressed more or less. During the first stage the operative faces of the eccentric pawls' 40 are not moved into locking engagement with the walls 42, and consequently there is nothing to prevent the upward movement of the blank-engaging member 47. During the second stage of the upward movement of the plunger 57, however, the pawls 40 are forced into firm engagement with the walls 42, and any further upward movement which the lower blank-engaging member 47 might otherwise make is prevented. The pawls 40 may be timed properly by manipulating the nuts 50.

The lower blank-engaging member is thus held during the skiving operation from upward movement by the pawls 40 and from downward movement by the rollers 22. After the completion of the skiving operation the plunger 57 is pulled downwardly, this downward movement serving first to release the rollers and free the pawls and then to permit the` lower blank-engaging member 47 to fall into the position shown.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 4 and 1, the mechanism for rotating the feed rolls 49 will be described. Five such rolls are shown and, for convenience, they will be referred to as the first to the fifth roll beginning with the forward one which is farthest from the knife. The first, third and fifth rolls have keyed upon their shafts gears 101 while the second and fourth rolls have loosely mounted upon their shafts gears 103, all five gears 101, 103 being of the same size and arranged to mesh one with another. On that end of the shaft of the third roll which is remote from its gear 101 is fast an internal gear 105, and meshing with this gear are two gears 107 which are fast respectively to the shafts of the second and fourth rolls. Vith this construction, rotation of that gear 101 which is fast to the shaft of the fifth roll will cause all of the rolls to rotate in the same direction. Meshing with this last-named gear 101 is a gear 109 rotatable about a pivot 111 which connects two links 113,115, the upper end of the link 113 having a bore to receive the shaft of the fifth roll 101, and the rear or left-hand end of the link 115 having a bore to receive the shaft 83. A gear 117, which is fast to the shaft 83, meshes with the gear 109. With this construction it will be seen that the raising and lowering of the lower blankengaging member does not disturb the mesh of the various gears, and that consequently the rolls 49 are rotated continuously in such a direction as to advance a blank to the knife as soon as they have pushed the blank into firm contact with the rolls 23 of the upper blank-engaging member.

Considering now more in detail the setting and operation of the skiving mechanism, it will be understood that the blanks which are to be skived have previously been sorted into groups each member of which has the same thiclmess-diiference as have the others, although the blanks may differ greatly in their actual or average thicknesses. Blanks of one such group are now placed in the magazine, andthe upper blankengaging member adjusted by means of the hand wheel 16 until the pointer 45 indicates the proper mark on the scale. rlhe machine is then started, the upper blank-engaging member being maintained in its adjusted position until all the blanks of a particular group have been run through the machine. As each blank is fed between the upper and lower blank-engaging` members,v the lower member is raised yieldingly through the I heavy spring 55 until it forces the blank firmly against the rolls 23 of the upper member and is itself locked against movement either toward or from the plane of the cut of the knife. The blank now lies fiat upon the upper elements of the feed rolls 49, being held down upon these rolls by the presser rolls 23, the supporting springs 127 of which are strong enough to accomplish such holding. The lower face of the blank is thus held in a horizontal plane which is parallel to the plane of `the cut of the knife so that the finished article, which eventually passes beneath the knife, will be of a uniform thickness throughout. The upper face of the blank does not lie in a horizontal plane but in an inclined plane, if the blank is regularly tapered from end to end, or at various levels if there are thick spots separated by thin spots. Assuming, for convenience of explanation, that the blank is thickest at its leading edge and tapers regularly to its following edge, the presser roll 23 nearest the knife will at first be pushed up to the limit of its upward movement so as to be no longer yielding, and the remaining rolls 23 will extend downwardly each more than the preceding one. The chip or skiving removed by the knife in this case will be thicker at the leading end than at the following end, the finished article being of a uniform thickness throughout approximately equal to the distance between the plane of the cut of the knife and the plane of the upper elements of the rolls 49. lt should be noted that after the lower blank-engaging member has been pushed up against the blank to grip and feed it tothe knife, the distance from the plane of the upper elements of the feed rolls 49 to the lower element of that presser roll 23 `which is pushed up to the limit of its upward movement and is therefore pressing rigidly against the blank is equal to the thickness of the thickest locality of the blank. 1t should also be Y noted that byreason ofthespring` 55, the distance through which the lower blankengaging member is moved upwardlyin any given case depends upon the general or average thickness ot the blank which is being operated upon. j

The prior application Serial No. 274,042, which has been referred to above, contains claims to a method of `,treating blanks in'-` cluding evening them, but contains no claims to the machine which is therein shown and briefly described, the present application being a continuation, so tar as common sunjcct-matter is concerned, ot that application. Prior application Serial No, 415,810 led in my name, shows and describes a machine for evening one after another blanks which are heterogeneous as to their thickness-dilerences, the evening mechanism, except that it is automatically set, being similar to the evening mechanism of the present application, and broad claims to said meehanism without reference to its automatic setting appear in said prior application.`

Although the invention has-been settforth as embodied in a particular machin'e,vit should be understood that the invention is not limited in the scope of its application to the particular machine which has been shown and described.

Having thus describedfmyinvention, what I claim as new andidesire tojsecure by Letters Patent of the United States is: i i l l. A machine oit' the class described having, in combination, a cutter,jagage member anda feed member tor gripping `one by one a series ot blankseach of which has thejsame thickness di'erence and directing them to the' cutter, operator controlled means `for producing relative adjustment between the gage member and the cutter tospace them apart a distance equal tothe `amount of thickness difference, and means for thereafter moving the eed member toward the gageimember to cause each blank to be gripped and ted'in such manner that,` a skiving of uneven thickness and having the same maximum thickness is removed from each blank and passes between thegage member and the cutter. j e i j 2. A machine ,of the class described having, in combination, acutter, a gage member and a feed member for gripping one by one a series of blanks each of which has the same thickness diiierence and directing. them to the cutter, operator controlled rmeansfor producing relative adjustment between the gage member and the cutter to space them apart a distance equal to the amount of thickness Aditterence, and means for thereafter moving the feed member toward the gage member and torlocking` it ,in a position determined in each case by the 4maximum thickness of the particular blank engaged.

blanks and direct thc-Into the cutter, means for producing relative adjustment between one member and the cutter and for holding said member andcutter against movement of separation inl their relatively adjusted position, andmean-s for compelling the other member to movetoward and from the relatively adjustedmember and cutter once for each blank passed through the machine while maintainingsaid relative adjustment.

4. A machine; of the class described having, in combination, a cutter, two members adapted to engage one by one a series of blanks and direct them"` to the cutter, means for producing relatii'fe adjustment between one member and the cutter and for holding said .memberand cutter iixed against movement ot separation in; their` relatively adjusted position.,` and. power-operated means for compelling the other' member to move toward and` from .the relatively adjusted memberA and cutteuonce"forV each blank passed through themachinefwhile maintaining said relative adjustment. i

' 5. A ma'chinevot the class described having, in combination, a cutter, twomembers adapted to-engage a series of blanksone by one anddirect them to thecutter, means for adjusting one member into a desired position with respect to the cutter and for holding it so that itcannotibe moved away from the cutter, and means for compelling the other member to move toward and from theadjusted `member once foreach blank passed through the machine while said adjusted member remains in its adjusted posi'- tion.` Y j 6.' lA machine; of the class described having,gin combination, a cutter, two members adapted to engage Va `series of blanks one by one and direct themto the cutter, means for adjusting one member into a desired posi` tion `with respect to the cutter and for holding .it so that it cannot be moved away from thecutter, andpower-operated means for compelling the other member to move toward andv from the adjusted member once for each blank passed through the machine while said adjusted member remains in its adjusted position. e

7. A machine of the class described hav'- ing, in` combination, a magazine for a stack of blanks, means for feeding the blanks one by one from the magazine, a cutter, two members arranged to receivebetween them each blank from the magazine and support it during the cutting operation, means whereby relative adjustment between the cutter and one member` may be produced to bring said member and cutter into al desired spaced relation, -andmeansacting inn timed relation with the feeding means for moving the other llO member toward the relatively adjusted member to effect gripping and feeding of each blank and for thereafter moving said other member away from the relatively adjusted member to permit the next blank to be fed between the member, while maintaining the spaced relation betweenthe first-named member and the cutter unchanged.

8. A machine of the class described having, in combination7 a cut-ter, a gage member between which and the cutter the waste skivings pass, a feed member between which and the cutter the finished blanks pass, means for relatively adjusting the gage member and cutter into a given spaced relation and for holding them in said relation, means for alternately lowering and `raising the feed member, and means for feeding blanks successively between the members while the feed member is in lowered position.

9. A machine for evening the members of a group of blanks which are heterogeneous in thickness but have the same thicknessdifference having in combination, a cutter, two blank-engaging members for directing the blanks one by one to the cutter, means whereby one member and the cutter may be relatively adjusted in accordance with the thickness-diiference of the blanks and held in such adjustment against movement of separation, and means for repeatedly compelling relative movement of approach and separation between the adjusted cutter and member and the other member once for each blank operated upon.

10. A machine for evening the members of a group of blanks which are heterogeneous in thickness but of the same thicknessdifference havin in combination a cutter, two blank-engaging members for directing the blanks to the cutter, means for adjusting one of said members into such position that its blank-engaging face is spaced from the cutter a distance equal to the amount of thickness-difference of the blanks and for holding it set in such position, means for feeding blanks one by one between the members and means for moving the other member toward the adjusted member to-grip each blank during the skiving operation and away from the adjusted member in time to permit a succeeding blank to be fed be-` tween the members. I

11. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a cutter, two members for advancing a blank to the cutter, manually controlled means for adjusting one member in a direction transverse to the plane of the cut and for holding it in adjusted position against movement away from the cutter until a subsequent manual adjustment is made, means for feeding blanks one by one between the members, and means for moving the other member toward the adjusted member to press each blank against the adjusted member during the cutting operation and for thereafter moving said other member away from the adjusted ,member to permit a succeeding blank to be fed between the members while maintaining the adjusted member in its -adjusted position.

12. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a cutter for removing skivings from a series of blanks, a gage member, means for holding the gage member in a fixed relation to the cutter, a feed member which is at times spaced from the gage member a distance greater than the thickness of the thickest blank to be operated upon, and means for compelling the feed member to move toward and from the gage member once for each blank passed through the machine while maintaining the fixed relation of the gage member and the cutter.

13. A machine for skiving a blank of uneven thickness the thickness-difference of which is known having, in combination, a cutter, two blank-engaging members, means whereby relative adjustment between one member and the cutter may be produced, means for indicating when in such adjustment the said member and cutter are so spaced that the skiving which will be removed will have a maximum thickness equal to the thickness-difference of the blank and means for operating the other blank-engaging member in such manner as to cause the blank to be evened by the removal of the aforementionedy skiving.

14C. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a cutter, two members for gripping one by one a series of blanks each of which has the same thickness difference and directing them to the cutter, operator-controlled means adapted to be manipulated once for the whole series for producing relative adjustment between one member and the cutter to space them apart a distance equal to the amount of the thickness dierence, and means for thereafter moving the other member toward the firstnamed member and for locking it in a position determined in each case by the thickness of the particular blankwhich is passing through the machine. f

15. A machine for evening a series of blanks the members of which have the same thickness difference by removing from each blank a skiving the maximum thickness of which is in each case the same having, in combination, a magazine for the blanks, a cutter, a gage member and a feed member located between the magazine and the cutter, operator-controlled means for adjusting the gage member to and holding it during the evening of the whole series of blanks in a position spaced from the cutter a distance equal to the thickness difference, means for advancing a blank into a position between Leeaeoe the gage member and feed member, means for moving the feed member toward the gage member to cause the blank to be gripped and fed to the knife, and means for locking the feed member once for each blank in a position determined by the thickness of the particular blank Which is passing thro-ugh the machine.

16. A machine for evening a blank of uneven thickness, the thickness dierence of which is known, having, in combination, a cutter, a gage member comprising a base and a plurality of rolls yieldingly mounted there,- in located at one side of the plane of the cutand in advance of the cutter and some in admember and cutter are so spaced that the skiving Which will be removed Will have a maximum thickness equal to the thicknessdifference, and means for operating the feed member in such manner as to cause the blank to be evened by the removal of the aforementioned skiving. j

17. A machine for evening a series of blanks Which are heterogeneous as to thickness but have each the same knovvn thickness-difference, having, in combination, a cutter, a gage member comprising a base and a plurality of rolls yieldingly mounted therein located at one side of the plane of the cut in front of the cutter and some in front of others, a feed member comprising a base and a plurality of rolls unyieldingly mounted therein located on the other side of the plane of the cut in front of the cutter and some in front of others, means for producing relative adjustment between the gage member and the cutter in accordance With the known thickness-dierence and for maintaining the adjustment during the evening of the series, and means for moving the feed member toward and from the gage member once for each blank passed through the machine.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JAMES eNoRToN.

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