Improvements in or relating to machines suitable for operating on shoe soles

986,105. Roughing, skiving and splitting shoe soles. BRITISH UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CO. Ltd. July 3, 1961, No. 23215/60. Addition to 919,343. Heading B4B. A machine as set forth in the parent Specification and Specification 966,701 is provided with a plate 10 for holding down the toe end portion of the sole in the matrix 4 of carrier 2 before the sole is operated upon. The plate is carried by a spring arm 12 which is secured to an arm 14 in turn carried by a vertical shaft 16. The shaft 16 has a piston 18 movable in a hydraulic cylinder 20 and has secured to the lower end thereof a pinion 30 meshing with tack teeth 44 of a piston 42 movable in an hydraulic cylinder 34. A spring 36 surrounding shaft 16 within the cylinder 20 ensures that the plate 10 is in its raised inoperative position when the machine is not in operation and the hydraulic fluid is not under pressure. In operation, a sole is placed in the matrix and the machine is put in motion. The carrier and matrix are moved by hydraulic means towards and beneath the cutter 6 and at the same time the plate 10 is swung from its out-ofthe way position (shown in dot - and - dash lines in Fig. 1) into a position over the toe end of the sole by means of the tack teeth 44 meshing with the pinion 30. The cutter 6 is then moved down by hydraulic means into a position where it may be engaged by the heel end portion of the sole and at the same time the plate 10 is moved down by means of the piston 18 so as to press the toe end portion of the sole into the matrix before the machine begins to operate on the sole. The carrier continues to move under the cutter and takes the sole along so that the sole passes from beneath the plate 10 into immediate engagement with a plate corresponding to the plate 254 of Specification 966,701 and thence under the cutter. At the end of the operation, the movements are reversed.