Leather yarn producing machine

Abstract

A machine for producing a strand of fine leather yarn from a leather disc is disclosed. The machine includes a rotatable turntable with an array of suction holes in its upper surface for receiving the leather disc, stiffening it for cutting and tightly gripping it for rotation with the turntable. A cutting wheel is positioned just above the turntable and is rotatably driven on an axis lying generally radially with respect to the turntable. A frame above the turntable supports the cutting wheel and provides for advancement of the cutting wheel radially inwardly as the cutting of leather yarn from the peripheral edge of the leather disc progresses. The speed of inward advancement of the cutting wheel is maintained at a fixed ratio to the speed of rotation of the turntable, so that a constant width of leather yarn is obtained. The advancement may be by means of a rotatable screw shaft linked mechanically to and rotatably driven by the driving means for the turntable. The speeds of rotation of the turntable and of advancement of the cutter may be increased as the cutting operation moves toward the center of the turntable so that the linear speed of production of the leather yarn is held more or less constant. There is preferably included some sort of takeup device for removing the leather yarn from the turntable as it is cut from the disc.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.