Waist expander for trouser finisher

A trouser presser comprising a frame, a stationary center buck mounted on the frame, side chests mounted on the frame on either side of the center buck and moveable between a retracted position in spaced-apart relation from the center buck and a pressing position against the center buck, with a front operator access opening forward of the center buck, and a waist expander assembly mounted on the frame and alternately moveable between a dressing position forward of the center buck and a pressing position over the center buck, said waist expander assembly comprising:

• (a) a front waist buck having opposing side surfaces for receiving and engaging the front torso part of a pair of trousers;
• (b) a rear waist buck having opposing side surfaces for receiving and engaging the rear torso part of a pair of trousers with the trousers encircling said front and rear waist bucks;
• (c) means for alternately moving said front and rear waist bucks relatively towards and away from each other to respectively define a closed position where the trousers are held loosely around the front and rear waist bucks and an open position for holding the trousers in a tensioned condition for being pressed;
• (d) the opposing side surfaces of the front and rear waist bucks being parallel to each other and in the same vertical plane to collectively define opposing, planar pressing surfaces for the opposite sides of the trousers;
• and
• (e) the upper extent of said side chests defining planar pressing surfaces for making surface-to-surface pressing contact against said opposing side surfaces of said front and rear waist bucks.