Allen Benjamin Wilson

Allen Benjamin Wilson (October 18, 1823 – April 29, 1888) was an American inventor, known for designing, building and patenting some of the first successful sewing machines. He invented both the vibrating and the rotating shuttle designs which, in turns, dominated all home lockstitch sewing machines. With various partners in the 19th century he manufactured reliable sewing machines using the latter shuttle type.

Life He was born at Willet, New York, October 18, 1823, the son of a wheelwright. At the age of eleven he was indentured to a farmer, remaining only a year. But he continued to work on a farm until he was sixteen, meanwhile learning the blacksmith's trade. He was next apprenticed to a cabinet-maker at Cincinnatus in the same county, but soon left the place, returning to his regular trade, as a journeyman, and found his way to Adrian, Michigan. While there, and early in 1847, he conceived the idea of a sewing-machine, never having heard of one, though in this country Elias Howe had already patented an invention, as had Bartholomy Thimonnier in France. Owing to an illness of several months duration. Wilson was not able to develop his ideas, although he had the various devices and adjustments clearly defined in his mind.

Allen Benjamin Wilson died at Woodmont, Connecticut, on April 29, 1888. Lockstitch utilising a rotating hook invented by Allen B Wilson. This is employed on many modern machines In 1851, Wilson patented his famous rotary hook, which performed the functions of a shuttle by seizing the upper thread and throwing its loop over a circular bobbin containing the under thread. 'This simplified the construction of the machine by getting rid of the reciprocation motion of the ordinary shuttle, and contributed to make a light tool silent running machine, eminently adapted to domestic use.

In 1854, Wilson patented his four-motion feed, in combination with a spring presser foot. The feed bar, as its name indicates, had four distinct motions, two vertical and two horizontal. It was first raised by the action of an eccentric on the driving shaft, then carried forward by a cam formed on the side of the eccentric (by which operation the work was shifted the desired distance), then it dropped, and finally it was drawn back by a spring to its original position. This machine used the curved needle and embodies the rotary hook and the four-motion feed. The latest type of this machine used a vertical needle bar and a straight needle.

Wilson had the good fortune soon after securing his patent to interest Nathaniel Wheeler, a young carriage maker who possessed some capital, in his machine, and out of this connection grew the great house of Wheeler & Wilson.