Abstract:
Right up to the first half of the 19th century,
shoes were exclusively made by hand with tools
such as curved awls, hammers, chisel-like knives,
scapers, spoke-shaves and drawknives - tools
that had been in use as early as 1,300 B.C., as excavations
have proved. The first real step toward
the mechanization of shoe production was the
invention of a "rolling machine" in 1845. That
machine was used to soften leather and improve
its wearing qualities. In the following year an invention
by no means confined in its effects to
the shoe industry, proved to be a milestone in
the production-line manufacture of shoes: the
first functioning sewing machine. Its successful
adaptation marked the beginning of a rapid
series of inventions and improvements in the
shoe production that has continued up to the
present day.
The production plant described on the following
pages is laid out for the production of 500
pairs of shoes in 8 hours.
