The present invention relates to blades for power tools, and more particularly to a blade for a reciprocating saw.
Reciprocating tools, such as reciprocating saws, typically include removable blades to allow for replacement of worn or damaged blades.
The invention provides, in one aspect, a blade for use with a reciprocating saw imparting movement to the blade in a forward direction and a rearward direction to perform a cutting operation on a workpiece. The blade includes an attachment portion configured to couple to the reciprocating saw and a body extending from the attachment portion. The body includes a first profile portion and a second profile portion extending from the first profile portion. The second profile portion has a height less than a height of the first profile portion. The blade also includes a plurality of teeth formed on the body and defining a toothed cutting edge. The blade also includes a tip portion formed at a distal end of the second profile portion and terminating in a pointed tip. The pointed tip is configured to punch a hole through the workpiece and includes a toothless cutting edge extending substantially parallel to the toothed cutting edge. The toothless cutting edge extends from the toothed cutting edge to the pointed tip.
The invention provides, in another aspect, a reciprocating saw including a housing, a motor supported by the housing, and a blade clamp mechanism supported for reciprocating motion relative to the housing. The reciprocating saw also includes a drive mechanism connected between the motor and the blade clamp mechanism to impart reciprocating motion to the blade clamp mechanism and a blade. The blade includes an attachment portion coupled to the blade clamp mechanism and a body extending from the attachment portion. The body includes a first profile portion and a second profile portion extending from the first profile portion. The second profile portion has a height less than a height of the first profile portion. The blade also includes a plurality of teeth formed on the body and defining a toothed cutting edge. The blade also includes a tip portion formed at a distal end of the second profile portion and terminating in a pointed tip. The pointed tip is configured to punch a hole through the workpiece. The tip portion includes a toothless cutting edge extending substantially parallel to the toothed cutting edge, and the toothless cutting edge extends from the toothed cutting edge to the pointed tip.
Other features and aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
With continued reference to
With reference to the cross section illustrated in
The reciprocating tool 10 also includes a removable shoe 44, illustrated in
In other embodiments, the power tool 10 may include various handle constructions, drive mechanisms, blade clamp mechanisms, and power configurations. In further embodiments, the power tool 10 may include other types of power and speed control switches or may not include a speed control feature.
The body 50 includes a tall profile portion 56 extending from the attachment portion 48, a low profile portion 58 extending from the tall profile portion 56, and a cutting edge 60 extending across the tall profile portion 56 and the low profile portion 58. The cutting edge 60 extends substantially along a cutting plane B. The attachment portion 48 is angled with respect to the cutting edge 60 (and the cutting plane B) by a tang angle C. The tang angle C is preferably between about 0 degrees and about 6.5 degrees. In some embodiments, the tang angle C is higher, e.g., about 25 degrees. Therefore, in some embodiments, the tang angle C is between about 0 degrees and about 25 degrees. The cutting edge 60, which may also be referred to as a toothed cutting edge 60, includes teeth 62, which are best illustrated in the enlarged view of
A distal end of the blade 46 terminates in a pointed tip 64 located adjacent the cutting teeth 62 at a distal end of the toothed cutting edge 60. The pointed tip 64 is sharp and allows the blade 46 to puncture a workpiece. A toothless cutting edge 65 extends parallel to the toothed cutting edge 60, from the distal end of the toothed cutting edge 60 to the pointed tip 64. The toothless cutting edge 65 allows the pointed tip 64 to puncture the workpiece without catching or binding. The pointed tip 64 includes a tip angle H of about 15 degrees to about 45 degrees. The tip angle H is about 30 degrees in the illustrated embodiment. In the illustrated embodiment, the body 50 is formed as one piece with the attachment portion 48. In other embodiments, fasteners or fastening means may be employed, such as rivets, screws, bolts, glue, adhesives, welding, soldering and the like.
The blade 46, and more specifically, the body 50, has a material thickness of about 0.035 inches to about 0.080 inches. The overall length L of the blade 46 is between about 2.75 inches and about 4.5 inches. A length G of the low profile portion 58 is between about 1.5 inches and about 3 inches. A height F of the low profile portion 58 is between about 0.25 inches and about 0.625 inches.
The low profile portion 58′ is longer than the low profile portion 58 described above, measured in a direction parallel to the cutting edge 60. The tall profile portion 56′ is shorter than the tall profile portion 56 described above, measured in a direction perpendicular to the cutting edge 60. Specifically, the low profile portion 58′ has a length G′, measured from the junction with the tall profile portion to the tip 64, preferably between about 1.6 inches and about 2.5 inches. In the illustrated construction, the length G′ is about 2.4 inches. The tall profile portion 56′ has a length N, measured from the center of the aperture 54 to the junction with the low profile portion 58′, preferably between about 0.43 to about 1.27 inches. In the illustrated construction, the length N is about 0.53 inches. Thus, a ratio of the length N of the tall profile portion to the length G′ of the low profile portion is between about 0.17 and about 0.79 (and is preferably about 0.22). Accordingly, the tall profile portion 56′ does not extend as far away from the tang 52 as in the embodiment shown in
The blade 46′ also includes a toothless cutting edge 65 that extends parallel to the cutting edge 60, from the distal end of the cutting edge 60 to the pointed tip 64. The toothless cutting edge 65 defines a tip length J. Accordingly, the teeth 62′ are spaced from the pointed tip 64 by a distance equal to the tip length J. The tip length J is preferably between about 0.15 and about 0.30 inches. In the illustrated embodiment, the tip length J is about 0.23 inches.
The blade 46′ also includes some geometry that is substantially the same as the geometry described above and, accordingly, is labeled the same and need not be described again in detail. Specifically, the blade 46′ includes the overall length L, the height F of the low profile portion 58, the tang angle C, and the tip angle H. In the illustrated embodiment, the overall length L is about 3.33 inches (and preferably between about 2.75 to about 4.5 inches, as described above). Thus, a ratio of the length G′ of the low profile portion 58′ to the overall length L is between about 0.35 and about 0.91 (and is about 0.72 in the illustrated embodiment). The height F of the low profile portion is about 0.25 inches (and is preferably between about 0.25 to about 0.625 inches as described above). The tang angle C is preferably between about 0 and about 10 degrees. The tip angle H is about 30 degrees (and preferably between about 15 to about 45 degrees, as described above).
The cutting edge 60 of the blade 46′ includes cutting teeth 62′.
The blade 46, 46′, 46″ is particularly well-suited for cutting duct material in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) applications. In operation, a user attaches the blade 46, 46′, 46″ to the blade clamp mechanism 12 of the reciprocating power tool 10 and manually jams the pointed tip 64 into the material, similar to stabbing the material with a bayonet. The short length L of the blade 46, 46′, 46″ and the sharp pointed tip 64 allow the blade 46, 46′, 46″ to be plunged into duct material with reduced force and without substantial bending. In addition, the toothless cutting edge 65 of the tip 64 prevents the blade 46, 46′, 46″ from catching or binding when it is jammed into the material. The blade 46, 46′, 46″ is long enough so that it may remain in the cut during both the back and forward strokes. Specifically, the low profile portion 58 performs the cut and remains in the material during the back and forward strokes. Once in the material, the blade 46, 46′, 46″ cuts with a reciprocating action imparted by the reciprocating power tool 10. The fine-pitched V-shaped tooth form of the teeth 62 cuts the material in both directions and reduces vibration in the duct material during cutting. The low profile section 58 allows tight radius cuts in the duct material.
Thus, the invention provides, among other things, a blade attachable to a reciprocating saw for making tight radius cuts in HVAC duct material. Various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims.
This application claims priority to co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/605,486 filed on Mar. 1, 2012, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/707,156 filed on Sep. 28, 2012, the entire contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61605486 | Mar 2012 | US | |
61707156 | Sep 2012 | US |