Patent Application
20230286069
Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to oscillating-saw blades. More specifically, embodiments of the disclosure relate to an apparatus and methods for a sawblade sharpener for extending the operating life of oscillating multi-tool sawblades.
An oscillating multi-tool is a compact, portable power tool that accepts a wide range of interchangeable blades that can be used to sand, cut, scrape, grind, and polish. During operation, the blade oscillates side-to-side at very high speeds, making the oscillating multi-tool much easier and safer to use than other types of saws, such as circular saws, reciprocating saws, jigsaws, and the like. Oscillating multi-tool saws are increasingly popular since they can cut through a variety of building materials, including wood, metal, drywall, cement, mortar, plastic, fiberglass, and the like. Further, oscillating multi-tools are particularly suitable for working in locations that cannot be accessed by other power tools, such as narrow spaces, tight interior corners, awkward angles, and the like.
During operation, the oscillating multi-tool transmits a side-to-side torque to the sawblade 100, causing the cutting edge 120 to move side-to-side in a manner suitable for cutting a wide variety of materials. A drawback to the sawblade 100, however, is that the cutting edge 120 can become quickly dulled, sometimes within a matter of seconds, thereby necessitating replacement with a newer, sharper sawblade 100. Although dulled sawblades 100 can be sharpened by hand or by grinding, such methods are tedious, time consuming, and typically fail to restore the sawblade 100 to a suitably sharp cutting edge 120. As such, sawblades 100 for oscillating multi-tools generally are considered to be a single-use item that is discarded once the cutting edges 120 have dulled.
What is needed, therefore, is a blade sharpener for oscillating multi-tool sawblades that can be used to restore sawblades having dulled cutting edges, thereby extending the operating life of oscillating multi-tool sawblades.
An apparatus and methods are provided for a sawblade sharpener for extending the operating life of oscillating multi-tool sawblades. The sawblade sharpener comprises a first blade that includes a multiplicity of cutting teeth. A second blade is pivotally coupled with the second blade and includes a multiplicity of cutting teeth. The cutting teeth are configured to shear off a dulled cutting edge from the sawblade and form a new cutting edge, thereby providing a sharpened sawblade. The cutting teeth may have a size and shape suitable for forming any of course cutting teeth, medium cutting teeth, fine cutting teeth, or very fine cutting teeth, and the like. The sawblade sharpener may be operated by hand, such as by squeezing handles coupled with the first and second blades or may be configured to be mounted onto a tabletop or workbench and operated by way of a lever.
In an exemplary embodiment, a sawblade sharpener for forming a new cutting edge on an oscillating multi-tool sawblade comprises: a first blade including a first multiplicity of cutting teeth; a second blade including a second multiplicity of cutting teeth and pivotally coupled with the first blade; a first handle coupled with the first blade; a second handle coupled with the second blade; a handle pivot for engaging the first multiplicity of cutting teeth with the second multiplicity of cutting teeth so as to form the new cutting edge; and a spring mounted on the handle pivot for biasing the first handle and the second handle in an open configuration.
In another exemplary embodiment, the first multiplicity of cutting teeth and the second multiplicity of cutting teeth have a size and configuration suitable for forming the new cutting edge. In another exemplary embodiment, the configuration comprises a zigzag shape. In another exemplary embodiment, the size is suitable for forming any of course cutting teeth, medium cutting teeth, fine cutting teeth, or very fine cutting teeth.
In another exemplary embodiment, the first handle and the second handle are configured such that squeezing the first handle and the second handle together causes the first blade and the second blade to move toward one another. In another exemplary embodiment, the first blade is coupled with the first handle by way of a first handle fastener; and wherein the second blade is coupled with the second handle by way of a second handle fastener. In another exemplary embodiment, the first blade and the second blade are coupled together by way of a blade pivot. In another exemplary embodiment, the first multiplicity of cutting teeth and the second multiplicity of cutting teeth are configured to cooperate with one another for the purpose of forming the new cutting edge the first handle and the second handle are squeezed toward one another. In another exemplary embodiment, the first multiplicity of cutting teeth and the second multiplicity of cutting teeth are configured to shear off a dulled cutting edge so as to form the new cutting edge.
In an exemplary embodiment, a sawblade sharpener for forming a new cutting edge on an oscillating multi-tool sawblade comprises: a first blade including a first multiplicity of cutting teeth; a second blade including a second multiplicity of cutting teeth and pivotally coupled with the first blade; a vertical portion for supporting the first blade; a base portion for supporting the second blade; a lever coupled with the vertical portion for engaging the first multiplicity of cutting teeth with the second multiplicity of cutting teeth so as to form the new cutting edge; and a mechanism for supporting the oscillating multi-tool sawblade between the first blade and the second blade.
In another exemplary embodiment, the first multiplicity of cutting teeth and the second multiplicity of cutting teeth have a size and configuration suitable for forming the new cutting edge. In another exemplary embodiment, the configuration comprises a zigzag shape. In another exemplary embodiment, the size is suitable for forming any of course cutting teeth, medium cutting teeth, fine cutting teeth, or very fine cutting teeth.
In another exemplary embodiment, the base portion is configured to be coupled with a horizontal surface such as tabletop or a workbench. In another exemplary embodiment, a forcible lever couples the first blade with the lever, such that a downward force is transmitted to the first blade when the lever is rotated relative to the vertical portion.
In an exemplary embodiment, a method for sharpening an oscillating multi-tool sawblade by way of a sawblade sharpener comprises: supporting the oscillating multi-tool sawblade between a first blade and a second blade; causing the first blade to move toward the second blade; and shearing off a dulled cutting edge of the oscillating multi-tool sawblade.
In another exemplary embodiment, the supporting comprises using a magnet to support the oscillating multi-tool sawblade such that the dulled cutting edge is disposed between the first blade and the second blade. In another exemplary embodiment, causing the first blade to move comprises using a lever to engage a first multiplicity of cutting teeth comprising the first blade with a second multiplicity of cutting teeth comprising the second blade. In another exemplary embodiment, shearing off the dulled cutting edge includes forming a new cutting edge. In another exemplary embodiment, forming the new cutting edge includes cutting the oscillating multi-tool sawblade by way of the first multiplicity of cutting teeth and the second multiplicity of cutting teeth.
These and other features of the concepts provided herein may be better understood with reference to the drawings, description, and appended claims.
The drawings refer to embodiments of the present disclosure in which:
While the present disclosure is subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. The sawblade sharpener presented herein should be understood to not be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art that the blade sharpeners disclosed herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, specific numeric references such as “first sawblade,” may be made. However, the specific numeric reference should not be interpreted as a literal sequential order but rather interpreted that the “first sawblade” is different than a “second sawblade.” Thus, the specific details set forth are merely exemplary. The specific details may be varied from and still be contemplated to be within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The term “coupled” is defined as meaning connected either directly to the component or indirectly to the component through another component. Further, as used herein, the terms “about,” “approximately,” or “substantially” for any numerical values or ranges indicate a suitable dimensional tolerance that allows the part or collection of components to function for its intended purpose as described herein.
Oscillating multi-tool saws are increasingly popular since they can cut through virtually any building material and are particularly suitable for working locations that cannot be accessed by other power tools. A drawback to sawblades used with oscillating multi-tools, however, is that the cutting edge of the sawblade can become quickly dulled, sometimes within a matter of seconds, thereby necessitating replacement with a newer, sharper sawblade. Although dulled sawblades can be sharpened by hand or by grinding, such methods are tedious, time consuming, and typically fail to restore the sawblade to a suitably sharp cutting edge. As such, sawblades for oscillating multi-tools generally are considered to be a single-use item that is discarded once the cutting edges have dulled. Embodiments presented herein provide blade sharpeners for oscillating multi-tool sawblades that restore sawblades having dulled cutting edges, thereby extending the operating life of oscillating multi-tool sawblades.
As shown in
As will be appreciated, a practitioner may place an object between the cutting ends 184, 188 and then squeeze the handles 144, 148 together to cause the cutting teeth 192, 196 to move toward one another and shear the object. As such, it is contemplated that the cutting teeth 192, 196 may be configured to cut a new cutting edge 120 into a sawblade, such as the sawblade 100 shown in
The vertical portion 216 is fixedly coupled to the base portion 208 and supports a lever 220 that is in mechanical communication with a first blade 224. The first blade 224 is configured to cooperate with a second blade 228 that is fastened to the base portion 208 by way of blade fasteners 232. Thus, the second blade 228 is configured to remain stationary while the first blade 224 is moved with respect to the second blade 228 by way of the lever 220. A blade pivot 236 coupling the first blade 224 with the vertical portion 216 enables the first blade 224 to move relative to the second blade 228.
Opposite of the blade pivot 236, the first blade 224 is coupled with the lever 220 by way of a forcible lever 240. The forcible lever 240 is configured to transmit a downward force to the first blade 224 when the lever 220 is rotated away from the vertical portion 216. As shown in
With continuing reference to
As will be appreciated, a practitioner may place an object between the first and second blades 224, 228 and then rotate the lever 220 to cause the cutting teeth 264, 268 to move toward one another and shear the object. It is contemplated, therefore, that the cutting teeth 264, 268 may be configured to restore a sawblade having a dulled cutting edge 120, such as the sawblade 100 shown in
Moreover, a mechanism may be incorporated into the vertical portion 216 for supporting the sawblade 100 during sharpening. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in
While the blade sharpeners presented herein have been described in terms of particular variations and illustrative figures, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the blade sharpeners are not limited to the variations or figures described. In addition, where methods and steps described above indicate certain events occurring in certain order, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the ordering of certain steps may be modified and that such modifications are in accordance with the variations of the blade sharpeners. Additionally, certain of the steps may be performed concurrently in a parallel process when possible, as well as performed sequentially as described above. To the extent there are variations of the blade sharpeners, which are within the spirit of the disclosure or equivalent to the blade sharpener found in the claims, it is the intent that this patent will cover those variations as well. Therefore, the present disclosure is to be understood as not limited by the specific embodiments described herein, but only by scope of the appended claims.
