Patent Application
20100282365
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cutter head of a planer machine, more particularly to a cutter head having an elongated cutter blade mounted on a flat mount region of a rotatable elongated mount body.
2. Description of the Related Art
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,100,649 B2 as shown in
In the aforementioned patent, the angle defined between every two adjacent ones of the blade-mounting surfaces 112 is configured to be the same in order to balance the combined weight of the blades 12 and the blade-fastening plates 15 for smoothing the rotation of the shaft 11. In addition, the load borne by a power motor (not shown) of the wood planing machine when during rotation of the three blades 12 during a cutting operation is relatively heavy, and material costs of the blades 12 are relatively high. Moreover, during replacement of the blades 12, the blades 12 have to be aligned with the shaft 11 so that the amounts of exposure of the blades 12 are the same, thereby rendering the assembling of the rotary cutter 10 troublesome.
An object of the present invention is to provide a cutter head of a planer machine which has a single elongated cutter blade that can be easily and precisely mounted on a flat mount region of an elongated mount body to minimize material costs.
According to this invention, the cutter head of a planer machine includes an elongated mount body which extends along a rotating axis to terminate at front and rear ends, and which has a surrounding outer wall surface. The outer wall surface includes flat mount and counter regions which extend between the front and rear ends and which are symmetrical to each other with respect to the rotating axis, and left and right rounded regions which interconnect the flat mount and counter regions and which are symmetrical to each other with respect to the rotating axis. Front and rear journalled couplers extend respectively from the front and rear ends along the rotating axis, and are revolved so as to rotate the elongated mount body about the rotating axis. An elongated cutter blade has an elongated blade body which is secured to and which abuts against the flat mount region such that an elongated cutting edge of the cutter blade extends beyond a lateral end of the mount region. An elongated press member has an elongated tightened body tightened against the flat mount region, and an elongated pressing strip brought to press the elongated blade body against the flat mount region, thereby ensuring firm abutment of the elongated blade body against the flat mount region. A counterweight is disposed on the flat counter region, and is configured to balance the combined weights of the elongated cutter blade and the elongated press member so as to smooth rotation of the elongated mount body. Preferably, the counterweight is integrally formed with the mount body.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Before the present invention is described in greater detail, it should be noted that same reference numerals have been used to denote like elements throughout the specification.
Referring to
The rotary shaft 20 includes an elongated mount body 21 and front and rear journalled couplers 22. The elongated mount body 21 extends along a rotating axis (X) in a longitudinal direction to terminate at front and rear ends 211, 212, and has a surrounding outer wall surface that surrounds the rotating axis (X). The surrounding outer wall surface includes a flat mount region 23 which extends between the front and rear ends 211,212, which extends in a first transverse direction to terminate at a lateral end 231 that extends in a direction parallel to the rotating axis (X), and which is distant from the rotating axis (X) by a first length (L1); a flat counter region 29 which extends between the front and rear ends 211,212, and which is symmetrical to the mount region 23 with respect to the rotating axis (X); and left and right rounded regions 26,27 which interconnect the flat mount and counter regions 23,29, which are disposed opposite to each other in the first transverse direction, and which are configured to be symmetrical to each other with respect to the rotating axis (X). The right rounded region 27 has a concavity 271 which extends in the longitudinal direction, and which, together with the lateral end 231, forms a cliff edge 272. In addition, the mount body 21 has front and rear screw holes 232 and a plurality of middle screw holes 233 formed in the flat mount region 23.
The front and rear journalled couplers 22 extend respectively from the front and rear ends 211,212 along the rotating axis (X), and are revolved so as to rotate the elongated mount body 21 about the rotating axis (X).
The elongated cutter blade 40 has an elongated cutting edge 43 which extends in the longitudinal direction, and an elongated blade body 41 which extends in the longitudinal direction, and which is opposite to the elongated cutting edge 43 in the first transverse direction such that, when the elongated blade body 41 is secured to and abuts against the flat mount region 23, the elongated cutting edge 43 extends beyond the cliff edge 272 for performing a cutting operation when the elongated mount body 21 is rotated about the rotating axis (X). In addition, the blade body 41 of the cutter blade 40 has two recesses 42 extending inwardly and respectively from two opposite ends of the blade body 41 in the longitudinal direction.
The elongated press member 50 has an elongated tightened body 53 extending in the longitudinal direction, and an elongated pressing strip 54 opposite to the elongated tightened body 53 in the first transverse direction. The tightened body 53 has a plurality of through holes 51 which are disposed to be respectively aligned with the front, rear and middle screw holes 232,233 in the flat mount region 23. A plurality of screw fasteners 60 are disposed to extend respectively through the through holes 51 and to threadedly engage the front, rear and middle screw holes 232,233, respectively, so as to tighten the elongated tightened body 53 against the flat mount region 23. Thus, the elongated pressing strip 54 is brought to press the elongated blade body 41 against the flat mount region 23, thereby ensuring firm abutment of the elongated blade body 41 against the flat mount region 23 when the elongated cutting edge 43 is performing a cutting operation. Preferably, front and rear coiled springs 30 are respectively disposed in the front and rear screw holes 232 to bias the press member 50 away from the flat mount region 23 so as to facilitate removal of the cutter blade 40 and the press member 50 from the mount body 21 during replacement of the cutter blade 40.
The counterweight 24 is disposed on the flat counter region 29, and is configured to balance the combined weights of the cutter blade 40 and the press member 50 so as to smooth rotation of the elongated mount body 21. Specifically, the counterweight 24 has a boundary surface 241 which is connected to the entire area of the flat counter region 29, a flat counterweight surface 242 which is opposite to the boundary surface 241 in a second direction transverse to the longitudinal direction and the first transverse direction, and which extends in the longitudinal direction between the front and rear ends 211,212, and left and right outer surfaces 243,244 which are opposite to each other in the first transverse direction, and which interconnect the boundary surface 241 and the counterweight surface 242. Each of the left and right outer surfaces 243,244 is configured to form a rounded profile with a respective one of the left and right rounded regions 26,27. Preferably, the boundary surface 241 is integrally formed with the flat counter region 29 such that the flat counterweight surface 242 is distant from the rotating axis (X) by a second length (L2) that is greater than the first length (L1).
Each of the blade aligning units 7 includes a plate 71 which is sleeved on a respective one of the front and rear journalled couplers 22 and which is secured to a respective one of the front and rear ends 211,212 of the mount body 21. The plate 71 has first and second peripheral sides 721,722 and left and right peripheral sides 724,723 which are respectively flush with the flat mount region 23, the flat counterweight surface 242, and the left and right rounded regions 26,27. The plate 71 further has left and right locking holes 74 which extend therethrough in the longitudinal direction and which are disposed respectively proximate to the left and right peripheral sides 724,723, two first adjusting slots 75 which are respectively formed in the left and right peripheral sides 724,723 and which respectively extend to be communicated with the left and right locking holes 74, and a second adjusting slot 76 which is formed in the first peripheral side 721 and which extends toward the right locking hole 74 so as to cooperatively define an adjusting region 77 with the right locking hole 74 and the first and right peripheral sides 721,723. A pin hole 79 extends through the adjusting region 77 in the longitudinal direction. A protrusion 78 extends from the first peripheral side 721 in the second transverse direction, and is configured to be matingly inserted into a respective one of the recesses 42 in the cutter blade 40.
In assembly, the coiled springs 30 are respectively disposed in the front and rear screw holes 232, and the cutter blade 40 and the press member 50 are mounted on the flat mount region 23 such that each of the recesses 42 is located at a position beyond the respective one of the front and rear ends 211,212 of the mount body 21. The plate 71 of each blade aligning unit 7 is sleeved on the corresponding journalled coupler 22, and the protrusion 78 is inserted into the corresponding recess 42. Subsequently, two screw fasteners 701 are respectively extended through the left and right locking holes 74 to threadedly engage the respective one of the front and rear ends 211,212 so as to partially secure the plate 71 to the mount body 21.
Thereafter, a blade adjusting operation can be performed. Referring to
Referring again to
Preferably, as shown in
As illustrated, since one single cutter blade 40 is provided on the shaft 20, precise alignment of the cutting edge 43 is easy to conduct, and the material cost of the cutter head is reduced. In addition, due to the provision of the counterweight 24, smooth rotation of the shaft 20 is ensured when performing a cutting operation.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what are considered the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretations and equivalent arrangements.
