Patent Application
20170312930
This invention relates to a cutting tool for cutting sheets of material, such as, for example, sheets of building materials. More specifically, this invention relates to a portable cutting tool including a base and a blade pivotally engaged with respect to the base and movable between an open position and a closed position and an adjustable guide rail that allows for alignment both perpendicular and parallel to a cutting plane of the blade.
Certain building materials, such as, for example, flooring materials, are provided as sheets or planks of various dimensions. When used on a job site, the sheets or planks must be customized to meet the specific requirements of the job site. For example, the sheets or planks must be cut to fit around edges or corners of a room and/or around fixtures. Various tools are currently used to cut sheets of building materials, but most are bulky, heavy, require power to be operated, produce large amounts of dust during the cutting process, and/or result in uneven or splintered cuts.
There is a need or a desire for an improved cutting tool for cutting sheets or planks of building materials. There is a need or a desire for a portable, non-power operated cutting tool able to cut sheets of building materials in a predictable and straight fashion without splintering, cracking or similar problems and providing fast, dust-free cutting. There is further a need for a portable, non-power operated cutting tool that is capable of cutting building materials in both a transverse and longitudinal cutting position.
The present invention provides a portable, non-power operated cutting tool for cutting sheets of building materials in a straight fashion without splintering or cracking. The cutting tool of this invention also includes a guide rail that can be mounted to a cutting platform to provide support both perpendicular and parallel to a cutting plane.
According to one embodiment of this invention, the cutting tool includes a base, a blade pivotally engaged with respect to the base and a handle connected to the blade at a position opposite the pivotal connection to the base. The base may further include at least one support member, for example, legs or support walls, for supporting the base before and during cutting. The base further includes a working table to support the building material while cutting. The handle and the blade pivotally movable with respect to the base between an open position and a closed position. The blade moves through a slot in the working table and works against an edge along the slot to cut the building material as the blade is moved to the closed position.
In a preferred embodiment of this invention, a guide rail can be connected to the working table to support the material during cutting to ensure a straight square cut. The working table may further includes a plurality of connectors for mounting one or more guide rails to the working table. In an embodiment of this invention, the connectors may comprise a plurality of holes in the working table and a plurality of complimentary posts extending from the bottom of the guide rail. However, it should be understood that alternative connectors known to one skilled in the art may be used including, but not limited to, threaded connectors, and tab and groove connectors. The posts of the guide rail can be aligned and pressed into to a subset of the plurality of holes to fix the guide rail in a position relative to the cutting plane of the blade. Preferably, the connectors allow the guide rail to be set in a transverse position (perpendicular to the blade) or in a longitudinal position (parallel to the blade). In an alternative embodiment, the connectors may be used to position the guide rail at any angle relative to the blade.
The blade of the cutting tool preferably includes a plurality of generally flat cutting surfaces arranged in a polygonal profile. Each generally flat cutting surface is preferably a straight segment. Each straight segment transitions into at least one other straight segment, and two adjacent straight segments form an angle of between about 90 degrees and 180 degrees.
In one embodiment of this invention, the working table includes a plurality of serrations to prevent movement of the building material during cutting. The plurality of serrations may be positioned along both edges of the working table directly adjacent of the slot. Alternatively or additionally, the working table may include a friction material positioned with respect to the slot.
The cutting tool of this invention may further include a handle stop extending from the handle toward the base and contacting the base when the handle is in the closed position.
The cutting tool 10 as described herein is desirably used to cut such building materials in a predictable and straight fashion without splintering, cracking or similar problems that may arise from such cuts. The cutting tool 10 of this invention is non-power operated and provides fast, dust-free cutting. A worker may utilize the cutting tool 10 according to this invention on a job site to cut flooring or similar materials to provide one or more cuts through the material for edges, corners and/or similar cuts required on a job site.
Those skilled in the art and following the teachings herein provided will appreciate that while the description below of various embodiments of a cutting tool of this invention refers to preferred configurations and uses, such configurations and uses are used for illustrative purposes only and may be modified as appropriate, depending on need.
In the embodiment of
According to one embodiment of this invention, the cutting tool 10 includes a blade 22 pivotally attached with respect to the base 12. The blade 22 further includes a handle 20 connected with respect to, or integrated with the blade 22 and a hand grip 34 formed with respect to, or integrated with, a distal end of the handle 20 and may include a knurled or gripped surface for a comfortable and positive grip. In an alternative embodiment, the handle may be pivotally attached with respect to the base and the blade is connected to the handle. In operation, the handle 20 and the blade 22 are pivotally movable with respect to the base 12 between an open position and a closed position. The blade 22 moves through the slot 18 in the working table 14 and works against an edge along the slot 18 to cut the building material as the blade 22 is moved from the open position to the closed position. In the closed position, the handle is closest to the base. In the open position, the handle is furthest away from the base.
A sheet of material is positionable on the support surface 28 for cutting. The support surface 28 desirably supports the sheet of material before and during cutting. In certain embodiments of this invention, the support surface 28 is generally flat with a grooved pattern to increase friction and to minimize movement of the material during cutting. In an alternative embodiment, the support surface may be shaped to complement the surface of a sheet of building material, or otherwise shaped, depending on use.
As shown in the figures, the base 12 may include four longitudinal beams arranged between two base support members. However, the base is not limited to this design and may comprise any design capable of supporting the material being cut. In the embodiment shown in the figures, the support members keep the working table 14 spaced from and suspended over the surface upon which the cutting tool 10 is placed for cutting, such as, for example, a ground, a floor or another surface. Such suspended configuration allows sufficient clearance for the blade 22 underneath the cutting tool and ensures that the blade 22 does not hit the ground or the floor when the blade 22 and the handle 20 is in the closed position and/or during the cutting process. The support members may further include a non-slip pads to prevent movement of the cutting tool 10 during the cutting process. The base 12 of this invention is preferably formed of steel or similar rigid material. However, any durable material capable of withstanding the force used to cut the material may be used.
As shown in
While many conventional cutting blades include a V-shaped cutting edge, the blade 22 of this invention preferably includes a plurality of generally flat cutting surfaces arranged in a polygonal profile. The polygonal profile is preferably a convex polygonal profile as shown in
In one embodiment of this invention, as shown in
According to certain preferred embodiments of this invention, the working table 14 includes a plurality of serrations 38 or a similar surface feature may be positioned on either side of the slot 18 in part to maintain a positive grip on the sheet of material prior to and during the cut. In one embodiment of this invention, the plurality of serrations 38 include a plurality of teeth, where a tip of each tooth is oriented toward the proximate end of the blade 22. In another embodiment of this invention, the plurality of serrations 38 include a plurality of teeth, where each tooth has a right-triangular profile, such that the right triangle is formed on the side of the tooth facing the proximate end of the blade 22. In some embodiments, a high friction material such as, for example, rubber or similar material may be positioned on the support surface 28 on one or both sides of the slot 18.
The cutting tool 10 of this invention further includes a guide rail 24. The guide rail 24 is preferably used to provide an engagement surface to align and support the material to be cut. According to one embodiment of this invention, as shown in
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the working table includes one or more engagement areas 48 for repositioning the guide rail 24 depending on the type of cut desired and/or the size and/or configuration of the building material material. The engagement areas 48 preferably allow the guide rail to be set at a variety positions relative to the blade 22. For example, as shown in
In operation, a user would adjust the guide rail 24 into a desirable position on the working table 14, setting the guide rail 24 either perpendicular or parallel to the cutting plane of the blade and spaced from the blade with a desired spacing depending on the width of the cut. The handle 20 is raised up and away from the support surface 28, and then the sheet of material is positioned into place under the blade 22 and over the slot 18. Then the sheet of material would be positioned to firmly abut the material contact surface 40 of the guide rail 24 whereupon the handle 20 is lowered to cut the sheet of material in a desired fashion.
The invention illustratively disclosed herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element, part, step, component, or ingredient, which is not specifically disclosed herein.
While in the foregoing specification this invention has been described in relation to certain preferred embodiments thereof, and many details have been set forth for purpose of illustration, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the laminate cutter is susceptible to additional embodiments and that certain of the details described herein can be varied considerably without departing from the basic principles of the invention.
