Patent Application
20210154755
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the reproduction of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
This application is a non-provisional of U.S. Patent Application No. 62/940,952 filed Nov. 27, 2019 entitled FOLDABLE TABLE SAW LEG SUPPORT, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The present disclosure relates generally to table saws. Table saws can generally include a main base and a rotatable blade disposed on the main base. The base can include a main work table or work surface through which the blade can extend. Work pieces can be fed toward or past the rotatable blade on the work table to perform a desired cut on the work piece. Table saws can be using to cut sheets or wider boards of wood or other material, often along a length of the work piece. Many conventional tables only have a few feet of space between the saw blade and a lateral edge of the work table of the main base.
In conventional table saws, longer pieces needing to be cut in a direction transverse to their lengths would typically have to hang laterally off the work table of the table saw as the work piece is being cut, which can make it cumbersome to maneuver the work piece during the cut and maintain a proper or desired cut of the work piece. Alternatively, larger work tables could be used to support the longer work pieces needing to be cut transverse to their length. Larger work tables however mean a larger footprint for the table saw within a work space.
Some conventional table saws have included telescoping rails that can be extended from a main side rail of the table saw to help support longer work pieces. However, such telescoping rails can provide uneven rail surfaces between the main rail and the extension rails, which can make it difficult to move fencing assemblies along the entire length of the extended rail, and the uneven surfaces can make measuring the length of a cut difficult.
What is needed then are improvements to table saw apparatuses.
This Brief Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
One aspect of the present disclosure is a table saw apparatus including a main table saw base. A motorized rotatable blade can be disposed on the main table saw base. The table saw apparatus can include a table saw extension assembly. The table saw extension assembly can include at least one extension member pivotally connected to the main table saw base, the at least one extension member movable to an extended position such that the at least one extension member extends laterally from the main table saw base, and at least one support leg pivotally connected to the at least one extension member. In some embodiments, the extension member can be an extension rail pivotally connected to a side rail of the main table saw base. In other embodiments, the extension member can be a table extension that can be pivotally connected to the main table saw base.
Another aspect of the present disclosure is a table saw apparatus including a main table saw base having an upper work table, a motorized rotatable blade disposed on the main table saw base and extending through the upper work table, the rotatable blade rotating along a rotational plane, and a first side rail and a second side rail extending in a direction transverse to the rotational plane adjacent opposing edges of the upper work table, the first side rail having a first side rail end and the second side rail having a second side rail end. The apparatus can include a table saw extension assembly including a first extension rail having a first proximal end and a first distal end, the first proximal end pivotally connected to the first end of the first side rail, a second extension rail having a second proximal end and a second distal end, the second proximal end pivotally connected to the second end of the second side rail, a first support leg pivotally connected to the first distal end of the first extension rail; and a second support leg pivotally connected to the second distal end of the second extension rail.
Another aspect of the present disclosure is an extension assembly apparatus that can be retrofitted to a table saw having a motorized rotatable blade and first and second side rails extending on opposing sides of the rotatable blade in a lateral direction, the extension assembly apparatus including a first extension rail having a first proximal end and a first distal end, the first proximal end pivotally connectable to the first side rail, and a second extension rail having a second proximal end and a second distal end, the second proximal end pivotally connectable to the second side rail, wherein when the first and second extension rails are connected to the first and second side rails respectively, the first and second extension rails are movable to an extended position such that the first and second extension rails are in a flush orientation with the first and second side rails respectively. A first support leg can be pivotally connected to the first distal end of the first extension rail, and a second support leg can be pivotally connected to the second distal end of the second extension rail. A cross support member can extend between the first and second extension rails.
Having at least one extension rail that can pivot to an extended position where the at least one extension rail can extend laterally from the table saw base can allow longer work pieces to be supported on the extension assembly during a cutting operation. Having the at least one extension rail be pivotally connected to the main table saw base and the at least one support leg pivotally connected to the at least one extension rail can allow the at least one support leg to be folded toward the at least one extension rail and the at least one extension rail to be folded downward toward the main table saw base to place the table saw extension assembly in a stored, lowered, or retracted position to decrease the overall footprint of the table saw apparatus when additional lateral support is not needed. In some embodiments, when the extension rail is in the extended position, top surfaces of the extension rail and a corresponding side rail can have a flush orientation which can facilitate a smooth transition between the side rail and the extension rail which can allow for easier movement of fencing assemblies down the side rail and the extension rail and allow for a substantially continuous measuring element to extend across the side rail and the extension rail.
Numerous other objects, advantages and features of the present disclosure will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art upon a review of the following drawings and description of a preferred embodiment.
While the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that are embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention and do not delimit the scope of the invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize numerous equivalents to the specific apparatus and methods described herein. Such equivalents are considered to be within the scope of this invention and are covered by the claims.
In the drawings, not all reference numbers are included in each drawing, for the sake of clarity. In addition, positional terms such as “upper,” “lower,” “side,” “top,” “bottom,” etc. refer to the apparatus when in the orientation shown in the drawing. A person of skill in the art will recognize that the apparatus can assume different orientations when in use.
As shown in
The table saw apparatus 10 can include a table saw extension assembly 20. The table saw extension assembly 20 can include at least one extension rail 22 pivotally connected to the main table saw base 12, the at least one extension rail 22 movable to an extended position (as shown in
From the stored position shown in
In some embodiments, the rotatable blade 18 rotates on the main table saw base 12 along a rotational plane 26. The main table saw base 12 include a first side rail 28 and a second side rail 30, each side rail 28 and 30 extending in a lateral direction transverse to the rotational plane 26 of the rotatable blade 18 on opposing sides of the motorized rotatable blade 18, or along opposing edges of the upper work table 14. In
Referring now to
In some embodiments, the table saw extension assembly 20 can include a cross support member 36 extending between the two extension rails 28 and 30. The cross support member 36 can provide stability between the two extension rails 22 and 32 when the extension rails 22, 32 and the extension assembly 20 are in the extended position and during movement of the extension assembly 20 between the extended and a stored or lowered position.
The table saw extension assembly 20 can further include an extension table insert 40 positionable between the two extension rails 22 and 32, as shown in
In some embodiments, the apparatus 10 can further include a plurality of table insert support brackets 42 positioned to support the table insert 40 in a flush orientation with the upper work table 14. The table insert support brackets 42 can be connected or formed on one or more of the upper work table 14, the side rails 28, 30, the rail extensions 22 and 32, and/or the cross support member 36 in various embodiments. In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, the table insert 40 can simply rest or be placed on the table insert support brackets 42, such that when it is desired for the extension table assembly 20 to be returned to the stored position, the table insert 40 can quickly and conveniently be lifted upward and removed from the support brackets 42. The support legs 24 and 34 and the extension rails 22 and 32 can then be folded as described herein to return the extension assembly to the storage position shown in
Referring now to
Referring now to
Referring now to
In some embodiments, each support leg 24 and 34 can also include an adjustable foot 68 threadingly engaged with the telescoping support leg portion 62. As such, in some embodiments, the height or length of the support legs 24 and 34 can be coarsely adjusted via the telescoping support leg portion 62 and also finely adjusted via the adjustable foot 68. Such adjustment mechanisms on the support legs 24 and 34 can help balance support legs 24 and 34 and the extension assembly 20 when ground or floor surfaces are uneven.
As shown in
In some embodiments, the extension rail 22 can include a latch 72 on the at least one extension rail 22 operable to secure the at least one extension rail 22 to the at least one side rail 28. In some embodiments, the lower end of the side rail 28 can include a latch aperture 74 that can receive a portion of the latch 72 to secure the extension rail 22 to the side rail 28. In some embodiments, the latch 72 can be a spring biased latch member that can be pivotally connected to the extension rail 22 and biased in an engagement position via a torsion spring 76 or any suitable biasing mechanism. The latch 72 can include an inclined engagement surface 78 that can be oriented to engage the side rail 28 as the extension rail 22 is pivoted up toward the side rail 28. The inclined engagement surface 78 can force the latch 72 to pivot on the extension rail 22 until the latch 72 clears the side rail 28, wherein the latch 72 is biased back toward the engagement position to engage the latch 72 with the side rail 28 and secure the extension rail 22 to the side rail 28. A release tab 80 on the latch 72 can be manually depressed to pivot the latch 72 on the extension rail 22 and release the extension rail 22 from the side rail 28 when the operator desires to use the extension assembly 20. Any suitable securing mechanism can be utilized to secure the extension rail 22 to the side rail 28, including but not limited to, magnets, clasps, hook and loop fasteners, straps, etc.
Referring again to
In some embodiments, side rails 28 and 30 and upper work table 14 can extend beyond the base housing 16 of the main table saw base 12. In such embodiments, a cross support member 36 can be positioned along the first and second extension rails 22 and 32 such that the distance between the cross support member 36 to the proximal ends 22a and 32a of the extension rails 22 and 32 is less than the distance which the side rails 28 and 30 extend past the base housing 16. As such, when the extension rails 22 and 32 are pivoted or folded to a position beneath the side rails 28 and 30 respectively, the cross support member 36 does not interfere with the base housing 16.
While
In some embodiments, the support legs 24 and 34 can be securable to corresponding extension rails 22 and 32 to maintain the support legs 24 and 34 in a folded or stored position with respect to corresponding extension rails 22 and 32. As shown in
Referring again to
In some embodiments, the extension assembly apparatus 20 can further include a hinge assembly 90 on the proximal end 22a and 32a of each extension rail 22 and 32 for pivotally connecting the proximal end 22a and 32a of each extension rail 22 and 32 to a corresponding side rail 28 and 30 of the table saw 10. The hinge assembly 90 can include pivotally connected flanges 92, one flange fixedly connected to the extension rail 22 and the other flange fixedly connectable to the corresponding side rail 28 via any suitable fastening mechanism, including but limited to, welding, adhesion, bolting, screwing, riveting, etc.
The extension assembly apparatus 20 can further include a table insert 40 positionable between the first and second extension rails 22 and 32, the cross support member 36 supporting the table insert 40 when the first and second extension rails are pivotally connected to the first and second side rails 28 and 30 of the table saw 10 respectively and the first and second extension rails 22 and 32 are in the extended position. The table insert 40 can rest on the cross support member 36 directly or can be rest on support brackets extending from the cross support member 36.
In some embodiments, the first extension rail 22 can include a first channel 70 and the first support leg 24 can be receivable in the first channel 70, and the second extension rail 32 can include a second channel 82 and the second support leg 34 can be receivable in the second channel 82.
The table saw apparatuses and extension assemblies disclosed herein can help provide the ability to extend the side rails 28 and 30 on a table saw 10 or a surface that supports the fence assembly 48 as it slides down the extension rails 22 and 32. This provides added versatility for use in different environments. The table saw apparatus 10 can have extension rails 22 and 32 which can be pivotally connected to and thus foldable with respect to a main table saw base 12. The extension rails 22 and 32 can be folded out, and support legs 24 and 34 can be pivotally connected to corresponding extension rails 22 and 32 and can extend downward to support the extension rails 22 and 32 and a table insert 40 positioned between the extension rails 22 and 32 when the extension rails 22 and 32 are in an extended position. When fully extended, extension rails 22 and 32 can be inline and level with the top of the main table saw side rails 28 and 30 and the support legs 24 and 34 can be oriented at a 90-degree angle with respect to the extension rails 22 and 32.
Thus, although there have been described particular embodiments of the present invention of a new and useful Foldable Table Saw Extension Assembly, it is not intended that such references be construed as limitations upon the scope of this invention.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62940952 | Nov 2019 | US |
