Certain construction tools, such as masonry and concrete finishing hand tools and drywall and plaster finishing hand tools, include a handle and finishing element such as a blade, bit, or shaping element. The handle typically has a finishing element coupling surface used to attach the handle to the finishing element and a hand grip for holding the tool. The finishing element typically has an operating surface that moves, shapes, or otherwise contacts a material during operation and a handle coupling surface, often opposite the operating surface. For example, a trowel may include a handle affixed to a blade for placing, smoothing or otherwise shaping unhardened mortar, concrete, or other materials. Other tools, often those having extended handles, include a handle coupling bracket coupled to the handle coupling surface of a finishing element. An extended handle may then be coupled to the bracket.
Such handles and handle coupling brackets are often coupled to the handle coupling surface of the finishing element using rivets. Those rivets generally extend through the finishing element and are exposed in the operating surface of the finishing element. Such rivets tend to create ridges or bumps or other undesirable imperfections in the operating surface.
In certain applications, for example where the handle coupling surface of the finishing element is not flat, an intermediate plate is riveted to the finishing element and the handle or handle coupling bracket is attached to the intermediate plate. The handle or handle coupling element is typically coupled to the intermediate plate by rivets or screws.
Riveting also tends to be a time consuming operation. In a typical riveting process, holes are drilled through the finishing element and the handle, handle coupling bracket, or intermediate plate. The operating surface of the finishing element is sometimes countersunk at each hole to prevent the rivet from extending past the operating surface. Rivets are then placed through the holes and set. Smoothing or finishing is then often performed on the rivet and the operating surface where the rivet contacts the coupling surface to smooth that surface. Even after smoothing or finishing, however, the operating surface may be irregular.
Where the finishing element is sheet metal, the finishing element may be welded to a sheet metal intermediate plate and the intermediate plate may be attached to a handle by rivets or screws. Welding may also be time consuming, may involved expensive equipment, and typically involves smoothing or finishing on the operating surface and may, nonetheless, result in an irregular operating surface.
It has also been proposed that a trowel may have its handle bonded to a trowel blade by way of a curable epoxy-based adhesive and a strip located between the trowel blade and the handle. The strip proposed includes a plurality of studs stud welded to the strip for securing the strip to a flange by inserting the studs into holes in the flange and squashing and grinding the stud heads into the base portion of a support. Such a process has apparently not, however, been successfully commercialized.
Using epoxy alone to couple a handle to a trowel blade is time consuming and costly because epoxy use is generally time consuming and labor intensive. For example, epoxy may be used in a liquid form by mixing epoxy resin with a hardener, applying the epoxy to one or both surfaces to be bonded, and holding the pieces to be attached together for a significant period of time until the epoxy cures. Alternately, epoxy may be applied in solid form to surfaces to be bonded. When using solid for epoxy, heat is typically applied to the epoxy to liquefy or soften the epoxy and the pieces are held together for a significant period of time until the epoxy cures.
Using epoxy also has the drawback that it may not retain its shape and so may be thicker at some points such that the handle moves relative to the blade during affixation and becomes misaligned. Epoxy use may also require the extra steps of reshaping the epoxy after curing or wiping away excess epoxy “run-off” where the epoxy is displaced onto the handle or blade when the handle and blade are compressed against the epoxy.
Thus, there may be a need for a hand tool having a handle attached to a finishing element in a way that does not require smoothing or finishing. There may also be a need for a masonry hand tool having a handle attached to a finishing element in a way that does not impinge upon the operating surface of the finishing element. There may furthermore be a need for a masonry hand tool having a handle attached to a finishing element in a way that does not require use of expensive equipment. There may also be need for methods of attaching handles and handle coupling brackets to finishing elements such that no fastener impinges on the operating surface of the finishing element, and that is less time consuming and requires less expensive equipment than current methods.
The present invention includes a hand tool comprising a finishing element and a handle, wherein the finishing element is affixed to the handle with adhesive tape.
The present invention also includes a method of affixing a handle to a hand tool using adhesive tape.
The detailed description is better understood in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters represent like elements, as follows:
Reference will now be made to embodiments of hand tools assembled using tape and methods of assembling hand tools using tape, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Details, features, and advantages of the hand tools and methods of assembling hand tools will become further apparent in the following detailed description of embodiments thereof.
Any reference in the specification to “one embodiment,” “a certain embodiment,” or a similar reference to an embodiment is intended to indicate that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of such terms in various places in the specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. References to “or” are furthermore intended as inclusive, so “or” may indicate one or another of the ored terms or more than one ored term.
The groover 10 of
The body 20 in this embodiment also includes a front edge 22 and a back edge 24, a first side 26 and a second side 28. The top face 40 may be generally flat and parallel to the bottom face 30, or shaped differently as desired to create a surface appropriately shaped for application of double-sided tape and attachment of the handle bracket 49. The bottom face 30 may include guiding portions 32 and 34, for guiding the groover 10 along a concrete surface during use. The guiding portions 32 and 34 may be flat and coplanar, or configured differently to create a desired shape in concrete or other material to which the groover 10 is applied. The top face 40 may include a projecting portion 42 to improve the sturdiness of the body 20. That projecting portion 42 may extend along the first side 26, the front edge 22, and the second side 28 as in the embodiment illustrated in
The bit 70 may extend along the bottom face 30 between the guiding portions 32 and 34. In the embodiment illustrated in
The handle bracket 49 is affixed to the top face 40 of the body 20 of the groover 10 by double-sided tape 50. The handle bracket 49 may include apertures 52 and 62 through which a handle 80 may be fastened by screws 82 and 84. Alternatively, apertures 52 and 62 and screws 82 and 84 may be replaced by other fastening means. Finishing elements, handles, handle brackets and various tool components to be affixed using double-sided tape 50 may be made from various materials including, for example, various metals, plastics, rubbers, woods or other desired materials or combinations of materials. Those finishing elements, handles, handle brackets and various tool components to be affixed using double-sided tape 50 may furthermore be formed by casting, extrusion, in sheet form, any combination thereof or as otherwise desired. The handle 80 may be made of wood, plastic, rubber, or any material or combination of materials desired.
The double-sided tape 50 includes a flexible substrate 53 with an adhesive situated on each side of the substrate 54 and 56. The double sided tape may be, for example, viscoelastic acrylic foam bonding tape, such as VHB™ Tape manufactured by 3M™.
The double-sided tape 50 may include a peal-off layer on one or both adhesive sides 54 and 56 to prevent the adhesive sides from sticking to anything until it is applied to a desired surface. One adhesive surface 54 may be exposed so that adhesive surface 54 may be applied to a first mating surface of a first mating piece. The first mating surface may be, for example, the handle coupling surface of the finishing element, the finishing element coupling surface of the handle, or a surface of an intermediate plate. The peal-off layer covering the second adhesive surface 56 of the double-sided tape 50 may then be removed and a second mating surface of a second mating piece may be placed on that second adhesive surface. The second mating surface may, for example, be the handle coupling surface of the finishing element, the finishing element coupling surface of the handle, a surface of an intermediate plate, or any part desired to be attached to the first mating surface.
For example, the first adhesive surface 54 of the double-sided tape 50 may be applied to the top face 40 of the groover 10 illustrated in
The adhesion process may be completed by applying pressure to the mating surfaces by rolling or platen, for example. In an example wherein certain double-sided tapes are used, a pressure of approximately 15 pounds per square inch (psi) may be applied so as to press the two adjoining surfaces onto the adhesive sides 54 and 56 of the double-sided tape 50 and thereby couple those surfaces to the double-sided tape 50. That pressure may be applied once or repeatedly by, for example, a hydraulic press.
The surfaces may be prepared for attachment by double-sided tape 50 with relative ease. The surfaces may be generally cleaned of dirt and significant liquid or solid material that could prevent the double-sided tape 50 from adhering to the surface. Certain surfaces, such as wood, may be sealed prior to application of the double-sided tape 50. Other surfaces, such as plastic or painted surfaces, may benefit from preparatory processes to promote adhesion. It is generally beneficial for the surface to be shaped to meet, to the greatest extent possible, along the place where the double-sided tape 50 will be applied. Surfaces, however, generally need not be perfectly smooth, may be porous or non-porous in varying degrees, and may be curved or flat because double-sided tape 50 or the substrate 53 of the double sided-tape may be flexible or compressible. The flexibility or compressibility of the double-sided tape 50 or substrate 53 may assist the double-sided tape 50 to conform to the surfaces and increase contact of the adhesives with the surfaces.
The double-sided tape 50 may fill irregularities and gaps in the surfaces and may also seal the space between the surfaces. For example, double-sided tapes 50 may be formed with a strong, flexible, compressible substrate 53 that can mold to imperfect surfaces. Such a strong, flexible substrate 53 may further dampen vibrations, potentially making use of the tool more comfortable and safer for the user, may have good impact and shock resistance, and may resist fatigue and failure at the adjoining surfaces. The strong, flexible, compressible substrate 53 may also be beneficial when adhering surfaces made of differing materials that have different expansion and contraction characteristics because the substrate 53 may flex to a degree that could cause other fasteners to fail. Use of double-sided tape 50 to affix a tool handle to a tool finishing element may also reduce or eliminate stress points that exist where rivets, screws, welds, or other fasteners were previously applied to attach the handle, handle bracket, or intermediate plate.
The adhesives used on the double-sided tape may, for example, include acrylic, urethane, or various structural adhesives that offer good shear strength and high tensile and peel strengths. Most double-sided tape adhesives bond quickly at room temperature at the time the surfaces are pressed together with the tape between the surfaces so that minimal or no time or staging area or special devices such as heating elements may be required after assembly. Alternately, whether assembly is performed in a colder than room temperature facility or a temperature above room temperature is desired, heat may be applied to the assembly or a component of the assembly.
A surface may be textured or short holes that do not extend through the part being attached by double-sided tape 50 may be placed in a surface to increase surface area to improve adhesion to the double-sided tape 50.
The body 120 of the concrete-finishing tool illustrated in
The lip 171 may be an edging element and may further be curved and project from the bottom face 130 and/or a side, such as the first side 126, at a desired angle or angles, as shown in
The lip 171 may be formed on the bottom face 130 of the body 120. The body 120 may include a front edge 122 and a back edge 124, a first side 126 and a second side 128, and a bottom face 130 and a top face 140. The body 120 may further include a guiding portion 132 disposed on the bottom face 30, for guiding the edger 16 along concrete during operation. The guiding portion 132 may be generally flat, or another shape if desired. The top face 140 may include a projecting portion 142 that extends along the front edge 122 and the back edge 124. The top face 140 and the bottom face 130 may be flat and parallel, or shaped differently.
The edging element, lip 171, may extend from the front edge 122 to the back edge 124 of the body 120, along the second side 128 of the body 120. Viewed from the perspective of
In the edger embodiment illustrated in
The mortar joint finishing tool 210 illustrated includes a body 220 that includes a mortar-contacting element 230 having a first end 232, a second end 234, and an outer surface 236, and a handle bracket 240, a first upright 242, a second upright 246, and a base 249 similar to the handle bracket 49 illustrated in
The foregoing description has been directed to specific embodiments of this invention. It will be apparent, however, that other variations and modifications may be made to the described embodiments, with the attainment of some or all of their advantages. For example, double-sided tape may be used to bond handles to finishing elements on many hand tools including a variety of masonry tools. Double-sided tape may also be used to bond portions of power tools such as the various components of a power trowel blade. Various handle brackets may also be affixed to finishing elements including detachable handles, variable angle handles, and pivoting handles, for example. Furthermore, the handle may be coupled to the finishing element directly, through the use of an intermediate plate, or through the use of a bracket.
It will also be appreciated that features described with respect to one embodiment may be applied to another, whether explicitly indicated. Therefore, it is the object of the appended claims to cover all such variations and modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the invention.