Patent Application
20060042438
The present invention is in the field of support apparatus for use by finish carpenters, and pertains more particularly to stands for supporting workpieces during operations with powered miter saws.
It is well-known in the woodworking arts that finish carpenters, particularly in home construction, work extensively with miter saws, such as V compound saws, which are also known in the art as chop saws. These are power saws with a rotary saw mechanism mounted on a translatable carriage above a support table, with further mechanisms allowing the saw to be rotated in two to four degrees. These saws are used in every phase of construction, from rough framing to trim moldings, such as baseboard and crown moldings, with angled ends to fit together in inside and outside corners. There are other uses as well.
Chop saws have a relatively small table surface upon which a length of molding or other material may be placed, typically against a guide called a fence, to be trimmed. Typical moldings, however may be longer than the table, in many cases many times longer than the table. In some cases of new home construction it is not unusual for baseboard molding to be in excess of thirty feet long.
In operation a chop saw is typically set up on a surface, such as a piece of plywood, on a pair of sawhorses, so the table of the chop saw is at a convenient height for the carpenter. Consider an example with a chop saw having a table 18 inches wide, set up on a surface 48 inches wide. If a piece of molding to be cut is at most a few inches longer than one-half the width of the chop saw table, that piece may be relatively easily and safely held against the fence on the table of the chop saw. If the piece to be cut is, for example two to three feet long, it will need to be supported above the surface of the plywood or other plane surface upon which the chop saw is placed. Most finish carpenters do this by tacking a wooden support to the plywood surface near the chop saw. If a piece is much longer than three feet, then for safe a sure operation the piece has to be supported by a stand of some sort on the ground at some distance from the chop saw. Further, for very long pieces more than one support will be needed.
There are adjustable roller support stands in the art that stand on the floor (inside) or on the ground (outside), having a relatively wide roller at the top, for placing away from a supported chop saw to support relatively long pieces to be cut. For closer support for shorter pieces, however, a lot of time is taken by carpenters to fabricate makeshift support on the surface supporting the chop saw, to support shorter pieces to be cut.
What is clearly needed is an adjustable, roller support stand with a removable upper roller assembly, such that the unit may be used as support for long pieces, and the upper roller assembly may be removed from the support stand to provide a roller stand for support on the surface holding the chop saw, for shorter pieces of material.
In an embodiment of the invention a two-part support stand is provided, comprising a vertically-adjustable base portion having a multiple-point support structure for standing on a ground or floor plane, and a first upper engagement interface, and a separate and detachable assembly having an upper carrier element, a second engagement interface for engaging the first engagement interface, and a plurality of first vertically adjustable feet. The separate detachable assembly, attached to the base portion may be used to support workpieces on the vertically-adjustable base portion, or may be disengaged from the base portion and used, supported on its plurality of adjustable feet, as a stand-alone support for workpieces.
In one embodiment the plural-point support structure comprises one or more second vertically-adjustable feet. Also in one embodiment the second vertically adjustable feet comprise through holes for use with fasteners in attaching the feet to a surface. In another embodiment the second vertically adjustable feet comprise one or more of pads with rubber-like or fabric underlayers for protection of contacted surfaces, or metal pads with anti-slip features. Also the first vertically adjustable feet may have through holes for use with fasteners in attaching the feet to a surface.
In some embodiments the first vertically-adjustable feet comprise one or more of pads with rubber-like or fabric underlayers for protection of contacted surfaces or metal pads with anti-slip features. Also in some embodiments the vertically-adjustable base portion comprises one tubing slidably engaging another, and a friction mechanism for restraining the two tubings at a selected height. In still other embodiments the first engagement interface comprises a first length of angle iron having two sides disposed at a right angle at a joined edge, disposed with the joined edge facing upward, and the second engagement interface comprises a second length of angle iron arrayed in the orientation of the first, such that the second may engage the first forming an intimate contact and engagement.
In some embodiments the upper carrier element is a roller supported between two spaced apart end brackets on one or more shafts with bearings. In other embodiments the detachable roller assembly includes a user-operable brake for engaging the roller to prevent rotation. In still other embodiments the upper carrier element is a flat plate pivotable between two spaced-apart end brackets, and there may be a locking knob for securing the flat plate at a particular angle.
In another aspect of the invention a support module is provided, comprising end brackets supporting a roller, four adjustable feet, and an engagement interface for engaging a matching interface on an adjustable support stand.
In yet another aspect of the invention a support module is provided, comprising end brackets supporting a pivotable flat plate, four adjustable feet, and an engagement interface for engaging a matching interface on an adjustable support stand.
a illustrates an embodiment of the invention comprising a unit the inventor terms a silent partner support.
b is a section view taken along line 7b-7b of
Frame component 104 also has a cross-piece 106 with two adjustable support feet 107, one at each end as for cross-piece 103 of component 102. With component 104 assembled to component 102 a sturdy and stable base is formed having four adjustable feet (107) for supporting all of the other parts of the stand. Also in preferred embodiments feet 107 may have through holes 116 in one or more of feet 107 for attaching the feet to such as subflooring at a construction site, to maintain the stand in rigid position during use. In some embodiment the ability to attach to the subflooring may be provided at any two of the feet, and in some cases may be provided by another mechanism, such as a bracket 117 welded to cross piece 103 or crosspiece 106.
An upper frame component 108 comprises a square tubular portion 112 joined to an upper roller assembly 109 in a manner to be described below with aid of further figures. In an embodiment of the invention roller assembly 109 is modular and quickly and easily removable from upper frame 108. Tubular portion 112 is smaller than portion 113 of component 102 such that portion 112 may slide within portion 113 so the height of roller assembly 109 may be adjusted above the ground level upon which feet 107 reside. A knob 114 engages through a nut (not shown) welded to portion 113, such that a shaft may be brought to bear on portion 112 to fix the height once adjusted.
Moldings of all types and of many different lengths may need to be beveled and trimmed on such a job site. Baseboard moldings, for example, may be quite long, or relatively short. Molding 204 represented in
It was briefly mentioned above that roller assembly 109 may be quickly and easily removed from upper frame 108 in an embodiment of the invention. In the arrangement shown it is not necessary to do so, and in fact such stands exit in the art wherein the roller assembly is an integral part of the overall stand assembly, and these prior art stands are commonly used for support of long pieces to be trimmed.
A portion of
In this embodiment length L of angle iron 115 is somewhat greater than length X of angle iron 301. For example, if X is 8 inches, L may be 8.5 inches. So roller assembly 109 will not mate with frame assembly 108 by simple vertical placement. In this embodiment a portion of length L of angle iron 115 on each end is machined to fit easily into triangular openings 402 on each end of assembly 109. Joining of the two is accomplished by engaging one end of angle iron 115 in one of openings 402 far enough that angle iron 301 may intimately rest on angle iron 115. Then the roller assembly is moved so both ends of angle iron 115 engage openings 402 at each of the end brackets.
The skilled artisan will recognize that the joining arrangement described above is but one example of how the two assemblies may be easily and quickly joined, and may be expected to stay joined in use. There are a variety of other ways this joining may be accomplished, such as by plate-to-plate contact and securing with conventional fasteners, such as bolts and nuts.
Roller 110 in the roller assembly may be metal, or may be fabricated from a polymer material, such as a ultra-high-molecular-weight (UHMW) polymer. The bearings that carry the roller on a shaft or shafts supported by end brackets 302 of roller assembly 109 may be in some cases journal bearings, or may be ball bearings. Adjustable feet 111 may be mounted to be adjustable in any of several ways. The threaded post arrangement shown with nuts is but one example.
In one embodiment there may be an additional feature associated with upper roller assembly 109 to aid in a particular situation in operation. The particular situation is as follows: when one has a piece of material to be cut on a chop saw, with one end supported, as in either of
Experience has shown that it is best to hold the side that will result in the finished piece with one hand securely until the cut is finished. The other hand has to operate the chop saw carriage. If the finished piece is on the side with the support stand, there is no problem, because that side will be held with one hand. If the finished piece is on the right, however, then the piece on the left, with additional length supported by the roller stand or upper roller assembly on the chop saw table, then there is a potentially bad situation. If there is sufficient overhang, placing too much weight on the side of the support stand roller away from the chop saw table, then, at the point in time that the cut is finished the piece not held may tip up and roll away, striking the floor or some other object. This at the minimum can mean an extra cut to be made, or a piece not further usable.
As an answer to this situation, in one embodiment a friction brake is provided to temporarily lock roller 10 from rolling.
Now, in the particular situation described above, when there is a chance that a piece not securely held may tip up and roll away at the finish of a cut, the user may first lock the roller, providing ample time after a cut is finished to catch the piece that might otherwise get away.
Chop saws may be used inside houses under construction or in houses where remodeling is being done, or may be used out-of-doors as well. For this reason adjustable feet 111 for the roller assembly and 107 for the roller stand may be of several different types. In one case the pads may be metal with anti-slip features, such as pointed protrusions or corrugation, for use perhaps on dirt surfaces. In other cases the pads may have a rubber-like or a fabric (such as felt) pad on the undersurface to avoid damaging such as tile or hardwood floors where a stand may need to be used. In many cases there may be openings through the feet for fasteners, such as bolts or screws, for fastening to such as subflooring.
In still another embodiment of the present invention the lower frame (102 of
At one or both ends shaft 702 has male threads, and a hand knob with a female thread may be used at one or both ends to secure plate 701 in the assembly so it does not rotate on the shaft. The purpose of the repositionable flat plate on the adjustable support stand is as a stationary aid for supporting material without movement during installation or production.
It is not intended that the plate and pivot shaft be easily removable from the assembly 109. Rather it is the entire assembly that is removable, so it may be used in this mode as a stationary support on the adjustable stand 102/108, or on a saw table or other surface, A skilled artisan will be aware that the plate may vary in width and that there are a number of other changes that might be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
The skilled artisan will be aware that many features of the integrated roller stand and utility stand described in enabling detail in various embodiments above may be altered from the examples illustrated and described in this disclosure, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, there are a variety of ways the vertical adjustability of the integrated roller stand may be accomplished. There are also many different materials that may be used. In addition, the base support may be accomplished in different ways. There are similarly many other alterations that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention, which should be accorded the breadth of the claims to follow.
