Patent Application
20070089584
The disclosures made herein relate generally to power saws and, more particularly, to attachments for enhancing and extending the functionality of power saws.
To ensure proper fit and finish when undertaking a carpentry project, a person involved in a carpentry project (e.g., a carpenter, a homeowner, etc) needs to make cuts in a precise and clean manner. Modem day saws enable such precise and clean cuts to be readily and repeatedly made. In doing so, a finished carpentry project exhibits a professional appearance and/or functionality.
A hand-held circular saw, which is a relatively smaller and more portable version of a table saw, is arguably one of the most important tools that a carpenter uses. For any number of types of cutting tasks, a hand-held circular saw will generally offer suitable or preferred utility. However, for certain types of cutting tasks, a table saw is preferred due to its ability to provide for repeatability and precision in making, for example, long straight cuts.
A hand-held circular saw and a table saw are both relatively expensive equipment. Accordingly, purchasing both of these types of saws can present a sizable investment for a craftsperson or homeowner. Therefore, an apparatus configured for enabling a hand-held circular saw to provide table saw functionality is useful and advantageous.
Embodiments of the present invention enable a hand-held circular saw to provide table saw functionality. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention provide for a saw table configured for having a hand-held circular saw mounted to it in a manner that enables table saw functionality. In doing so, embodiments of the present invention advantageously preclude the need to purchase both a table saw and a hand-held circular saw while providing for the functionality of both a hand-held circular saw and a table saw.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a saw table apparatus comprises a table and a saw mounting structure. The table includes a base and a tabletop attached to the base. The tabletop has a work-piece support surface. The saw mounting structure is engaged with the tabletop. The saw mounting structure is configured for having a hand-held circular saw attached thereto such that, when the saw mounting structure is in a use position with respect to the tabletop, a blade of the hand-held circular saw extends above a work-piece support surface of the tabletop and a work-piece engagement surface of the saw mounting structure lies substantially flush with the work-piece support surface of the tabletop.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a saw table apparatus comprises a table, a saw mounting structure, a power supply assembly and a work-piece guide. The table includes a base and a tabletop attached to the base. The tabletop has a work-piece support surface. The saw mounting structure includes a mounting plate. The mounting plate is pivotally attached to the tabletop whereby the mounting plate is movable between a use position such that a work-piece support surface of the mounting plate lies substantially flush with the work-piece support surface of the tabletop and a saw mounting position such that a saw engaging portion of the mounting plate is accessible from above the work-piece support surface of the tabletop. The power supply assembly is attached to the table. The power supply assembly includes an electrical plug receptacle and an electrical switch. The electrical switch is electrically coupled to the electrical plug receptacle for enabling power to be selectively provided to the electrical plug receptacle. The work-piece guide is movably attached to the table. The work-piece guide extends over the work-piece support surface of the tabletop and is laterally adjustable with respect to a width dimension of the tabletop.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a table saw system comprises a hand-held circular saw, a table, a saw mounting structure and a power supply assembly. The table includes a base and a tabletop attached to the base. The tabletop has a work-piece support surface. The saw mounting structure is engaged with the tabletop. The hand-held circular saw is releasably engaged with a saw engaging portion of the saw mounting structure. A work-piece support surface of the saw mounting structure lies substantially flush with the work-piece support surface of the tabletop and a blade of the hand-held circular saw extends above a work-piece support surface of the tabletop. The power supply assembly is attached to the table. The power supply assembly includes an electrical plug receptacle and an electrical switch. The electrical switch is electrically coupled to the electrical plug receptacle for enabling power to be selectively provided to the electrical plug receptacle. A power supply plug of the hand-held circular saw is removable engaged with the electrical plug receptacle of the power supply assembly.
Turning now to specific aspects of the present invention, in at least one embodiment, the tabletop includes a central opening therein and the saw mounting structure includes a mounting plate fixedly positionable within the central opening.
In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the mounting plate is pivotally attached to the tabletop whereby the mounting plate is movable between a use position such that a work-piece support surface of the saw mounting structure lies substantially flush with the work-piece support surface of the tabletop and a saw mounting position such that a saw engaging portion of the mounting plate is accessible from above the work-piece support surface of the tabletop.
In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the saw mounting structure includes spaced apart flanges defining respective slots extending between each one of the flanges and the mounting plate whereby a bottom plate of a hand-held circular saw is capturable within the slots for enabling the hand-held circular saw to be attached to the saw mounting structure.
In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the saw mounting structure includes a plurality of mounting brackets and each one of the flanges is attached to one of the mounting brackets.
In at least one embodiment of the present invention, a power supply assembly is attached to the table, the power supply assembly includes an electrical plug receptacle and an electrical switch and the electrical switch is electrically coupled to the electrical plug receptacle for enabling power to be selectively provided to the electrical plug receptacle.
In at least one embodiment of the present invention, an engagement portion of the electrical plug receptacle is expose within an interior space of the base and a control portion of the electrical switch is exposed at an exterior surface of the base.
In at least one embodiment of the present invention, the power supply assembly includes a power supply cord electrically connected to the electrical switch for enabling electrical power to be provided to the electrical switch.
These and other objects, embodiments, advantages and/or distinctions of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification, associated drawings and appended claims.
The saw mounting structure 104 includes a mounting plate 116. The mounting plate 116 is pivotally attached to the tabletop 112 by means such as, for example, one or more hinges 117. Accordingly, the mounting plate 116 is movable between a use position U (
As depicted in
When the mounting plate 116 is in the use position U, a blade 133 of the hand-held circular saw 132 extends above the work-piece support surface 114 of the tabletop 112 and a work-piece engagement surface 118. The blade 133 extends through a blade opening 135 in the mounting plate 116. Preferably, the blade opening 133 is wide enough to accommodate angling of blade via angular rotation of the hand-held circular saw 132. A flush work-piece support surface is provided in view of the work-piece support surface 114 of the table top 112 being substantially flush with the work-piece support surface 118 of the mounting plate 116.
As depicted in
Advantageously, an engagement portion 144 of the electrical plug receptacle 134 (i.e., i.e., the prong receptacles) is expose within an interior space of the base 110. Similarly, a control portion 146 of the electrical switch 136 (i.e., the hand-movable selector) is exposed an exterior surface of the base 110. In this configuration, a power cord 148 of the hand-held circular saw 132 is contained within the interior space of the base 110 and the control portion 146 of the electrical switch 136 is conveniently accessible. A trigger lock mechanism 149 is provided for holding a trigger of the hand-held circular saw 132 in an on position such that activation of the hand-held circular saw 132 is controlled exclusively through the electrical switch 136. It is disclosed herein that the trigger lock mechanism 149 may be integral with the hand-held circular saw 132 or may be an add-on mechanism.
The work-piece guide 108 is movably attached to the tabletop 112. The work-piece guide 112 extends over the work-piece support surface 114 of the tabletop 112 and is laterally adjustable with respect to a width dimension W of the tabletop 112. As depicted in
In the preceding detailed description, reference has been made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the present invention may be practiced. These embodiments, and certain variants thereof, have been described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice embodiments of the present invention. It is to be understood that other suitable embodiments may be utilized and that logical, mechanical, chemical and electrical changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of such inventive disclosures. To avoid unnecessary detail, the description omits certain information known to those skilled in the art. The preceding detailed description is, therefore, not intended to be limited to the specific forms set forth herein, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, as can be reasonably included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
