Patent Application
20050217446
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to out-feed support tables, particularly tables which are removably attachable to the rear edge of a table top woodworking tool such as a table saw or the like.
2. Background Art
When using woodworking tools which have a table top for supporting a workpiece such as a table saw, router table, band saw, or the like, it is frequently desirable to provide support for a long workpiece as it is being cut if the workpiece extends substantially beyond the out-feed side of the table top. Various floor mounted stands have been designed in the past having one or more rollers or a small planer support on the out-feed side of a table saw. Alternatively, extension tables have been utilized which attach to the power tool table top surface and extend in a coplanar manner beyond the out-feed side of the table as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,816. Auxiliary support tables of the prior art are either free standing, cantileveredly extending from the power tool, or attached to the power tool at one end and supported by legs at the other end. An example of a cantilevered out-feed table are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,326 (Hewitt) or U.S. Pat. No. 4,852,623 (Rodrigues).
Many table saws such as those illustrated in the Hewitt, Rodrigues and Charlton patents have a movable out-feed support surface which is located sufficiently rearward of the saw table so that the out-feed support table clears the saw motor when hinged downward to the vertical position when not in use.
It is desirable to have an out-feed support table for a power tool having a planar workpiece support surface which is removable or shiftable to an inactive position so that the power tool takes up minimum shop space. It is also desirable to have an out-feed support table which can be quickly and simply raised and lowered without having to adjust leg lengths in order to maintain the out-feed support table coplanar with the tool table.
Accordingly, the table saw incorporating the present invention is made up of a saw base, a table top affixed to the saw base for supporting a workpiece, a motor drivingly connected to a rotary spindle oriented below the table top, rotatably driving a saw blade affixed to a spindle capable of extending partially through an opening formed in a table top to cut a workpiece placed thereon. The saw base and table top assembly further includes a pair of laterally spaced apart longitudinally extending channels having at least one guide member disposed adjacent an open end of each channel. An auxiliary support table is provided which slidably mounts to a saw base table top assembly. The auxiliary support table has a workpiece support surface and a pair of elongate arms which are sized to telescopically extend through the longitudinally extending channels. A pair of elongate arms, each having a pivot member are disposed at a distal end thereof to secure the arms to the channels. The auxiliary support table is adjustable between a use position with the elongate arms telescopically engaging the channels to position the workpiece support surface generally parallel to the saw table top. The auxiliary support table is shiftable to a stored position wherein the elongate arms telescope outwardly of the channels and pivot about the pivot members to position the workpiece support table orthogonal to the table top.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the motor is oriented relative to the saw base to extend beyond the rear side of the table top. In this embodiment, the auxiliary support table elongate arms extend sufficiently beyond the workpiece support surface so that when the auxiliary support table arms are telescoped outwardly through the channels the auxiliary support table hangs down the auxiliary support table from the rear edge of the table top.
Alternatively, the invention may be characterized as an out-feed support table for use with a table saw having a pair of longitudinally extending channels formed in the base table top assembly. The auxiliary out-feed support table having a workpiece support table has a generally planer upper support surface and a pair of elongate arms spaced apart and attached to an underside of the workpiece support table generally opposite the planer upper surface. The arms extend therefrom in spaced apart relation sized to telescopically extend into the pair of channels in the table saw base assembly. The distal end of each of the arms has a pivot member to temporarily secure the arms to the ends of the channels. The auxiliary support table is thereby adjustable between an in use position and a stored position. In the in use position, the elongate arms telescope inward through the channels to orient the workpiece support surface generally parallel to and aligned with the table saw top. In the stored position, the elongate arms telescope outwardly through the channels until the pivot member of the distal end of each arm engages the end of the channel allowing the auxiliary support table to rotate downwardly below and orthogonal to the table saw table top.
A table saw 10 illustrated in
Table saw 10 is made up of a saw base 16 having a table top 18 affixed thereto which is provided with an upper surface for supporting workpiece W as illustrated in
An alternative form of detent can be provided limiting relative movement between arms 28 and 30 and channels 20 and 22 by simply forming a protrusion on the upper surface of arms 28 and 30 adjacent the distal end which cooperate with a indentation or aperture on the upper side of the channels. The protrusion on the arms can be provided by a simple adjustment screw 36 shown in
Table saw 10 is provided with a motor 38 which rotatably drives a spindle 40 shown in phantom outline in
Preferably, the table top 18 of out-feed support table is formed of a strong lightweight substrate such as particle board, plywood or royant strand board and covered with a low friction plastic laminate. Alternatively, the entire table top can be molded out of plastic and appropriately ribbed to achieve both product structure and lightweight. Preferably, the leading edge 58 of out-feed support table 12 is generally downwardly sloped relative to the remaining generally planer upper surface of out-feed support table top 18 in order to prevent the workpiece W from catching on the leading edge if a thin workpiece were to sag in instances where there is a gap between the leading edge 58 of the out-feed support table 12 and the rear rail 52 of the table saw. Of course, if desire, the out-feed support table top 18 can be sufficiently wide to minimize the gap between the leading edge 58 of the out-feed support table 12 and the rear rail 52. This gap, however, is preferable where as in the table top saw illustrated in
While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
