Claims
- 1. An adjustable apparatus for cutting a workpiece, the apparatus comprising:a base; a table having flat support surface for supporting the workpiece, the table being pivotally connected to the base for pivoting to various angular positions about a tilt axis residing substantially at and extending along the table support surface; and a cutter having a cutting element defining a cutting plane, the cutter being pivotally connected to the base for pivoting to various angular positions about a cutter pivot axis residing in the cutting plane, the cutter pivot axis intersecting the table tilt axis and being angularly disposed thereto such that the cutting plane intersects the plane of the table support surface and is selectively angularly positionable relative to the table tilt axis, the cutting element movable within the cutting plane toward the plane of the table support surface such that the cutting element approaches and cuts an exposed portion of the workpiece resting on the support surface, with the various angular positions of the table and the various angular positions of the cutter determining a composite angle at which the workpiece is cut.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1 including a table positioning means for pivoting the table to a selected one of its said various angular positions about the table tilt axis and a cutter positioning means for pivoting the cutter to a selected one of its said various angular positions about the cutter pivot axis such that said workpiece can be cut at a preset composite angle.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the cutter positioning means comprises a rotatable framework pivotable about the pivot axis, and the cutter is connected to the rotatable framework for movement of the cutting element within the cutting plane and is operable to cut the workpiece in the cutting plane.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the cutter is connected to the rotatable framework for the movement of the cutting element in the cutting plane.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the cutter is connected to the rotatable framework for the downward movement of the cutting element toward the plane defined by the support surface.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the rotatable framework includes a carriage connecting the cutter to the rotatable framework for movement within a range of vertical and horizontal positions within the cutter plane, such that the cutting element is not constrained to linear motion.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cutter pivot axis is vertically oriented.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cutting element comprises a circular saw blade rotating about a blade axis perpendicular to the cutter plane.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the table tilt axis is horizontally oriented.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 1 including a guide fence connected to the table and having a guide surface perpendicular to the table surface, and against which the workpiece may rest.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 1 including a guide fence connected to the table and having a guide surface parallel to the table tilt axis, and against which the workpiece may rest.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said table is a first table, and further including a second table pivotally connected to the base for pivoting about the table tilt axis.
- 13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the cutter pivot axis is vertical and the table tilt axis is horizontal.
- 14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the first table and the second table are longitudinally adjacent to one another and include longitudinally adjacent end portions in a region of the cutter, said apparatus including means for retracting said end portions to avoid interference with the cutting element during cutting movement of the cutting element in the cutting plane to cut the workpiece.
- 15. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the first table and second table each include a guide fence for guiding the workpiece in its longitudinal movement on the tables, each guide fence having a guide surface parallel to the table tilt axis.
- 16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the guide fence for the second table is collapsible from an upright guiding position to a retracted inoperative position.
- 17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein each table includes a retractable table end portion in a region of the cutter, and wherein the apparatus further includes tipping means associated with at least one of the tables and movable from a first position relative to the guide fence of the one table to a second position relative to the same guide fence for tipping a workpiece of rectangular cross-section from edge surface abutment with the guide fence to face surface abutment with the guide fence.
- 18. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the table includes tipping means for repositioning the workpiece relative to the table support surface.
- 19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein a fence is disposed on the table, and the tipping means further is for clamping the workpiece against the fence for securing the workpiece in a fixed position relative to the table support surface.
- 20. The apparatus of claim 1 including table measuring means for determining a first angle amount by which the first table is offset from horizontal.
- 21. The apparatus of claim 1 including a cutter measuring means for determining the angular position of the cutter relative to the table tilt axis.
- 22. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cutter pivot axis is vertical and the table tilt axis is horizontal.
- 23. A method of cutting an elongate workpiece having a longitudinal axis and a first and a second end by employing an apparatus having a first table with a tilt axis extending along and lying at a work support surface of the table, and a cutter having a cutting element, the cutting element defining a cutting plane and being movable within a cutting region, the method comprising the steps:positioning the workpiece on the work support surface of the table in a first position with the first end in the cutting region and the longitudinal axis of the workpiece parallel to the tilt axis; tilting the first table about the tilt axis to rotate the workpiece about the tilt axis to a selected first orientation; pivoting the cutter about a pivot axis, the pivoting axis extending through the plane of the table support surface, to a selected first cutter orientation; and after performing the above steps, moving the cutting element within the cutting plane in a direction generally orthogonal to at least a portion of the cutting element and toward the workpiece and making a first cut in the workpiece; after making the first cut, tilting the table about the tilt axis to rotate the workpiece to a selected second orientation; pivoting the cutter about said pivot axis to a selected second cutter orientation; positioning the workpiece on the work support surface in a second position on the table with the first end in the cutting region and the longitudinal axis parallel to the tilt axis; after performing the above steps, moving the cutting element within the cutting plane in a direction generally orthogonal to at least a portion of the cutting element and toward the workpiece and making a second cut in the workpiece at the first end to cut the first end at a compound angle.
- 24. A method of cutting a workpiece having a first and a second end by employing an apparatus having a first table, a second table, and a cutter defining a cutting plane and movable within a cutting region, the method comprising the steps:positioning the workpiece on the first table in a first position with the first end in the cutting region; pivoting the first table to rotate the workpiece to a selected first orientation; positioning the cutter in a selected first cutter orientation; and after performing the above steps, moving the cutter within the cutting plane toward the workpiece and making a first cut in the workpiece; after making the first cut, advancing at least a portion of the workpiece onto the second table; pivoting the second table to rotate the workpiece to a selected second orientation; positioning the cutter in a selected second cutter orientation; after performing the above steps, moving the cutter within the cutter plane toward the workpiece and making a second cut in the workpiece.
- 25. A method of cutting a workpiece having a first and a second end by employing an apparatus having a first table and a cutter having a cutting element, the cutting element defining a cutting plane and being movable within a cutting region, the method comprising the steps:positioning the workpiece on the table in a first position with the first end in the cutting region; pivoting the table to rotate the workpiece to a selected first orientation; positioning the cutter in a selected first cutter orientation; after performing the above steps, moving the cutting element within the cutting plane in a direction generally orthogonal to at least a portion of the cutting element and toward the workpiece and making a first cut in the workpiece; after making the first cut, pivoting the table to rotate the workpiece to a selected second orientation; positioning the cutter in a selected second cutter orientation; positioning the workpiece in a second position on the table with the first end in the cutting region; after performing the above steps, moving the cutting element within the cutting plane in a direction generally orthogonal to at least a portion of the cutting element and toward the workpiece and making a second cut in the workpiece; after making the first and second cuts, advancing at least a portion of the workpiece onto a second table adjacent to the first table; pivoting the second table to rotate the workpiece to a selected third orientation; positioning the cutter in a selected third cutter orientation; after performing the above steps, moving the cutting element within the cutting plane in a direction generally orthogonal to at least a portion of the cutting element and toward the workpiece and making a third cut in the workpiece.
- 26. The method of claim 25 comprising the steps:after making the first, second, and third cuts, pivoting the second table to rotate the workpiece to a selected fourth orientation: positioning the cutter in a selected fourth cutter orientation; after performing the above steps, moving the cutting element within the cutting plane in a direction generally orthogonal to at least a portion of the cutting element and toward the workpiece and making a fourth cut in the workpiece.
- 27. A method of cutting a workpiece comprising the steps:supporting the workpiece having a longitudinal axis on a tiltable planar work support surface having a tilt axis lying in and extending along the plane of the surface, and positioning the workpiece with the longitudinal axis of the workpiece parallel to the tilt axis of the support surface; positioning a cutter in a cutting plane that intersects the plane of the support surface, the cutter having a cutting element that lies in the cutting plane; pivoting the cutter about a pivot axis, the pivoting axis lying in the cutting plane and that intersecting the tilt axis, to a first angular position relative to the tilt axis; tilting the support surface and supported workpiece about the tilt axis to a second angular position relative to a reference position of the support surface; and moving the cutting element in the cutting plane in a direction generally orthogonal to at least a portion of the cutting element and toward the plane of the support surface and through the workpiece while maintaining the cutter in the first angular position and the support surface in the second angular position to cut the workpiece at a composite angle.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/140,298 filed Oct. 20, 1993, now abandoned, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/845,967 filed Mar. 4, 1992, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (13)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0 032 383 |
Jan 1980 |
EP |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
07/845967 |
Mar 1992 |
US |
Child |
08/140298 |
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US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
08/140298 |
Oct 1993 |
US |
Child |
08/620376 |
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US |