Patent Application
20110061508
The invention relates to a wood working machine according to the preamble of claim 17 as well as to a suitable rip fence module according to the preamble of claim 1.
In the case of machine tools, in particular wood working machines such as circular saws or the like often workpieces such as for example chipboards must be lead past a tool passing through a machine table such as for example a saw blade or disk (in the case of a circular saw).
Therefore, such machine tools often have a rip fence movable on the machine table opposite to (what means relatively to) the tool in a extension direction extending transversely to a longitudinal direction, for example the working direction of a saw blade or disk, the rip fence having a workpiece stop in parallel to the longitudinal direction to which the workpiece can be abutted in order to be positioned on the machine table with a specific distance to the tool with its edge faced away from the tool in order to be then lead past the tool. In order to firmly adjust the adjusted distance of the rip fence of the tool during the following working operation, generic machine tools and/or their rip fence module moreover present a locking device, which is shiftable by an operator between a locking position and a release position in order to arrest a guided portion of the rip fence or release it for readjustment of the distance between the tool and the workpiece stop.
In the printed US patent specification U.S. Pat. No. 4,322,066, for example, a circular saw with a roller-guided rip fence module has been proposed in order to improve sliding of the guided rip fence. The guided section of the rip fence encloses in an U-shaped manner a guide rib attached on an end table. In the groove base and on a flank of the U-shaped portion, rollers are attached over which the rip fence can roll off on the guide rib. Moreover, the rip fence module comprises a locking device having an arm formed as a fork, which encompasses a screw, which can be pressed against or releases a guide rib held in the groove between the branches of the guided portion.
In the wood working field, guide rails and/or suitable accommodations for rip fence modules exist already on common machine tables so that suitable rip fences can be sold also as rip fence modules which can be bought individually in addition.
The workpiece stop is provided here on a superstructure of the rip fence overlapping the machine table at least partially with the superstructure being shiftably accommodated on the machine table in at least one guide groove provided for it via at least one guided portion.
Rip fences are known, which entirely overlap the machine table, and are supported on the machine table in a guide groove on the front and rear side. Other known rip fences are supported by means of a guided portion in a guide groove provided on a front side of the machine table and on the rear side of the machine table via a sliding support on the surface of the table top.
A modification is shown in US patent application US 2004/0123712 A1 where a circular saw with a rip fence module is provided which can be driven via a motor and a spindle located alongside the machine table. For this purpose, the rip fence is received on the spindle with a corresponding nut, with the nut being located on a guided portion which is received together with the motor spindle in a guide groove, the guided portion and/or the guided carriage with one arm passing through the guide rail profile, with the arm being connected with the superstructure of the rip fence by means of a clamp and guided with a guiding piece on a T-shaped guide rail end of the guide rail profile.
In both variants it frequently happens that the rip fence gets jammed in the allocated guides provided on the machine table.
It is therefore an objective of the present invention, to create a smooth-running rip fence, and a wood working machine with a smooth-running rip fence which can rapidly and easily be attached to and removed from the machine table.
This objective is realised with respect to the rip fence module with the features of claim 1, with respect to the wood working machine with the features of claim 17.
According to the invention the guided portion of the rip fence module and/or the rip fence of the wood working machine by means of which the superstructure of the rip fence is movably supported in a guide groove provided on the machine table, presents one or several guided carriages, which can be inserted into the guide groove at least in sections, presenting in turn each a number of ball bearings or roller bearings and/or rollers with ball bearings or roller bearings via which each guided carriage inserted into the guide groove can roll off on allocated rolling surfaces of the guide groove in release position and/or via which each guided carriage is movable on rollers in the guide groove in extension direction and contrary to the extension direction, with the guided carriage having moreover a carriage body on the superstructure, on which the number of ball bearings or roller bearings (and/or the rollers) is accommodated on the guide groove with an alterable and/or adjustable distance to the allocated roll-off surface (what means roll way surface) preferably in vertical direction between a roll-off position and a withdrawal position. In roll-off position (what means rollable position) the number of ball bearings or roller bearings abuts the guiding surfaces and does not abut the guiding surfaces in the withdrawal position serving for withdrawal of the guided carriage from the guide groove.
Thus, not only a smooth-running shifting of the rip fence against the tool is possible, which is not only a benefit to precise adjustment of the desired distance between the tool and the workpiece stop whereby the rip fence does not so easily get jammed either as is the case in rip fence modules with sliding guidance.
Rather the guided carriage in the withdrawal position can particularly easily be inserted into the guide groove with its rollers so that in total the rip fence can be easily attached to the machine table. Prior to putting the rip fence into operation, the ball or roller bearings are then brought into their roll-off position abutting the guide rail in their allocated roll-off surfaces free of clearance extending in extension direction. When the rip fence module is to be removed from the machine table, the ball or roller bearings (and/or rollers) are brought again from their roll-off position abutting the allocated roll-off surfaces into the non-abutting withdrawal position. Subsequently, the guided carriage can again easily be removed from the groove and the rip fence module can be withdrawn from the machine table.
The number of ball or roller bearings can, for example, be fixed to the carriage body via an arm arrangement movable preferably in vertical direction and/or spreadable or pivotable in this direction. The withdrawal position then corresponds to a position of the arm arrangement in which the number of ball or roller bearings is not spread vertically to the extension direction against the run-off surfaces. A spread position of the arm arrangement in the guide groove then corresponds to the roll-off position.
More preferably a preloading device is provided, which preloads the ball or roller bearings into the roll-off position, preferably a preloading device engaging in the arm arrangement and preloading the arm arrangement in the spread position, the roll-off position, so that the bearings inserted into the guide groove are preloaded against the roll-off surfaces of the guide groove allocated to them.
In total, thus a precise guidance of the rip fence in the guide groove without sputtering during shifting is achieved.
Of course, in a guide groove provided on the front side of the machine table and a guide groove provided on the rear side of the machine table, a guided carriage supported by ball bearings or roller bearings can be provided in both guide grooves each via a rip fence supported by a guided portion. It is also imaginable to movably receive the rip fence on the machine table via a plurality of guided carriages supported by roller or ball bearings in a guide groove. In the case of a rip fence, which is only received in a guide groove on the front side of the machine table, and glides off on the rear side of the machine table via a sliding portion on the table top, however, only a guided carriage received in the guide groove on the front side is necessary. But for further improvement of smooth-running of the rip fence it would be imaginable to support the rip fence also here via a roller instead of the sliding portion on the rear side.
A wood working machine according to an advantageous further embodiment of the invention moreover comprises a table widening with an extension element presenting an extension plate for widening the machine table, which can be placed next to the machine table, the extension plate being received between two extension arms fixed to the extension plate, with the arms being received in two guide rails, which can be fixed on the table and are guided in extension direction, with at least the front extension arm being penetrated by a guide groove for the guided portion of the rip fence.
Thus, the fence cannot only be used in the extended condition of the table widening and in the retracted condition of the table widening but also the distance of the rip fence and/or the workpiece stop of the rip fence of the workpiece can be adjusted independent of the condition of extension of the table widening. Moreover, via the optional table widening a two-stage adjustment of the distance between the workpiece stop and the workpiece can be achieved: at first the table widening is coarsely put into the correct position with the rip fence locked in the guide groove(s) on the guide arm(s). Subsequently, fine adjustment of the distance of the workpiece stop to the tool is made via the guided carriage of the rip fence smoothly movable in the guide groove (after the locking device of the rip fence has been released).
For manual modification of the distance of the number of rollers to the allocated roll-off surfaces and/or for manual take off of the number of rollers for removal of the guided carriage out of the guide groove, an adjusting lever can be provided which is coupled with the arm arrangement via a coupling device. By the fact that a separate handle and/or adjusting lever for spreading and/or retraction of the arm arrangement is provided, for removal of the rip fence from the machine table, intentional unlocking on this adjusting lever has to be made, i.e. the number of rollers must be put into the withdrawal position, where they do not abut the allocated roll-off surface.
The arm arrangement may have an arm here, the end of which is pivotably attached to the carriage body around an axis of rotation extending in longitudinal direction, and the other end of which bears at least one roller. If the roller is pivoted upwards via the adjusting lever and the coupling device, for example, a coupling pin penetrating the carriage body and connected or connectable with the adjusting lever, the roller can be put from the roll-off position, in which the carriage body and thus the rip fence is supported on it, into the withdrawal position with the superstructure of the rip fence module, for example, bearing here on the table top of the machine table.
Preferably, the arm arrangement, however, comprises a rocker preferably attached pivotable on the carriage body around an axis of rotation extending in longitudinal direction with two bearing bolts fixed on two opposite sides of the rocker with at least one roller being received on the bearing bolts. The carriage body can then be supported in the guide groove in the roll-off position via the arm arrangement and the rollers between an upper and a lower roll-off surface. As a result, the rip fence is not only especially safe but due to the relief of the lower roller also guided particularly smoothly. In theory, also a support between two vertically extending side walls of the guide groove would be imaginable here.
According to a further advantageous embodiment, the locking device comprises a contact pressure strip receivable in the respective guide groove, hence for example in a guide groove on the front side of the machine table facing towards the operator. Here, the contact pressure strip can be shifted via a coupling device engaging into the guide groove in longitudinal direction between the locking position, in which it is pressed against the rear side of an undercut of the guide groove extending in extension direction, and the release position, in which it is lifted off the rear side of the undercut. Moreover, the locking device can comprise a counter-retaining surface, which is pressed against a bearing surface on the machine table, when the contact pressure strip is moved into the locking position so that a counter-retaining force is created against the compressive force exercised via the contact pressure strip whereby locking of the rip fence occurs. Preferably, a contact pressure surface located on the contact pressure strip and the counter-retaining surface extend in another, preferably vertical plane to the run-off and/or roll-off surfaces for the roller (bearings) so that actuation of the locking device is possible entirely independent of adjustment of the guidance of the rip fence and/or putting of the arm arrangement into the withdrawal position or the guided position.
When the counter-retaining surface is located on the carriage body and the bearing surface is located on the guide rail on the front side opposite the rear side of the undercut, the rip fence can be locked or released for shifting by shifting of the contact pressure strip relative to the carriage body. Therefore it is advantageous, if the contact pressure strip is shiftable in longitudinal direction relative to the carriage body via the coupling device. Thus, a reliable and easily manageable locking and/or release of the rip fence in extension direction is possible.
A further advantageous embodiment of the invention relates to a pivoted lever received pivotable on the superstructure which is provided as an operating device for the locking device. The pivoted lever can be pivoted here between the release position and the locking position around a preferably horizontal pivot axis extending, for example, in extension direction, and comprises at least a guided portion extending eccentrically to its pivot axis via which the locking device is shiftable, thus operable between a locking position and the release position. At the same time, the above mentioned coupling device can be advantageously coupled with the pivoted lever via its guided portion extending eccentrically to the pivot axis.
Alternatively or in addition to locking of the rip fence by means of a locking device engaged on the front guide groove, the superstructure of the rip fence module can be formed as a portal superstructure entirely overlapping the machine table in longitudinal direction comprising on its rear side of the machine table facing away from the operator a clamping spigot, which can be pressed into an allocated guide groove provided on the machine side via the operating device, hence preferably via the pivoted lever, which corresponds to the locking position, and which moreover can be put into the release position movable transversely to the longitudinal direction. In order to press the clamping spigot into the locking position and/or into the allocated guide groove and/or to brace the clamping spigot in this position against another clamping device on the front of the machine table, for example, a bearing surface on the guide groove of the front side, a tension rod overlapping the superstructure in longitudinal direction may be provided, which—like the coupling of the coupling device—can be received in an eccentric guided portion on the pivoted lever. Via a pivoting of the pivoted lever abutting the superstructure by means of an external perimeter clamping surface on an allocated bearing surface, hence the tension rod can be put under traction or pressure so that the clamping spigot can be clamped against the bearing surfaces in the allocated guide groove, hence locked in the guide groove, and can also be unloaded, hence released again.
The locking device can comprise counter-stop surfaces on the front side of the machine table, which are pressed against corresponding bearing surfaces on the machine table, when the clamping spigot and/or the contact pressure strip are moved into the locking position. When releasing the locking via the pivoted lever provided as an operating device for the locking device, the rip fence can then be withdrawn in total from the machine (when simultaneously the bearings are located in a removable manner) so that an easy assembly and disassembly of the rip fence is possible.
In order to provide a high protection against displacement of the rip fence also in the case of lateral pressure of the workpiece, a combination of the clamping spigot with a further embodiment of the invention described above with a contact pressure strip received in a guide groove provided on the front side of the machine table proves to be particularly advantageous. Moreover, fixing of the rip fence on both sides of the machine table permits a high angular accuracy to the longitudinal direction, hence, for example, to a saw blade provided as a tool. If the contact pressure strip (for example via the coupling device) is likewise connected with the pivoted lever of the locking device, also in this embodiment the locking can be released and locked again with a flick of the wrist.
The adjusting lever for removal of the number of rollers from the allocated roll-off surfaces can be advantageously coupled with the arm arrangement via the same coupling device as the pivoted lever for actuating the locking device. For this purpose, the coupling device may comprise a coupling pin received pivotable in the carriage body and extending in longitudinal direction, on the side of which facing towards the guide groove on the one hand the arm arrangement and/or the rocker is received in a pivoted manner, and on which on the other hand the contact pressure strip is fixed, preferably on the free ends of the bearing bolt on which the rollers on the rocker are received.
The adjusting lever placed on the side of the carriage body facing away from the rocker may present a rod eye clevis portion penetrated by the coupling pin and non-rotatably connected with the coupling pin with which it connects to the carriage body on its side facing towards the rocker. On the side of the rod eye clevis portion facing away from the rocker and/or the carriage body a coupling section coupling the coupling pin with an operating device of the locking device can then be provided on the rear side via which the coupling pin is shiftable between the locking position, in which it is extracted so far from the guide groove that the contact pressure strip abuts the rear side of the undercut, and the release position, in which it is inserted so far into the guide groove that the contact pressure strip abuts the rear side of the undercut.
Another advantageous embodiment relates to the fixing of an angle bar forming a workpiece stop by means of an angle bar clamping device on the superstructure, preferably on a carrier section of the superstructure attached between a front and a rear frame. The angle bar can be clamped here by means of an angle bar clamping device and can be released for shifting in longitudinal direction. Advantageously the angle bar comprises an undercut groove extending in longitudinal direction and the angle bar clamping device comprises a contact pressure strip received in the undercut groove as well as a clamping screw with a bias spring—penetrating the carrier section and screwed with the contact pressure strip—by means of which the contact pressure strip is preloaded away from the carrier section.
For releasing and fixing again the angle bar after a shifting in longitudinal direction, only a flick of the wrist is necessary in order to fasten the clamping screw, if a hand-wheel is attached on the end of the clamping screw facing away from the contact pressure strip. Moreover, by means of the bias spring placed preferably around the clamping screw, the contact pressure strip in the groove of the angle bar is always maintained at a distance as soon as the clamping screw is released, whereby an easier moving of the angle bar onto the contact pressure strip and thus shorter assembly and disassembly times are possible.
The features of further dependent claims relate to the precise embodiment of the functional inventive idea with structural features which are explained more in detail in connection with the explanation of preferred embodiments of the invention by means of the attached drawings.
It is to be mentioned here that the features of the embodiments shall be included in the main claims of the invention not only in the combination precisely shown and explained but also in any other combination appearing to be reasonable. Moreover, it is pointed out that the structure of the guided carriage proposed in claim 2 can also be employed in an advantageous manner, if on its carriage body instead of the ball or roller bearings or rollers sliding portions are provided. A rip fence module with the features of the preamble of claim 1 and the features of claim 2 with ball bearings and/or sliding portions being provided movably on the carriage body, and/or a corresponding wood working machine with the features of the preamble of claim 17 and a carriage body constructed accordingly could therefore—optionally together with the features mentioned in the description above, the features mentioned in further dependent claims, and further features described in connection with the drawings in any reasonable combination—be made the subject of an independent application. It is likewise imaginable to make the structure of the locking device proposed in claim 3 together with the features of the preamble of claims 1 and 17 resp. the starting point of an independent application, in particular together with the other optional features concerning the structure of the locking device and its coupling to the guided portion. A rip fence module with the features of the preamble of claim 1 and/or a wood working machine with the features of the preamble of claim 17 together with the features of claims 15 and 16 as well as optionally the other dependent claims could be made the subject of an own application.
The drawings show:
a a side view of a washer of a coupling between a locking device and a bearing clearance adjusting device of the rip fence module shown in the preceding figures;
b a perspective view of the washer shown in
At first reference is made to
For this purpose, alongside the machine table 2 in front and at the back on the external end of the table a guide rail 6a, 6b each is mounted in which two extension arms 7a, 7b are received in a guided manner among which the extension plate 8 is fixed flush on top with the upper side of the machine table 3. An extension element of the table widening module thus comprises apart from the extension plate 8 also the two extension arms 7a, 7b and must not be dismantled before being reinserted into the guide rails 6a, 6b on the other side of the table.
The guide rails 6a, 6b are penetrated here by a guide groove each 6a, 12a and/or 6b, 12b over their entire length extending in extension direction A which is formed by the guide rail 6a, 6b itself and/or its internal cross-section, and a slide bush 12a, 12b each fitted on the part of the extension plate 8. The guide arms 7a, 7b are received in the respective guide groove 6a, 12a and 6b, 12b resp. in a guided manner, and have a constant cross-section, which is not undercut, over their entire length.
A sliding cap each 11a—and/or on the opposite side not shown here—11b is screwed onto its end received in the respective guide groove 6a, 12a and 6b, 12b resp.
The ends of the guide arms 7a, 7b provided with one of the sliding caps 11a, 11b each can be taken in detail from
The ends of the guide rails 6a, 6b provided with the slide bushes 12a and 12b resp. facing towards the extension plate 8, however, are shown in detail in
Reference numeral 10 in
The rip fence module is thus received shiftably independent of the extension position of the extension element in the rip fence shifting groove 14a and the corresponding groove 14b on the extension arms 7a, 7b. Moreover, on the two extension arms 7a, 7b an end cap is screwed onto the end on the side of the rip fence (in the drawing only the end cap 13b provided on the rear extension arm 7b is shown) serving as a retaining stop for the rip fence module.
Moreover, the two extension arms 7a, 7b each are provided with another top holding groove 15a into which, for example, a sheet metal plate with a plotted longitudinal scale can be received or glued in.
The rip fence module comprises a superstructure generally designated with 9 by means of which it overlaps the machine table 3 in longitudinal direction L. The superstructure 9 comprises a front frame 9a as well as a rear frame 9c among which a carrier section is screwed on. On the carrier section 9b the angle bar 9d is shiftably received in the longitudinal direction L via a clamping device 17.
The angle bar clamping device designated with 17 in
As is particularly shown in
The tension rod tie bolt 16f via which the tension rod 16b is fastened to the pivoted lever 16a is received in a receiving bore 16k for the tension rod tie bolt 16f extending in extension direction A. The receiving bore 16k penetrates the pivoted lever 16a at a location eccentric to its pivot axis. On the other end, the tension rod 16b is fastened below the pivot point of the clamping spigot 16c on the rear frame 9c on the clamping spigot 16c. The clamping spigot 16c has a lug by means of which it can be braced against bearing surfaces and/or edges on the undercut groove 14b in the extension arm 7b on the side of the machine table 3 facing away from the operator, if via the tension rod 16b a traction is exercised on the clamping spigot 16c acting against the longitudinal direction L. In
But via the pivoted lever 16a not only the clamping spigot 16c can be pivoted from a locking position into a release position and back, which is located on rear side of the machine table but also a locking (and/or release) of the rip fence module can be effected on a guided portion 24, 16g received in the rip fence shifting groove 14a on the front side. At the front, one does not only hold up against the clamping force of the clamping spigot (which would, however, be imaginable) but also an independent locking device locking (and releasing) the rip fence module in the front guide rail 14a is operated alone. Thus, the rip fence module can on the one hand be clamped onto the two extension arms 6a, 6b and thus locked via the clamping spigot 16c at the back and via an allocated counter-retaining device in front described below. In addition, the rip fence module can be braced on the front extension arm 6a via the locking on the guided portion 24, 16g at the front received in the rip fence shifting groove 14a. In total, a very small angle error of bracing results.
For detailed explanation of the use of this portion 24, 16g formed from a guided carriage generally designated with 24 and a contact pressure strip 16g, and guided in the rip fence shifting groove 14a, reference is now made to
The guided carriage 24 comprises a ball baring 24a abutting an upper, horizontal bearing surface of the rip fence shifting groove and a ball bearing 14b not visible in
The coupling pin 25a passes through a carriage body 24f definable on the superstructure 9 and an adjusting lever 23 with the guide bolt 25a being connected via a tongue and groove joint in an eye section 23a of the adjusting lever 23 with the adjusting lever 23. In order to move the coupling pin 25a—and hence the arm arrangement 24c, 24d, 24e attached to it—towards and/or in an opposite direction to the longitudinal direction L, a coupling device generally designated with 25 in
The coupling section 25b, 25c, 25d on the rear side is coupled to the pivoted lever 16a of the locking device 16 so that via this pivoted lever 16a not only the clamping spigot 16c can be pivoted between its locking position and its release position, but also the coupling pin 25a and thus the contact pressure strip 16g attached to the coupling pin 25a can be brought from its locking position abutting against the rear side of the undercut of the guide groove 14a into a release position detached from the rear side of the undercut (and back). In the locking position the contact pressure strip 16g bears against the undercut of the guide groove 14a from the inside and at the same time also the lateral surface of the carriage body 24f facing the extension arm 7a (and thus facing the contact pressure strip 16g) as a counter-retaining surface from the outside against a corresponding bearing surface of the extension arm 7a.
The pivoted lever 16a comprises a guide groove 16i extending spirally around its pivot axis in which a guide pin 16j is received onto which—see
The forked sleeve 25b and the allocated washer 25c are shown in detail in
If the pivoted lever 16a is now pressed down further, the coupling projections 25h bear against the flanks of the coupling grooves 25g on the underside thus causing a shifting of the washer 25c in an opposite direction to the longitudinal direction L, hence towards the operator. The washer 25c is penetrated by the coupling pin 25a here in a center bore 25f and screwed together with the coupling pin 25a via a coupling adjustment screw 25d so that when actuating the pivoted lever 16a together with the washer 25c also the coupling pin 25a and thus finally the contact pressure strip 16g is shifted towards the operator.
The coupling projections 25h are abutting the flanks on the underside of the coupling grooves 25g and are thus in an intermediate position between the release position and the locking position with the contact pressure strip 16g being drawn against the undercut 14a of the guide groove in the extension arm 7a and aligned rectangularly.
If the pivoted lever 16a is still pressed down a few degrees further, the intermediate position is passed over and the coupling projections 25h emerge from the coupling grooves 25g. This results in the actual locking (locking position) in which the extension arm 7a is really tensioned tightly between the clamping bar 16g and the side of the carriage body 24f facing towards the clamping bar 16g.
Preferably the length and position of the coupling grooves 25g are adjusted to the drive line 16f, 16b, 16d for the rear clamping spigot 16c such that the contact pressure strip 16g is pressed against the undercut 14a of the guide groove in the extension arm 7a before actual locking via the tension lever 16a occurs.
In the release position the adjusting lever 23 is therefore not under tension between the carriage body 24f and the coupling arrangement 25b, 25c on the rear side formed by the forked sleeve 25b and the washer 25c so that the rocker 24c can be moved via a twisting of the adjusting lever 23. In the locking position, however, the adjusting lever 23 is gripped between the carriage body 24f and the coupling arrangement 25b, 25c on the rear side so that a spreading and/or horizontal position of the rocker 24c and/or the arm arrangement 24c, 24d, 24e formed from the rocker 24c and the bearing bolts 24d, 24e, at any rate, cannot be made unintentionally in this position.
In order to preload the rocker 24c into the release position, moreover a coupling bias spring 25e is provided placed around the coupling pin 25a which on the one hand is supported on the rocker 24c and on the other hand is supported on the carriage body 24f (
Moreover, a bias spring 24l for the rocker 24c is provided, via which the rocker 24c is preloaded into a spread position, i.e., a position in which the ball bearings 24a, 24b abut the bearing surfaces of the rip fence shifting groove 14a provided for it (
Finally, reference is made again to
The guide rails 6a, 6b are fastened to the machine table 3 by means of screw connections (not shown) whereas the extension arms 6a, 6b are fastened to the extension plate 8 by means of fastening bolts 27 (
It is obvious that variations and modifications of the embodiment shown are possible without abandoning the scope of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09 400 046.0 | Sep 2009 | EP | regional |
