AU2022279406A1 - Tool and method for forming a puddle drain recess - Google Patents

Abstract

An orbital attachment for hand-held angle grinder that is adapted to facilitate the creation of a suitable recess in a floor for the placement of a puddle drain flange; said orbital attachment having first end and second ends that are connected by an arm, preferably of metal; said orbital attachment being adapted at a first end to be rotatably anchored adjacent the centre of said puddle drain and operably attached at a second end to an angle grinder, said angle grinder connectable to a suitable grinding attachment for creating said recess in said floor; said orbital attachment thereby enabling said grinding attachment to engage said floor in an orbital manner. 1/5 45 L 5 --- -- --- 3 5 20N 15 16 i 30J 105 17J 18J 25r4 40 FIG.I1

Description

1/5

45 L

5

--- --3 --- 5

N 15

105 16 i 30J

17J 18J 25r4 40

FIG.I1

TOOL AND METHOD FOR FORMING A PUDDLE DRAIN RECESS

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of hand-held power tools of the type used in the building industry. In particular, the invention relates to an attachment for an angle grinder that is adapted for use in creating a recess for a puddle flange for a floor drain.

Background of the Invention

[0002] A floor waste drain is a drainage point usually located in the floor of a room that is expected to have water drained from it, such as a laundry or bathroom.

[0003] A common fitting used to surround the floor waste drainage point is a puddle drain flange, or puddle flange. Its purpose is to allow connection between the waterproofing system in the floor and the plumbing drainage system.

[0004] The puddle flange is generally made from PVC plastic and provides a large surface area for the bonding of the waterproof membrane thereto. It has a drainage hole and male pipe connection in the centre. The drainage flange is rebated into the floor material to allow the flow of water towards the outlet in the centre of the puddle flange.

[0005] The rebating process however presents some difficulties and health hazards. Firstly, the rebating is usually done with an angle grinder in two-handed operation. The operator must fashion a recess in the floor material by simply applying edge of the angle grinder cutting tool to the region around the drain and estimate by eye and experience how to shape the recess and its depth to match the puddle flange. This is relatively difficult, due in part of the limitation in visibility of the recess as it is always partly obscured by the angle grinder. This presents the opportunity for an inexperienced operator to lose control of the angle grinder and to create a poorly proportioned recess.

[0006] More importantly, the type of material into which the rebate is formed, such as Scyon concrete, compressed fibreglass, or wood particle panels, can create a substantial amount of dust during the operation. The poses potential health hazards due to eh nature of these materials. Therefore, dust suppression is desired, but for a single operator this is difficult, as both of the operator's hands are required for the recess grinding operation.

[0007] Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a way to create a puddle flange recess that ameliorates at least some of the problems associated with the prior art.

Summary of the Invention

[0008] According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an orbital attachment for hand-held angle grinder that is adapted to facilitate the creation of a suitable recess in a floor for the placement of a puddle drain flange; said orbital attachment having first end and second ends that are connected by an arm, preferably of metal; said orbital attachment being adapted at a first end to be rotatably anchored adjacent the centre of said puddle drain and operably attached at a second end to an angle grinder, said angle grinder connectable to a suitable grinding attachment for creating said recess in said floor; said orbital attachment thereby enabling said grinding attachment to engage said floor in an orbital manner.

[0009] The invention allows much greater precision and control of the recessing process by anchoring the path of the angle grinder to the centre of the floor waste drain, meaning it can scribe a circular pathway around the drain centre. It also enables one handed operation of the angle grinder during the process, which in turn allows the operator to use their free hand to engage in dust abatement measures, such as wetting or vacuuming.

[0010] Another advantage of the invention is that it created less fatigue in the operator, as they do not need to wholly control the positioning and motion of the angle grinder - the attachment locates and regulates the position of the angle grinding in operation. This also lends itself to greater speed and efficiency of the operation, which is important in large job sites where multiple such puddle flanges are to be installed.

[0011] Preferably, said first end and second ends are connected by a metal arm and said first end includes a detachable cylinder that extends downward from said arm and is rotatably received in a circular aperture in said arm, and is anchorable to the floor. The detachable nature of the cylinder allows it to be anchored to the floor in position and for the arm to be fitted over it in a convenient and rotatable manner.

[0012] Preferably, said first end includes a cylinder that is affixed to, and extends downward from, said arm, and is received in an aperture in said arm and said cylinder is adapted to receive a spindle that is anchorable to said floor, thereby allowing said arm to rotate freely around said spindle.

[0013] Preferably, said second end includes an angle grinder cutting axle assembly; said assembly incorporating a bearing that allows said grinding attachment to be rotatably attached to said second end; said assembly adapted to attach at an upper end to the drive shaft of a powered rotating device such as an angle grinder, and at a lower end to said grinding attachment, thereby to allow said rotating device to actuate rotation of said grinding attachment.

[0014] The grinding attachment may be any suitable grinding bit that can grind out the floor material in a circular formation around the centre of the drain. For example, diamond wheels can be used, but any type of blade or cutter that is adapted to engage effectively with the flooring material is suitable.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of creating a recess for a puddle drain flange in a floor, said method including the steps of: securing the first end of an orbital attachment according to claim 1 to the centre of a puddle drain location; attaching the second end of said orbital attachment to an angle grinder and a suitable grinding tool; operably moving said angle grinder attachment in contact with said floor in an orbital motion in a one-handed operation to grind out the puddle drain recess.

[0016] This method, utilising the orbital attachment according of the invention, allows much more reliable, and potentially safer, recessing for a puddle flange. It can also readily be done in an single-handed operation, allowing the operator's free hand to do other necessary tasks such as wetting the surface as it is being cut or removing dust.

[0017] Now will be described, by way of a specific, non-limiting example, a preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] Figure 1 is a drawing of an orbital attachment according to the invention.

[0019] Figure 2 is a drawing of a top view of the orbital attachment of figure 1.

[0020] Figure 3 is a side view of the cutting shaft assembly as per the orbital attachment of figure 1.

[0021] Figure 4 is an elevation of an anchor spindle that forms part of the orbital attachment of figure 1.

[0022] Figure 5 is an orbital attachment according to the invention.

[0023] Figure 6 is an orbital attachment according to the invention in an operating configuration.

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0024] The invention fundamentally resides in a configuration, and use, of an orbital anchor attachment for an angle grinder that helps to facilitate accurate one-handed operation during the grinding out od a rebate for a puddle flange.

[0025] The inventive device is adapted to be anchored to the floor at the centre-point of the proposed drain and allows the angle grinder to be rotated in an orbital manner around the anchor point to create a circular recess for the puddle flange. The device allows the attachment of a rotating shaft that can be driven at one end by an angle grinder; and at another end to be attached to a suitable grinding tool for engaging the floor material.

[0026] Turning to figures 1-4, there is shown a schematic view of an example of a device according to the invention. The device 5 has a body consisting of a metal plate 10 or rod, having a first end 15 and a second end 20. The first end 15 is the floor engagement end of the device which features a metal cylinder 16 that is inserted through said metal plate 10 and which extends downwards therefrom and is affixed in place by welds or bolts.

[0027] The cylinder 16 has an internal diameter of approximately 27 millimetres, in this example. This cylinder 16 is adapted to receive the floor anchoring part 25 therein in a rotatable manner.

[0028] The floor anchoring spindle 25 has approximately 26mm external diameter so that it can be received inside said cylinder 16. It also has a base plate 17 that can be securely attached to the floor at the centre of the drain location, for example by a bolt inserted through a hole 18 in the centre of the base plate 17.

[0029] An alternative anchor spindle 125 for use where the mouth of the drain pipe is exposed is shown in figure 4. The lower part 117 has a diameter sized to fit a standard PVC drain pipe (typically 103mm) and a lower skirt 118 that fits snugly inside the upper exposed part of the drain pipe, in order to centre the device with the drain.

[0030] At the second end 20 of the device 5 is a clamp 30 that is adapted to receive a shaft and bearing assembly 35. The cutting shaft assembly 35 has a lower portion 40 which is capable of engaging with a grinding or cutting tool (not shown), such as a threaded section 37. The upper part 45 of the shaft assembly 35 is adapted to engage with an angle grinder (not shown). The clamp 30 is adapted to receive and restrain the outer sides of a bearing that allows the shaft 35 to rotate freely inside the bearing 55. This allows the central shaft 35 to rotate the grinding tool when in operation. In this example, the bearing assembly includes two 6804-2RS high speed deep groove ball bearing.

[0031] As per figure 3, the lower part 40 of the shaft assembly 35 preferably has shifter slots 50 to enhance attachment to the angle grinder drive and cutting tools. The central region 36 of the cutting shaft 35 is sized to receive one or more bearings, such as a KSM 6805 bearing, that allows the cutting shaft to freely rotate when held in place at in the device 5.

[0032] Any suitable means may be chosen to connect the cutting or grinding tool to the lower part 40 of the assembly 35, such as a 14mm thread 37 or any such arrangement as required by the tool.

[0033] The grinding attachment may be any suitable grinding bit that can grind out the floor material in a circular formation around the centre of the drain. For example, diamond wheels can be used, but any type of blade or cutter that is adapted to engage effectively with the flooring material is suitable.

[0034] The attachment according to the invention described above can be seen in partial assembly in figure 5. Shown is the attachment 5, with the cylinder 16 at one end and the bearing assembly 35 at the other end secured by the clamp 30. The lower part of the shaft 35 is shown, as is the lower part of the shaft 40, and in this case the lower part is shown attached to a grinding tool 60.

[0035] Any suitable material may be used for the various parts. In this example, the main body parts of the attachment are aluminium (grade 5083 or 6060); the drive mechanism is stainless steel, and the drive spindle is 1045 or 4140 steel. The bolts are grade 5 or 8.

[0036] The operating arrangement of the inventive device is shown in figure 6. The floor anchoring spindle 25 has been bolted to the flooring material, and the cylinder 16 has been fitted over it thereby allowing the orbital motion to occur. An angle grinder 65 has been attached to the upper part 45 of the shaft and bearing assembly 35, and a cutting tool 60 has been attached to the lower part 40 of same.

[0037] The angle grinder 65 has engaged the shaft 35 to power the cutting tool and the operation is moving the angle grinder in an orbital motion to cut a circular rebate 70 in the floor material.

[0038] The operator can use one free hand to perform other tasks, such as wetting the area to prevent dust from affecting the health of the operator or other in the vicinity, if required.

[0039] Then the floor anchoring spindle 25 is removed and the puddle drain flange is installed in place. The above mechanisms and method are particularly useful for concrete floors.

[0040] In an alternative embodiment, more suited to non-concrete flooring materials, such as particle board, or lighter fibre cement panels, such as Scyon SecuraTM (as supplied by James Hardie Australia Pty Ltd), it is advantageous to include the use a of an alternative type of locating spindle affixed to the floor. This type of spindle is similar to that described above, except that it that is located adjacent to the centre of the drain pipe via one or more screws or the like that may be inserted through holes in the baseplate that are located outside the central spindle.

[0041] The tool according to the invention is then located using the spindle and the flange recess cut in the same manner. Once the flange is cut, the spindle is removed and the central section of the flooring inside the recess is removed with any suitable hole cutting tool.

[0042] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the above-described embodiments are merely examples of how the inventive concept can be implemented. It will be understood that other embodiments may be conceived that, while differing in their detail, nevertheless fall within the same inventive concept and represent the same invention.

Claims (5)

Claims

1. An orbital attachment for hand-held angle grinder that is adapted to facilitate the creation of a suitable recess in a floor for the placement of a puddle drain flange; said orbital attachment having first end and second ends that are connected by an arm, preferably of metal; said orbital attachment being adapted at a first end to be rotatably anchored adjacent the centre of said puddle drain and operably attached at a second end to an angle grinder, said angle grinder connectable to a suitable grinding attachment for creating said recess in said floor; said orbital attachment thereby enabling said grinding attachment to engage said floor in an orbital manner.

2. The orbital attachment of claim 1, wherein said first end includes a cylinder that is affixed to, and extends downward from, said arm and is received in an aperture in said arm.

3. The orbital attachment of claim 2, wherein said cylinder is adapted to receive a spindle that is anchorable to said floor, thereby allowing said arm to rotate freely around said spindle.

4. The orbital attachment of any preceding claim, wherein said second end includes an angle grinder cutting axle assembly; said assembly incorporating a bearing that allows said grinding attachment to be rotatably attached to said second end; said assembly adapted to attach at an upper end to the drive shaft of a powered rotating device such as an angle grinder, and at a lower end to said grinding attachment, thereby to allow said rotating device to actuate rotation of said grinding attachment.

5. A method of creating a recess for a puddle drain flange in a floor, said method including the steps of:

securing the first end of an orbital attachment according to claim 1 to the centre of a puddle drain location;

attaching the second end of said orbital attachment to an powered rotating device such as an angle grinder and a suitable grinding tool;

operably moving said angle grinder attachment in contact with said floor in an orbital motion in to grind out the puddle drain recess.