AU629431B2 - Variable profile working and/or finishing tool - Google Patents

Description

To: The Commissioner of Patents.

I

AUSTRALIA

Form PATENTS ACT 1952 6 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE Short Tide: Int. Cl: Or a Application Number: Lodged: Its#

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C Cmplete Specification Lodged: t Accepted: Lapsed: Published: Priority: R lated Art: *i a a, a ae TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Name of Applicant KENNETH BARRIE DUNBAR KRISTIhAN RIZMAL Address of Applicant Site 19 Monbulk Caravan Park, Baynes Park Road, Monbulk, Victoria, Australia Actual Inventors: KENNETH BARRIE DUNBAR KRISTIJAN RIZMAL Address for Service: CALLINAN LAWRIE, 278 High Street, Kew, 3101, Victoria, Australia Complete Specification for the invention entitled: "VARIABLE PROFILE WORKING AND/OR FINISHING TOOL" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: I

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This invention relates to material working and/or finishing tools and refers particularly, though not exclusively, to a sanding or like block having a variable profile.

Whenever sanding rasping or filing takes place it is normal to use a sanding or like block. A sanding block is a cuboid piece of material around which the sandpaper can be wrapped so that it can be properly held. The sanding blocks have a flat base and are therefore very good for sanding flat surfaces or surfaces S, having a curve of very large radius. Great difficulty can be experienced in sanding unusual shapes. This applies, for example, in the automotive trade where ridges or J 10. indentations are quite often provided on body panels partly for decoration and partly for strength. Panel beaters have great difficulty in sanding-back such panels due to the unusual profile of the panel. This also applies when using a rasp or file, or other similar tools. In the house, cornices, architraves and skirtings quite often have shapes which are not rectangular. Curved cornices are quite often the standard.

Architraves have tapering surfaces, square edges and so forth. To sand these using a flat-base cuboid sanding block can be very difficult. Quite often improper sanding takes place or the profile is changed. Sometimes in the panel beating industries, a new panel is bought rather than having to spend a considerable amount of time attempting to sand an unusual profile.

It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to provide a material working and/or finishing tool block which is variable in profile in an attempt to be able to properly work articles of non-flat profile.

i Y With the above and other objects in mind, the present invention provides a material working and/or finishing tool having a first side piece, a second side piece, and a plurality of intermediate pieces between said first side piece and second side piece, each of said intermediate pieces having at least one slot therein, said first end piece being operatively connected to said second end piece by means of at least one fastener, said fastener passing through said at least one slot of said plurality of intermediate members whereby upon said fastener being loosened said plurality of t intermediate members can be moved relative to each other to adjust the profile of the tool.

In order that the invention may be readily understood there shall now be described by way of non-imitative example only a preferred construction of a sanding block incorporating the principal features of the present invention, the description being with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings. In the drawings: "i Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a basic form of a sanding block I incorporating the principal features of the present invention; Figure 2 is a front perspective view of one of the intermediate members of the sanding block of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a front perspective view of an alternative form of an intermediate member; Figure 4 is a vertical cross-section along the lines of and in the direction of arrows 4-4 of Figure 1;

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Figure 5 is a view corresponding to that of Figure 4 but with the profile adjusted to a first shape; Figure 6 is a view corresponding to that of Figure 5 but with the profile adjusted to a second shape; Figure 7 is a front perspective view of a third form of an intermediate member; Figure 8 is a side view of the intermediate member of Figure 7.

To refer firstly to Figure 1 there is shown a material working and/or Shi... finishing tool which comprises two end members 10 and 12 which are made of a solid 10, material. This may be biciliate, an acrylic material, a heavy plastics material, or the like. Between the end pieces 10 and 12 are a plurality of intermediate pieces 14.

These intermediate pieces 14 may be of very narrow thickness, may be of moderate thickness, or the individual intermediate pieces 14 may be of different thicknesses.

This is very much in accordance with the requirements of the user. Each of the 0 0 intermediate pieces 14 has two slots 16 therethrough. Through these slots 16 pass bolts 18. The bolts 18 pass through the first end piece 10 with the head 8 of the bolts 18 being recessed into the end piece 10. For the second end piece 12, it may be provided with threaded openings or captive nuts 20, or the like. In this way the bolts 18 can secure the two end pieces 10 and 12 together, and thus hold the intermediate pieces 14 in position. As is shown in Figure 2, the slots 16 are elongated. In this way, if the two bolts 18 are loosened slightly the individual intermediate pieces 14 may be moved up and down with the only limit of movement L. -I :i i i i; being the length of the slots 16. In this way, the tool may be placed against the surface 22 of a particular article 24 to be worked, with the bolts 18 in a slightly loosened condition, and the individual intermediate pieces 14 pushed downwardly until they contact the surface 22. In this way, the profile adopted by the tool will match that of the surface 22. This is illustrated in Figures 5 and 6.

The tool may be in the form of a sanding block, as is illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. In these instances, a sheet of sandpaper 26 is used.

Also, if the profile adopted is to be retained, the bolts 18 can be tightened until the necessary pressure is created to prevent unwanted relative increment of the intermediate members 14. However, if the material being worked is variable it may not be desirable to "set" the profile of the tool. Therefore, the bolts 18 would not be fully tightened so that relative movement of the intermediate members 14 and/or the end members 10, 12 may be possible as working takes place.

This would enable a person using the tool to continue to work, despite the changing shape of the surface 22 of the article 24.

.14. iIn Figure 3 there is shown an alternative form of intermediate piece designated here 114. Here there is a vertical slot 116, as per the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2. However, in addition, there is a horizontal slot 130 on each of the vertical slots 116. In this way the intermediate member 114 can be moved not only up and down but also forwards and rearwardly. In this way not only the lower face 28 of the tool can be adjusted in profile, but also the front face 32 can be adjusted in profile. This is very effective when dealing with internal corners, and unusual and/or complex shapes.

Figures 7 and 8 illustrate a third form of the intermediate membe:s 14.

There the lower edge 134 of each intermediate member is provided with a series of teeth 136. In this way an effect of a saw, rasp or file can be created for the lower surface 28 of the tool with the effect created depending upon the nature of the teeth 136.

4 44 It must be appreciated that the tool illustrated is a basic, substantially 04 o rectangular tool. It may be made in any shape, with the shape being dependent 10. upon the requirements of the user. The number and thickness of the intermediate pieces 14 may be varied. In fact, different sizes, shapes and thicknesses of intermediate pieces 14 may be provided so that, in effect, any user could merely take the two end pieces 10, 12 and place the required numbers of the different intermediate pieces 14 to suit his particular purpose. The bolts 18 may be standard bolts as is described above using a threaded hole in the end piece 12, a captive nut recessed into the end piece 12, or may be a T-bolt. In this way, variable width in the 4 tool may be able to be provided so that when working a narrow piece, intermediate members 14 may be reduced in number so that the actual width of the tool is reduced. In addition, it allows for greater width of the tool by merely adding further intermediate pieces 14.

The tool may be made of any suitable material, such as, for example, A.P.E.T. (amorphous polyethelene tetraphthalate). The end pieces 10, 12 may be 6 L. ._A N -iS made of any suitable material which includes A.P.E.T. as well as any other suitably solid material. The main requirement is that the intermediate members 14 must be able to slip relative to each other when the bolts are loosened but if the bolts are tightened they will retain their relative position.

Whilst there has been described in the foregoing description a preferred construction of a tool incorporating the principal features of the present invention, it will be understood to those skilled in the technical fields concerned that many variations or modifications and details of design or construction may be made without departing from the essential features of the present invention.

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Claims (9)

1. A material working and/or finishing tool having a first side piece, a second side piece, and a plurality of intermediate pieces between said first side piece and said second side piece, each of said intermediate pieces having at least one slot therein, said first end piece being operatively connected to said second end piece by means of at least one fastener, said fastener passing through said at least one slot of said plurality of intermediate members, whereby upon said fastener being loosened 0 said plurality of intermediate members can be moved relative to each other to adjust 0 the profile of the tool. 00 4 099

2. A material working and/or finishing tool as claimed in claim 1, wherein said slot is substantially vertically oriented and extends for a majority of the height of each of said intermediate pieces.

3. A material working and/or finishing tool as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each of said intermediate members has two spaced-apart, substantially parallel slots.

4. A material working and/or finishing tool as claimed in any one of claims S* 1 to 3, wherein each of said slots has a substantially vertical segment and a substantially horizontal segment to form a cross-shaped slot. A material working and/or finishing tool as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein each of said intermediate pieces has a lower edge provided with a material working finish.

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6. A material working and/or finishing tool as claimed in claim 5, wherein said material working finish is in the form of a saw, rasp or file.

7. A material working and/or finishing tool as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said fastener comprises a bolt passing through a hole in said first side piece and being received in a threaded hole in said second side piece.

8. A material working and/or finishing tool as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said fastener comprises a bolt passing through a hole in said first side piece and being received in a nut located in a recessed hole in said second side piece. S'

9. A material working and/or finishing tool as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein each of said intermediate pieces is identical. A material working and/or finishing tool substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 28 day of November, 1990 KENNETH BARRIE DUNBAR KRISTIJAN RIZMAL By their Patent Attorneys CALLINAN LAWRIE 9I 9' 7"Zt