EP3659772B1 - Stabilised tool for cutting slates - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a tool for cutting a slate plate or similar material, in particular transportable and usable on a roof.

In the field of home roofing, several materials can be used: zinc, tiles or stone, such as slate. Other synthetic materials can be used to imitate the appearance of the previously mentioned materials. For example, we can cite fiber cement boards as a material similar to slate.

In the field of slate roofing, there are many tools specific to this material and intended for cutting the plates, cutting them into a chosen curved shape, drilling them and fixing them.

In general, the roofer cuts the slate sheets on the ground to the desired general size, then mounts them on the roof to be covered and recuts them more finely using pliers or special hammers. Then he drills them (an operation also called “punching”) and fixes them with hooks on the roof battens. The latter are longitudinal battens, generally made of wood, fixed transversely to the frame (generally the rafters) of the roof and perpendicular to the slope of the roof.

Once the slates have been installed, either the roofer detaches himself from the fall protection system and comes down from the roof to prepare new slates, or he is helped by an assistant who can install new pre-cut slates to save him time and to break away. In the latter case, labor costs are much higher.

The document FR2528348 describes such a tool having the characteristics of the preamble of claim 1, and resting on a base placed on the ground and comprising a U-shaped tube at each end of the tool, the branches of the tubes resting on the ground.

One of the best-known slate or fiber cement board cutting tools is the CA600 model from the JOUANEL company. This tool comprises a frame delimiting a cutting table carrying a cutting slot above which a guide rail is arranged. A carriage fitted with a cutting disc engaged in the slot and a pulling handle is slidably mounted on the rail. A first end of the rail has a reversible retaining means (generally a ball screw) of the carriage and the other end has a shock absorbing pad at the end of the stroke.

The tool also includes a support table preferably equipped with squareness stops. The support table is mounted coplanar with the cutting table to allow part of the plate to be supported during cutting. It can be fixed to the right or left of the cutting table depending on whether the operator is left-handed or right-handed.

The latter then places the cutting plate on the cutting table and the support table. Then, he unlocks the retaining means and then pulls the carriage towards him to cut the plate. Finally, he returns the cart to the first end and locks it to prevent it from sliding on its own and injuring the user.

This tool is very heavy (more than 22 kg) and cannot be transported on the roof by a single person.

The cutting waste evacuated through the slot falls directly onto the ground which can then be swept up.

To be moved, the tool includes a gripping handle fixed on the body of the tool in a plane perpendicular to the cutting table. It also includes a carriage lock at one end of the rail during transport to prevent the carriage from rolling along the guide and creating a dangerous imbalance due to its weight while the user holds the handle in one or two hands.

To overcome these problems, a tool of similar design, much lighter, and intended to be mounted and used directly on the roof, called “Mini Cad” from the company DIMOS, has already been proposed.

This tool includes a frame raised by toothed feet and a cutting waste collection chute surmounted by the cutting table carrying the cutting slot. The collection chute is necessary to prevent waste from damaging the roof. The tool also includes a guide rail, a cutting carriage, as well as a support table to be fixed to the right or left of the cutting table depending on whether the user is right-handed or left-handed.

The spacing of the feet is chosen so that they can be inserted between two battens in order to hold the tool on the roof and prevent it from slipping. Once the surface near the user is covered with slates, the latter raises the tool slightly to release the teeth from the batten and slides the tool near a new area to be covered.

If this tool has the advantage of allowing slates to be cut on the roof, that is to say on the very place where the slates are used, it still has many disadvantages.

The presence of the collection chute between the cutting table and the feet makes the tool very unstable and the latter systematically tips over when the user leans on the support table. Tilting can be limited if the teeth of the feet bite strongly into the batten, but the latter is then damaged.

The collection chute includes a vertically pivoting mounted bottom, so to empty the chute, the tool must be tilted to the side and the bottom pivoted open. It is then necessary to shake the tool thus opened to remove the waste, but given its size and its weight in this position, it is common for the user to drop it. Furthermore, it is common for the bottom of the chute to become detached during transport, which empties the chute in an undesired location and risks injuring the user.

To be able to be transported on the roof, this tool includes on the one hand a transport strap attached to the frame and on the other hand a device for reversible blocking of the carriage at a first end of the rail to prevent the latter from rolling along the guide during movement. Thanks to the strap, the user can use both hands to climb onto the roof.

However, the tool is very unbalanced due to the locking arrangement and the tool weighs heavily on the user's shoulder while climbing onto the roof. Due to this imbalance, the tool cannot be hoisted onto the roof with a rope, at the risk of damaging the tool and/or the house.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a slate cutting tool usable on a roof, light, practical, safe and economical.

By practical we mean that the tool must be able to be handled easily, without requiring significant effort.

By safe, we mean that the tool must be stable (no tipping or unbalance), both in use and in transport.

According to the invention, the tool is designed to be held on the battens in a stable manner, that is to say without risk of tipping during cutting, while facilitating its movement along the battens, which may seem incompatible with the stability of the tool.

Thus, the subject of the invention is a tool for cutting a slate plate or similar material as defined by the characteristics of claim 1.

• la tubulure en U peut être démontable ;
• la goulotte peut comprendre des pieds de retenue pour retenir l'outil contre un liteau en position d'utilisation ; et/ou
• la table d'appui et l'âme longitudinale de la tubulure en U peuvent être espacée d'une distance suffisante pour qu'un utilisateur puisse saisir l'âme longitudinale avec une main.

According to other embodiments:

• the U-shaped tubing can be removable;
• the chute may include retaining feet to retain the tool against a batten in the use position; and or
• the support table and the longitudinal core of the U-shaped tubing can be spaced a sufficient distance so that a user can grasp the longitudinal core with one hand.

• la figure 1, une vue schématique en perspective d'un mode de réalisation préféré d'un outil de découpe selon l'invention en position d'utilisation appuyé sur deux liteaux d'un toit ;
• la figure 2, une vue schématique en perspective du mode de réalisation de la figure 1 en cours de rangement ;
• la figure 3, une vue schématique en perspective selon un autre angle de vue de l'outil de la figure 2, une fois rangé ; et
• la figure 4, une vue schématique en perspective d'un deuxième mode de réalisation d'un outil de découpe selon l'invention en position d'utilisation appuyé sur deux liteaux d'un toit.

Other characteristics of the invention will be set out in the detailed description below, made with reference to the appended drawings, which represent, respectively:

• there figure 1 , a schematic perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a cutting tool according to the invention in the use position supported on two battens of a roof;
• there figure 2 , a schematic perspective view of the embodiment of the figure 1 being put away;
• there Figure 3 , a schematic perspective view from another angle of view of the tool of the figure 2 , once stored; And
• there Figure 4 , a schematic perspective view of a second embodiment of a cutting tool according to the invention in the use position supported on two battens of a roof.

There figure 1 illustrates a tool 100 for cutting a plate of slate or similar material, according to the invention. The tool 100 is positioned between two battens A in the use position.

It comprises a cutting table 110 carrying a slot 111 above which a guide rail 120 is arranged. In this embodiment, the guide rail is constituted by two L-shaped profiles 121 (also called "angle") arranged facing each other and at a distance from each other to provide a passage for a cutting carriage 130 mounted sliding along the guide rail 120.

The cutting carriage 130 includes a gripping handle 131 fixed to a casing 132. The latter protects a cutting disc 133 engaged in the cutting slot 111 and rotatably mounted in the casing by a shaft 134.

The casing includes bearings (not visible in the figure) arranged above and below the horizontal tracks 122 of the angles 121 of the guide rail.

The cutting tool 100 according to the invention also includes a chute 140 for collecting cutting waste. This chute 140 is arranged under the cutting table 110 in order to collect the cutting waste falling through the slot 111 of the cutting table 110.

The chute 140 comprises a bottom 141, two side walls 142 and two end walls 143.

Each end wall 143 is extended, below the level of the bottom 141 of the chute 140, by feet 148 which allow the tool to abut against one of the battens A of the roof. Preferably, the feet 148 have teeth 149 directed towards the center of the tool so as to ensure better retention of the tool against the battens A by the simple weight of the tool 100 itself.

The tool 100 according to the invention also comprises a support table 170 mounted coplanar with the cutting table 110.

This support table 170 is intended to receive part of the slate to be cut. The support table 170 may advantageously include adjustable and/or movable stops to hold the slate in position during cutting.

The support table 170 is cantilevered relative to the cutting table 110 supported by the waste collection chute 140.

According to the invention, the cutting tool 100 further comprises a U-shaped tube 180 having a longitudinal core 181 and two branches 182 arranged such that in the position of use, the longitudinal core 181 is coplanar with the bottom 141 of the chute 140. In the embodiment illustrated in figures 1 and 2 , the branches 182 of the U-shaped tubing 180 are fixed under the support table 170. In this case, the length of the branches 182 is such that the longitudinal core 181 is coplanar with the plane P1 passing through the bottom 141 of the chute 140. Thus, when the tool 100 is in the use position, astride battens A, it rests on the latter by the bottom 141 of the chute 140 and by the core 181 of the U-shaped tubing 180. This the latter being fixed under the support table 170 and, preferably, at the end of the support table 170, the tool thus rests on four surfaces which makes it very stable during cutting. Thus, when the user forces on the support table, the tool according to the invention does not tip over.

According to one embodiment, the support table 170 and the longitudinal core 181 of the U-shaped tubing 180 are spaced by a distance d sufficient for a user to be able to grasp the longitudinal core 181 with one hand. Thus, thanks to the use of an anti-tilting part 180 in the form of a U-shaped tube, the latter also allows the user to manipulate the tool and, in in particular, to move it along the battens A to cover another area of the roof.

When the user has finished using the tool 100, he dismantles the support table 170 and the U-shaped tube 180 which he rotates in the direction of arrow F1 under the support table 170 to store it . This arrangement is illustrated in Figure 3 . According to one embodiment, the tool provides means for fixing the support table 170 in the storage position, that is to say along the tool and perpendicular to the cutting table 110.

The method of carrying out the Figure 4 illustrates the possibility of using U 180 tubing fixed differently. In this embodiment, the branches 182 of the U-shaped tubing are fixed on and perpendicular to a side wall 142 of the chute 140 and such that the longitudinal core 181 is coplanar with the bottom 141 of the chute 140.

Thus, in the use position, straddling two battens A, the tool 100 rests on the battens A by the bottom 141 of the chute 140 and by the branches 182 of the U-shaped tubing 180.

Claims (4)

1. Cutting tool (100) for cutting a sheet of slate or similar material, comprising:

   • a cutting table (110) which has a cutting slot (111) over which a guide rail (120) is arranged,

   • a cutting carriage (130) mounted so that it can slide along the guide rail (120), and fitted with a cutting disc engaged in the slot and with a grab handle (131),

   • a trough (140) for collecting the cutting waste, which trough is arranged under the cutting table and comprises a bottom (141) and two lateral walls (142),

   • a support table (170) mounted coplanar with the cutting table (110),

   characterized in that it further comprises a U-shaped tube (180), having a longitudinal web (181) and two branches (182) which are fixed to the cutting tool (100), either under the support table (170) or on and perpendicular to a lateral wall (142) of the trough (140), which tube is arranged in such a way that, in the position of use of the tool, the longitudinal web (181) is fixed under the support table (170) and is coplanar with the bottom (141) of the trough (140).
2. Cutting tool according to Claim 1, in which the U-shaped tube (180) is removable.
3. Cutting tool according to Claim 1 or 2, in which the the trough (140) comprises retaining legs (148) to hold the tool against a batten (A) in the position of use.
4. Cutting tool according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, in which the support table (170) and the longitudinal web (181) of the U-shaped tube (180) are spaced apart by a sufficient distance (d) that a user can grasp hold of the longitudinal web with one hand.

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