FR2505720A1 - Universal wood working machine - has horizontal arm sliding on vertical column carrying sliding tool support and supporting table mounted on base - Google Patents

Abstract

The machine has a T-shaped horizontal base (10) made of two square or rectangular sections pipes (12,14). A vertical column (18) is mounted on the base and has an arm sliding on it, carrying a motor. The slide (26) has a body moving along the column and a support (32) pivoted on an axis perpendicular to the column length. At the top of the column is a cap (24) with a screw actuator (70), operating the slide. A workpiece support table (50) is held on the base by a fixing (52).

Description

Multifunctional scalable woodworking machine.

 The present invention relates to an evolving multifunctional woodworking machine, allowing numerous operations such as drilling, sawing, planing, slotting, turning, sanding, etc.

 We already know woodworking sets allowing the use of the same engine block for many different operations, thanks to the use of special accessories. There are also known supports for such motor units comprising a work table and a column carrying a support arm for the motor unit. These materials are intended for the amateur.

 There are also known sophisticated woodworking machines intended for professional or semi-professional use and having several functions. These are generally machines with a very large and very rigid frame, of relatively high price.

 The invention relates to a woodworking machine, of the scalable and multifunctional type, which is very rigid and robust although at a moderate price. It thus allows the amateur to carry out work with a precision that usually non-professional equipment does not allow.

 The invention thus relates to a woodworking machine which is provided with a base and a column forming a very rigid assembly. An arm is mounted on the column and a motor can move on the arm in translation while the arm can move in rotation relative to the column. In addition, a slide mounted on the column allows the arm to move in translation along the column.

In this way, the machine according to the invention gives an extremely wide range of displacements.

 According to another characteristic of the invention, the base is formed by tubes of rectangular section, preferably square, and the column also comprises a tube of square section. This arrangement allows automatic centering and alignment and good parallelism of the various accessories of the machine.

 More specifically, the invention relates to a woodworking machine of the type which comprises a base intended to be placed in a substantially horizontal position, a column intended to be placed in a substantially vertical position and fixed, by a first end, to the base, and an arm mounted on a slide movable along the column and intended to carry a motor. According to the invention, the base has a T-shape and comprises two tubes of square or rectangular section, substantially perpendicular to each other , the two tubes being integral with one another and having upper faces included in the same substantially horizontal plane, and the column comprises a tube of square section, fixed on the base to the connection of the two tubes of the latter ci so that the diagonals of the section of the column are parallel to the longitudinal directions of the two tubes of the base.

 According to an advantageous characteristic, the slide comprises a body movable in translation along the column and a hub articulated on the body around an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the column. The arm comprises a square section tube fixed to the hub of the slide.

 It is advantageous for the column to carry, at its second end, a cap which supports a screw jack cooperating with the slide body so that the rotation of the screw jack causes the slide to move longitudinally along the column.

 According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the machine advantageously also carries at least one accessory fixed to the base by a fixing device which comprises a U-shaped member delimited by a plate and two wings, the internal faces closest to the plate and a first wing being well perpendicular to one another and being intended to be in contact with two adjacent faces of a base tube, the internal face of the plate being in contact with the face of the tube which is in said substantially horizontal plane, the second wing carrying a device for tightening the tines to bear against the adjacent face of the tube so that the internal face of the first wing is well pressed against the adjacent face of the tube. It is advantageous that the device clamp includes a threaded rod simply screwed into the second wing and having a rotary control button at the end which is outside the U-shaped member and a shoe at the other end you.

 It is also advantageous for the arm to be provided with two rods parallel to the tube and forming rails, so that a carriage intended to support the motor can move along the rods.

 The tubes of square or rectangular section used for the base, the column and, incidentally the arm, give the whole formed a very high rigidity.

However, the assembly is relatively light and compact.

In addition, the column can be removably mounted on the base so that this space is further reduced when the device must be stored.

 Given the simplicity of the organs used, the cost of the machine is relatively low despite the very high robustness and rigidity which are obtained.

 According to an advantageous characteristic, the various accessories are mounted very quickly on the tubes of the base by simple tightening and loosening of a control button, the centering and the parallelism of the accessories being automatically ensured.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge more clearly from the description which follows, given with reference to the appended drawings in which
- Figure 1 is a perspective, with parts broken away or in exploded form of an embodiment of machine according to the invention
- Figure 2 is an end view in partial section through a vertical plane passing through the motor support carriage (line Il-Il of Figure 3)
- Figure 3 is a plan view of the machine of Figure 1
- Figure 4 is a side elevation of the machine of Figure 1; and
FIG. 5 is a perspective of an accessory support member used with the machine of FIGS. 1 to 4.

 We first consider, with reference to FIG. 1, the main elements of the progressive multifunctional woodworking machine according to the invention which is shown in perspective with parts cut away and with an element in exploded form.

 The machine first comprises a base 10 formed by two tubes 12 and 14 perpendicular to each other and forming a T. Three feet 16 support the external ends and the whole base is intended to be placed horizontally so that the upper face of the two tubes 12, 14 is in a single horizontal plane.

 A column 18 is placed in a vertical position above the base and it has a first end secured to a plate 20, for example welded to the column 18, held by screws 22 on the base. Note that the diagonals of the square tube 18 are parallel to the longitudinal directions of the arms 12 and 14 of the base. The other end of the column 18 carries a cap 24.

 A slide 26, comprising a body 28 and a cap 30, is mounted on the column i8 so that it can slide vertically. A hub 32 is mounted on the body 28 and can pivot on the latter around a horizontal axis, parallel to the tube 12 of the base.

 A screw jack controlled by a flywheel 34 ensures the displacement in height of the slide 26 along the column 18.

 The hub 32 of the slide carries an arm 36 comprising a square tube 38 having a vertical diagonal and another horizontal, clamped between an extension 40 of the hub 32 and a tightening cap 42. The arm 36 also comprises two rods 44 fixed to the extension 40 and to the cap 42.

 A carriage 46 on which a motor 48 is mounted, can move along the rods 44.

 A table 50, intended to carry the pieces of wood to be worked, is mounted on a device 52 for tight fixing on the tube 12. The table is advantageously mounted on an arm 54 movable in rotation above a graduated sector allowing a location of parts positions.

 We now consider in more detail the different parts of the machine.

 The base 10 is advantageously formed of steel tubes of square section. Figure 2 shows the end of the tube 12 and we note that it has a square section. However, this section can also be rectangular. Indeed, the important characteristics of the base are constitutive by the substantially horizontal upper face, arranged in the same plane for the two tubes 12, 14, and by at least one vertical lateral face well perpendicular to the upper face. It is known that square tubes, even of moderate thickness, have good resistance to bending and twisting. The base 10 therefore forms a base plane represented by the upper faces of the two tubes 12, 14. The tube 12 has a relatively large length because, as indicated in FIG. 1, it carries, at its front part, the support table On the other hand, the tube 14 can have a relatively short length, because, in most applications, this tube only provides lateral stability. As the very structure of the machine prevents the center of gravity from deviating much from a vertical plane containing the tube 12 of the base and the arm 36, the length of the tube 14 can be relatively moderate.

 It is important according to the invention that the column is rigidly fixed on the base. There must therefore be no play at their connection. This connection is shown in the form of a plate 20 pierced with holes allowing the passage of screws which penetrate into the threaded holes ta of the tubes 12 and 14. However, this is a simple embodiment and the column 18 can also be optionally directly welded to the base. The arrangement shown has the advantage of allowing possible disassembly of the machine, for storage or transport.

 According to an important characteristic of the invent.on, the column 18 is arranged so that its diagonals are parallel to the tubes 12 and 14. This characteristic is important according to the invention because a tube of square section has its greatest rigidity in the direction of the diagonals. As the column 18 works on bending since all the forces applied to it are due to the weight of the arm 36 with or without accessories, one of the diagonals should be included in the vertical plane containing the arm 36 and the tube 12 of the base. In addition, this arrangement of the square tube 18 allows very convenient guidance and centering of the slide 26.

 The mounting of the slide 26 on the column 18 appears more clearly in FIGS. 3 and 4. The body 28 of the slide has a plate 56 turned towards the side of the hub 32. Unlike the plate 56, the body has a groove 58 in V. The cap 30 comprises, opposite the groove 58, a groove 60 of the same configuration but arranged in the opposite direction so that the column 18 can be clamped between the body 28 and the cap 30, without the latter being in contact.

Bolts 62 (FIG. 4) are placed in holes in the cap and the body on one side of the column while, on the other side, a threaded rod fitted with a handle 64 passes through a smooth hole in the cap and screws into a tapped hole in the body. In this way, the screwing under the control of the lever causes the cap 30 and the body 28 to be blocked on either side of the column 18.

 The body has two vertical recesses 66 formed on either side. One of these is interrupted by a substantially horizontal wing 68 in which a tapped hole is formed. The threaded rod 70 of a jack controlled by the flywheel 34 is screwed into the threaded hole of the wing 68. The upper end of the threaded rod 70 can rotate freely in a smooth hole in the cap 24 so that the rotation of the steering wheel 34 causes the lifting or allows the lowering of the slide 26 along the column 18, when the lever 64 is released.

 The arm 36 essentially comprises a square tube 38 advantageously having a vertical diagonal since it essentially works on bending in a vertical plane.

On the side of the column, the tube is mounted in the extension 40 of the hub 32. The hub 32 is itself mobile in rotation about an axis 72 relative to the body 28. The tube 38 is fitted on a projection 74 of truncated square section, integral with the hub 32. A long rod 75, threaded at one point, is screwed at the end of the projection 74, inside the tube 38, and comes out of the latter through the cap 42 of tightening (figure 1). Its external end carries a lever 76 which thus allows the tightening of the tube between the hub 32 and the cap 42. The rods 44 for guiding the carriage 46 are fixed under the extension 40 and under the cap 42, as indicated in FIG. 1, by screws, not shown, passing vertically through the base of the extension 40 and the cap 42.

 In use, the assembly formed by the tube 38, the hub 32 and the clamping cap 42, the rods 44, the carriage 46 and the motor 48, can rotate around the axis 72 and can be locked in any desired position on the body 28 of the slide by a handle 78 which allows the locking of the hub 32 on the body 28 in any known manner. A graduated scale 80 is advantageously disposed outside of the hub 32 or of the body 28 and a mark placed on the body 28 or the hub 32 allows the rotation angle of the arm 36 to be identified with respect to the column 18.

The rods 44 play the role of rails for the movement of the carriage 46 which carries the motor 48. The carriage 46 essentially comprises a plate 82 of which project arms 84 and 86. Each arm 84 ends in a recess in
V on the sides of which rollers 88 are mounted. Each arm 84 carries three rollers 88 so that the carriage is well centered on the axis of the corresponding rod 44 during movements of the carriage along this rod. Each support 86 carries two rollers 90 arranged above and below the rod so that they provide simple guidance in a plane.

This guide ensures, in a well known manner, a very regular centering and sliding of the carriage on the rods.

 The carriage 46 is integral with the engine support 48.

This, as indicated more clearly in FIG. 2, comprises an upper plate 92 intended to be screwed onto the plate 82 of the carriage. Two flanges 94 integral with the plate 92 lead to a vertical plate 96 which carries the motor 98. The latter may carry, purely by way of illustration, a mandrel 100 at one end and a saw blade 102 at the other end. Of course, the motor 98 is actually a geared motor group and, preferably, the speeds of the shafts are not the same at the two ends.

 When the motor 98 carries a circular saw 102, the plate 96 advantageously carries a protective cover 104 (see FIG. 1). It is advantageous that this is extended, when the carriage occupies its position closest to the column 18, by a cover 106 housing the lower part of the saw blade. This cover 106 is mounted on a bracket 108 which is itself fixed by a flange 110 under the lower part of the extension 40 of the hub 32.

Screws passing through holes 112 of the flange 110 and penetrating tapped holes 114 of the extension 40 thus maintain the protective cover 106 near the column, even when the saw is moved with the carriage 46, under the control of the handle 116 .

 The protective cover is also advantageously extended by a movable cover 118 provided with a slot 120 in which passes a threaded rod (not shown) on which a wing nut 122 is screwed allowing the maintenance of the cover 118 in any suitable position in height, c 'is-> - say in a position which corresponds to the height of the part carried by the table 50 and which must be sawed.

 The table 50 is carried by a fixing device 52 shown more clearly in FIG. 5. It is noted that the device 52 comprises a plate 124 which has an extension 126, the plate 124 and its extension 126 delimiting a planar external face. On the other side of the plate 124, a first wing 128 is arranged perpendicular to the plate 124. According to an important characteristic of the invention, the internal surfaces of the plate 124 and of the wing 128, that is to say -to say which surfaces are closest, are perpendicular to each other. The rigidity of the wing 128 is accentuated by the formation of a rib 132 preferably between this wing 128 and the extension 126.

 The plate 124 also has a second wing 130. Thus, the plate 124 and the two wings 128 and 130 form a U-shaped member. The wing 130 has a tapped hole 134 in which a threaded rod 136 is disposed. This rod 136 carries, at its outer end, a control button 138 and, at its inner end, a clamping shoe 140. In addition, the plate 124 and its extension 126 have smooth holes 142 intended for fixing various accessories to the upper face, for example the table 50 shown in FIG. 1.

 When mounting an accessory such as the table 50 shown in Figure 1, the U-shaped member formed by the clamping device is simply placed on the tube 12, after removal of dirt that could be on this tube or on the internal faces of the fixing device. This then automatically takes the appropriate position, the internal faces of the plate 124 and of the wing 128 being in contact with the upper face and with a lateral face respectively of the tube 12. The rotation of the button 138 then causes the device to be maintained clamping on the tube 12 in the automatically centered position and perfectly parallel to the tube.

 In the machine shown, the table 50 is not mounted directly on the fixing device 52 but it is carried by the arm 54 which can pivot around an axis 144 carried by the fixing device 52. The table 50 and the arm 54 can thus rotate over a graduated sector 146 held on the fixing device 52. In this way, when a part has been mounted on the table 50, the latter can pivot by a chosen angle, under the control of the arm 54. The position of the latter and of the table with respect to the graduated sector 146 is identified as indicated by the reference 148, and a device 150 allows the arm and the table to be locked in the desired position.

 The above description relates to an example of a machine provided with an example of an accessory. However, many accessories can also be mounted on the machine, using fixing devices such as device 52 or using other devices. For example, various accessories can be mounted on square tubes, by devices comprising two V-shaped parts clamped one against the other, as described above with reference to the slide 26.

 Among the accessories which can be easily mounted on the machine according to the invention, there may be mentioned, for example, a jointer. A table for guiding the part to be planed, carrying the drill bit, is fixed on the base, and a pulley secured to the drill bit is driven by a belt passing over a pulley mounted directly on the axis of the motor, for example in place saw 102.

 When the machine is to be used as a bit mortiser, a support device replaces the table 50, this support device simply keeping the workpiece in the proper position. It is for example a fixing device 52 on which are mounted two rods which carry a table provided with a vice.

 When the machine is to be used as a wood lathe, an additional arm, for example formed by a square tube, is mounted on the base and the workpiece is rotated by a pulley itself driven by a belt passing over a mounted pulley. at the end of the motor shaft.

 The machine can also form a table saw. In this case, the arm 36 pivots 1800 around its axis of rotation so that the saw blade 102 is turned upwards and can protrude from a table mounted on a suitable frame.

 The machine can also be used as a sander.

In this case, a simple plate is mounted on the support, using a fixing device 52, and the workpiece is slid onto this table by the operator.

 Of course, many other adaptations of the machine are possible within the scope of the invention. The most important thing to note however is the fact that the machine is very rigid and robust while having a low weight and a small footprint. Its various organs are simple, reliable and robust, so that the assembly has very important possibilities for a relatively low cost.

Claims (8)

1. Multifunctional scalable woodworking machine, of the type which includes  - a base (10) intended to be placed in a substantially horizontal position,  a column (18) intended to be fixed in a substantially vertical position on the base, by a first end, and  - an arm (36) mounted on a slide movable along the column and intended to carry a motor, said machine being characterized in that  - The base (10) has a T shape and comprises two tubes (12, 14) of square or rectangular section, substantially perpendicular to each other, the two tubes (12, 14) being integral with one the other and having upper faces included in the same substantially horizontal plane, and  - the column (18) comprises a square section tube fixed on the base (10) to the connection of the two tubes (12, 14) thereof, so that the diagonals of the section of the column (18) are parallel in the longitudinal directions of the two tubes of the base (10). 2. Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the slide (26) comprises a body (28) movable in translation along the column (18), and a hub (32) articulated on the body around an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the column (18). 3. Machine according to claim 2, characterized in that the arm (36) comprises a tube (38) of square section fixed on the hub (32) of the slide (26) so that a diagonal of this tube is parallel to column (18). 4. Machine according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the column (18) comprises, at its second end, a cap (24) carrying a screw jack (70) cooperating with the body (28) of the slide so that the rotation of the screw jack (70) causes a displacement of the slide (26) along the column (18). 5. Machine according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises an accessory (50) held on the base (10) by a fixing device (52) comprising a U-shaped member having a plate ( 124) and two wings (128, 130), the inner faces closest to the plate (124) and to a first wing (128) being perpendicular to each other and being intended to be in contact with two adjacent faces of a tube (12) of the base (10), the second wing (130) carrying a clamping device (136) intended to bear on the adjacent face of the tube (12) so that the internal face of the first wing (128) is well pressed against the adjacent face of the tube (12). 6. Machine according to claim 5, characterized in that the clamping device comprises a rod (136) screwed into the second wing (130) and having a control button (138) by rotation outside the member in U and a shoe (140) inside the U-shaped member.  7. Machine according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the arm (36) comprises a tube (38) of square section, fixed on the hub (32) of the slide (26) with a diagonal parallel to the column (18), and two rods (44) parallel to the tube (38) and forming rails, and a carriage (46) is movable along the rods and is intended to support the motor. 8. Machine according to revendi # ation 7, characterized in that the carriage (46) is centered on the rods (44) by three rollers (88) arranged at 1200 around a first rod (44) and by two rollers ( 90) arranged at 1800 around the other rod.