FR2795990A1 - Cutting tool for e.g. reciprocating tool has guide follower, which follows cutting element to direct cutting element along required line - Google Patents

Abstract

The cutting tool consists of a body (1), on which is mounted the cutting element (2), which is designed to produce a straight, or circular arc, cut in the material to be cut (5). The tool carries a guide element (7), which is displaceable, in the line of cut and follows the cutting element to maintain the cutting element on the required line.

Description

<U> "Cutting tool including jigsaw having a member </ U> <U> director </ U> movable <U> in the line of cut" </ U> The present invention relates to a cutting tool, in particular a jigsaw, comprising a body on which is mounted a cutting element intended to produce a rectilinear cutting line or an arc of a circle in a material to be cut.

It is currently difficult to achieve with a jigsaw cutting line perfectly rectilinear or having a radius of curvature rigorously constant.

To overcome this difficulty, some manufacturers have adapted special guiding devices on their jigsaws.

The results obtained, however, have not been fully satisfactory, guiding devices used being complicated, bulky and impractical.

The present invention proposes to provide a solution to this problem and, for this purpose, it relates to a cutting tool, in particular a jigsaw, having the structure mentioned in the first paragraph above and which is characterized in that it comprises a movable movable member in the cutting line along the cutting element to maintain the cutting element in the prescribed cutting direction.

It is true that with the cutting tool according to the invention, a sufficiently long cutting line must already be made in the material to be cut so that the director can reach and follow it.

Nevertheless, thanks to the present invention, the cutting line can subsequently be produced accurately and regularly, much more easily than with current cutting tools.

According to a first embodiment of the invention, the steering member is constituted by a wheel whose axis is parallel to the panel to be cut and perpendicular to the cutting line, this wheel having at least at its peripheral portion a thickness less than the width of the cut line. it is easy to see that the wheel should not penetrate too deeply into the cutting line to limit the friction forces generated at its level during the cutting operation.

Preferably, the wheel comprises two lateral faces also inclined with respect to each other and joining at their periphery.

According to a second embodiment of the invention, the steering member is constituted by a rod parallel to the cutting element and of which at least the free end has, perpendicular to the line of cut, a dimension less than the width of the cutting element. latest.

This dimension must however be large enough to prevent the rod can move freely, transversely in the cut line, during the use of the tool. To best meet the needs of users, the governing member may be located on the underside or on the rear face of the body of the cutting tool.

According to a first variant, the steering member is carried by a threaded rod extending perpendicularly to the cutting line.

Thus, by rotating the threaded rod in one direction or the other, one can judiciously modify the position of the director member to make a cut line having a predetermined path.

According to a second variant, the steering member is carried by an arm articulated on the body and comprising a pin insertable in one of several holes, equidistant or not, formed in the body, parallel to the cutting tool, these holes being distributed on a circular arc whose center is located at the cutting edge of the cutting tool.

It is appropriate here to introduce the rod in a particular hole to make a rectilinear cutting line or having the desired radius of curvature.

According to the second variant, the support is preferably removably attached to the body.

It is therefore sufficient to remove it to be able to use the cutting tool in a conventional manner.

According to a third variant, the steering member is carried by a pivoting support on the body, on an axis parallel to the panel to be cut and perpendicular to the line of cut, between an active position in which it extends parallel to the cutting element. while the steering member extends in the cutting line and an inactive position in which it extends perpendicularly to the cutting element while the steering member is out of the cutting line.

It is appropriate in this case to place the pivoting support in its inactive position to be able to use the cutting tool in a conventional manner.

According to an important characteristic of the invention, the cutting tool can be combined with an accessory applicable against the material to be cut, on the side where it is intended to start the cutting line, and intended to guide the steering member at the beginning. the realization of the cutting line over a length at least equal to the distance between the cutting tool and the director.

Thus, thanks to this accessory, it is possible to achieve from the beginning a cutting line perfectly straight or having a radius of curvature rigorously constant.

According to a particular embodiment, the accessory comprises a groove for guiding the director member, this groove being located in the extension of the line of cut to be produced when the accessory is applied against the material to be cut, and defining, the side of its end facing the material to be cut, a housing for receiving the cutting element before making the cutting line.

It should be noted here that the housing allows to apply the accessory intimately against the material to cut, without the cutting element does not oppose.

According to another important characteristic of the invention, the cutting tool can be combined with a second accessory applicable to the material to be cut, over a part of the cutting line in progress, and intended to modify the direction in which it is planned to continue the realization of the latter.

Thus, thanks to this second accessory, it is possible to quickly change the trajectory of the cut line while maintaining the perfect regularity of the latter during the change of direction.

According to a particular embodiment, the second accessory comprises a track for guiding the director member, the end portions of this track extending respectively in the initial and modified directions of the cutting line when the second accessory is in place on the material to cut.

The second accessory must of course be placed in the appropriate position on the material to be cut so that the change of direction can be initiated at the desired location.

Advantageously, the second accessory comprises fastening elements cooperating with the cutting line to hold it in place on the material to be cut.

It is therefore sufficient to introduce the fasteners in the cut line to properly immobilize the second accessory on the material to be cut. Preferably, the fastening elements are constituted by elastic strips arranged one after the other and bent alternately in the opposite direction.

With these strips, the establishment and removal of the second accessory can be executed easily and quickly.

Several embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter by way of non-limiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings in which - Figure 1 is a schematic and partial sectional view of a cutting tool according to the invention, this view being taken along the line II of Figure 2; - Figure 2 is a schematic sectional view taken along the line II-II of Figure 1; - Figure 3 is a sectional view similar to Figure 1 but showing another cutting tool according to the invention; - Figure 4A is a schematic view of an alternative embodiment of the support of the steering member visible in Figure 3, the latter being shown in the active position; - Figure 4B is a view similar to Figure 4A but showing the director in the inactive position; - Figure 5 is a schematic and partial diagrammatic view of yet another cutting tool according to the invention; FIG. 6 is a schematic bottom view along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5; - Figure 7 is a schematic perspective view of an accessory to achieve a perfectly regular cutting line from the beginning; - Figure 8 is a schematic bottom view showing the accessory against the material to be cut and the cutting tool on the accessory; - Figure 9 is a schematic top view showing an accessory for changing the path of the cutting line, this accessory being in place on the material to be cut; FIG. 10 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale along line X-X of FIG. 9; and FIG. 11 is a schematic perspective view of the attachment elements of the visible accessory in FIG. 9. The cutting tools shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 are jigsaws, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this type of tool. Nothing prevents the fact that the present invention is applied to all cutting tools that need to be guided so that the cutting line can be produced in a perfectly regular trajectory.

The jigsaw shown diagrammatically in Figures 1 and 2 comprises in a manner known per se a body 1 on which a cutting blade 2 is movable alternately from top to bottom under the control of an electric motor (not shown).

The body 1 carries on its underside 3 a shoe 4 through which the jigsaw is placed against the material to be cut 5 to allow the blade 2 to make a cut line 6.

According to the invention, the jigsaw comprises a director member 7 movable in the cutting line 6, behind the blade 2, and with which the latter can be perfectly straight or have a radius of curvature rigorously constant.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, the director member 7 is constituted by a roller 7a whose axis is parallel to the panel 5 and perpendicular to the cutting line 6. The roller 7a is carried by a threaded rod 8 whose end parts are screwed into two sleeves 9 provided at the rear end of the shoe 4.

By more or less screwing the threaded rod 8, it is possible to move the roller transversely with respect to the median longitudinal plane of the jigsaw, which makes it possible to produce a perfectly straight cut when the roller is in the abovementioned plane or having a radius of predetermined curvature when the wheel is in a particular position outside said plane.

It will be noted here that the wheel 7a has two lateral faces also inclined towards each other towards their respective peripheries and has, at least at the level of the latter, a thickness less than the width of the line.

The jigsaw shown diagrammatically in FIG. 3 differs from that visible in FIGS. 1 and 2 in that the directing member 7 is carried by a support 10 fixed on the posterior face 11 of the body 1.

The steering member 7 is here a wheel 7b mounted on an axis 12 parallel to the panel 5 and perpendicular to the cutting line 6.

The axis 12 is carried by the branches of a yoke 13 whose base comprises a rod 14 extending parallel to the blade 2 and whose free end is snapped into an orifice formed in the lower face of the support 10.

The roulette 7b has the same structure as that of the roulette 7a and does not have to be described again here.

However, it will be specified that a spring 15 is disposed around the rod 14 between the yoke 13 and the support 11 so as to urge the roller 7b towards the material to be cut 5.

The assembly formed by the yoke 13 and the rod 14 is removable and can be removed from the support 10 when the user does not wish to use the wheel 7b to cut the material 5.

The jigsaw shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 4A and 4B differs from the jigsaw shown in FIG. 3 only in that the support 10 consists of a fixed upper part 10a and a movable lower part 10b carrying the caster 7b. , the lower part 10b being connected to the upper part 10a via an axis 16 extending parallel to the axis of the roller 7b. The jigsaw shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 5 and 6 differs from the jigsaws described above in that the director member 7 consists of a rod 7c extending parallel to the blade 2 and whose end portion, which is slightly conical, is dimensioned so as to have a small clearance with the opposite walls of the cut line when introduced into the latter.

The rod 7c is carried by an articulated arm 17 on the lower face 3 of the body 1, on an axis 18 located in the median longitudinal plane of the jigsaw and extending parallel to the blade 2.

The arm 17 comprises a pin 19 selectively insertable in holes 20 in the lower face 3, as shown in Figure 6, parallel to the blade 2. The holes 20 are distributed over an arc whose center is at the level of the cutting edge of the blade 2.

It is easy to see that, thanks to this particular arrangement, it is possible to make a perfectly straight cutting line when the pin 19 is in the hole 20 located in the median longitudinal plane of the saw or having a predetermined radius of curvature when the pin 19 is in one of the other holes 20.

Figures 7 and 8 show an accessory 21 intended to be applied against the material to be cut 5, on the side where it is planned to start the cutting line 6, to guide the director member 7 from the beginning of the operation of chopped off.

This accessory comprises a plate 22, two parallel uprights 23 fixed on two opposite sides of the plate 22 and projecting on the side 24 of the latter which is intended to come against the material 5 and two conventional screw clamping devices 25 located below the protrusions of the uprights 23. In its upper face, the plate 22 has a groove 26 intended to guide the director member 7 from the beginning of the cutting operation and defining at the side 24, a housing 27 provided for receiving the blade 2 when the accessory 21 is in place against the material to be cut 5.

Of course, the accessory 21 must be fixed against the material 5 so that the groove 26 is located in the extension of the cutting line to be produced.

Figures 9 to 11 show a second accessory 28 to be applied to the material 5 to be cut, above a portion of the cutting line 6 in progress, to change the direction of execution of the latter. This accessory comprises a plate 29 and fastening elements 30 projecting from the lower face of the plate 29, the fastening elements 30 being intended to cooperate with the cutting line 6 to hold the plate 29 in the appropriate position on the material 5.

On its upper face, the plate 29 comprises a hollow track 31 intended to guide the director member 7 so as to modify the direction of the cutting line by 90 so that the path of the latter comprises two rectilinear sections extending perpendicularly between them and connected to each other by a circular section having a constant radius.

The track 31 has two end portions 31a, 31b respectively extending in the original and modified directions of the cutting line when the accessory 28 is in place on the material to be cut.

Referring to Figure 9, it will be noted that the end portion 31a opens on the front side 32 of the plate 29 while the end portion 31b opens on the left side 33 of the latter and extends along the rear side 34 a notch 35 formed in the left side 33, the rear side 34 of the notch 35 being parallel to the front side 32.

 Referring now to FIGS. 10 and 11, it will also be noted that the fastening elements 30 are constituted by elastic strips 30a, 30b arranged one after the other and bent alternately in the opposite direction.

 These slats are intended to cooperate with the opposite walls of the cutting line 6, which allows them to firmly immobilize the accessory 28 in the predetermined position.

Claims (16)

<U> CLAIMS </ U> 1. A cutting tool, in particular a jigsaw, comprising a body (1) on which is mounted a cutting element (2) intended to produce a straight line (6) or an arc of a circle in a material to be cut (5). , characterized in that it comprises a director member (7) movable in the cutting line (6) following the cutting element (2) to maintain the latter in the prescribed cutting direction. 2. Cutting tool according to claim 1, characterized in that the director member (7) is constituted by a roller (7a, 7b) whose axis (8, 12) is parallel to the panel to be cut (5) and perpendicular to the cutting line (6), this wheel having at least at its peripheral portion, a thickness less than the width of the cut line. 3. Cutting tool according to claim 2, characterized in that the roller (7a, 7b) has two side faces also inclined relative to each other and joining at their periphery. 4. Cutting tool according to claim 1, characterized in that the director member (7) is constituted by a rod (7c) parallel to the cutting element (2) and at least the free end has, perpendicular to the cutting line (6), a dimension smaller than the width of the latter. 5. Cutting tool according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the director member (7) is located on the underside (3) of the body (1). 6. Cutting tool according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the director member (7) is located on the rear face (11) of the body (1). 7. Cutting tool according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the director member (7) is carried by a threaded rod (8) extending perpendicularly to the cutting line (6). 8. Cutting tool according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the director member (7) is carried by an arm (17) articulated on the body (1) and comprising a nipple (19) insertable in one of several holes (20) formed in the body (1), parallel to the cutting tool (2), these holes being distributed over an arc whose center is at the cutting edge of the tool cutting. 9. Cutting tool according to claim 8, characterized in that the arm (17) is removably attached to the body (1). 10. Cutting tool according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the director member (7) is carried by a support (10b) pivoting on the body (1) on a parallel axis (16). at the cutting board <B> (5) </ B> and perpendicular to the cutting line (6), between an active position in which it extends parallel to the cutting element (2) while the driving member (5) 7) extends in the cutting line (6) and an inactive position in which it extends perpendicularly to the cutting element (2) while the steering member (7) is out of the cutting line (6). . 11. Cutting tool according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is combined with an accessory (21) applicable against the material to be cut (5), on the side where it is planned to start the cutting line. (6), and intended to guide the director member (7) at the beginning of making the cutting line, over a length at least equal to the distance between the cutting tool (2) and the control member (7) . 12. Cutting tool according to claim 11, characterized in that the accessory (21) has a groove (26) for guiding the director member (7), this groove being located in the extension of the cutting line (6). ) to be carried out when the accessory (21) is applied against the material to be cut (5), and defining, on the side of its end facing the material to be cut, a housing (27) for receiving the cutting element (2) before making the cut line. 13. Cutting tool according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is combined with a second accessory (28) applicable to the material to be cut (5), above a portion of the cutting line. (6) in progress, and intended to change the direction in which it is planned to continue the realization of the latter. 14. Cutting tool according to claim 13, characterized in that the second accessory (28) comprises a track (31) for guiding the director member (7), the end portions (31a, 31b) of this track s' extending respectively in the initial and modified directions of the cutting line (6) when the second accessory (28) is in place on the material to be cut (5). 15. Cutting tool according to claim 14, characterized in that the second accessory (28) comprises fastening elements (30) cooperating with the cutting line (6) to hold it in place on the material to be cut (5). . 16. Cutting tool according to claim 15, characterized in that the fastening elements (30) are constituted by resilient lamellae (30a, 30b) arranged one after the other and bent alternately in the opposite direction.