GB2048754A - Tool-supporting Bench - Google Patents

Abstract

A tool-supporting bench for use with electrically-powered tools such as circular saws, routers, planes, sanders or grinders has a workpiece- supporting surface (19) and two parallel rails (7 & 10) mounted on a vertical frame member (4) which extends from the surface. A cradle (2) in which the tool can be mounted, e.g. by means of a mounting plate, is slidably mounted on the rails so that it can be moved over the surface in an accurately-controlled way. Rails perpendicular to the first rails can carry the cradle for cross-cuts, and arcuate working can be achieved using a part-circular rail (24). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Tool Supporting Bench This invention relates to a tool-supporting bench for use with electrically-powered tools such as circular saws.

Portable circular saws may be mounted on a work bench by the use of a mounting plate to which the saw is attached. Such mounting plates facilitate the use of the saw on a portable combined work bench and vice. Whilst such an arrangement permits, with careful use, the making of saw cuts of adequate precision for many purposes, accurate crosscutting of long pieces of wood requires careful marking and manipulation during cutting. A further disadvantage of such an arrangement is that the cutting sector of the circular saw blade is directed upwards, and thus care must be taken that sufficient downwards pressure is exerted on the workpiece to ensure that it is not displaced during the cut. This downwards pressure must be exerted in such a way that theoperator"s hands are kept well clear from the saw blade.

Saw benches used in timber yards, for example, may avoid some of these problems by mounting a circular saw to slide along a rail or rails above a cutting bench. The cutting sector of the saw blade is thus directed generally downwards to cut timber located on the bench.

The bench may be provided with stops to locate the timber enabling accurate cuts to be made quickly. This type of saw bench has a fixed saw, and can therefore not readily be used for other operations, such as planing or routing, and is typically so constructed as to be a permanent fixture rather than readily transportable.

According to the present invention there is provided a tool-supporting bench for use with an electrically-powered tool, comprising a workpiece-supporting surface, a rail located above said surface and parallel thereto, and a cradle slidable along the rail and arranged to carry an electrically-powered tool whereby the tool may be guided across the surface.

Two parallel rails may be provided and the cradle may have bearing members which slidingly engage the rails.

Preferably the rail or rails is or are supported by a vertical frame member upstanding from the workpiece-supporting surface, and the bench may be adapted to fold up to reduce its bulk for storage or when being transported, thus making the frame particularly useful for amateur woodworkers, who may have limited space available, and for builders, enabling precision joinery to be carried out on a building site.

The bench may have two mutually perpendicular rails or sets of rails, the cradle being slidable along either rail or sets of rails to enable both cross cuts and ripping cuts to be made, for example, when a circular saw is being used in the cradle.

The cradle may be adaptable to receive alternatively a circular saw, a planar, a sander, a grinder, a router, or any other such powered tool.

This adaptability may be achieved by providing in the cradle adjustable supporting bars for the tools or means for receiving a mounting plate for each tool, the plate being adapted to mount a particular type of tool.

The bench is suitably formed of metal tubing or box section members and/or angle section members. The workpiece-supporting surface may be defined by a framework or by a wood or other material sheet fixed to the framework.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawing in which: Figure 1 shows, a partially cut away, a toolsupporting bench according to an embodiment of the invention; and Figure 2 is a partial view of the bench shown in Figure 1 with a modification.

The tool-supporting bench comprises a main frame 1, which is shown supported on trestles for use at a building site for example, and a movable cradle 2. The main frame may alternatively be mounted on an existing work bench, in a workship for example, thus avoiding the need for trestles.

The main frame 1 is formed principally from box section steel tubes and angle section steel strip and has a base sub-frame 3 and a back subframe 4 upstanding from the base sub-frame 3.

Five vertical rectangular supports 5 are hinged to the back sub-frame 4 and are swing out perpendicular to the back sub-frame 4 to support a top rail-support sub-frame 6 which is also hinged to the back sub-frame 4 and may be folded downwardly, as indicated by the broken section 6a in the drawing. The supports 5 and the rail-support sub-frame 6 may be connected by means of pins, bolts, latches or any other suitable connection.

A longitudinal fixed rail 7 is secured to the free edge of the top sub-frame 6, and transverse fixed rail 8 runs along a cross-member 9 of the top subframe 6. A detachable longitudinal rail 10 may be secured to the lower free ends of the vertical supports 5 when these supports are fixed perpendicular to the back sub-frame 4. A detachable transverse rail 11 may be secured to a central support 5a to enable the cradle 2 to be used for cross-cuts.

The cradle 2, shown in Figure 2, is constructed of angle section metal members and has an adjustable frame member 12 which partially telescopes within two side members of the tool carrying frame member 13. Locking screws 14 are used to clamp the adjustable frame member 12 relative to the tool-carrying frame member 13.

On the uppermost bar 1 2a of the adjustable frame member 12 is mounted a runner bar which is arranged to run along the fixed rails 7 and 8. On the opposite face of the tool-carrying frame member 13 is slidably mounted a mounting bar 1 6 which also has a runner bar which can run along the lower detachable rails 10 or 1 1. All the rails contain ball races on which the runner bars bear. The position of the mounting bar 16 can be fixed by means of screws (not shown). The tool to be used is mounted within the tool-carrying frame member 13. The size of the frame member 13 relative to that of the tools which it is to be used is such as to ensure that the operator's hands need not be placed near the tool, increasing the safety of its use.The tool is located by means of an adjustable bar 18, and provision may be made in the frame member 13 for mounting different shapes of bar or a mounting plate to which the tool may be secured.

The base sub-frame 3 is provided with a workpiece-supporting surface 19 of chipboard sheet upon which are located an adjustable wooden fence or stops (as shown) against which the workpiece may be located during the cutting or other operation being carried out on the workpiece.

By positioning the parallel rails of a pair of rails in different horizontal and vertical planes from one another, the rigidity of support given to the cradle is very high, ensuring high accuracy of movement of the cradle and thus of the resultant cut, for example, in the workpiece.

In addition to the rails described above, other rails may be provided in the bench to permit working at a variety of different positions along its length. This may also permit additional cradles to be used, thus enabling different operations to be performed at different parts of the bench without having to change tools in the cradle or transfer the cradle to a different set of rails. As shown in Figure 2, a pair of rails 20 and 21 is mounted on a frame 23 which is hingedly mounted to the back sub-frame 4 and additionally guided by a semi circular guide rail 24. The rails 20 and 21 mount a smaller cradle 25 which may carry a router, for example, enabling routing of a workpiece at a pre determined radius through to 1 800.

The bench 1 may be used to support a plurality of different powered tools. In addition, as shown in Figure 1, a non-sliding cradle 26 can be mounted between adjacent supports 5 using slidable brackets 27 whereby the height of the cradle 26 relative to the surface 19 may be selected. A router, sander or like tool may be mounted in the cradle 26, permitting a workpiece to be worked on by propelling the workpiece under the cradle 26 on the surface 19. The cradle 26 may also be used to mount a lathe.

The back sub-frame 4 or the supports 5 may be used to mount detachable round tubular columns for use as drill stands, and other tools may be hung on the bench when not required, for example on hooks engaged in a sheet of perforated hardboard or the like, secured to the back sub-frame 4. Electric power sockets may be provided at suitable locations on the bench, the necessary wiring running within the box section members, a single connecting cable then being used to link the sockets to an electric power supply. A wood-working vice 28 is shown in Figure 1 mounted on one end of the bench.

The bench permits accurate working of a workpiece by electrically-powered tools, particularly of the type which are intended to be hand-heid, or at least portable. For example, saw cuts may be made at any desired depth in the workpiece.

Claims (11)

Claims

1. A tool-supporting bench for use with an electrically-powered tool, comprising a workpiece-supporting surface, a first rail located above said surface and generally parallel thereto, and a cradle slidable along the rail and arranged to carry an electrically-powered tool, whereby the tool may be guided across said surface.

2. A bench according to Claim 1, which comprises a set of two parallel rails, the cradle having bearing members which slidingly engage the rails.

3. A bench according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the first rail or set of rails is supported by a vertical frame member upstanding from the workpiece-supporting surface.

4. A bench according to Claim 3, wherein the vertical frame is pivoted relative to the workpiece-supporting surface, whereby the bench may be folded generally flat for storage or transporting.

5. A bench according to any preceding Claim, wherein a second rail or set of rails extends perpendicularly to the first rail or set of rails, the cradle being adapted to be removable from the first rail or set of rails and to be slidable along the second rail or set of rails, whereby a tool mounted in the cradle may be moved across a workpiece in either or both of two mutually perpendicular directions.

6. A bench according to any preceding Claim, wherein the cradle has a tool-supporting member whose position may be altered to accommodate different types of tools.

7. A bench according to any of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the cradle is adapted to receive a mounting plate for mounting a tool therein, the mounting plate being arranged to carry a particular type of tool.

8. A bench according to any preceding Claim, comprising a third rail or set of rails arranged to permit movement of the cradle through an arc of a circle on said surface.

9. A bench according to any preceding Claim, wherein the workpiece-supporting surface is defined by frame or by sheet material fixed on to a frame.

10. A bench according to any preceding Claim, adapted to be secured to a vertical wall.

11. A tool-supporting bench, substantially as described with reference to Figure 1 or Figure 2 of the drawing.