GB2153731A - Woodworking planes - Google Patents

Abstract

A handplane 1 comprises a stock 2, a soleplate divided into two portions 3A and 3B by an aperture 4, an incline 5 leading to the aperture 4, with a rebate 6 in the incline adjacent the aperture, and a clamping plate 7 securing a throwaway blade 8 in the rebate with the blade projecting through the aperture. The soleplate portion 3A ahead of the aperture 4 is housed substantially within a recess in the stock 2, with the innermost face 9 of the recess converging forwardly towards the soleplate, the soleplate portion 3A being movable through the action of a wedge 10 slidable between the soleplate portion 3A and the face 9, the face having a substantially central hole 11 which locates a spigot 12 integral with the movable soleplate portion 3A, and a rearwardly extending slot 13 guiding a peg 14 on the wedge 10, which has a slot 15 guiding on the spigot 12. The peg 14 further projects into a cam track 16 in an adjustment knob 17 rotating about a clamping screw 18, which has a knob 19; and is fitted in a tapped hole 20 in the spigot 12. The plane may be a portable powered plane with electrically-driven rotary cutters. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Woodworking planes This invention relates to woodworking planes and is applicable to both handplanes and portable powered planes (e.g., with electrically driven rotary cutters), being concerned with adjusting the depth of cut.

Traditional handplanes have a resharpenable blade or "plane iron" "sandwiched" between a top iron and a clamping plate or "frog", this assembly having a slot for a locking screw allowing movement as a whole with respect to an incline in the body or "stock" of the plane by means of a setting screw to set the depth of cut by the extent to which the cutting edge of the blade projects through an aperture in the stock and beyond the underside or wood-engaging face or "soleplate" of the stock. The setting screw is coupled to the assembly of the top iron, plane iron and frog so as to be able to withdraw the assembly as well as to advance it, i.e., to effect reduction of the cut as well as increasing it. The assembly is also allowed slight pivoting about the locking screw under the control of a lever, to adjust the evenness of cut across the width of the plane.

Handplanes are also now commonplace in which a throwaway blade is movable down an incline in the stock, leading to an aperture therein, by being located in a rebate in a clamp having a slot for a locking screw and movable by a setting screw to set the depth of cut by the extent to which the cutting edge of the blade projects through the aperture and beyond the soleplate of the stock. The setting screw is coupled to the clamp so as to be able to withdraw it as well as advance it, but the clamp cannot withdraw the throwaway blade unless - as is not usual, because of the cost - there is other than mere frictional engagement between the blade and the rebate. The clamp is also allowed slight pivoting about the locking screw under the control of a lever action of the setting screw, which is carried by a pivot block, to adjust the evenness of cut across the width of the plane.

With either type of handplane described above, setting of the cut - and particularly evenness of cut - and adjustment of it is not an easy matter, particularly for the novice.

In the case of portable powered planes, a plurality of blades are individually set in a rotary cutter body and the depth of cut is determined by the extent to which the cutting edges of the blades project from the cutter body as they sweep in turn through an aperture in the stock and thus project in turn beyond the soleplate. Adjustment of the depth of cut and evenness of cut - particularly as regards uniformity of cut of the blades - is a tricky business, especially for the novice, involving - as it does - individual adjustment of the plurality of blades.

The object of the invention is to provide simple means for the setting and adjustment of depth of cut in a woodworking plane, whether a handplane or a portable powered plane.

According to the present invention, a woodworking plane comprises a stock having a soleplate with an aperture therein, setting means for at least one blade enabling its cutting edge to project from the aperture to a set amount beyond a fixed portion of the soleplate behind the aperture with respect to the direction of cutting, a movable portion of soleplate in advance of the aperture, adjustment means, for moving the movable soleplate portion towards and away from the stock perpendicularly to both the cutting edge of the blade and the direction of cutting, which adjustment means comprises a wedge slidable between the movable soleplate portion and a part of the stock, a clamping screw for the movable soleplate portion, and means for moving the wedge in either direction of adjustment when the clamping screw has been slackened, and which will obviousiy be screwed up again when adjustment has been effected.

Adjustment of the position of the movable soleplate portion adjusts the extent to which the cutting edge of the blade can project beyond the movable soleplate portion and, therefore, sets the depth of cut.

In a handplane, the setting means conveniently comprises an incline leading to an aperture, with a rebate in the incline adjacent the aperture, and a clamp for securing a throwaway blade located in the rebate. The clamp may consist of a plate with a hole for a screw fitting a tapped hole in the incline; conveniently, however, the clamp preferably consists of a plate with a slot for a screw fitting a tapped hole in the incline, the slot extending perpendicularly to the rebate and having a countersink at its end adjacent the rebate, the screw having a head adapted to fit the countersink and a shank along which the slot in the clamp plate can slide when the screw head is unscrewed clear of the countersink, and the incline having a recess remote from the rebate adapted to receive spare throwaway blades, which recess is closed by the clamp plate when the screw head is engaged in the countersink and is open when the screw head is unscrewed clear of the countersink and the plate is slid with respect to the screw as allowed by the slot and shank.

In a portable powered plane, the setting means conveniently comprises a rotary cutter body on a fixed axis parallel to the soleplate and perpendicular to the direction of cutting, with a plurality of grooves in the cutter body parallel to its axis for fixed location of blades with their cutting edges projecting uniformly from the cutter body, the axis of rotation of the cutter body being fixed with respect to the fixed soleplate portion whereby each cutting edge will project to the same maximum amount beyond the fixed soleplate portion as the cutting edges sweep in turn through the aperture in the soleplate. The blades may be brazed or otherwise bonded in the grooves in the cutter body, which is preferably replaceably mounted on its axis of rotation, to allow replacement, when worn, by a cutter body with fresh blades.Alternatively, throwaway blades are clamped in the grooves in the cutter body.

Conveniently, the movable soleplate portion is housed substantially in a recess in the stock, with the innermost face of the recess converging forwardly towards the soleplate and having a substanitally central hole locating a spigot integral with the movable soleplate portion and a rearwardly extending slot for guiding a peg on the wedge, which has a slot for guiding on the spigot, the peg on the wedge also projecting into a cam track in an adjustment knob having as its axis of rotation the clamping screw, which has a head secured in a knob and its screwed shank fitted in a tapped hole in the spigot. The adjustment knob is preferably marked with a circular scale settable against an index mark on the stock.

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a handplane in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a plan of the plane of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an underneath plan of the plane of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a section along the line IV-IV of Figure 2; Figure 5 corresponds to Figure 4 but shows adjustment of the soleplate for maximising depth of cut; Figure 6 is an exploded section of parts of the adjustment means; and Figure 7 is a section of the adjustment knob along the line VII-VII of Figure 6.

The handplane 1 shown in the drawings comprises a stock 2, a soleplate divided into two portions 3A and 3B by an aperture 4, an incline 5 leading to the aperture 4, with a rebate 6 in the incline adjacent the aperture, and a clamping plate 7 securing a throwaway blade 8 in the rebate w ith the blade projecting through the aperture.The soleplate portion 3A ahead of the aperture 4 is housed substantially within a recess in the stock 2, with the innermost face 9 of the recess coverging forwardly towards the soleplate, the soleplate portion 3A being movable through the action of a wedge 10 slidable between the soleplate portion 3A and the face 9, the face having a substantially central hole 11 which locates a spigot 12 integral with the movable soleplate portion 3A, and a rearwardly extending slot 13 guiding a peg 14 on the wedge 10, which has a slot 15 guiding on the spigot 12. The peg 14 further projects into a cam track 16 in an adjustment knob 17 rotating about a clamping screw 18, which has a knob 19, and is fitted in a tapped hole 20 in the spigot 12. The adjustment knob 17 is marked with a circular scale settable against an index mark 21 on the stock, the minimum or zero setting being shown in Figure 4 and giving the minimum depth of cut, the maximum depth of cut being provided by the setting shown in Figure 5.

Notches 22 are provided in ledges 23 in the sides of the incline 5 for storage of replacement blades 8A.

In a portable powered plane (not shown) the parts of Figure 6 can be readily incorporated forward of the cutter body, which itself is provided forward of the fixed portion of the soleplate.

Claims (9)

1. A woodworking plane comprising a stock having a soleplate with an aperture therein, setting means for at least one blade enabling its cutting edge to project from the aperture to a set amount beyond a fixed portion of the soleplate behind the aperture with respect to the direction of cutting, a movable portion of soleplate in advance of the aperture, adjustment means, for moving the movable soleplate portion towards and away from the stock perpendicularly to both the cutting edge of the blade and the direction of cutting, which adjustment means comprises a wedge slidable between the movable soleplate portion and a part of the stock, a clamping screw for the movable soleplate portion, and means for moving the wedge in either direction of adjustment when the clamping screw has been slackened, and which will obviously be screwed up again when adjustment has been effected.

2. A woodworking plane as in Claim 1, wherein the movable soleplate portion is housed substantially in a recess in the stock, with the innermost face of the recess converging forwardly towards the soleplate and having a substanitally central hole locating a spigot integral with the movable soleplate portion and a rearwardly extending slot for guiding a peg on the wedge, which has a slot for guiding on the spigot, the peg on the wedge also projecting into a cam track in an adjustment knob having as its axis of rotation the clamping screw, which has a head secured in a knob and its screwed shank fitted in a tapped hole in the spigot.

3. A woodworking plane as in Claim 2, wherein the adjustment knob is marked with a circular scale settable against an index mark on the stock.

4. A handplane as in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the setting means comprises an incline leading to an aperture, with a rebate in the incline adjacent the aperture, and a clamp for securing a throwaway blade located in the rebate.

5. A handplane as in Claim 4, wherein the clamp consists of a plate with a hole for a screw fitting a tapped hole in the incline.

6. A handplane as in Claim 4, wherein the clamp consists of a plate with a slot for a screw fitting a tapped hole in the incline, the slot extending perpendicularly to the rebate and having a countersink at its end adjacent the rebate, the screw having a head adapted to fit the countersink and a shank along which the slot in the clamp plate can slide when the screw head is unscrewed clear of the countersink, and the incline having a recess remote from the rebate adapted to receive spare throwaway blades, which recess is closed by the clamp plate when the screw head is engaged in the countersink and is open when the screw head is unscrewed clear of the countersink and the plate is slid with respect to the screw as allowed by the slot and shank.

7. A portable power plane as in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the setting means comprises a rotary cutter body on a fixed axis parallel to the soleplate and perpendicular to the direction of cutting, with a plurality of grooves in the cutter body parallel to its axis for fixed location of blades with their cutting edges projecting uniformly from the cutter body, the axis of rotation of the cutter body being fixed with respect to the fixed soleplate portion whereby each cutting edge will project to the same maximum amount beyond the fixed soleplate portion as the cutting edges sweep in turn through the aperture in the soleplate.

8. A handplane substantially as hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

9. A portable power plane as in Claim 7 and substantially as hereinbefore described.