GB2300238A

GB2300238A - Adjustable safety shield for lathe

Info

Publication number: GB2300238A
Application number: GB9508484A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Nick Chen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-04-26
Filing date: 1995-04-26
Publication date: 1996-10-30
Also published as: GB9508484D0

Abstract

An adjustable safety shield 10 for a lathe comprises a base 20, a support member 30 and a protective shield 40. The base 20 is provided thereon with a rail 21. The support member 30 is mounted on the base 20 such that a lower portion of the support member 30 is capable of being moved along the rail 21 in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the rail. The protective shield 40 is fastened rotatably and slidably to the support member 30 and is provided with at least one transparent portion 45. Such a safety shield can be adjusted both horizontally and vertically to protect the operator from debris produced by the lathe in operation in a particularly effective manner.

Description

ADJUSTABLE SAFETY SHIELD FOR LATHE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to a lathe, and more particularly to a safety shield of the lathe.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The conventional safety shield for lathe is generally composed of two support rods mounted uprightly at an appropriate interval on one side of the lathe seat, and a shield plate fastened at both ends of one side thereof with the top ends of two support rods. The shield plate can be turned over on the top ends serving as pivots. The shield plate can be located over the lathe to protect the operator from the flying debris produced by the lathe in operation.

The shield plate can be lifted to facilitate the removal of the work piece.

Such a prior art safety shield for lathe as described above has inherent shortcomings, which are expounded explicitly hereinafter.

The prior art safety shield is fixed on the lathe and can not be therefore adjusted upwards or downwards in accordance with the size of a work piece to be worked on.

The prior art safety shield is corresponding in length to the lathe to which the safety shield is attached. In addition, the prior art safety shield can not be adjusted horizontally. As a result, the prior art safety shield is relatively expensive.

The prior art safety shield is disposed unidirectionally right over the lathe and is therefore not suitable for use in a desktop lathe.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore the primary objective of the present invention to provide a safety shield which can be adjusted horizontally and vertically to protect an operator from the debris produced by a lathe in operation.

It is another objective of the present invention to provide a safety shield which can be turned adjustably in a predetermined direction along the axis of a lathe.

In keeping with the principle of the present invention, the foregoing objectives of the present invention are attained by an adjustable safety shield for a lathe, which comprises a base, a support member and a protective shield.

The base is provided thereon with a rail on which the support member is mounted slidably. The protective shield is fastened rotatably and slidably with the support member and is provided with a transparent shield.

The foregoing objectives, features, functions and abvantages of the present invention will be more readily understood upon a thoughtful deliberation of the following detailed description of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of the present invention in conjunction with a desktop lathe.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic front view of the present invention at work.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic side view of the present invention at work.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As shown in FIG. 1, an adjustable safety shield 10 of the present invention is intended for use in a lathe and is composed of a base 20, a support member 30 mounted movably on the base 20, and a protective shield 40 fastened with the support member 30. The adjustable safety shield 10 of the present invention is illustrated in conjunction with a desktop lathe 60, as shown in FIG. 1.

The base 20 is made integrally and is provided thereon with a rail 21 having centrally an elongate hole 22 extending along the direction of the longitudinal axis of the rail 21. The base 20 is further provided respectively along two long sides of the base 20 with a stopping portion 23 which is in turn provided with a fastening portion 24 extending horizontally from the bottom of the stopping portion 23. The fastening portions 24 are provided respectively with a plurality of fastening holes engageable with screws 25 for fastening the base 20 with a work table 70.

The support member 30 comprises a long rod 31 having an upper portion 32 and a threaded bottom 33 of an outer diameter smaller than the width of the elongate hole 22. The threaded bottom 33 can be therefore fitted into the elongate hole 22. Located between the rail 21 and the long rod 31 is a first locating nut 34 engageable with the threaded bottom 33 of the long rod 31. The locating nut 34 has an outer diameter greater than the width of the elongate hole 22.

Located under the rail 21 is a second locating nut 35 engageable with the threaded bottom 33 of the long rod 31.

The second locating nut 35 is provided peripherally with a protruded edge 36 having two sides 37 parallel to each other. The distance between the two sides 37 is equal to the distance between the inner edges of two stopping portions 23 of the base 29. The long rod 31 can be moved and located on the rail 21. The distance between the upper portion 32 and the rail 21 can be adjusted by rotating the long rod 31 which can be then located securely on the rail 21 by fastening the first locating nut 34 and the second locating nut 35.

The protective shield 40 is provided with a ferrule 41 into which the upper portion 32 of the long rod 31 is fitted. The ferrule 41 is provided with a locating bolt 42 which can be so fastened as to cause its bottom to urge intensively the upper portion 32 of the long rod 31. The protective shield 40 is further provided with an extension board 43 of an arcuate construction. The extension board 43 is fastened at one end thereof with the ferrule 41 and is provided at another end thereof with two wings 44 extending in opposite directions. The protective shield 40 is still further provided with two transparent boards 45 which are similar in curvature to the extension board 43 and are fastened respectively with the wings 44 by screws 46.

The desktop lathe 60 comprises a seat 61, two sliding seats 62, a driving device 63, and a tool mount 64. The seat 61 is fastened with a work table 70. Two sliding seats 62 are mounted on the seat 61 such that the sliding seats 62 can be moved freely in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the seat 61. One of the sliding seats 62 is fastened with a driving device 63, as shown in FIGS.2 and 3. The tool mount 64 is fastened on the seat 61 such that the tool mount 64 is located between two sliding seats 62.

In operation, the adjustable safety shield 10 of the present invention is fastened securely with the work table 70 such that the base 20 of the safety shield 10 is parallel to the seat 61 of the desktop lathe 60.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, an elongate object 65 is to be shaped by the desktop lathe 60. The locating bolt 42 must be first unfastened so as to unable the operator to move up and down or turn the ferrule 41, thereby locating two transparent boards 45 over the rail 21 in such a manner that the transparent boards 45 are parallel to the base 20. The ferrule 41 can be then located securely by fastening the locating bolt 42. The operator of the desktop lathe 60 is therefore protected from the debris of the object 65 when the lathe 60 is at work.

As shown in FIG. 3, a disklike object 66 is to be shaped by the desktop lathe 60. The disklike object 66 has a radius which is greater than the distance between the axial center of the driving device 63 and the work table 70. The sliding seat 62 and the driving device 63 must be rotated for an angle of 90 degrees so as to cause the disklike object 66, which is fastened with the end of the shaft of the driving device 63, to move out of the edge of the work table 70. Thereafter, the first locating nut 34 is unfastened so as to permit the protective shield 40 to be moved to a desired position at which the protective shield 40 is located securely. The locating bolt 42 is subsequently unfastened to allow the protective shield 40 to be turned such that two transparent boards 45 are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the seat 61 of the desktop lathe 60 before the locating blot 42 is fastened so as to permit one of the transparent boards 45 to remain over the disklike object 66 for protecting the operator of the lathe 60.

The embodiment of the present invention described above is to be regarded in all respects as merely illustrative and not restrictive. Accordingly, the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without deviating from the spirit thereof. The present invention is therefore to be limited only by the scope of the following appended claims.

Claims

1. An adjustable safety shield for a lathe comprising: a base provided thereon with a rail having along the longitudinal sides thereof a stopping portion which is in turn provided with a fastening portion extending horizontally from a bottom of said stopping portion; a support member having a lower portion capable of being moved on said rail in the direction of a longitudinal axis of said rail; and a protective shield fastened pivotally with said support member and provided with at least one transparent board.

2. The adjustable safety shield as defined in claim 1, wherein said rail has a predetermined length and is of a platelike construction, said rail provided centrally with an elongate hole of a predetermined length and extending in the direction of a longitudinal axis of said rail.

3. The adjustable safety shield as defined in claim 1, wherein said protective shield comprises a ferrule and an extension board extending in a predetermined direction; and wherein said transparent board is fastened with said extension board.

4. The adjustable safety shield as defined in claim 3, wherein said extension board is of an arcuate construction and is similar in curvature to said transparent board.

5. The adjustable safety shield as defined in claim 3, wherein said support member comprises a long rod having an upper portion to which said ferrule is fastened by a locating bolt.

6. The adjustable safety shield as defined in claim 2, wherein said support member comprises a long rod having a columnar upper portion and a threaded lower portion which is dimensioned to fit into said elongate hole of said rail and is engagedble with a first locating nut disposed between said threaded portion and said rail, said threaded lower portion of said long rod being engageable with a second locating nut disposed under said rail.

7. The adjustable safety shield as defined in claim 6, wherein said second locating nut is provided peripherally with a protruded edge having two sides which are parallel to each other and are separated by a distance equal to a distance between said two stopping portions.

8. An adjustable safety shield for a lathe substantially as hereinbefore described in the accompanying drawings.