GB2331947A

GB2331947A - A sander with a two part base plate

Info

Publication number: GB2331947A
Application number: GB9725664A
Authority: GB
Inventors: George Kenneth Herdman; Masahiko Seki
Original assignee: YKK Europe Ltd
Current assignee: YKK Europe Ltd
Priority date: 1997-12-03
Filing date: 1997-12-03
Publication date: 1999-06-09
Also published as: GB2331947A9; GB9725664D0

Abstract

A rigid and substantially planar fixing member 15 for attaching a removable front section of the base plate of a sander 3 to the remainder of the base plate of the sander 5, the fixing member 15 being removably attached to the remainder of the base plate 5 by means such as a screw or a clip 17. The fixing member 15 is provided with an integral surface fastener 21 to attach to the front section of the base plate 3, for example the fixing member 15 may have a plurality of moulded hooks 21 for engagement with a plurality of loops 25 on the front section of the base plate 3. The fixing member 21 may be of diamond shape, with its surface fastener 21 not extending to the front point of the diamond (Fig. 3, 33) as this point experiences considerable heat which may melt the surface fastener 21. Also disclosed are sander base plates employing such a fixing member 15 and a base plate with a removable front section 3 where the surface fastener is integral with the remainder of the base plate 5.

Description

1 Apparatus Relating to Sanders 2331947 The present invention relates to

improvements in sanding apparatus. In particular, the present invention relates to a fixing member for fixing two sections of a base plate of a hand held sander together and a base plate incorporating such a fixing member.

At present, there are many types of hand held sander available for tackling different types of job. In such equipment sandpaper, glass paper etc. is attached to a base plate and the base plate is connected either to a handle so that it can be manually driven or it can be connected to a motor.

One type of base plate for a hand held, motor driven, reciprocating sander is made up of two layers, a top rigid layer which can be fixed to the motor etc. and a bottom compressible layer which has on its lower surface a surface fastening material so that suitable sandpaper can be easily attached to it.

One particularly adaptable type of sander has a base plate with a shape similar to that of a household iron. The main part of the plate is substantially oblong and tapers to a toe at its front end. A drawback of this type of plate is that the toe of the base plate gets very hot and thus, the toe section of the base plate wears out before the rest of the plate.

Previously, in order to overcome this problem, the lower layer has been supplied in two sections, a back lower section which is substantially permanently fixed to the rest of the base plate and a lower front toe section which is replaceable.

The lower front toe section is made out of a dense foam and is attached to the base plate via a rigid f ixing member. The fixing member is in the form of a diamond shaped plate and is attached to the base plate by a screw. The hook part of a hook and loop fastener 2 is glued to the fixing member, and the lower front toe section has a complementary fastener portion on one surface for fixing it to the fixing member, and a fastener portion on the other surface for attachment of the sanding sheet.

This type of arrangement has its disadvantages. Many stages are involved in the fabrication of the fixing member, specifically, a rigid plate is molded, hook type material is cut to the required shape and then the hook type material is glued onto the rigid plate. As the fixing member is fairly small, this can be an awkward and relatively time consuming operation.

Secondly, in operation, as has been stated above, the point of the sander base plate gets very hot. This continual heat recycling of the adhesive can result in the strength of the base plate being seriously degraded and may cause the fixing member to fall apart. In addition, the dust generated during sanding can lodge in the adhesive when it softens due to the heat. Thus providing another mechanism by which the sander base plate can degrade.

The present invention overcomes the above problems in that the fixing member of the present invention has surface fastener means integral with the fixing member. Therefore, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a fixing member for joining a first section which forms part of a lower surface of a base plate of a sander to a second section of a base plate of a sander, the fixing member being rigid and substantially planar and being provided with surface fastener means on a surface to attach the first section to said fixing member, the surface fastener means being integral with the fixing member In some such types of sander, if a section of the base plate is experiencing considerable wear, the fixing member may also need to be replaced. Therefore, it is preferable if the fixing member is removably attached to the second section of the base plate of the sander.

i 1 3 The above discussion has been mainly concerned with base plates which have a pointed front toe. Of course, the present invention is of use with any sander base plate where a localised heat source might degrade only a part of the base plate. However, the present invention is of particular relevance to the above described base plate. Therefore, it is preferable if the fixing member joins the first section to the second section such that the first section forms at least part of a pointed front toe of the base plate.

It has been mentioned above that a particularly useful design of base plate has two layers, a rigid upper layer and a Compressible lower layer. Sandpaper can be attached to the whole of the lower surface of the lower layer. During many jobs, it is necessary to fit the sander into a narrow space or to sand fight up to a comer. Therefore, it is preferable if the upper layer does not extend further than the lower layer a direction parallel to the lower surface of the base plate. Also, to provide rigidity, it is more preferable if the upper layer extends as far as the lower layer in any direction parallel to the lower surface of the base plate.

When both the first and second sections are joined, it is preferable if the sides of the fixing member do not extend over the sides of the lower layer. It is more preferable if the fixing member is provided substantially flush with the side edges of the base plate.

In the situation where the first section forms part of a pointed front toe of the base plate, it is preferable of the fixing member has a point such that it can be attached to the front of the base plate. More preferably the fixing member is attached so that it is flush with the sidewalls of the base plate.

The fixing member will wear over time and due to the heat involved it is more likely to wear at the front toe first. Therefore, it is highly preferable if the f ixing member can be inserted in more than one way. For example, the fixing member could have two comers and shaped so the either of the comers could be located at the front point. This prolongs the life of the fixing member. Therefore, it is preferable if the fixing member comprises two or more comers.

4 It has been found that a particularly preferable design is a diamond shape where either of the two acute comers can be attached flush with the front point of the toe of the base plate The fixing member has a surface fastener molded into it. It is more preferable, if the surface fastening means comprises a plurality of molded hooks which project away from the plane of the fixing member. The plurality of hooks being able to engage a plurality of loops provided on the first section.

The fixing member is removably attached to the base plate. It is preferable if the means to removably attach the fixing member attach the fixing member such that an upper surface of the fixing member is adjacent a surface of the base plate, the upper surface of the fixing member being located on the opposing side of the fixing member to the surface fastening means. This can be achieved if the fixing member is provided with a threaded hole such that the fixing member can be screwed to the base plate.

Alternatively, the fixing member could comprise a clip, so that it can be clipped on and off the base plate. It is preferable if such a clip comprises at least two spaced apart elongate members which project out of the plane of the fixing member on the opposing side of the member to the surface fastening means. The elongate members are provided with lugs to engage a complementary member provided on a fixed section of the base plate of the sander.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a base plate for a sander, the base plate having a lower surface which comprises means for attaching sandpaper thereto, the base plate comprising a removable lower section which forms part of the lower surface, the lower section being attached to said base plate by a planar fixing member, the fixing member comprising surface fastening means for attaching said lower section to said fixing member and said surface fastening means are integrally molded in said fixing member.

i As above, it is preferable if the base plate has a pointed front toe and the removable lower section is a section at the toe of the base plate. It is more preferable if the fixing member is removable. The fixing member may be fixed to the base plate by means of a screw. However, preferably, the fixing member is attached to the base plate by means of a clip e.g. a clip as previously described.

It has been mentioned above, that the point of the toe of the base plate experiences a lot of heat. Therefore, fastening means at the point of the toe can melt and seep out of the sides of the base plate. To avoid this problem, it is preferable if the surface fastening means of the fixing member do not extend as far as the point of the base plate.

It is preferable if the base plate according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises a lower layer which forms a part of the lower surface of the base plate and an upper layer fixed to the lower layer, the upper layer extending beyond a side of the lower layer to provide a surface for attachment of said fixing member thereto.

It is more preferable if the fixing member has upper and lower surfaces which are separated by sidewalls, wherein at least a part of a sidewall of the fixing member forms a part of a sidewall of the base plate.

In some situations it may be preferable if the fixing member is integral with the second section of the base plate. Therefore, in a third aspect, the present invention provides a base plate for a sander, the base plate comprising a removable front section which forms a part of a lower surface of the base plate, wherein the removable front section is attached to the remainder of the base plate via surface fastener means, the surface fastener means being provided to fasten an upper surface of the removable front section to a surface on the remainder of the base plate, the surface fastener on the remainder of the base plate being integral with the base plate.

6 The present invention will now be described with reference to the specific embodiment in which:- Figure 1 shows a base plate of a sander, Figure 2 shows a base plate of a sander in accordance with a second aspect of the present invention; Figure 3 shows a fixing member in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention; Figure 4 shows the base plate of Figure 2 assembled; Figure 5 shows a sander with the base plate of Figure 4; and Figure 6 shows a view of the underneath of the sander and base plate of Figure 5.

Figure 1 shows a lower surface of a base plate of a sander with a removable front section. The base plate 1, is shown with the front section removed. The front section fits in space 35. The rest of the lower surface of the base plate 5 is covered with a hook type material such that a suitably treated sandpaper can be affixed to it.

Figure 2 shows a side view of the base plate 1. The main body portion of the base plate is made up from two layers. A rigid upper layer 7 which will be fixed to a motor and a lower layer 9. The lower surface 11, of the lower layer 9 is provided with hook type material so that sandpaper can be attached to it. The upper layer 7 has two sections 6 and 8 which are formed integral with one another. Section 8 extends beyond the end of the lower layer 9.

A fixing member 15 is fixed via clip 17 to the upper layer 7 as shown in Figure 4. The clip 17 comprises two elongate members 19 which are provided with lugs. The two i 1 7 elongate members 19 can be squeezed together to release member 15 from the upper layer 7. The lower surface 21 of member 15 is provided with hooks which are integral with member 15. It can be seen, that the hooks do not extend right up to the point of member 15. The reason for this is that the point of the base plate still gets very hot and the hooks at this end may melt. The melted hook material can seep out of the sides of the base plate degrading the performance of the base plate.

Once member 15 is attached to upper layer 7, a lower front section 23 is attached to the f ixing member 15 via loops 25 on the upper surface of the lower front section 23 engaging with the hooks of member 15. The lower front section 23 is provided with a hook layer 26 which is glued in place. Therefor, the lower front section 23 has a series of hooks on its lower surface for attaching sandpaper to the lower surface 27.

Figure 4 shows the base plate with the lower front section in place at the toe 29. It can be seen that lower surfaces 11 and 27 align to form a continuous surface.

Figure 3 shows a detail of the fixing member 15. The lower surface of the fixing member is shown. A plurality of molded hooks 31 which are integral with the fixing member 15 are provided on its lower surface 21. The fixing member 15 is a diamond shape with acute comers 33 and 35. The clip 17 (Figure 2) for fixing the member to upper layer 7 is designed such that the member 15 can be fixed with either comer 33, 35 at the point of toe 29.

The hooks are not present at comers 33 and 35. This is because the hooks at these comers will experience a lot of heat and as a result, they might melt. The melted hooks will seep out of the sides of the base plate I degrading the performance of the sander.

Figure 5 shows the base plate removed from a sander 50. The sander 50, is a hand held sander and is electrically powered. The sander 50 has a lower fitment plate 52 which the sander base plate 1 can be attached to.

8 The sander base plate 1 is attached via lower fitment plate 52 and plugs 54 to the sander 50. The plugs 54 are located on an upper surface 56 of the base plate. The upper surface 56 forms part of the rigid upper layer 7 of the base plate 1.

Figure 6 shows the underneath of the base plate 1 when it is attached to the sander 50. The removable front section 23 is located at the pointed toe 29 of the base plate 1.

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Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A fixing member for joining a first section which forms part of a lower surface of a base plate of a sander to a second section of the base plate of the sander, the fixing member being rigid and substantially planar, a surface of the fixing member being provided with surface fastener means to attach the first section to said fixing member, the surface fastener means being integral with the fixing member.

2. A fixing member according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member is removably attached to the second section of the base plate.

1 3. A fixing member according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member joins the first section to the second section such that the first section forms at least a part of a pointed front toe of the base plate.

4. A f ixing member according to any preceding claim, wherein the fixing member is capable of being attached to the second section in more than one orientation.

5. A fixing member according to either of claims 3 or 4, wherein the fixing member is a diamond shape and attachable to the second section of the base plate in one of two orientations, such that either of the two acute corners of the fixing member can be attached at the point of the front toe of the base plate.

6. A fixing member according to any preceding claim, wherein the surface fastener means comprise a plurality of molded hooks for engagement with a plurality of loops provided on the first section.

7. A fixing member according to any preceding claim, wherein the fixing member is attached to the second section such that an upper surface of the fixing member is adjacent a surface of the second section; the upper surface of the fixing member being located on the opposing surface of the fixing member to the surface fastening means.

8. A fixing member according to claim 7, wherein the fixing member further comprises a threaded hole, such that said fixing member is attached to the second section via a screw.

9. A fixing member according to claim 7, wherein the fixing member comprises a clip for attaching the fixing member to the second section.

10. A fixing member according to claim 9, wherein the clip comprises at least two spaced apart elongate members which project away from of the plane of the fixing member on the opposing side of the member to the surface fastener means, the elongate members being provided with lugs to engage a complementary member of the second section.

IL A base plate for a sander, the base plate having a lower surface which comprises means for attaching sandpaper thereto, the base plate comprising a removable first section which forms part of the lower surface, the first section being attached to a second section of the base plate by a rigid substantially planar fixing member, the fixing member comprising surface fastening means for attaching said first section to said fixing member and said surface fastening means are integral with said fixing member, 12. A base plate according to claim 11, wherein the second section of the base plate comprises a lower layer which forms a part of the lower surface of the base plate and an upper layer fixed to the lower layer, the upper layer extending beyond the lower layer in a direction parallel to the plane of the lower surface of the base plate to provide a surface for attachment of said fixing member thereto.

13. A base plate according to claim 12, wherein the fixing member has upper and lower surfaces which are separated by sidewalls, wherein at least a part of a sidewall of the fixing member forms a part of a sidewall of the base plate.

11 14. A base plate according to any of claims 11 to 13, wherein the first section forms part of a pointed front toe of the base plate.

is. A base plate according to claim 15, wherein the f ixing member has two sidewalls which meet at a point which form at least a part of the sides of the pointed front toe of the base plate.

16. A base plate according to any of claims 11 to 15, wherein the fixing member is removable.

17. A base plate according to claim 16, wherein the fixing member is fixed to said second section by means of a screw.

18. A base plate according to claim 16 wherein the fixing member is attached to the second section by means of a clip.

19. A base plate according to claim 11, wherein the fixing member is integral with the second section of the base plate.

20. A base plate according to any of claims 11 to 19, wherein the surface fastener means of the fixing member do not extend as far as the point of the front toe of the base plate.

21. A base plate for a sander, the base plate comprising a removable front section which forms a part of a lower surface of the base plate, wherein the removable front section is attached to the remainder of the base plate via surface fastener means, the surface fastener means being provided to fasten an upper surface of the removable front section to a surface on the remainder of the base plate, the surface fastener on the remainder of the base plate being integral with the base plate.

12 22. A base plate for a sander according to claim 21, wherein the base plate further comprises a detachable fixing member and the surface fastener means provided on the remainder of the base plate are integral with the fixing member.

23. A fixing member as hereinbefore substantially described with reference to any of the accompanying drawings.

24. A base plate for a sander as substantially hereinbefore described with reference to any of the accompanying drawings.

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