GB2399648A

GB2399648A - A device for determining the angles for a compound bevel

Info

Publication number: GB2399648A
Application number: GB0306162A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Andrew Edgill Peter Brown
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-03-18
Filing date: 2003-03-18
Publication date: 2004-09-22
Anticipated expiration: 2023-03-18
Also published as: GB2399648B; GB0306162D0

Abstract

A device for determining the angles for a compound bevel comprises: a base 2; first and second adjustable members 11, 17 attached to the base 2, whose orientations about respective first and second orthogonal axes may be altered; and a reading member (see 21 in Fig. 2) which is adapted to be registered with respect to a support edge of the first adjustable member 11 so that a measurement edge of the reading member lies in a first plane which is in fixed relation to the orientation of the first adjustable member 11 with respect to the base 2, the arrangement being such that the reading member is rotatable, whilst its measurement edge remains in the first plane, and may be rotated into a position in which its measurement edge is parallel with a measurement surface of the second adjustable member 17.

Description

"AN ANGLE-DETERMINING DEVICE" THIS INVENTION relates to an angle-

determining device, and in particular concerns a device that allows a user to determine quickly and easily the angles at which a member must be cut to form a compound bevel.

A bevel is a sloping surface or edge, and in fields such as carpentry is generally understood to occur where a surface meets another at an angle other than 90 .

An example of a standard bevel is where two lengths of skirting board, provided on orthogonal walls, meet at an internal corner. It is conventional for the ends of the two pieces of skirting board which meet one another to be cut so that the leading edges thereof are at 45 to the back faces of the lengths of skirting board. It will be understood that, once both lengths are cut in this fashion, the leading edges thereof will meet snugly and the skirting board will show no break or gap as the two pieces thereof meet at the corner.

In an example such as this, it is easy to calculate the angle at which the leading edge of each length of skirting board is to be cut, as the cut simply needs to be made at 45 to the plane of the back of the skirting board.

A more complex situation arises when a member must be cut in such a way that the resulting surface subtends an angle other than 90 to both of two orthogonal planes. An example of this might be the cutting of a member to form part of a cornice on top of a wardrobe. The cornice may protrude outwardly both to the front and to the side of the top of the wardrobe. The surface of a member which is positioned at the front of the top of the wardrobe which meets an opposing member which protrudes outwardly and upwardly from the side of the top of the wardrobe must be cut to subtend an angle to the vertical (to account for the fact that the two members meet and form a corner) and also to the horizontal (since the cornice projects outwardly from the top of the wardrobe).

A cut of this type is known as a compound bevel, and it is generally difficult and time consuming to calculate the correct angles at which to make the cut. This is the case even if, to return to the above example, the angle through which the corner is turned and the angle which the cornice subtends with the vertical are known. Someone wishing to make a structure of this type must generally perform some fairly involved mathematics, or rely on guesswork or trial and error to cut a compound bevel correctly.

Compound bevels are also encountered in roofing, where (for example) a rafter rises from the outside corner of a roof to meet a "hip" (i.e. a place where the roof turns through a corner), and roofers are generally either aware of the angles at which to cut a compound bevel in a few standard cases, or must refer to look-up tables to find out which angles to use.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device and method for calculating the angles at which to cut compound bevels quickly and easily in many different circumstances.

Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention provides an angledetermining device comprising: a base; first and second adjustable members attached to the base, whose orientations about respective first and second substantially orthogonal axes may be altered; and a reading member which is adapted to be registered with respect to a support edge of the first adjustable member so that a measurement edge of the reading member lies in a first plane which is in fixed relation to the orientation of the first adjustable member with respect to the base, the arrangement being such that the reading member is rotatable, while the measurement edge thereof remains in the first plane, and may be rotated into a position in which the measurement edge thereof is parallel with a measurement surface of the second adjustable member.

Advantageously, the first and/or second adjustable member is substantially planar.

Preferably, the support edge of the first adjustable member comprises an edge thereof which is substantially parallel with or perpendicular to the first axis.

Conveniently, the first adjustable member has first and second support edges, the first support edge being substantially parallel with the first axis and the second support edge being substantially perpendicular to the first axis.

Advantageously, the reading member has a registration portion rotatably attached thereto, the registration portion being adapted to be registered with respect to the support edge of the first adjustable member.

Preferably, markings are provided on the registration portion or the reading member to allow the angle between the registration portion and the reading member to be read.

Conveniently, a part of the base is marked with a plurality of angles to allow a user to establish visually the angle of orientation of the first or second adjustable member with respect to the base.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of determining an angle at which an item is to be cut to form part of a compound bevel join, the method comprising the steps of: providing a base; providing first and second adjustable members attached to the base, whose orientations about respective first and second substantially orthogonal axes may be altered; registering a reading member with respect to a support edge of the first adjustable member so that a measurement edge of the reading member lies in a first plane which is in fixed relation to the orientation of the first adjustable member with respect to the base; rotating the reading member, while the measurement edge thereof remains in the first plane, until the measurement edge thereof is parallel with a measurement surface of the second adjustable member; and measuring the angle between the support edge and the measurement edge.

Advantageously, the step of providing first and second adjustable members comprises the step of providing substantially planar first and second

adjustable members.

Preferably, the method further comprise the step of providing a registration portion which is rotatably attached to the reading member, the registration portion being adapted to be registered with respect to the support edge of the first adjustable member.

Conveniently, the method further comprises the step of providing markings on the registration portion or the reading member to allow the angle between the registration portion and the reading member to be read.

Advantageously, the method further comprises the step of marking a part of the base with a plurality of angles to allow a user to establish visually the angle of orientation of the first or second adjustable member with respect to the base.

A further aspect of the present invention provide a method of determining two angles at which an item is to be cut to form part of a compound bevel join, comprising: performing the above steps using an edge of the first adjustable member which is substantially parallel with the first axis as the support edge of the first adjustable member; and performing the above steps using an edge of the first adjustable member which is substantially perpendicular to the first axis as the support edge of the first adjustable member.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 shows part of an angledetermining device embodying the present invention; and FIGURE 2 shows another part of an angle-determining device embodying the present invention.

With reference firstly to Figure 1, an angle-determining device 1 embodying the present invention comprises a substantially oblong base 2. The base 2 is generally flattened in shape, is longer than it is wide and presents a generally planar upper surface 3. At a first end 4 of the base 2, an upward- facing semi-circular groove 5 is provided. The semi-circular groove 5 extends from the first end 4 of the base roughly a fifth of the way towards the opposite end thereof.

Provided on the upper surface 3 of the base 2 and flush with the first end 4 thereof is a first retaining block 6. The first retaining block 6 has a downward-facing surface 7, which meets the upper face 3 of the base 2, and which is provided with a further downward-facing semi-circular groove 8, the further semi-circular groove 8 being arranged on the downward- facing surface 7 of the first retaining block so as to align with the semi-circular groove 5 provided in the base 2. Hence, when the first retaining block 6 is placed on the upper face 3 of the base 2, flush with the first end 4 thereof, the semi-circular I grooves 5,8 provided on the base 2 and first retaining block 6 align to provide a circular hole. The first retaining block 6 is shorter that then upward-facing semi-circular groove, so that a part of the groove 5 protrudes past the downward-facing surface 7 of the first retaining block 6 and is not covered thereby.

The first retaining block 6 is provided with vertical bores therethrough, and the upper face 3 of the base 2 is provided with aligned threaded bores, so that bolts 9 may be passed through the bores in the first retaining block 6 and into the threaded bores in the base 2, and hence clamp the first retaining block 6 to the upper face 3 of the base 2. The bolts 9 may have knurled heads to assist a user in gripping the bolts 9 to fasten the first retaining block 6 to, or release the first retaining block 6 from, the base 2.

Received in the circular hole formed by the two semi-circular grooves 5,8 is a circular barrel 10. The barrel 10 is formed so that, when the first retaining block 6 is firmly fastened to the base 2 by the bolts 9, the barrel 10 may not rotate within the circular hole. However, loosening the bolts 9 allows rotation of the barrel 10.

One end of the barrel 10 is flush with the first end 4 of the base, and the other end of the barrel 10 protrudes from the first retaining block 6 into the portion of the semi-circular groove 5 provided in the base 2 which is not covered by the first retaining block 6. Attached to this protruding portion of the barrel 10 is a planar, rectangular sheet 11 of a rigid material. One edge of the sheet 11 is parallel with and lies close to the axis of rotation of the barrel 10, and the plane of the sheet l l passes through (or close to) the axis of rotation of the barrel 10.

It will be appreciated that the above-described arrangement is such that the sheet 11 comprises a first adjustable member which may be rotated freely around the axis of rotation of the barrel 10 (when the bolts 9 are loosened) and which may be locked into any rotational position (when the bolts 9 are tightened). i At a second end 12 of the base 2, a similar arrangement is provided, but at right angles to that described above. A second retaining block 13 is mounted on the second end 12 of the base 2, and may be fastened thereto by further bolts 9. Semi-circular grooves 14,15 provided in the second end 12 of the base 3 and the adjoining face ofthe second retaining block 13 co-operate to form a circular hole whose longitudinal axis is in the depth direction of the base 2. A further barrel 16 and a further planar, rectangular rigid member 17 is provided to form a second adjustable member which is rotatable about an axis which lies in the depth direction of the base 2 and is substantially perpendicular to the axis about which the first adjustable member may be rotated.

Turning to Figure 2, a reading member 18 suitable for use with the present invention is shown. The reading member 18 comprises a substantially rectangular sheet of rigid material. Attached to the reading member 18 is a registration portion 19, which comprises an elongate member having a substantially "L"-shaped cross-section. The reading member 18 is rotatably attached to the registration portion 19 by means of a bolt 20 or similar, the arrangement being such that the reading member 18 is constrained to lie in a plane which is parallel with one of the sides of the "L"-shaped cross-section of the registration portion 19, but is otherwise free to rotate.

In the third embodiments of the invention, markings may be provided on one or both of the registration portion 19 and the reading member 18, so that the angle between these two components may be read easily.

Advantageously, the registration portion 19 and the reading member 18 may be releasably locked with respect to one another so that no relative rotation of these two components may occur.

Use of the angle-determining device 1 to establish the angles at which a member should be cut to form a compound bevel will now be described.

Firstly, a user must establish the angle to the horizontal and the angle to the vertical which the cut edge must accommodate. To use the example of a roofing rafter extending from the outside corner of a roof and meeting a hip, the user must determine the angle that the roof subtends to the vertical (i.e. the pitch of the roof), and must also determine the angle through which the roof turns at the hip.

The first and second adjustable members must then be locked into place at these respective angles. In this case, the first adjustable member will be locked into place at an angle to the vertical which corresponds to the pitch of the roof. The second adjustable member will be locked into place at an angle to the second edge 12 of the base 2, corresponding to the angle through which the roof turns at the hip. If, for example, the roof turns through 90 at the hip, the second adjustable member must be placed at 45 to the second edge 12 of the base 2, to allow for the fact that the rafter will meet a further rafter which runs along the top edge of the hip and hence which will be at 45 (when viewed from above) to the bottom edge of the roof. The first and second adjustable members may be locked in these orientations using the bolts 9.

Next, the registration portion 19 is registered with the edge of the first adjustable member that is opposite the edge thereof that lies close to the axis of rotation of the barrel 10. Hence, this edge of the first adjustable member is received in the inner right-angle formed by the "L"shaped cross-section of the registration portion 19, so that the part of the registration portion 19 to which the reading member 18 is attached lies parallel with the plane of the sheet 11 of the first adjustable member.

Next, the reading member 18 is rotated about the bolt 20 until a measurement edge 21 of the reading portion 18 touches and lies parallel with the major surface of the second adjustable member. The registration portion 19 1 and reading member 18 are then removed from the adjustable members, without the relative angle therebetween being disturbed, and the angle between the measurement edge 21 of the reading member 18 and the edge of the surface of the registration portion 19 to which the reading member 18 is attached is I recorded.

The next stage is to register the registration portion 19 along the edge of the first adjustable member that is adjacent the edge which lies close to the axes; of rotation of the barrel 10 but which is furthest from the barrel 10 itself.

Again, the reading member 18 is rotated until the measurement edge 21 thereof touches and is parallel with the major surface of the second adjustable member, and the angle between the measurement edge 21 of the reading member and the surface of the registration portion 19 to which the reading member 18 is attached is recorded.

Once this has been completed, then the first and second recorded angles are simply the angles to the horizontal and vertical (respectively) that a cut should be made at to form the desired compound bevel. A skilled person will readily appreciate how this may be performed, using either a manual method, for example employing a protractor, pencil and handsaw, or using a heavier duty device such as a chop saw.

It will be appreciated that, as well as the standard angles which are already known to skilled persons in various technical fields, the angles at which to cut a member to form a compound bevel can be quickly and easily determined, requiring minimal skill, for any combination of angles.

It is envisaged that this invention will find application in the I construction of many irregular or unusually shaped items of furniture or in the construction of irregularly-shaped buildings. However, the present invention is not limited to either of these fields, and indeed it is expected that the present invention will be found useful in any circumstances in which the formation of a I compound bevel is desired.

In Figure 1, the angle-determining device 1 is shown with a pair of first adjustable members and a pair of second adjustable members. This is simply; one embodiment of the device 1, and in a simpler embodiment only one first adjustable member and one second adjustable member may be provided.

In the present specification "comprises" means "includes or consists of" and "comprising" means "including or consisting of".

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following; claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

CLAIMS: I 1. An angle-determining device comprising: a base; first and

second adjustable members attached to the base, whose I orientations about respective first and second substantially orthogonal axes may be altered; and a reading member which is adapted to be registered with respect to a support edge of the first adjustable member so that a measurement edge of the; reading member lies in a first plane which is in fixed relation to the orientation of the first adjustable member with respect to the base, the arrangement being such that the reading member is rotatable, while the measurement edge thereof remains in the first plane, and may be rotated into a position in which the measurement edge thereof is parallel with a measurement surface of the second adjustable member.
2. A device according to Claim 1, wherein the first and/or second adjustable member is substantially planar.
3. A device according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the support edge of the first adjustable member comprises an edge thereof which is substantially parallel with or perpendicular to the first axis.
4. A device according to Claim 3, wherein the first adjustable member has first and second support edges, the first support edge being substantially parallel with the first axis and the second support edge being substantially perpendicular to the first axis.
5. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the reading member has a registration portion rotatably attached thereto, the registration portion being adapted to be registered with respect to the support edge of the first

adjustable member.
6. A device according to Claim 5, wherein markings are provided on the registration portion or the reading member to allow the angle between the registration portion and the reading member to be read.
7. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein a part of the base is marked with a plurality of angles to allow a user to establish visually the angle of orientation of the first or second adjustable member with respect to the base.
8. A method of determining an angle at which an item is to be cut to form part of a compound bevel join, the method comprising the steps of: providing a base; providing first and second adjustable members attached to the base, whose orientations about respective first and second substantially orthogonal axes may be altered; registering a reading member with respect to a support edge of the first adjustable member so that a measurement edge of the reading member lies in a first plane which is in fixed relation to the orientation of the first adjustable member with respect to the base; rotating the reading member, while the measurement edge thereof remains in the first plane, until the measurement edge thereof is parallel with a measurement surface of the second adjustable member; and measuring the angle between the support edge and the measurement edge.
9. A method according to Claim 8, wherein the step of providing first and second adjustable members comprises the step of providing substantially planar first and second adjustable members.
10. A method according to Claim 8 or 9, further comprising the step of providing a registration portion which is rotatably attached to the reading member, the registration portion being adapted to be registered with respect to the support edge of the first adjustable member.
11. A method according to Claim 10, further comprising the step of providing markings on the registration portion or the reading member to allow the angle between the registration portion and the reading member to be read.
12. A method according to any one of Claims 8 to 11, further comprising the step of marking a part of the base with a plurality of angles to allow a user to establish visually the angle of orientation of the first or second adjustable member with respect to the base.
13. A method of determining two angles at which an item is to be cut to form part of a compound bevel join, comprising: performing the steps of any one of Claims 8 to 12, using an edge of the first adjustable member which is substantially parallel with the first axis as the support edge of the first adjustable member, and performing the steps of any one of Claims 8 to 12, using an edge of the first adjustable member which is substantially perpendicular to the first axis as the support edge of the first adjustable member.
14. A device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
15. A method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
16. Any novel feature or combination of features disclosed herein.