GB2464730A

GB2464730A - Portable workbench that can be dismantled

Info

Publication number: GB2464730A
Application number: GB0819575A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gary Thomas Murray
Original assignee: JUST TOPS
Current assignee: JUST TOPS
Priority date: 2008-10-27
Filing date: 2008-10-27
Publication date: 2010-04-28
Also published as: GB0819575D0

Abstract

A portable workbench 10 that can be dismantled comprises a pair of end panels 12, each end panel being provided with a plurality of openings 14a, 14b, and a plurality of girders 16a, 16b, 16c, each girder being of a suitable cross-section to be received in an opening. A first girder 16a may have a larger cross-section than the other girders 16b, 16c, and the other girders may be arranged to fit inside the first girder. A platform (20, fig 4) may be provided, as well as a pair of low level supports (24, fig 7), each provided with a plurality of openings. Joining sections (30, fig 7) may be provided for joining pairs of girders together.

Description

DESCRIPTION

This invention relates to a workbench.

Workbenches available at present have limited strength and stability.

They are also more geared to the diy market. There is not a product available at present that is portable and strong enough to take the weight of, for example, a length of granite or stone whilst also providing full support along the entire length.

It is therefore an object of the invention to improve upon the known art.

According to the present invention, there is provided a dismantlable and portable workbench comprising a pair of end panels, each end panel provided with a plurality of openings, and a plurality of girders, each girder of a suitable cross-section to be received in an opening.

Owing to the invention, it is possible to provide a multi-trade portable workstation, which consists of many components allowing it to be easily constructed and used by a variety of professional tradesmen whilst on site.

This workstation can also be used as a low-level (2 levels) platform capable of supporting several tradesmen and material safely, also when used as a workbench, all power tools, for example compound saws, pillar drills etc., can be securely clamped to the workbench ensuring maximum safety.

The product is a fully portable workstation/platform. The product has been specifically constructed and proven to fully support excessive weights without buckling or bowing, whether this is from materials or human weight.

When sheet material is fully supported and clamped into position the central section of the end support has been designed to enable cutting tools/machinery to pass through the full length without obstruction. The workbench can be extended indefinitely without strength and stability being compromised.

Preferably, the end panels are substantially identical, and the end panels are substantially planar. This formation of the end panels provides for ease of manufacture and also for ease of use, transport and storage.

Advantageously, each girder is of a different cross-section, a first girder is of a larger cross-section than the other girders, the other girders are arranged to fit inside the first girder, and the first girder is provided, at one end, with a sealed end. This design of the girders greatly improves the efficiency of the workbench in relation to both the transport and the storage of the io workbench. Because the girders fit inside one another, the amount of space required when they are not in use is minimised.

Ideally, each end panel is provided with a large aperture at a central location of a top edge of the respective panel. The presence of the aperture in each of the end panels means that when the workbench is assembled, the is workbench can be used for cutting of large sheets of, for example, wood, without any restriction in an end to end stroke of the saw. This makes it much easier to use the workbench for cutting very large sheets, without the need to reposition and reclamp the sheet being cut, during the process of cutting.

Preferably each end panel includes a pair of openings comprising slots in a top edge of the respective panel, and each end panel includes a pair of openings comprising holes in the respective panel. The provision of multiple slots and holes in the end panels allows the workbench to be used in different configurations, increasing the flexibility and usefulness of the workbench.

Different heights can be achieved by locating the girders in different openings in the end panels. This allows the bench to be used as a support for one or more workmen at a lower level or at a higher level, Advantageously, the workbench further comprises a platform, where the platform is of a length substantially equal to the length of a girder and where the platform comprises slots for receiving an end panel. The platform is provided as a separate component, and can be located on top of the girders, once they have been positioned in the end panels. Since the girders can be located at different heights, then the effect is to locate the platform also at different heights, as desired by the particular job in hand. The platform is located in position via the slots that receive the end panels.

Preferably, the workbench further comprises a pair of low level supports, each low level support provided with a plurality of openings. The low level supports provide for multiple workbenches to be used together. Each support can be used instead of an end panel, and this allows two workbenches to be joined together in a simple and efficient manner, while still enjoying all of the benefits of strength and flexibility of an individual workbench. Multiple individual workbenches can also be used together to create an extension, and this can also be used to create two workbenches at right angles, for example for use round a corner, or round an entire room.

Ideally, the workbench further comprises one or more tensioning struts for connecting an end panel to a girder, one or more locking pins for locking a girder in place, and one or more joining sections for joining a pair of girders together. Various individual components can be provided for linking and locking components such as the girders and end panels in place, which improves the structural reliability of the overall workbench.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-Figure us a top plan view of a workbench, Figure 2 is a side elevation of the workbench, Figure 3 is an end elevation of an end panel of the workbench, Figure 4 is a top plan view of a platform for the workbench, Figure 5 is an end elevation of the platform, Figure 6 is an end elevation of an end panel with the platform in place, Figure 7 is a top plan view of an extended workbench, Figure 8 is a side elevation of the extended workbench, Figure 9 is an end elevation of a low level support, and Figure 10 is a side elevation of a joining section.

Figures 1 and 2 show a dismantlable and portable workbench 10, which comprises a pair of end panels 12, each end panel 12 provided with a plurality of openings 14 (shown in more detail in Figure 3), and a plurality of hollow box girders 16, each girder 16 of a suitable cross-section to be received in an opening 14 in the end panel 12. The end panels 12 are substantially identical, and the end panels 12 are substantially planar. Each end panel 12 is provided with a large aperture 18 at a central location of a top edge of the respective panel 12. The workbench 10 is a solid structure that is nevertheless easy to construct and dismantle.

io As can be seen in Figure 1, each girder 16 is of a different cross-section (exaggerated in the Figure for ease of explanation). A first girder 16a is of a larger cross-section than the other girders 1 6b, 1 6c, and the other girders 1 6b, 16c are arranged to fit inside the first girder 16a. The first girder 16a is provided, at one end, with a sealed end. This design of the girders 16 means that they can easily be stored and transported, as the girders 16 will fit together inside the largest girder 16a, which reduces the amount of space needed for the girders 1 6, when they are not being used in the workbench 1 0.

The girder 1 6c is arranged to be located towards a bottom edge of the end panels 12, and the two girders 16a and 16b are arranged to be located more towards a top edge of the end panels 12. As can be seen in Figure 2, the girders 1 6a and 1 6b can be located at different places in the end panels 12, a second position of the girder 16a is shown in dotted line. The workbench 10 also further comprises tensioning struts 26 for connecting an end panel 12 to a girder 16, as shown in Figure 2. The struts 26 help to provide the overall structural rigidity of the workbench 10.

An end view of the end panel 12 is shown in Figure 3. Each end panel 12 includes a pair of openings 14 comprising slots 14a in a top edge of the respective panel 12. Each end panel 12 also includes a pair of openings 14 comprising holes 14b in the respective panel 12. The various girders 16 can be seen located in specific openings 14. The workbench 10 also further comprises locking pins 28 for locking each girder 16 in place. Each girder is provided with holes to locate the locking pins 28, as can be seen in Figure 2.

As mentioned above, each end panel 12 is provided with a large aperture 18 at a central location of a top edge of the respective panel 12. It should be noted that the top of the pair of holes 14b in a middle region of the panel 12 is on the same level as the bottom of the aperture 18. This is to assist in the support for a platform, which can be used with the workbench 1 0, for example to support a workman who is carrying out work at a height sufficiently above ground level.

Preferably, the workbench 10 further comprises a platform 20, as can be seen in Figures 4 and 5. The platform 20 is of a length substantially equal to the length of a girder 16. The platform 20 also comprises slots 22 for receiving an end panel 12. The platform 20 also includes a flange 21 on each side, the flange 21 running lengthwise along the edge of the platform 20. The slots 22 and flange 21 help to locate the platform 20 in the workbench 10, and also provide additional stability for the overall workbench 1 0. This is shown in Figure 6, which shows the platform 20 in place. The thickness of the platform is exaggerated to illustrate the positioning of the platform 20. The flanges 21 will engage with the girders 16, to provide a good tight fit. If the girders 16 are located in the top slots 14a, then the platform 20 will be located higher up in the workbench 10.

The workbench 10 is extendable. This is shown in Figures 7 and 8. In this case, the workbench 1 0 further comprising a pair of low level supports 24, each low level support 24 provided with a plurality of openings 14. These supports 24 take the place of an end panel 12 on one set of girders 16, and this allows effectively two workbenches 10 to be combined into one single larger workbench 1 0. The workbench 1 0 further comprises joining sections 30 for joining a pair of girders 16 together. This process of extending the workbench can include further sets of girders 1 6 and low level supports 24, to further extend the workbench 10. Figure 9 shows the low level support 24 in more detail, and Figure 1 0 shows the joining sections 30 in more detail.

The extension of the workbench 10, shown in Figures 7 and 8, uses the low level supports 24 to extend the workbench 10, with the top girders 16 located in the middle holes 1 4b. However, the extension of the workbench 10 can also be achieved using further sets of end panels 12, if it is desired to have the top girders 16 higher up, and located in the slots 14a of the end panels 12. The allows workers using the workbench 10 to have a continuous platform at a greater height than is possible using the low level supports 24 to create the extension.

In a preferred embodiment, the multi-function workstation 10 comprises of the following components: * two end support panels 1 0 in wood, aluminium or plastic with five spring-loaded locking pins 28 attached (each having high and low level locating positions for the box section girders 1 6), * three square aluminium box sections 16 with locating holes for the locking pins 28 and one with a closed end so that when the workstation has been dismantled the smaller box sections 16 will be housed within the largest box section 1 6, * five spring loaded locking pins 28, * removable tensioning buckle struts 26, * an aluminium tread plate platform/work surface/tool tray 28, the aluminium tread plate 20 sits over two box sections to form platform/work surface. The aluminium tread plate 20, when turned upside down and positioned on lower level of end support panels forms a tool tray, * lower level end supports 24, and * aluminium jointing section 30.

Claims

CLAIMS1 A dismantlable and portable workbench (10) comprising: * a pair of end panels (12), each end panel (12) provided with a plurality of openings (14), and * a plurality of girders (16), each girder (16) of a suitable cross-section to be received in an opening (14).
2. A workbench according to claim 1, wherein the end panels (12) are substantially identical.
3. A workbench according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the end panels (12) are substantially planar.
4. A workbench according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein each girder (16) is of a different cross-section.
5. A workbench according to claim 4, wherein a first girder (16a) is of a larger cross-section than the other girders (16b, 16c), and the other girders (1 6b, 1 6c) are arranged to fit inside the first girder (1 6a).
6. A workbench according to claim 5, wherein the first girder (16a) is provided, at one end, with a sealed end.
7. A workbench according to any preceding claim, wherein each end panel (12)is provided with a large aperture (18) at a central location of a top edge of the respective panel (12).
8. A workbench according to any preceding claim, wherein each end panel (12) includes a pair of openings (14) comprising slots (14a) in a top edge of the respective panel (12).
9. A workbench according to any preceding claim, wherein each end panel (12) includes a pair of openings (14) comprising holes (14b) in the respective panel (12).
10. A workbench according to any preceding claim, and further comprising a platform (20).
11. A workbench according to claim 10, wherein the platform (20) is of a length substantially equal to the length of a girder (1 6).
12. A workbench according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the platform (20) comprises slots (22) for receiving an end panel (12).
13. A workbench according to any preceding claim, and further is comprising a pair of low level supports (24), each low level support (24) provided with a plurality of openings (14).
14. A workbench according to any preceding claim, and further comprising one or more tensioning struts (26) for connecting an end panel (1 2) toagirder(16).
15. A workbench according to any preceding claim, and further comprising one or more locking pins (28) for locking a girder (1 6) in place.
16. A workbench according to any preceding claim, and further comprising one or more joining sections (30) for joining a pair of girders (16) together.