US1056818A - Bench-clamp. - Google Patents

Description

H. R. MITCHELL & I. L. SLOAN.

BENCH CLAMP.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13,1912.

1,056,818. r Patented Mar.25,1913.

J4? 1Z0 E24 Witnses f lnventors by I r I I Attorneys UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY R. MITCHELL AND IRA L. SLOAN, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

BENCH-CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 25, 1913.

The present invention relates to improvements in bench clamps,.the primary object of the present invention being the provision of a bench clamp composed primarily of two members, including the tail screw and a casing provided with means, whereby the same is readily placed in position by bearing down upon the same to force engaging ron s into the uo er surface of a car enters bench and carrying means for co-action with the tail screw to clamp therebetween the piece of material to be operated upon.

A further object of the present invention is a novel arrangement of adjustable clamping means carried by one of the members of a bench clamp, the same being so constructed as to be readily adjusted and held at such adjustment to clamp the material operated upon in the desired position, and of such a height as to readily permit of the operation upon a thin piece of material without the clamp protruding or projecting in the path of a plane when planing a piece of board or material, the clamping member being furtherprovided with means for automatically releasing the screw when it is desired to remove the work from the clamp.

With the foregoing and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawingsFigure 1 is a view showing the tail piece in plan while the clamping member has its top plate removed to show the interior construction. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the tail piece and clamping member in operable relation. Fig. 3 is a view taken from the lever side of the removable clamping member. Fig. 1 is a section taken on line lt of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the work bench, and 2 the material to be operated upon. The stem 8 is mounted for vertically sliding movement in the frame 4 which is connected as shown in Fig. l to one end of the bench, with the upper plate of the frame below the upper plane of the work bench. A spring 5 is disposed upon the stem 3 between and within the frame 4 and normally exerts a tension to hold the stem 3 upwardly so that the tail piece 6 may be disposed at various levels above the surface or plane of the work bench, according to the thickness of the material 2 operated upon. This tail piece 6 is provided with the serrated work engaging end 7 and with the V-shaped end 8, the stem 3 being so disposed that the tail piece may be rotated to place the serrated portion 7 or the V-shaped endin engagement with the material.

" The removable member 9 of the bench clamp consists of the lower plate 10 and the upper plate 11, either one of said plates being provided with the'depending edges or flanges 12, which when the plates are placed in registration and are held together by means of screws 13, provides a casing for the operating mechanism carried by the re movable member of the bench clamp.

In order that the removable member may be detachably secured to the upper surface of the work bench, a plurality of prongs or tangs 14 are cut from the bottom section 10 of the casing and are so positioned that the operator in placing the clamping member 9 in place bears down upon the same to project the prongs or tangs within the upper surface of the bench. .By this means any length of material may be operated upon and properly clamped between the tail piece 6 and the removable member 9.

Mounted for sliding movement within the casing is the work engaging bar 15, which is provided with the toothed outer end 16 that normally projects without the casing to be placed in engagement with the material 2. This bar 15, is provided with the rack teeth 17 which are in engagement at all times with the teeth 18 of the segment 19, this segment 19 being pivoted or fulcrumed upon the pivot or screw 13 and having its operating lever or handle 20 so disposed as to normally project eXteriorly of the casing at one side thereof in ready access to the operator.

A lug 21 is formed integral with the segment 19 and has connected at 22 one terminal of the coiled spring 23 which is disposed around the pin 24 and has its other end 25 connected beyond the fulcrum 26 of the bar locking pawl 27, which has its releasing end projecting exteriorly of the casing, with the single toothed end 28 disposed to engage the rack teeth 29 of the bar 15. Thus two series of teeth are formed upon the same edge of the bar, and a single spring is employed to control both the lever 20 and the locking pawl 27.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, the operation of the present bench clamp is readily understood but briefly stated it is as follows: The material 2, that is to be operated upon, is engaged by the tail piece 6, said tail piece 6 being compressed so that the upper surface thereof will not project above the upper surface of the material 2. The removable member 9 is then positioned upon the work bench, the operator forcing the casing downwardly so that the tangs let will enter the upper surface of the work bench and thus brace the member 9 against the action of the bar 15, when the same is propelled or projected toward the material 2 by the actuating segment 18, the lever 20 being moved to the right, as viewed in Fig. 2. This action will extend the spring 23 so that the normal tension or tendency of the segment 19 is to retract the bar 15. In order to lock the bar in the projected position while engaging the material 2, the locking pawl 27 is manipulated so that the tooth 28 thereof will engage the proper tooth 29 of the bar 15 and thus lock the parts in the desired work en gaging position. It will thus be seen that the tension of the spring 23 will be to hold the tooth 28 of the locking pawl into engagement with the rack teeth 29 of the bar 15, while the segment 19 will be pulled upon to automatically retract the bar 15 when the tooth 28 of the pawl 27 is released from the teeth 29 of the bar 15.

What is claimed is:

1. In a bench clamp, having two members, one being a tail member and the other a member between which and the tail member the work is placed, said last member constituting a casing, a bar mounted for reciprocatory movement within the casing and disposed to be projected to engage the work, a manually operated means disposed within the casing and in operable relation exteriorly thereof to project the bar into work engaging position, means for locking the bar in projected position, and a single spring connected to said manually operated means and the locking means for retracting the bar when the locking means is released.

2. In a bench clamp, having two members, one being a tail member and the other a member between which and the tail member the work is placed, said last member constituting a casing, a bar mounted for reciprocatory movement within the casing, and disposed to be projected to engage the work, a manually operated means disposed within the casing and in operable relation exteriorly thereof to project the bar into work engaging position, a pawl pivoted within the casing and having a handle projecting exteriorly thereof, the inner end of said pawl being disposed to engage the bar to lock the same in projected position, and a single spring connected to the operating means and the pawl for holding the pawl in locking position and to automatically retract the bar when released from engagement with the pawl.

3. A bench clamp, having two members, one a tail member and the other a cooperating member and between which members the work is to be placed, said last member constituting a casing, a bar mounted for reciprocatory movement within the casing and disposed to-be projected to engage the work, a lever mounted in the casing and operable exteriorly thereof, said lever and bar being provided with co-acting means whereby the operation of the lever projects the bar, a manually released locking pawl disposed to engage the bar and lock the same in projected position, and a single spring connected to the lever and pawl for holding the pawl in locked position and for automatically returning the bar when released by the pawl.

4. A bench clamp, including a member constituting a casing provided with a plurality of bench engaging prongs, a work engaging bar slidably mounted within the easing, said bar being provided with two separated series of teeth upon the same side thereof within the casing, a lever pivoted within the casing and operable exteriorly 'ment engaging one series of the teeth of the bar, a pawl pivoted within the casing and as our own, we have hereto aflixed our signaprovided with a handle projecting extetures in the presence of two witnesses. riorly of the casing said pawl being dis- HARRY R. MITCHELL. posed to engage the other series of teeth of IRA L. SLO'AN. 5 the bar to lock the bar in projected posi Witnesses as to signature of Harry R.

tion and a single spring connected to the Mitchell: pawl and segment for looking the pawl in WM. MAXWELL, tooth engaging position and for automati- F. E. WHITE. eally returning the bar when released from WVitnesses as to signature of Ira L. Sloan: 10 engagement with the pawl. JAMES O. CULL,

In testimony that we claim the foregoing JEROME LEWIS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington. D. C.

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