US2688892A - Treadle-operated bench vise - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 14, 1954 G. G. BENAC TREADLE-OPERATED BENCH vxsE Filed Nov. 20, 1953 Nm ww @l NN Nm :Si Q

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to the top of the bench 2.

Patented Sept. 14, 1954 TREADLE-PERATED BENCH VISE George G. Benac, Gary, Ind., assignor to United vvStates Steel Corporation, a corporation of New lJersey Application November 20, 1953, Serial No. 393,456

4 Claims.

The present invention relates generally to vises and more particularly to a footeoperated vise.

The primary object ofthe invention is to provide a vise having jaws which may be rapidly opened or closed by means of ioot pressure on a treadle bar.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a foot-operated vise having an improved linkage arrangement between the treadle bar and the jaws oi the vise whereby pressure applied by the vise jaws is not only maintained uniformly but is increased after the force depressing the treadle bar is removed.

The nature of the invention and its distinguishing features and advantages will be fully apparent from the following detailed description and appended claims when read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view `showing the vise in open position;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure l but 'shows the vise in closed position; and

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional View Ytaken on the line III-III of Figure 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawing,

- ends of the spaced bars of the ybearing arm 26 reference numeral 2 designates a workbench of the conventional type having mounted thereon the improved vise of my invention which is designated generally by the reference numeral-ii. The vise 4 may be mounted on a stationary support member 6 which is bolted or otherwise attached A fixed jaw 8 is rigidly attached by bolts Ill to the top of the stationary support 6. The movable portion of the vise is made up of a substantially vertically disposed leg I2 having a movable jaw I4 bolted or otherwise rigidly afixed to its upper end opposite the xed jaw 8. The leg I2 is pivoted to the stationary support member 6 below the level of the bench surface by means of a transverse pin I 6. The bottom portion of the leg I2 is provided with a cam surface I8 which is engaged by a cam roller rotatably mounted on a foot-operated lever 22.

The lever 22 is made up of two articulated treadle and bearing arms 23 and 26, each of which comprises parallelly spaced bars that straddle the lower end of the leg I2 adjacent the cam surface I8. The spaced bars of the treadle arm 23| comprise treadle portions 2li and are hinged in end-to-end relation to the spaced bars of the bearing arm 26 by means of a pair of axially spaced pvot pins 28. The cam roller 2D is rotatably mounted between and carried by the spaced bars of the bearing arm 26. The outer are pivotally attached 'to the lower end 30 of the `stationary support 'member 6 by means of a common pivot pin 32. A foot plate 34 is mounted transversely across the tops of the free ends of the treadle portions 24 with a portion thereof extending laterally beyond one of the treadle portions, as best seen in Figure 3.

A ratchet 36 is rigidly mounted on the stationary support member t by means of a pair of arms 3l and depends vertically between the treadle portions 24 of the arm 23 adjacent the lower lend of the arm I2 opposite the cam surface I8. The ratchet '36 has a curved and toothed face whose radius of curvature extends to rthe pivot pin 32. A pawl 328 is pivotally mounted vbetween the treadle portions 22 by means of 'a pivot pin 40 Vso as to engage the toothed face of the ratchet 3B. The pawl 3,8 is constantly urged into engagement with the ratchet 36 by a compression spring -42 which bears against the pawl at one end and against the transverse plate 34, which extends across the treadle portions 24, at its other end.

The articulated bearing and treadle arms 26 and 23 are normally maintained in end-to-end relation in 'a common horizontal plane by means of a compression spring 4d which depends substantially vertically between the spaced bars 'of the bearing arm 26 from a cross bar 45 which is carried by and extends across vthe tops of the spaced bars of the bearing arm 25. Each of the spaced bars of the treadle arm '23 are provided with a projection 46 'extending rearwardly of its pivot pin 28 below and parallel with the bearing arm 26. A transverse bearing plate fil connects the free ends of the projections A8. The plate 4'! is engaged by the lower end of the spring Ml. A bolt @8, rigidly but adjustably attached to the cross bar `I5 by means of a pair of nuts 5i), the lower of which is rigidly mounted on the cross bar 45, depends a short distance into the core of the spring 44 to provide a stop for the plate Il for limiting the upward movement of the projections 46.

A helical tension spring 52, which is attached to and extends between the upper portion or" the stationary support 6 and one of the bars oi the bearing arms 26 adjacent the cam roller 20, functions to urge the lever 22 to a raised position. Afhelical tension spring 54 is attached at one end to the upper portion of the stationary sup port 6 and at its other end to the arm I2 at a point below the pivot pin IB for the purpose oi urging the movable jaw I4 away from the fixed jaw 8.

In operation, a workpiece W is positioned between the jaws 8 and I4 and the operator applies force to the lever 22 by placing his foot on the plate 34 and depressing the free end of the lever 22 causing unitary pivoting of the articulated treadle and bearing arms 23 and 26 about the pivot pin 32. As the lever pivots about the pin 32, the cam roller 20 rolls downwardly along the camming surface I8 of the leg I2. Since the arcuate movement of the roller 20 has a greater radius than the camming surface I8, the movement of the cam roller downwardly along the camming surface forces the leg I2 t0 pivot about the pin I6 against the force of the spring 54 thereby moving the jaw I4 toward the stationary jaw 8 thus closing the vise to grip the workpiece. As the lever 22 is so being depressed, the treadle and bearing arms 23 and 26 remain in alignment until the force exerted by the foot of the operator exceeds the compressive force of the spring 44 at which time the treadle arm 23 will pivot about the common axis of the axially spaced pivot pins 28 and will compress the spring 44. The pawl 3B travels downwardly along the ratchet 36 simultaneously with the downward movement of the free end of the lever 22 so that the jaws are kept closed after the operator removes his foot from the plate 34 by the pawl remaining engaged with the ratchet under urging by the spring 42.

After the operator has removed his foot from the plate 34 and the free end of the lever is kept depressed by action of the pawl and ratchet. the spring 44 will tend to cause the treadle and the bearing arms 23 and 26 to again resume aligned end-to-end relation thus maintaining the pressure exerted by the jaws 8 and I4 on the workpiece W.

When it is desired to open the jaws of the vise, the operator depresses the pawl 38 against the compressive force of the spring 42 to free it from engagement with the ratchet 36. The spring 52 then raises the lever 22 causing the cam roller 2U to travel upwardly along the cam surface I8. Simultaneously with the upward movement of the cam roller, the spring 54 urges the arm I2 pivotally about the pin I6 to move the jaw I4 away from the jaw 8.

While one embodiment of my invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A foot-operated bench vise comprising a xed jaw mounted on a stationary support, a leg depending below said jaw and pivoted on said support about a fixed horizontal axis, a movable jaw on the upper end of said leg cooperating with said fixed jaw, said leg having a cam surface adjacent its lower end, an operating lever pivoted on the lower end of said support in spaced relation to said cam surface, said lever having a roller thereon engaging said'cam surface, said lever including a bearing bar and a treadle bar pivoted end-to-end, spring means connected with said bearing bar and said treadle bar opposing tilting movement of the treadle bar relative to the bearing bar when downward pressure is applied to the free end of the treadle bar, ratchetand-pawl means operatively associated with said treadle bar and effective to lock the latter in the position to which it is actuated by said pressure.

2. A foot-operated bench vise as defined in claim 1 characterized by said treadle bar having a portion projecting beyond the pivotal connection between it and the bearing bar and spaced from the latter to provide a mounting for said spring means.

3. In a foot-operated vise including a fixed jaw and a movable jaw cooperating therewith, said movable jaw having a leg depending therefrom provided with a cam surface, the combination therewith of an actuating lever having a roller engaging said surface, said lever including a bearing arm and a treadle arm hinged end-toend, spring means connected with said bearing arm and said treadle arm for normally maintaining a predetermined angularity between said portions, and ratchet-and-pawl means operatively associated with said treadle arm and effective to releasably hold it in a position of greater angularity relative to the bearing arm.

4. In a foot-operated vise the combination therewith as defined by claim 3 characterized by a supporting leg extending downwardly and rearwardly from said fixed jaw, said lever being pivoted on said supporting leg.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date '784,847 Ford Mar. 14, 1905 1,059,830 Carter Apr. 22, 1913 1,069,678 Conley Aug. 12, 1913 1,075,506 Smith Oct. 14, 1913

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