US2754857A - Guard device for table saws and the like - Google Patents

Description

July 17, 1956 H. A. JOSLIN GUARD DEVICE FOR TABLE SAWS AND THE LIKE Filed Nov. 15, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR. HERBERT A JOSLl/V BY f at /JTTO/EWEVS.

July 17, 1956 H. A. JOSLIN GUARD'DEVICE FOR TABLE SAWS AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 15, 1954 R. N w 0 W5 W4 m E B m H ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent GUARD DEVICE FOR TABLE SAWS AND THE LIKE Herbert A. Joslin, Norwalk, Calif. Application November 15, 1954, Serial No. 468,641 6 Claims. (Cl. 143159) The present invention relates generally to manually fed power tools and more particularly to a novel guard device that is especially adapted for use with power tools incorporating a rotatable cutter disc.

There have been heretofore proposed several types of guards for protecting the hands and fingers of workmen utilizing power tools, such as a circular saw, incorporating a rotatable cutter disc. Generally, however, such guards have met with the disfavor of workmen inasmuch as they seriously interfere with the cutting operation. Accordingly, at his first opportunity at workman will disconnect the guard and perform his duties without its protection. A considerable number of accidents result yearly from such practice.

It is a major object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved guard for use with a rotatable cutter disc.

Another object of the invention is to provide a guard of the aforedescribed nature that does not interfere with a cutting operation and hence meets with the approval of workmen.

A further object is to provide a guard device of the aforedescribed nature which is simple of design and rugged of construction whereby it may afford a long and trouble-free service life.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a guard that is light in weight and compact in size.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a guard of the aforedescribed nature which may be fabricated from readily available materials by common manufacturing processes whereby it may be sold at a price which is comparable with, or even lower than, existing guard devices.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a guard which may be completely removed from the vicinity of the cutter disc when such removability becomes necessary or desirable.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, when taken in conjunction with the appended drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a general perspective view of a preferred form of guard device embodying the present invention as it appears when utilized in conjunction with a circular saw;

Figures 2 through 5 are side elevational views of the component parts of said guard;

Figure 6 is an enlarged view of the encircled area designated 6 in Figure 3;

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of two of said component parts;

Figures 8 through 11 are side elevational views showing the mode of operation of said guard; and

Figure 12 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on line 12--12 of Figure 11.

Referring to the drawings and particularly Figure 1 thereof, the preferred form of guard device G embodying the present invention is disclosed in conjunction with a conventional circular or table saw T. The latter includes a horizontal table 20 from the upper surface of which protrudes a vertically extending circular saw blade 22. The saw blade 22 is rotated about a horizontal axis by means of an electric motor (not shown) mounted below the table 26. The guard device G is mounted upon the lower end of a suitable hanger device H whereby it may be raised or lowered relative to the table 20 while remaining in vertical alignment with the saw blade 22. The exact construction of the hanger H does not fall within the scope of the invention covered herein and this hanger may assume various forms. Preferably, however, its construction will permit the guard G to be completely removed from the immediate vicinity of the table 20 when the operation to be performed with the saw so requires.

With reference now to the remaining figures of the drawings, the preferred form of guard G includes a plurality (preferably four) of fiat plate elements designated 30, 32, 34 and 36. The plate elements 30 and 36 are identical in construction and are shown in side elevation in Figure 5. The plate elements 32 and 34 are shown in side elevation in Figures 3 and 4, respectively. In an assembled guard G, these plate elements are stacked together whereby they cooperate to form a center portion (elements 32 and 34) which is disposed between a pair of outer portions (elements 36 and 36). The elements 32 and 34 cooperate to define an upwardly extending pocket 33 for receiving the saw blade 22. The-upper portion of the plate elements 30, 32, 34 and 36 are joined byconnection means (to be fully described hereinafter) which permit them to undergo independent or joint vertical movement relative to the saw blade 22 in a direction normal to the blades axis of rotation.

As indicated in Figure 5, the plate elements 30 and 36 each include a flat lower edge 40 and an upper edge 42 which is parallel thereto. The front ends of the upper and lower edges are connected by a downwardly and rearwardly sloped front edge 44 while the rear ends thereof are connected by an arcuate rear edge 46. An upwardly extending ear 48 of generally rectangular shape forms an integral upward extension of the mid-portion of the upper edge 42 of these two plate elements. This ear 48 is formed with a vertical slot 50.

With reference now to Figures 3 and 4, the plate elements 32 and 34 are similar when viewed in side elevation. They are formed at their mid-portion with upwardly extending recesses 49 and 51, respectively, which define the pocket 38 for receiving the saw blade 22. These plate elements likewise include upper edges 52, front edges 54, rear edges 56 and ears 58 that are similar in configuration to their counterparts in plate elements 30 and 36, the latter being designated 42, 44, 46 and 48, in Figure 5. The cars 58 are each formed with a'vertical slot 64} which are aligned with the slots 50 formed in plate elements 30 and 36. It should be noted, however, that the plate element 32 is of greater width than the other plate elements. This will be made clear by reference to Figures 7 and 12 of the drawings, and with particular reference thereto, the plate element 32 may conveniently be formed by integrally joining the side surfaces of two members 32a and 32b of equal thickness. As will likewise be made clear by reference to Figures 7 and 12, only one of the members 32a will be formed with the ear 58, the mid-portion of the upper edge of the member 32b terminating in an upwardly facing, downwardly curved, semi-circular surface 62.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 7, the guard G is adapted to be secured to the lower end of the hanger H by means of a fiat hanging tab 64. This tab 64 may be of the same width and thickness as the ears 48 and 58 and it is formed at its lower portion with a horizontal bore 66. The shape of the lower edge of the tab 64 may conform to that of the semi-circular surface 62 of the plate element 32.

As indicated in Figure 12, the plate elements 30, 32, 34 and 36 are adapted to be interconnected by means of a horizontal bolt 72 upon which is threaded a nut 73. This bolt 72 carries a pair of bushings 74 and 75 having collar portions 76 and 77, respectively. The bushings 74 and 75 are inserted through the slots 50 and 6% of the ears 4t and 48, and the bore 66 of the hanging tab 64. A washer 78 will preferably be interposed between the nut 73 and the adjacent side of the collar 77 of the bushing 75. The upper portion of the hanging tab 64 is secured to the lower end of the hanger H in a suitable manner, as indicated in Figures 1 and 12.

In the operation of the guard G, the hanger H will be adjusted so as to permit the lower edges of the plate elements 30, 32, 34 and 36 to rest upon the upper surface of the table 20. Referring now to Figures 1 and 8, a piece of wood 90, or the like, to be sawed may then be advanced toward the saw blade 22. When the leading edge 92 of the wood engages the downwardly and rearwardly sloped front edges of the plate elements, the front end of the latter will be cammed upwardly relative to the upper surface of the table 20, the rear portion of the guard remaining upon the table. As indicated in Figure 8, at this time the major portion of the saw blade 22 will be covered by the side plate elements 30 and 36 whereby they will serve to shield the workmans fingers from contact with the teeth of said blade.

Referring now to Figure 9, as the wood 90 is urged rearwardly relative to the saw blade 22, the rear portion of the guard G will be lifted off the table and will eventually be riding upon the upper surface of the wood. At this time the wood 76 and the side plate elements 30 and 36 will cooperate to cover the saw blade 22. As the plate elements are raised relative to the table 22, the bolt 72 remains stationary, the slots 50 and 60 permitting these elements to undergo vertical movement relative to said bolt.

Referring now to Figure 10, as the saw cut is completed through the piece of wood 90, the trailing edge 93 of the latter will move out from below the guard G. At this time the front end of the plate elements will drop onto the table 20, as indicated in this figure. In this position, the major portion of the saw blade 22 will be covered by the side plate elements 30 and 36 so as to protect the workman from contact therewith.

Referring now to Figures 11 and 12, the guard G is especially useful in making a narrow cut from one edge of a piece of wood 98. This is true because one of the side plate elements 36 will remain with its lower edge 40 resting upon the upper surface of the table even though the other three plate elements 30, 32 and 34 are cammed upwardly so as to ride upon the upper surface of the wood 98. Hence, the plate element 36 will shield one side of the saw blade 22 at all times during such a sawing operation.

With reference again to Figures 3, 4 and 6, the lower front portion of the recesses 4-9 and 51 are formed with a vertically extending surface 100. This surface 100 is useful when the saw is employed to cut off a comparatively thin stick of wood from a larger piece, such surface serving to restrain the thin stick from kicking back toward the workman.

It will be apparent that the plate elements of the guard G may be formed of several suitable materials. It should likewise be noted that the width and number of these plate elements may be varied. Likewise, the spacing between the plate elements may be varied if desired, as by the use of bushings. While the saw blade has been shown as being stationary relative to the work in the foregoing description, it will be apparent that under certain conditions the guard of the present invention may be utilized with a saw blade that moves relative to the work during a cutting operation. These and other modifications and changes fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A guard for use with a vertically extending cutting disc, comprising: a plurality of stacked plate elements that cooperate to define a center portion disposed between a pair of outer portions, said center portion being formed with an upwardly extending disc-receiving pocket; a vertical surface formed at the lower front portion of said pocket; and, connection means joining said plate elements whereby they may undergo independent vertical movement relative to said disc.

2. A guard for use with a vertically extending cutting disc as the latter is employed to cut a piece of work, comprising: a plurality of stacked plate elements that cooperate to define a center portion disposed between a pair of outer portions, said center portion being formed with an upwardly extending disc-receiving pocket; a vertical surface formed at the lower front portion of said pocket; a downwardly and rearwardly inclined surface formed on the front of each of said plate elements; and, connection means joining said plate elements whereby they may undergo independent vertical movement relative to said disc as the front of said plate elements engages the leading edge of said piece of work.

3. A guard for use with a rotatable cutting disc that is disposed adjacent to a member having a horizontal surface, said disc being arranged at a right angle to said horizontal surface, comprising: a plurality of horizontally stacked plate elements that cooperate to define a center portion disposed between a pair of outer portions, the lower edgs of all said plate elements normally resting upon said horizontal surface and said center portion being formed with an upwardly extending disc-receiving pocket; and, connection means joining said plate elements whereby they may undergo independent upward vertical movement relative to said horizontal surface.

4. A guard for use with a rotatable cutting disc that is disposed adjacent to a member having a horizontal surface, said disc being arranged at a right angle to said horizontal surface, comprising: a plurality of horizontally stacked plate elements that cooperate to define a center portion disposed between a pair of outer portions, the lower edges of all said plate elements normally resting upon said horizontal surface, and said center portion being formed with an upwardly extending disc-receiving pocket; a vertical surface formed at the lower front portion of said pocket, said surface extending upwardly from the lower edge of the plate elements that make up said center portion; and connection means joining said plate elements whereby they may undergo independent upward vertical movement relative to said horizontal surface.

5. A guard for use with a rotatable cutting disc that is disposed adjacent to a member having a horizontal surface, said disc being arranged at a right angle to said horizontal surface, comprising: a plurality of horizontally stacked plate elements that cooperate to define a center portion disposed between a pair of outer portions, the lower edges of all said plate elements normally resting upon said horizontal surface, and said center portion being formed with an upwardly extending disc-receiving pocket; at "ertical surface formed at the lower front portion of said pocket, said surface extending upwardly from the lower edge of the plate elements that make up said center portion; a downwardly and rearwardly inclined surface connecting the front ends of the upper and lower edgs of said plate elements; and, connection means joining said plate elements whereby they may undergo independent upward vertical movement relative to said horizontal surface.

6. A guard for use with a rotatable cutting disc that is disposed adjacent to a member having a horizontal surface, said disc being arranged at a right angle to said nection means joining said plate elements whereby they may undergo independent upward vertical movement relative to said horizontal surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,255,886 Jones Feb. 12, 1918 1,563,317 Auel Dec. 1, 1925 1,879,280 James Sept. 27, 1932 2,406,979 Wolfe Sept. 3, 1946

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